Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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3423-224
This invention has reference to business forms assem-
blies and has particular reference to those assemblies referred
to in the United Kingdom as Freight Forms although in other
countries of the world these are referred to by the names, for
example, bus bills and shipping order forms.
In United States Patent Specification No. 4153163
there is described a combination envelope and form assembly for
use as a shipping envelope. The front of the envelope is made
of transparent material. The assembly also includes a plurality
of intermediate record sheets with complementary carbon shee-ts
or chemical coated paper to record data relating to the shipping
transaction. Data is applied to the assembly and the carbon
sheets are subsequently detached, and se]ected record sheets are
also attached for record purposes. The assembly is then applied
to a parcel by the adhesive backing at the rear of the envelope
and despatched. On arrival the remaining record sheets are
detached for record purposes.
In the McCarthy Canadian Patent Specification No.
1116137, issued January 12, 1982, there is described a shipping
form including an envelope of heat sealable plastics material,
such adhesi~e being applied to the rear panel for adhering the
envelope to a package, and with a first set of form sheets
within the envelope, and
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a second set of form sheets superposed on the envelope
and aligned with the first set of form sheets for data
recording and which form sheets may be selectively
removed for data etc. recording purposes. Carbon sheets
5 are associated with the record sheets for data recording
purposes.
The shipping form assemblies as described in these prior
specifications are primarily intended to be used for indi-
vidual insertion into a typewriter.
10 It is desired to provide a business forms assembly
preferably of continuous stationery for use as freight
forms or shipping forms or the like which are capable
of bein~ processed in a print unit for example associated
with a computer. Accordingly the business forms assembly
15 should have a thickness not in excess of 21 thousandths
of an inch (say 0.053 cms. ) and have other properties such
as flexibility so that it may pass through the print unit.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide an improved business forms assembly such that it
20 may pass through the print unit of a computer or the like.
It is a further object of the present invention to
provide an improved business forms assembly such that it
may be used as a freight form (or as a shipping order form).
It is a further object of the present invention to provide
25 an improved business forms assernbly such that the assembly
is in continuous form and may be used with a print unit
of a computer or the like in order that data may be
applied satisfactorily tQ the assembly.
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It is a fur-ther object of the present invention to
provide an improved business forms assembly in which the
web or sheet parts of the assembly may be secured together
effectively.
5 Accordin~ to the present invention a business forms
assembly comprises a file copy sheet and an envelope
assembly the said envelope assembly comprising a first
outer transparent sheet of protective film material and a
second outer sheet having an adhesive coating on its outer
10 face and with a barrier coating thereon with an intermediate
copy sheet or sheets between the outer transparent sheet
and the outer adhesive coating sheet characterised in that
the transparent sheet is of tack material and the second
outer sheet is of material to which the tack material adheres
15 by the application of pressure.
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Conveniently the business forms assembly is composed
of continuous webs.
Business forms assemblies in accordance with the
present invention will now be described by way o-f
example with reference to the accompanying drawings
wherein.
Fig~ 1 is a side view of the business forms assembly
taken on the line 1 - 1 Fig. 2
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the business forms assembly
0 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the envelope assembly
of the business forms assembly, and
Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the envelope assembly
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings there is
shown a business forms assembly 1 comprislng a plurality
of interleaved continuous webs and in-tended primarily
for freight forms.
20 The uppermost web 2 is a record copy sheet of light
weight paper and of a minimum thickness and typically
of a width of 10 inches (say 25 cms) . The web is printed
with data relevant to the application to which the
assembly is used. Thus it may include areas to receive
the name and address of the person to whom the freight
ls to be delivered and areas to receive details of
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the ~reight being transported as well as areas to receive
details as to the purchase price of the freight. The
underlying and interleave~ webs 5,6,7,7a, 10 of the
assembly are in register with web 2 and bear corresponding
S areas to receive data as may be required. Each of the
webs is divided by transverse lines of perforations 3
into freight form lengths and has marginal feed apertures
4 to enable the assembly to be fed throu~h an imprinting
machine, for example the print unit o a computer.
