Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
  • B43M—BUREAU ACCESSORIES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B43M5/00—Devices for closing envelopes
  • B43M5/04—Devices for closing envelopes automatic
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B2150/00—Flexible containers made from sheets or blanks, e.g. from flattened tubes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B2160/00—Shape of flexible containers
  • B31B2160/10—Shape of flexible containers rectangular and flat, i.e. without structural provision for thickness of contents
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B2170/00—Construction of flexible containers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B2170/00—Construction of flexible containers
  • B31B2170/20—Construction of flexible containers having multi-layered walls, e.g. laminated or lined

Definitions

• the object of the invention is a method for manufacturing a bulk mail letter or a similar flat packaging in which a sheet-like paper envelope blank which is divided into two halves by a folding line and provided with adhesive strips for closing, is made to move, the contents of the packaging are placed on the moving blank, the blank is bent over so that the contents of the packaging lie under the bent half of the blank, and the letter is closed by jointing the halves of the blank to each other along the adhesive strips.
• the invention relates to an envelope blank intended for implementing the method and bulk mail manufactured according to the invention.
• Advertisements which are sent through mail are typical bulk mail manufactured in large series. Finished envelopes are normally used for these ads. The material forming the contents of the letter is pushed by hand or using an envelope filling machine, after which the envelopes are closed.
• An essentially faster and cheaper way of manufacturing bulk mail letters such as advertisement letters is to use blanks which are folded, in conjunction of the manufacture of the letter, around the contents of the letter so that the envelope is created as a part of the automatizable manufacturing process. Separately made envelopes thus become superfluous.
• the purpose of the present invention is to improve this type of technique.
• the manufacturing process of bulk mail or a similar packaging according to the invention is characterized in that the method uses an envelope blank in which the adhesive strips form a periphery circling around the one half of the blank, that the contents of the packaging are placed on the other half of the moving blank, and that the blank is folded over, whereby the contents of the packaging lie within the periphery formed by the adhesive strips and are surrounded by plain joints in the finished letter.
• Manufacturing the bulk mail letter according to the invention is preferably carried out by placing the contents of the letter on the one half of the envelope blank divided into two parts by the folding line, and by folding the half adjacent to the blank and provided with adhesive strips, on top of the first-mentioned half of the blank in a transversal direction to the travel of the blank.
• the method according to the invention makes it possible to moisten the plain joint before folding the envelope blank and to fold the blank and close the envelope in a continuous process which provides a production speed of over 35000 letters per hour.
• Moving of the envelope blank is preferably carried out in the process according to the invention using push pins which are fitted into the side of the blank into the detents cut for them.
• the contents of the packaging are thus placed on the blank in front of the push pins in such a way that the pins ensure the positioning thereof in the direction of the blank and the push pins are detached from the blank at the same time as the blank is folded over.
• the contents of the letter are in a closed envelope which is typically of rectangular shape and surrounded by joints formed by the adhesive strips.
• a die-cutting is finally performed on the closed envelope which cuts said seamed areas thereof, providing the finished envelope with a shape which deviates from the rectangle.
• an advertisement letter can be made spectacular and thus the interest of the receiver is aroused.
• an advertising letter generally consist of one or more sheets of paper or the like.
• the letter may contain different objects such as samples of articles.
• these objects can be placed on an envelope blank travelling on the production line one by one in sequential positions of the line. Said push pins take care of both the movement of the blank and positioning of the paper sheets or the like placed on it in the direction of movement of the blank, whereas it would be easier for the sheets to be replaced without said pins.
• the method according the invention can be used for manufacturing flat packages having a similar construction and a paper covering for retail trade, for instance.
• Examples for products which are packed according to the invention are sweets and hygienic products, such as sanitary napkins which are generally packed in plastic packaging causing an environmental problem.
