US3265289A - Envelope with a resealable inspection flap - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 9, 1966 w. L. HIERSTEINER ENVELOPE WITH A RESEALABLE INSPECTION FLAP Filed Dec. 23, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l lA IVENTOl L Z fl/a/fer L Marsh/law."

lg BY A TTORNEV.

Aug. 9, 1966 w, 1.. HIERSTEINER 3,265,289

ENVELOPE WITH A RESEALABLE INSPECTION FLAP Filed Dec. 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nyvENTog. Ila/fer l, file/sinner 54mg yaw/am HTTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,265,289 ENVELOPE WITH A RESEALABLE INSPECTION FLAP Walter L. Hiersteiner, Mission, Kane, assignor to Tension Envelope CorporatiomKansas City, M0., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 420,741 1 Claim. (Cl. 22-'80) This invention relates to a scalable envelope which,

aifter being sealed, is easily opened for inspection of its contents and rescaled without damaging the envelope.

Envelopes of this character are particularly desirable because some countries require that envelopes be adapted to be opened for inspection of the contents and be resealable after inspection. Heretotfore, these envelopes have been provided with closure flaps having a pressure sensitive adhesive of a type such that the closure flaps may be sealed, peeled open for inspection, and then rescaled.

Such envelopes are satisfactory when used in small quantity, but when use has reached a volume where an automatic inserting and sealing machine is desirable, the envelopes are often too large to be handled with an open closure flap, and it is not possible to machine-open foldedover closure flaps of envelopes having resealable adhesive, nor to process the envelope with the flap extended.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide envelopes of this character with an inspection flap folded and sealed with resealable adhesive, and to provide an additional fl-ap with remoistenalble adhesive that may be easily handled in an automatic inserting and sealing machine.

However, there are production problems in making the envelopes, because both types of adhesive must be dried before the flaps are folded. Standard envelope making machines are not equipped to dry sealing adhesives applied on two diiferently disposed flaps at the same time, for the reason that blanks from which the envelopes are formed are overlapped in applying and drying wet sealing adhesive. Consequently, it is not possible to apply adhesive to lapped portions of the blanks. Therefore, it is necessary to run the envelopes through an additional machine to apply and dry one of the adhesives and to fold the flap which is to be sealed thereby. This obviously involves an additional cost in making the envelopes. To avoid this difliculty, the present invention provides for applying the remoistenahle adhesive in the form of a pregummed strip that is applied in a single run through .a standard envelope making machine such as used in making envelopes having linings or having Windows covered with a transparent patch cut from a roll and automatically attached by adhesive which is applied to the blanks from which the envelopes are formed. In making the envelopes in accordance with the present invention, all that is required is to substitute a roll of pregummed tape for the roll of lining material or transparent material. The adhesive used in applying the pregummed strip presents no additional drying problems, therefore, only the resealable adhesive need be dried before the blanks are folded into envelopes. Such machines are well equipped for drying the resealable adhesive and folding and sealing the inspection flaps.

Since the inspection flaps are folded and sealed in the envelope making machine and the envelopes are filled through an opening close-d by the closure flaps having the pregummed strips, the envelopes are easily handled in an automatic inserting and sealing machine.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention as hereinafter described, I have provided improved structure for an envelope as hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

:FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an envelope constructed ice in accordance with the present invention and showing the closure and inspection flaps in unfolded position to better illustrate the construction, and showing a part of one of the side flaps broken away to illustrate the adhesive by which the side flaps are connected together.

FIG. 2 is a perspective View of the upper portion of the envelope illustrating the pregummed strip applied to the closure flap, with one end turned back to illustrate the adhesive which secures it to the flap.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view through the envelope taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the envelop-e with the inspection flap folded and sealed and with the closure flap unfolded ready for insertion of an enclosure into the pocket of the envelope.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the envelope showing the inspection flap peeled open for removal or inspection of the enclosure.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates an envelope constructed in accordance with the present invention and which includes rectangular front and back panels 2 and 3 to provide a pocket 4 therebetween. The front and back panels are connected along two side edges and open along the other two edges to provide an insert opening and an inspection opening, respectively. in the illustrated instance the back panel 3 is provided with side flaps 5 and 6 that are connected to sides of the front panel by folds 7 and 8. The side flaps are of sufficient width to partially lap one another and be sealed together by adhesive 9 (FIG. 1). The insert opening, designated 11 and the inspection opening, designated 11, are formed between the other edges of the front and back panels.