The web 5 has the same width as the web 2 and is superimposed
beneath the uppermost web 2 and is a further record copy
web and is a self contained imaging web. The web is printed
with data areas in register with corresponding data areas
on the uppermost web 2 and has transverse lines of cross
perforations 3 likewise in register with the transverse
lines of perforations 3 in the web 2 and marginal feed
apertures. The further record copy web 5 has a coating
on its upper face of a self contained imaging layer. This
self contained imacJing coating layer includes both a colour
former and a material capable of reacting with the colour
former to produce a mark where pressure is applied to the
- paper web as by ball point pen or the type face of a
print unit as of a computer. 'rhe record copy web is
pre'erably of -the kind PT0 (press type 0) or PT~
(press type A~ manufact~lred under the Trade Mark Croxley.
If desired additional record copy webs are provided of a
minimum thickness and with a self imaging coating as may
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be desired by the application for which the assembly
is to be usedr but provided that the total thickness
of the assembly does not exceed 21 thousandths of an inch
(0.053 cms).
5 The marginal feed apertures 4 are provided in a marginal
strip which may be detached by tearing along the
longitudinal lines of perforations 4a in the respective
webs.
A web 6 of transparent film material is pos.itioned
underneath the further record copy web (or webs) 5 but
has a width slightly less that the width of the webs
2 and 5. Thus the side edges of the web 6 do not
overlap the marginal feed apertures of the webs 2 and
5. The web 6 does not have marginal feed apertures
but has lines of cross perforations/in register with
the transverse perforations 3 in the webs 2 and 5 Eor
dividing the web into envelope lengths (or form lengths).
The web/is conveniently made of
polyethylene film
15 microns thick and of 14 ~rams ~leight (per square metre~.
The transparent material is required to be thin and give
adequate flexlbility in feeding the assembly and for
processing the assembly (as to be hereinafter described).
Another additional web 7 is positioned beneath the web
6 of transparent material, This web 7 is of the same
width as the webs 2 and 5, is a further record copy
web and is of a similar self contained imaging coated
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material as the webs 2 and 5 and is printed with data
areas similar -to the webs 2 and 5 with the data areas
of the respective webs in register with one another.
The web 7 also has transverse lines of cross perforations
3 in register wi-th the lines of cross perforations 3 in
the webs 2, 5 and 6. A series of areas 8 o~ the web 7
is die cut to provide a window opening. These areas 8
extend for a distance of about 5/16 of an inch across the -
web 7 on opposite sides of each of the transverse
perforation lines for a distance of about 8~ inches (say
21 cms). These areas ~ are for the purpose of securing
the front face of the rear web 10 (to be hereinafter
described) to the rear face of the transparent web 6,
The transparent web 6 is secured to the adhesive coating
web 10 by virtue of the properties of the web rather
than by adhesive. Thus the transparent web 6 shown in
Fig. 5 is of tack polyethylene which is supplied by MAC~AC
Limited of Northampton. This tack polyethylene has the
property when applied to a surface by pressure of adhering
to such surface.
Accordingly the tack polyethylene has the capability of
securing itself to the adhesive coating web 10 through
the die cu-t area 8. Because the material is found
to be tack it adheres to the front face of the rear web
but does not adhere to the self contained imaging web 7
and the sheet 7 when detached may be removed from between
the transparent sheet 26 and the adhesi~e coating sheet 30
by tearing across the perforation line 13.
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Data ma~ ~e ext~ac-ted ~rom the ~ecord copy sheet b~
readin~ through the transparenk sheet.
It is found that the tack transparent material adheres
best to the rear web constituted by an adhesive coating
sheet 10 if the adhesive coating sheet has a base
sheet of polyeth~lene on which the adhesive coatin~ is
applied. Such a base sheet has a weight of 160 grams.
Such an adhesive coatiny is obtainable from MACTAC of
Northampton.
As shown in Fig. 2 (but for the sake of clarity not in
Fig. 1) an additional record copy web 7a is produced
beneath the web 7. This web 7a is coated with a coating
of self contained imaying material and is printed with
the same data areas as the web 7. It also has the feed
apertures 4 and cross perforations 3. The provision of
this web is optional depending upon the required number
of record copy sheets. The lowermost web 10 of the
assembly comprises a sheet of lightweight paper of about
125 grams per square metre or light weight plastics
material such as coated polypropylene with adhesive on
its rear face and which adhesive coatiny is covered by
a silicon based barrier coating web say of 60 grams
per s~uare metre. The web 10 extends on one side (the
ri~ht hand side as shown in Fig. 2) in register with
the webs 2, 5 and 7 of the assembly and has marginal
feed apertures adjacent this side edge.
