Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title: REUSABLE PROTECTIVE ENVELOPE
Field of the invention
(0001) This invention relates to envelopes, and in particular to
protective reusable envelopes.
Background of the invention
[0002) Reusable envelopes are well known in the art. One such
envelope is disclosed in US Patent No. 5,950,916 to Santangelo. Santangelo
discloses a flap hinged to the envelope. The flap includes a number of panels
separated by tear strips. Each of the panels has a layer of adhesive on its
underside. The first time the envelope is used the lowermost panel is
adhered to the envelope for closure thereof. The envelope is opened by
tearing along the adjacent tear strip. The recipient can reuse the envelope by
adhering the adjacent panel.
[0003) The envelope disclosed in Santangelo has a disadvantage. It is
made of a single sheet of paper. Consequently, the envelope is not capable
of providing protection to delicate or fragile objects which may be placed in
the envelope.
[0004) Accordingly, there is a need for a reusable envelope which
provides protection for delicate or fragile contents during transport.
Summary of the invention
[0005) An envelope is provided. The envelope comprises a front panel
and a rear panel. Each of the front and rear panels comprises an outer layer
and an inner cushioning layer formed from a plastic air-cellular material. The
front panel is connected to the rear panel along a bottom edge and a pair of
opposing side edges. A flap is foldably connected to a top edge of the rear
panel. The flap comprises a plurality of separable portions. Each of the
separable portions includes an adhesive layer on an adjacent surface thereof.
The flap is movable between a closed position where a selected separable
portion is adhered to the front panel, and an open position where the flap is
separated from the selected separable portion. The flap is adapted to be
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repeatedly closed and opened by sequentially adhering and separating the
separable portions in a proximal direction.
[0006] Preferably, the inner cushioning layer comprises: a) a first layer
of plastic film defining a plurality of spaced-apart concave cavities and a
plurality of land areas between the concave cavities; and b) a second layer of
plastic film bonded to the first layer along the land areas. The first layer
is
bonded to the outer layer along a distal portion of the concave cavities.
[0007] The present invention provides the advantage of a reusable
envelope which is capable of improved protection of fragile or delicate
contents.
Brief description of the drawin4s
[0008] In the accompanying drawings:
[0009] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an envelope according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0010] Figure 2 is a rear plan view of the preferred embodiment;
(0011] Figure 3 is a partial cross sectional view of an envelope panel
according to the preferred embodiment;
[0012] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment;
[0013] Figure 5 is a front plan view of the preferred embodiment in the
closed position; and
[0014] Figure 6 is a front plan view of the preferred embodiment in the
open position after one use.
Detailed descriation of the invention
[0015] Figure 1 shows an envelope 10 according to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 4, the envelope 10 includes a front
panel 12 and a rear panel 14. The panels are joined at opposing side edges
16, 18 and at a bottom edge 20. Preferably, the front and rear panels 12, 14
are integrally constructed from a single sheet of a composite material
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(described in detail below), which is folded at bottom edge 20. The front and
rear panels 1 Z, 14 are bonded together at side edges 16, 18 by any suitable
means, such as being heat sealed along heat seal strips 22. The front and
rear panels 12, 14 define a storage space (not shown) between them which is
accessed through a top portion 24 of the envelope 10.
[0017] Referring now to Figure 3, the composite material (from which
the front and rear panels 12, 14 are formed) includes an outer layer 30 and an
inner cushioning layer 32. The outer layer 32 is preferably constructed from
polyethylene, and may be corona treated if required for display of writing or
illustrations (such as branding).
[0018] The inner cushioning layer 32 is formed from an air-cellular
material, which is itself formed from a first layer 34 and a second layer 36.
The first layer 34 is a plastic film in which a plurality of spaced apart
concave
cavities 38 are formed. The second layer 36 of plastic film is a substantially
planar layer which is superimposed onto the first layer 34 and heat laminated
onto land areas 37 of first layer 34 which surround the concave cavities 38.
