Envelope

Sept. 13, 1938.

2,129,705

Η. H. REINEMAN

ENVELOPE

Original Filed Jan. 23, 1933

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Patented Sept. 13, 1938

2,129,705

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,189,705 ENVELOPE Horvard, H. Reineman, Brighten, N. Y. Application January 23, 1933, Serial No. 652,9^8 Renewed August 12,1937 12 Claims; (CL 229—81)

The present invention relates to containers or envelopes for holding papers, relatively small articles and the like, and has for one object to provide a container or envelope which can be 5 successively sealed, opened, and resealed whereby to increase its usefulness and to reduce the number of envelopes required for a given service.

A'further object of the Invention is to provide an envelope having a flap or sealing portion, the 10 inner face of which is adapted to lie upon a portion of the exterior face of one of the walls of the envelope and in which one of said faces is provided with spaced or separate layers of adhesive material for use successively, through cole operation with the other of the faces, to effect sealing, opening, and resealing of the envelope at successive periods.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved return envelope adapted for hold20 ing papers, small articles, and the like, which can be sent by mail or otherwise delivered, and which is capable of being sealed by the sender and subsequently opened by the receiver to effect removal of the contents and resealed with the 25 same or different contents and returned to the sender, or to other persons as desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide an envelope having improved means by which to facilitate easy and relatively quick opening of 30 the same after the closure has been sealed or otherwise secured.

A further object of the invention is to provide ah envelope having a flap or other closure, a portion of which is adapted to lie upon a pre35 determined portion of one of the walls of the envelope, one of the portions having adhesive material thereon for cooperation with the other of said portions to effect sealing of the envelope and said predetermined portion constituting 40 means adapted to be torn off after the envelope is sealed whereby to effect unsealing and release of the closure.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved envelope having a flap or closure 45 provided with adhesive material for sealing the same upon one of the walls of the envelope and between which and said wall is positioned a part extenEng laterally from the closure after the latter has been sealed, or otherwise rendered ac50 cessible for tearing off by means of the fingers or by the use of other means to effect release of the closure and opening of the envelope.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of 55 parts, all as will be. hereinafter more fully de scribed, the novel features being pointed out in _Lthe claims at the end qf the specification.

In the drawing:

Mg. 1 is an elevation of an envelope embodying one form of the invention, and showing the en- 5 velope closure in open position;

Mg. 2 is a view similar to Mg. 1 but showing the parts in closed and sealed position;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation showing the relationship of the parts after the closure has been 10 unsealed and opened ready for subsequent sealing, and

Mg. 4 is a view illustrating a moEfied form of' . the invention showing the closure to open position, as it appears before sealing. 15

The same reference numerals throughout the several views inEcate the same parts.

The invention is emboEed in the present instance, by way of illustration, in an envelope of the type having its opening closed by the folding 20 thereover of a flap or closure which is held in position by sEtable securing means such, for example, as adhesive material, which may be applied either to the closure or to that portion of. the envelope upon which the closure lies when in 25 closing position.

The present embodiment is particularly adapted for use as a container for photographic film such, for example, as rolls of film or film packs, to be sent to the finisher and adapted to 30 contain also the developed negatives and prints to be returned by him to the sender. Such usage reqEres closing means capable of being reaEly secured and released and resecured, and where the container is in the form of an envelope, this 35 is effected by sealing the flap or closure at one or more pointe with the contents thereto. The envelope is then sent to the finisher and the seal is broken by him to release the contents. After the films are developed and printed both are 40 placed to the envelope which is then resealed at one or more points and returned to the sender.

In certain usages it may be desired to seal the envelope at but a stogie point or in other words to use it without subsequent resealing. In such 45 cases the envelope can be advantageously used, since it is provided with novel and improved means designed to convetoently and qEckly effect breaking of the seal and opeEng of the envelope when desired, as pointed out herein- 50 after.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Jthere is shown an envelope having opposite side portions 10 and 11, the envelope being preferably formed in a known manner by proviEng on the 55

2,129,705 side ί I a longitudinally extending seam comprising the overlapping portions 12 and 13 which are secured one upon another as by means of suitable adhesive material. The side portion 10 is provided in the present instance, with a closure or flap 14 preferably formed integrally therewith and adapted to be folded over the mouth of the envelope and down upon the opposite side portion 11 as shown, for example, in Fig. 2. The free edge 15 of the closure flap 14 is preferably provided with an auxiliary flap 16 forming a coupon slip detachably connected with the closure flap 14 as by means of a scored line at the flap edge 15, this coupon slip being useful for carrying data for identification of the envelope.

