Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
107~157
-- CONTINUOUS BUSINESS FORMS
; ENVELOPE ASSEMBLY
BAC~GROUND OF TE~E INVENTION
This invention relates to continuous business forms
envelope assemblies and, more particularly, to such assemblies
wherein return envelopes are included.
Prior art of possible relevance includes United States
Letters Patents 3,428,237, issued February 18, 1969 to Dowen;
and 3,905,545, issued September 16, 1975 to Juszak et al; and
3,104,799, issued September 24, 1963 to Steidinger; and United
Kingdom Patent Specification 1,354,196,issued September 18, 197
.
to Uarco Inc.
Continuous business forms envelope assemblies which
are sealed and prestuffed or otherwise provided with insert
material have become increasingly popular ~ue to their ability
to be handled in a mechanized fashion with a minimum of manual
labor. Many envelope constructions contain a return envelope
so that the recipient of the original mailer may use the same to
return payment for an inyoice or the like.
` 20 The above-identified patent specifications are repre-
sentative of a variety of such envelope assemblies containing
return envelopes and constructions made accoraing to at least
all but the Dowen patent (and possibly that as well), are com-
mercially available.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the principal object of the invention to provide
a new and improved continuous business forms envelope assembly.
: More specifically, it is an object cf the invention to provide
such an assembly wherein the envelopes include return envelopes
which are easily utilized.
` ~n exemplary embodiment of a continuous business forms
envelope assembly made according to the invention comprises a
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plurality of at least three s~perimpoc;ed, elongated plies of
paper with individual envelopes in the asser~ly being delimited
by transverse lines of weakening extending across the assembly.
Typically, a control punch margin will be located on at least
one longitudinal edc3e of the assembly. A first of the plies
defines the fronts of mailing cnvelopes, while a second of the
plies defines the back of the mailing envelopes as well as
either the fronts or the backs of return envelopes. The third
' of the plies is interposed between the first and the second
plies and defines the other of the fronts and backs of the
return envelopes. For each individual envelope in the assembly,
the plies are constructed such that the second ply has an
adhesive bearing portion facing the third ply and extending
along a marginal edge to define a flap for the return envelope.
The third ply has a section aligned with the adhesive bearing
por-tion and generally covering the same, the section being sep-
arated from the remainder of the third ply by easily rupturable
means. Glue lines secure the remainder of the third ply to the
second ply to define a pocket of the return envelope and non-
releasable glue secures the third ply section to the first ply.Releasable glue lines secure the first ply to the remainder of
the third ply and releasable glue means secure the third ply
section to the flap so that each mailing envelope may be opened
by peeling the first ply from the third ply with the third ply
section remaining secured to the first ply to expose the adhesive
~` bearing portion.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention,
the adhesive bearing portion is adjacent to one of the transverse
lines of weakening and the easily rupturable means extend
transversely of the assembly so that a so-called top opening
envelope is defined.
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Accoxdiny to a preerred embodiment of the invention,
there is provided at least one aperture in the third ply section
and releasable glue means secure the first ply to the flap
through the aperture.
In a highly preferred embodiment, a single glue line
of nonreleasable glue is interposed between the third ply section
and the first ply and extends across the aperture thereby re-
leasably securing the third ply section to the flap and
essentially permanently securing the third ply section to the
first ply.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from
the following specification taken in connection with the accom-
panying drawings.
- DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a zig-zag folded
continuous business forms envelope assembly made according to
the invention;
Fig. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of a single
envelope in the assembly;
Fig. 3 is an schematic view of an individual envelope
from the bottom thereof;
Fig. 4 is a schematic view similar to Fig. 3, but
taken from the right side of the envelope; and
Fig. 5 is a schematic similar to Fig. 4, but of a
; 25 modified embodiment of the invention.
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_ESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
An exemplary embodiment of a continuous business forms
envelope assembly is illustrated in Fig. 1 in the form of a
zig-zag folded stack 10. According to the invention, the
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1071157
assembly is formed of a plurality of at least three superimposed
elongated plies of paper, only the tops and bottom ones 12 and
14 being shown in Fig. 1, the remaining ply or plies being
covered by the plies 12 and 14.
Individual envelopes in the assembly are generally
designated 16 and are separated from each other by transverse
lines of weakening 17 extending across the forms. In the em-
bodiment illustrated, conventional control punch margins 18 are
provided on both longitudinal edges of the assembly and spaced
inwardly from one of the margins 18 is a line of perforation 20
which extends the length of the assembly and defines a tear
strip, as will be seen.
Turning now to Figs. 2-4, a single envelope within
the assembly will be described, it being understood that all
envelopes are identical. In the embodiment illustrated, two
intermediate plies 26 and 28 are interposed between the front
and back plies 12 and 14. The front ply 12 defines the front of
the original mailer, while the ply 14 defines the back of the
original mailer. In addition, as will be seen, it forms either
the front or the back of a return mailer. The other of the
front or back of the return mailer is defined by the ply 26,
while the ply 28 defines insert material.