First and second layers 34, 36 may be formed of any suitable thermoplastic
film, such as low density polyethylene. Such films are well-known and
commercially available.
[0019] The inner cushioning layer 32 is bonded to the outer layer 30 by
heat laminating the distal portions 39 of the concave cavities 38 to the outer
layer 30.
[0020] Referring again to Figures 1, 2, and 4, a flap 40 is connected to
a top edge 41 of rear panel 14. Preferably, the flap 40 is formed out of the
same material as the outer layer 30 and is constructed integrally with the
outer layer 30 of rear panel 14. Preferably, the top edge 41 is a fold to
permit
the flap 40 to open and close.
[0021] Continuing to refer to Figures 1, 2, and 4, the flap 40 includes a
plurality of separable portions 42. For convenience, the embodiment
illustrated and described herein includes two separable portions: a distal
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separable portion 42a and a proximal separable portion 42b. As used herein
"distal" means the portion of the flap 40 furthest away from the fold 41, and
"proximal" means the portion of the flap 40 closest to the fold 41. It will be
understood by those skilled in the art that the flap may include three or more
separable portions 42.
[0022] Each separable portion 42a, 42b includes an adhesive layer 44
coated on an adjacent surface (i.e. adjacent to panel 12 when folded about
fold 41) thereof. The adhesive layer 44 may cover all of the interior surface
of
the separable portions 42 or only a part thereof. The adhesive layer 44 may
be composed of any suitable adhesive coating the interior surface of the
separable portion 42, or may be an additional layer of material covered with
adhesive (such as two-sided tape). A keeper strip 46 may be provided to
cover the adhesive layer 44 prior to use. The purpose of the keeper strip 46
is to prevent accidentally adhering the flap 40.
[0023] Continuing to refer to Figures 1 and 2, the separable portions
42a, 42b may be separated by any suitable means, such as a tear strip 48.
[0024] The operation of the preferred embodiment will now be
described with reference to Figures 1 and 4-6. After placing the contents into
the envelope 10, the user removes the keeper strip 46 from the adhesive
24 layer 44 of a selected separable portion 42, which in this embodiment, is
the
distal separable portion 42a. The user closes the envelope 10 by folding the
flap 40 about fold 41 onto the front panel 12. The adhesive layer 44 of the
distal separable portion 42a adheres the flap 40 to the front panel 12 in
order
to maintain the envelope 10 in the closed position until it is ready to be
opened by the recipient.
[0025] In order to open the envelope 10, the recipient tears the flap 40
along tear strip 48, thereby separating the distal separable portion 42a from
the flap 40. As best shown in Figure 6, the recipient can then open the flap
40
to access the contents of the envelope 10, while the distal separable portion
42a remains adhered to the front panel 12.
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[0026] When the recipient wishes to reuse the envelope 10, the
recipient removes keeper strip 46 from the proximal separable portion 42b to
expose its adhesive layer 44. The recipient can then adhere the flap 40 to the
front panel 12 in the same manner as described above.
[0027] Although in the preferred embodiment described herein only
includes two separable portions 42 and can, therefore, only be used twice,
additional separable portions may be provided. In such embodiments, the
number of times the envelope may be re-used is equal to the number of
separable portions in the flap, provided that the separable portions are used
sequentially starting with the distal separable portion.
[0028] The present invention provides the advantage of a protective
plastic envelope which cushions its contents, and at the same time may be
conveniently reused several times, so that it does not have to be thrown out
after only a single use.
[0029] While the present invention as herein shown and described in
detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described objects of the
invention,
it is to be understood that it is the presently preferred embodiment of the
present invention and thus, is representative of the subject matter which is
broadly contemplated by the present invention, that the scope of the present
invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious
to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is
accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which
reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only
one" unless explicitly so stated, but rather "one or more." All structural and
functional equivalents to the elemEr~ts of the above-described preferred
embodiment that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary
skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are
intended
to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a
device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by
the present invention, for it is to be encompassed by the present claims.