• the recyclable packaging according to the invention eliminates said problem.
• it comprises the advantage of shaping the packaging by die-cutting.
• the envelope blank intended for implementing the above-described method which is the object of the invention consists of a paper sheet comprising a folding line which divides it in two halves and along which the blank can be folded over, the sheet being provided with adhesive strips for closing the envelope.
• the blank is characterized in that the adhesive strips are situated in the one of said halves of the blank where they form a periphery going around it.
• the blank according to the invention is preferably provided with detents cut into the side thereof and the push pins transferring the blank can be fitted into the detents.
• the periphery formed by the adhesive strips can be shaped like a regular rectangle but it can also conform to the final form of a letter which is die-cut into a shape deviating from the rectangle if so required.
• the bulk mail letter according to the invention is characterized in that the letter comprises plain joints going around it and bonding the parts of the envelope together, and that the letter is die-cut on the edges thereof into a shape which essentially deviates from the rectangle.
• Fig. 1 presents an envelope blank intended for the manufacture of an advertising letter
• Fig. 2 presents the manufacturing process of the advertising letter using the blank according to Fig. 1, and
• Figs. 3 to 6 present another envelope blank according to the invention and the advertising letter made from it during the different phases of manufacture.
• the envelope blank 1 according to Fig. 1 is formed of a rectangular sheet of paper which is divided in two equal parts 3, 4 by folding line 2.
• One of these parts 3 is provided with adhesive strips 5 which go around the part in question as a rectangular periphery, whereas the other part 4 has slots 6 cut in the side thereof which serve as detents for the push pins which push blank 1 during the manufacture of the letter.
• Fig. 2 shows an automatic, continuous manufacturing process of the letter in which the production line is formed of belt conveyor 7 and adjacent guide bars 9 mounted next to it which direct push pins 8 moving in the direction of the belt.
• Belt conveyor 7 and push pins 8 are synchronized so that they move on the line at the same speed.
• push pins 8 are movable in the vertical direction, i.e., perpendicularly to essentially horizontal guide bars 9.
• the paper sheet forming blank 1 is brought to the production line from the end thereof so that part 3 of the blank provided with adhesive strips 5 is mainly placed on belt conveyor 7 and part 4 provided with slots 6 comes on guide bars 9 in such a way that parallel push pins 8 fall by the slots.
• Push pins 8 project slightly above the level of blank 1, whereby they, together with belt conveyor 7, convey the blank forward on the line in accordance with the arrows in Fig. 2.
• the contents of the advertisement letter manufactured according to Fig. 2 are formed by one or more letter sheets 10 which are placed one by one on blank 1 in sequential phases. For the sake of clarity, only one station is shown in Fig. 2 where letter sheet 10 is fed to blank 1 from the side of the line. It is essential that sheet 10 is placed on blank 1 accurately in front of push pins 8 so that the push pins ensure the positioning of the sheet in the direction of movement of the blank.
• the last phase of the process is to press against each other the parts of blank 1 folded over using rollers 13, whereby the parts are seamed together into a closed envelope along adhesive strips 5. At this point, rollers 13 also take care of propagation of the letter thus created, on the line.
• the end product is advertisement letter 14 in which rectangular adhesive strip 15 going around the letter closes the envelope around the letter sheets inside the envelope.
• Figs. 3 to 6 show an example of the possibilities provided by the invention for giving the final shape to advertisement letter 14 being manu actured.
• the shaping is carried out by die-cut which cuts seamed areas 15 of letter 14 reducing the seams selectively without the letter opening in any place.
• Blank 1 in Fig. 3 essentially corresponds to the one in Fig. 1.
• the differences are windows 16 which are cut into the blank and preferably covered by a transparent film, and the modification of adhesive strip 5 to conform to the die-cut which is performed at a later phase.

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• Making Paper Articles (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8535479

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Citations (4)

• 1992
  • 1992-06-15 FI FI922758A patent/FI91049C/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1993
  • 1993-06-14 WO PCT/FI1993/000259 patent/WO1993025395A1/en active Application Filing
  • 1993-06-14 AU AU43289/93A patent/AU4328993A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

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