In the use of the envelope as a container for photographic film or other articles, the coupon slip may be detached from the envelope and given to the owner of the films at the time they are left for finishing, and he may be required to subsequently produce the slip at the proper time as a means to identify the negatives and prints returned to the sender by the finisher sealed in the same or original envelope.

It has been found that an envelope of the above character may be provided with simple but effective means for securing the closure, which in the present instance comprises a plurality of spaced or separate adhesive surfaces 17 and 18 shown located upon the inner face of the closure 14 but which if preferred may be on the wall I ί of the envelope in position to effect sealing between said wall and the closure when the latter is in the position shown in Fig. 2.

In this position of the closure, following the first sealing operation, the adhesive surfaces &lt;8 are left unmoistened and consequently are unimpaired and are not therefore effective as sealing means between the closure and the wall 11 of the envelope. Sealing is first effected, however, by moistening the adhesive surface 17 and pressing the flap downwardly upon the wall I f, which is preferably provided with a detachable part 19 extending partly beneath the closure and partly at one side thereof and with which the adhesive surface 17 contacts to seal the envelope as shown in Fig. 2.

The tongue-like part 19 preferably comprises a continuation of the overlapping portion 13 of the longitudinally extending seam on the wall 11 of the envelope. The tongue 19 is preferably weakened at its base in order that it may be readily torn off when desired. This may be done in any suitable manner as by providing the perforations 20 which are best shown in Fig. 1 and which extend at one side of the adhesive-surface 17 when the closure is in sealing position.

The part 19α of the tongue which is exposed when the closure is in sealing position comprises means which may be grasped by the fingers to permit the tongue to be torn off whereby to effect unsealing and opening of the envelope as shown in Fig. 3, the tearing being facilitated by the perforations 20, or by scoring if preferred. However, instead of employing the fingers to grasp and release the tongue, any suitable instrument may be inserted beneath the same and pressure exerted thereon in a manner to detachthe tongue by tearing it along the line of the perforations, thereby releasing the flap or closure and permitting the contents of the envelope to be removed.

When the finisher receiving the envelope unseals the closure in the manner described he will then remove the films and complete the developing and printing operations, after which the prints and films are placed within the envelope. Resealing is then effected by moistening the adhesive surfaces 18 and pressing the closure 5 down upon the wall 11 of the envelope. The envelope is then returned to the sender and when received by him is given to the owner when called for, without unsealing if desired, or if preferred it may first be unsealed and the contents in- 10 spected to determine the condition of the work and to check the number of articles returned. The unsealing of the envelope after it has been returned to the sender may readily be effected by inserting any suitable instrument beneath the 15 closure and moving it to break the seals, after which the contents can easily be removed from the envelope.

It will be understood that the flap when sealed as shown in Fig. 2 may be opened merely by in- 20 serting the finger under the portion 19α of the tongue and moving it toward the end of the envelope to effect tearing of the tongue along the line of the perforations 20.

It will be further understood that the tongue 25 may constitute a separate part inserted between the envelope wall I f and the flap, in position to register with the layer of adhesive material 17 when the flap is in closing position, in which case a portion of the tongue will extend below 30 the flap as shown in Fig. 2 in position to be grasped by the fingers. Furthermore, the tongue may be formed of fabric, paper, or other suitable material best adapted for the purpose intended. 85

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the envelope is constructed in a manner similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the exception that the seam portion 13a overlying the portion 12α is cut away at 21 and the detachable part 22 &lt;q comprises a portion of the wall I la of the envelope and is formed by slotting the latter at 23 and providing the perforations 24 whereby the part 23 may be readily torn off after the envelope has been sealed by moistening the adhesive 45 surface 17α and pressing the closure down upon the body of the envelope.

It will be understood that the flap or closure 12α will have adhesive surfaces thereon corresponding to the surfaces 18 of the flap 14 and 50 that they will be sealed in the manner described in connection with the adhesive surfaces 18 and will function in the same way and for the same purpose.