In Fig. 1 of the drawings there is shown a single record
copy web 7 between the transparent web 6 and the web 10.
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Hp~evex if for the system the ~resent ~usiness foxm
assembl~ as provided re~uires more than one copy at
the place of delivery more than one such second copy web
may be included. Such a web has a self contained
imaging coating la~er and has a blocked out area 8 in
register with the die cut area in the web 7 and has
longitudinal lines of spots of adhesive 11.
It is normally re~uired to have the record copy sheet
the record copy web 7 detached from the env~lope ~ormed
lo by the transparent web 6 and the adhesive web 10 and
for this purpose a line o longitudinal tear off
perforations 13 is formed in the record copy web just
wi-thin the line of spots of adhesive 11 between the
transparent web 6 and the record copy web 7.
As shown in Fig. 3 the marginal strip containing the
feed apertures 4 (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 on the
left hand side) has been removed the underlying record
copy webs 7 and 7a are shown partly detached from the
envelope formed from the sheets 6 and adhesive sheek 10.
It will be apparent that data typed or written on the
- sheet 2 and with copies made on the underlying record
copy sheets 7 will be visible through the transparent
sheet 6 even when one or more of the record sheets is
detached from the form length by tearing along the
longitudinal perforation line as may be re~uired. Such
a remaining sheet is not shown in Fig. 3. Referxin~ to
Fi~. 4 of the drawings there is shown in exploded view
the various parts which together form a single form
length.The parts do not coxrespond to the sheets as
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~s sho~ln in Fi~. 3 which also shows a
form leng-th of the business forms assembly.
As shown the first or uppermost sheet is part of the
we~ 2 and constitutes a ~irst record sheet 220 If
required further xecord sheets may be included.
The second sheet 26 is part of the transparent material
web 6 and is not as wide as the record sheet 22.
The -third sheet 27 is part of the continuous record web
7 and receives data as applied to the first record sheet
22. The last sheet 30 is part of the lowermost adhesive
coating web 10 and has marginal feed apertures along one
side only and the sheet is not as wide as the record copy
sheet 22 and 27.
A business forms assembly as shown in the drawings is
primarily intended for use in connection with the despatch
of freight for example from a despatch departnlent to a
customer. An assembly as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is
processed through for example a computer and da-ta is
applied to the uppermost web 2 of the assembly by the
print unit of the computer and reproduced on the underlying
record copy webs 5, 7 and 7a being the self contained
imaging coating web.
Subsequently the uppermost web 2 and the record copy web
5 are removed from the assembly as by a decollator and
the assembly is further separated into ~ndividual form
lengtlls as by a burster. Alternatively and especially
in the case of a user of small quantities of forms the
assembly may be separated into form lengths by hand and
if necessary additional information applied and selected
parts remo~ed.
Because the uppermost sheet of the envelope assembly is
of transparent material the data typed or otherwise
applied to the copy record sheet 22 and reproduced on
5 the copy record sheet 27 is visible on the record copy
sheet 27 through the transparent material sheet 26 and
is utilized for postal purposes.
When the merchandise arrives at its destlnation the copy
record sheet or sheets 27 is enclosed within the envelope
10 comprising the transparent sheet 26 and the adhesive
coating sheet 30 and the one or more record copy sheet
may be removed by detaching across the perforation line
13 when such sheet or sheets may be processed.
It will be apparent that additional record copy webs (as
15 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 at 5 and 7a) may be optionally
included depending upon the use to which the assembly is
to be put. It may be convenient to have two additional
webs as 5 and no additional web as 7a or the reverse may
be true. However, in each case the webs are of self
20 contained imaging material on their upper faces and the
thickness of the whole assembly should not exceed 21 cms
in order that the assembly may be passed through the
computer printout.
- In the case of an assembly comprising say seven parts it
25 is necessary to include light weight self contained imaging
webs of say 23 microns thick and 38 grams weigh-t/38 grams
per sguare metre of paper.
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