US1963639A - Envelope - Google Patents

Description

' June 19, 1934.

E. F. AHLQUlsT. 1,963,639

ENVELOPE l `Filed nec. 21, 1931 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVEA/T HG. 6 F76. 7 :06E/vf: f: 4m. Qu/.sr

562112, @LQ M Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT oFF1cEQ,

c 2 Claims.

Y This invention relates to new and useful improvements in envelopes, and an object of the invention is to provide an envelope having means embodied in the construction thereof whereby, 5 when the envelope has once been sealed, it cannot beV opened and resealed without defacing or mutilating it so that the receiver may note, at a glance, that the envelope has been tampered with by an unauthorized` person. f

prising a body portion having an opening and a ilap adapted to form a closure for said opening, said ap being gummed whereby it may be secured to the body portion of the envelope to seal said opening, and a portion of the gummed portion of said flap being treated in such a manner as to the fibers, or weaken the material break down thereof, whereby the flap cannot be opened without defacing or mutilating it.

A vvfurther object is to provide an envelope comprising a flap adapted to provide a closure for the usual opening thereof, and a portion of the flap being treated in such a manner as to weaken a portion of the material thereof, as for example, by subjecting it to high pressure, or by closely perforating al portion of the nap, or by subjecting a portion of the nap to heat, or to the action of chemicals, whereby the fibers are weakened to the extent that the ilap cannot be opened, after it has once been secured to the body of the envelope, without tearing or otherwise mutilating it.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed (claims.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined A to the exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view showing an envelope with Vthe invention embodied in the construction thereof and showing the flap in open unsealed position;

Figure 2 is a view showing the iiap sealed and the portions of the iiap which have been treated in accordance with the invention;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing an instrument inserted under the flap to open it, and also showing the treated portion of the ap torn or mutilated by the instrument;

Figure 4 is a view showing an envelope having a A further object is to provide an envelope com-- portion of its flap treated substantially the full length thereof;

Figure 5 is a similar view showing an insitrument inserted under the weakened flap and indicating how it is mutilated thereby;

Figure 6 is a view vshowing a portion ot lan envelope having its flap provided with at plurality of closely disposed perforations for the purpose of weakening it; and

Figure l is a viewshowing a, portion oi". :nsealed Gi envelope with a separate seal secured to the flap thereof. v l y In the selected embodiment of the invention here shown, for purposes of disclosure, there is illustrated in Figure 1, an envelope comprising ' IO end flaps 2 and 3 and a bottom flap 4 folded, one over therother, and suitably secured together to provide the body of the envelope. The broken line 5 indicates where the top flap 6 is folded to close and seal the envelope, as shown in Figures (57. 2 and 3. It will be noted that the upper edges of the end flaps extend above the fold line 5 so that when the top ilap 6 is folded against the envelope body and sealed, it will be impossible for a person to insert an instrument into the S0... interior of the envelope body rwithout'damaging the walls thereof or breaking the seal ofk the envelope.

An important feature of this invention resides in treating portions of the flap 6 in such a man- 85 ner that when once it has been sealed, it cannot be opened and resealed without being so marked that the recipient of the letter or envelope may readily note that it has been tampered with.

To thus treat the flap 6, I have shown in Figures l to 3, circular portionsl-Jl and 8 thereof which have been treated in a manner to cause the fibers of the material to become weakened so that when the flap is secured to the body portion of the envelope, as shown in Figures 2 95,; and 3, by the gum or adhesive usually provided upon the flap, it cannot be reopened without tearing or mutilating the flap. This may be accomplished in various ways as, for example, by` subjecting the treated portions of the flapr to 1(10, heat, or high pressure, or to the action of certain acids or chemicals.

Preferably, only portions of the gummed portion of the flap are treated as shown in Figures 1 and 3, so that when the ilap is sealed, the 105.' weakened portions thereof will not be of sufficient magnitude to weaken the seal. By treatingY portions of the flap as shown' in Figures 2 and 3, when a letter opener or other suitable in- Gila strument is inserted under the sealed flap 6, 110,"

and it contacts with one of the treated portions '7 or 8 of the iiap, these portions will be destroyed as shown at the left hand side of Figure 3, because of the frail and weakened condition of said treated portions, and because they are secured to the envelope body in the same manner as the flap.

By thus treating portions of the iap, the usual metallic seals or locks now commonly used on various types of commercial. envelopes may be dispensed with. Metallic locks and seals add considerably to the manufacturing cost of the envelopes, and are usually more or less bulky and are therefore objectionable. By treating portions of the flap as disclosed in this invention, the envelope when sealed is rendered substantially as secure as if metallic locks or seals Were used for the reason that the flap, when once secured to the body portion, cannot be opened and resealed without leaving a mark which may be quickly noted by the recipient of the envelope. Also, by treating the flaps as herein disclosed, very little is added to the manufacturing cost, thereby providing such an article embodying all of the advantages of the metallic seals or locks now usedand, at the same time, considerably reducing the cost of the article and facilitating the operation of closing and sealing the envelope.

In the manufacture of the envelopes, I have found that by applying heat to the portions 7-7 and 8 of the flap by means of suitable dies, the iiap may be treated without materially adding to the cost of manufacture, and also when using heat, suitable information may be impressed in the treated portions of the envelope such, for example, as advertising matter and a return address.

In Figures 4 and 5, I have illustrated an envelope body 9 having a nap 10, the lower marginal edge portion 11 of which is treated as above described so that when an attempt is made to open the envelope with an instrument 12, after once the flap 10 has been sealed, the flap will become damaged or defaced to the extent that it may be quickly noted by the recipient, as clearly illustrated in Figure 5.

Figure 6 shows another method of treating a portion of the iiap to weaken it by providing therein a series of closely disposed perforations 13. When the ap is thus treated, it cannot readily be opened Without tearing the perforated portion of the flap so that if an attempt to open the sealed envelope is made by an unauthorized person, it may be quickly noted.

In some cases, it may be found desirable, in lieu of treating portions of the iiap as above described, to aflix an individual seal 14 to the sealed envelope iiap, as shown in Figure 7, which seal has been previously treated toA render it weak and frail, so that the flap cannot be opened Without tearing or destroying said seal.

I claim as my invention: l

l. An envelope comprising a body portion having an opening therein and a gummed flap for closing said opening, and portions of the gumzned portion of said flap 'being heat-treated to break down and weaken the fibers thereof so that the flap cannot be opened without tearing or mutilating said weakened portions.

2. An envelope comprising a body portion having an opening therein and a gummed flap for closing said opening, and a portion of said flap adjacent its free edge and extending substantially the entire length thereof being subjected to the action or" heat, thereby to break down and weaken the bers thereof whereby the iiap cannot be opened without tearing or mutilating said weakened portion.

EUGENE F. AHLQUIST.

Images