Those parts of the plies 12, 14 and 26 forming an
individual envelope may be identical in size or, if desired,
one of the control punch margins 18 may be removed from the
ply 26.
The ply 14, adjacent the upper line of weakening 17
and between the tear strip line 20 and the right-hand control
punch margin 18has an adhesive bearing portion 30. Typically,
` 30 the adhesive will be remoistenable and it is to be noted that
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''
the same faces the ply 26. A ]ine 32,which may or may not be
present in the actual envelope, separates the adhesive bearing
portion 30 from the remainder of the ply 14 such that the
adhesive bearing portion 30 defines a flap for the return
envelope with the line 32 designating the location whereat the
flap is folded over to seal the return envelope.
The upper section of the intermediate ply 28 is
designated 34 and is aligned with the adhesive bearing portion
30. The section 34 is separated from the remainder of the
intermediate ply 26 by elongated slits 36 which extend trans-
versely across the form. The slits 36 are separated by small
tongues 38 in the paper which serve as easily rupturable means
whereby, with an absolute minimum of force, the section 34 will
separate from the remainder of the ply 26.
The section 34 includes a plurality of apertures 40
which normally will have a diameter in the range of 1/8 to lJ4
inch for purposes to be seen.
The insert ply 28 is die cut according to the teachings
of the previously identified Steidinger patent. Preferably,
the upper edge 42 is die cut so as to be at or about the same
location as the slits 36. The right-hand edge 44 is die cut
so as to be inwardly of the control punch margin 18 a distance
typically on the order of 1/2 inch. The lower margin 46 is
die cut so as to be above the lower line of weakening 17, a
distance also on the order of lJ2 inch, so that, in the final
` envelope assembly, the insert ply 28 will be free from the
outer envelope on three marginal edges.
A U-shaped glue line 48, preferably formed of non-
releasable glue (designated by solid X's in Figs. 3 and 4),
secures all parts of the plies 14 and 26 other than the adhesive
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10711S7,
bearing portion 30 and the section 34 together to define a
pocket for the return envelope. As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the
glue line 48 is disposed just inwardly of the control punch
margin 18 on the right-hand side of the form, just inwardly of
the tear strip 20 on the left-hand side of the form, and just
upwardly from the lowermost line of weakening 17 at the bottom
of the form.
The front ply 12 is secured to the ply 36 at its top
margin by a glue line 50 of nonreleasable glue. On its right-
hand and lower margins, a glue line 52 of releasable glue isutilized. Glue lines 54 of nonreleasable glue interconnect
all plies in the tear strip area between the line of weakening
20 and the control punch margin 18.
Finally, releasable glue, such asspots 56, extend
lS through the apertures 40 from the front ply 12 to the flap
portion 30 of the back ply 14. As a consequence, the front ply
12 is releasably secured to the remainder of the assembly and
may be peeled therefrom. By reason of the glue line 50 securing
the section 34 to the front ply and the releasable glue spots
56 in turn securing the front ply to the rear ply 14, it will
be appreciated that the section 34 is releasably secured to
the adhesive bearing portion or flap 30 and nonreleasably
. secured to the front ply. As a consequence, when the envelope
is opened by peeling, after removal of the tear strip along
the line 20, the section 34 will remain with the front of the
envelope 12 which may be discarded and at the same time expose
the flap 30.
An alternate construction is illustrated in Fig. 5
and differs only in one respect from that previously described.
In lieu of the nonreleasable glue line 50 and the releasable
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10711S7 `
glue spots 56, a single line 60 formed of nonreleasable glue
extends transversely across the section 34 and is aligned with
~` the apertures 40. As a consequence, those portions of the
glue line 60 not on the apertures 40, will nonreleas~bly secure
the section 34 to the front 12 of the envelope. Those portions
of the glue l;ne 60 that are overlying the apertures 40, will
pass therebe-tween to glue the front 12 to the back 14. Even
though nonreleasable glue is used in forming the line 60, the
resulting structure defines a releasable glue means whereby the
section 34 is releasably secured to the adhesive bearing portion
30. This is due to the fact that the relatively small dimension
of the apertures 40 allows only a limited amount of the non-
releasable glue to secure the front 12 to the back 14 and the
amount is sufficiently small so that the resulting bond is
easily ruptured to release the front 12 and the section 34 from
` the adhesive bearing portion 30 when the envelope is opened by
peeling.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that a
continuous business forms assembly made according to the invention
minimizes the number of plies required to form the envelope
} assembly in that part of the return envelope also serves as
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part of the original mailer. At the same time, the construction
involving the section 34, which is left in place during manu-
facturing to avoid the need for an additional operation to
remove it, provides a measure of protection for the adhesive
bearing portion 30 and yet, when the envelope is opened, is
automatically removed from the return envelope to preclude
the need for its removal by the recipient.
