Untitled record

No. 192,522.

Sheets—Sheet 1.

C. K. MARSHALL.

ENVELOPES.

Patented. June 26, 187'7.

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Inventor:

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N.PETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, 0, C.

No. 192,522.

Sheets—Sheet 2.

C. K. MARSHALL.

ENVELOPES.

Patented June 26, 1877.

Fig 3.

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/n /Sealing wet only theyarn outside. ttepeeforations and save the inner¹ gu-mmong^nOu/ reyly. Jn o/jentnyi/jiayuv along tde. line o^hole-s.

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N. PETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

No. 192,522.

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Sheets—Sheet 3.

C. K. MARSHALL.

ENVELOPES.

Patented June 26, 1877.

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N.PETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C.

United States Patent Office.

CHARLES K. MARSHALL, OF VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI.

IMPROVEMENT IN envelopes.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 192,523, dated June 26, 1877; application filed May 23,1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Charles K. Marshall, of the city of Vicksburg, in the county of Warren and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Improvement iu Letter-Envelopes, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is the production of a letter-envelope adapted to perform the ordinary functions of two letter-envelopes, and this without reversing the original folding of an envelope, as has sometimes been done to accomplish such purpose. To this end I provide the face of a letter-envelope with two sets of superscription-lines and with.two stamps, and its sealing-flaps with two mucilage-surfaces, so distinctly separated from each other that one may be utilized to seal up the envelope on its first transmission through the mail, and the other on the return of the envelope through the mail.

The nature of my invention relates to an envelope which not only is capable of doing double service as such, but also furnishes a person to whom such envelope is addressed with the means of a reply without subjecting such person either to the expense of postage or the expense of another envelope.

Figure 1 is a plan view of au envelope constructed to carry out my invention, this view showing its superscriptiou-face and the sealing-flap extended out on the same plane. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the under side of the envelope shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a view of an envelope similar to view Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the under side of the envelope shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a similar view of an envelope to that shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a view of the under side of the same.

In all of said figures,' A indicates the body portion of the envelope, and A' the sealingflap, the said body and flap being made in the usual likeness of the ordinary envelope in common use, save in particulars, as hereinafter described. As shown in Figs. 1,2, and 5,b bb are lines impressed upon the left-hand face of the envelope, as a guide for the superscriptionaddress prior to its first mailing in a post-office, and b' V b' are similar lines on its right hand face for a second superscription-address prior to a second mailing of the envelope in a post-office. Over these right and left hand lines b and b¹, at convenient points, postagestamps, as at c d, are placed, the left-hand stamp, c, being intended to prepay the postage on the first mailing of a letter within the envelope, and the right hand stamp, d, being intended to prepay the postage on a second mailing of the envelope and its contents. Of course, the lines V and stamp d can be utilized for the first mailing, and the lines b and stamp c for the second mailing, if need be; but for uniformity of address the face of the envelope may have directions printed upon it to “ write the first address on the left,” as signified in Figs. 1 and 2. The under side of the sealingflap A'in the several figures shows two sealingsurfaces, or surfaces having mucilage thereon, to effect the usual sealing, of an envelope—to wit, an outer sealing-surface, as at d, and an inner sealing-surface, as at d¹—so that when my improved envelope is first mailed the letter contained therein can be sealed up within the envelope by utilizing in the usual manner the mucilage d for such purpose, after which, on a second mailing of the envelope, the mucilage, as at d¹, can be in like manner used for a second sealing of the envelope. In Figs. 3, 4, and 6 these separated sealing-surfaces d d^lof the flap A are indicated by section-lines, which run’in reversed direction; aud in Figs. 1, 2,3, and 4 the flap A' has a series of punctures, perforations, or slits, as at e, cut through the flap between the outer sealing-surface d and the inner sealing-surface d¹, as shown. These punctures or perforations may be in the shape of a round hole cut through the flap, as in Figs. 2 and 4, or in the shape of a slit cut through the flap, as in Figs. 1 and 3, the same being made either in a right line across the flap or a regular curved line, in order to predetermine the line of fracture or separation of the outer sealing-surface d of the flap from its connection with the inner sealing-surface d¹, when the envelope is first opened, after having once been sealed.

In Figs. 5 and 6 my envelope in shown without perforations between its sealing-surfaces d and d¹, the intermediate space, as at d², being imperforated and having no mucilage upon it.

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In the case of the use of the envelope which has its flap perforated, as indicated iu Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, it can be opened, after a first sealing up, by running a pin or other suitable implement along the line of the perforations, and thus readily disconnect the flap along said line. And in case the two sealing-surfaces d and d¹ have no perforations between them, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, the severance of the flap along the line of the space d² cau readily be effected by a paper-cutter, scissors, or other proper instrument inserted between the flap and the body of the envelope; and on the outside of the flap, over this space d², directions for so opening may be printed.

I do not claim providing an envelope with two gummed surfaces on a single flap, for the purpose of permitting the postmaster to open and examine a letter and seal it again during its passage through the mail.