The inspection opening 11 is closed by an inspection flap 12 that is coextensive thcrewith and which is connected with enact the panels, for example, with the front panel 2, by a told 13 whereby the inspection flap 12 is folded over the inspection opening 11 and secured to the back panel 3 by means so that the flap 12 may be opened and r-cclosed, particularly by a resealable adhesive. Such an adhesive when dried adheres only to itself and, therefore, the inspection flap 12 has adhesive applied thereon in the form of a stripe 14 having an exposed surface that contacts a similarly exposed surface of an adhesive stripe 15 located near the marginal edge 16 of the back panel and in a position for the exposed surface of the adhesive '15 to make a seal with the surface of the adhesive 14 .upon folding over of the inspection flap 12 for closing the bottom of the pocket. The adhesive may be of the latex type that provides the resealable characterisic after the adhesive is dried.

-In the present invention one of the panels has a closure flap 17 coextensive with the insert opening 10 to fold thereover and seal with the other panel. -In the illustrated instance, the closure flap 17 is connected with the front panel 2 by a fold 18 and folds over the back panel 3. The closure flap 17 is sealed by means of a remoistenable adhesive 19 on a strip20. As illustrated, the gummed strip is secured to the inner face of the closure flap 17 by an adhesive 21. The closure iiap 17 may be folded over the back panel 3 without making a seal because the adhesive 19 on the strip 20 is dry when the strip 20 is anplied and does not seal until it is moistened. If desired, the closure flap 17 may be left unfolded as shown in FIG. 4.

Envelopes as described may be completely made upon a standard envelope making machine equipped for applying patches to envelope blanks. Consequently, they can be produced at low cost without the production problem-s encountered when the sealing adhesive must 'be dried on two differently disposed flaps. Since the adhesive on the pregummed strip is dry when cut from a roll of gummed tape and secured, only the adhesive stripes 14 and 15 need to be dried during manufacture of the envelopes.

T-he envelopes of the inspection type constructed as described may be easily handled in automatic inserting and sealing machines. The closure flaps 17, if folded, may be automatically opened, an enclosure inserted through the insert opening into the pocket 4, the adhesive 19 on the closure flap 17 moistened, and the closure flap 17 brought into sealing contact with the back panel 3 to make a seal therewith.

To make an inspection, the inspection flap 12 is raised to peel the surface of the adhesive stripe 14 thereon from the surface of the adhesive stripe 15. After inspection of the enclosure, the inspection flap 12 may be easily rescaled 'by refolding the flap 12 to bring the surfaces of the adhesive stripes together and pressing the inspection flap to the back panel 3 of the envelope.

When the envelope is to be opened, the inspection flap -12 may be peeled open to remove the enclosure in the same manner as when making an inspection.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that the envelope of the present invention provides for easy inspection of the contents without danger of damaging the envelope or the contents, and may be resecured as before. Also, the envelope is adapted to be used in automatic inserting and seal-ing machines.

The seal of the inspection flap of the present invention offers no interference with insertion of an enclosure either by hand or by use of an automatic insertion and sealing machine.

It is to be understood that the present drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, but that the insert and inspection openings may be located between any two edges of the panels, and that the flaps, therefore, may be connected by folds with either one of the panels.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An article of manufacture comprising:

an envelope including substantially rectangular front and back panels connected along two edges to provide a pocket bet-ween said panels and open along the other two edges to provide an insent opening and an inspection opening, respectively,

an inspection flap integrally connected with one of the panels along an edge adjacent the inspection opening by a fold line and overlying a portion of the other panel,

correspondingly located pressure sensitive resealable adhesive on said portion of the other panel and said inspection flap, respectively, and having the adhesive sunfaces in sealing contact and forming a releasable and resealable adhesive seal, and thereby closing the inspection opening,

said contacting surfaces of the adhesives being peelable from each other to release said flap for inspection of contents of the envelope and to :re-establish the seal when said surfaces are in contact upon reclosing of said inspection flap,

a second flap connected with one of the panels by a fold line along an edge adjacent said insert opening and extending parallel to said first named edge, said flap being adapted to be folded in overlying relation to said other panel to close said insert opening and [being provided with a strip of dry moisture soluble adhesive capable of permanently securing said flap to said panel upon moistening of said adhesive.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,972,995 9/ 1934 Irrgang 229 2,063,999 12/ 1936 Harrison 229-48 2,109,583 3/ 1938 Bennett 22948 3,062,371 ill/1962 Patience 206-632 3,154,239 10/1964 Madsen 229-62 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner.

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