US1974339A - Envelope - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 18, 1934.- J. w. McDO NA LD ENVELOPE Filed 001',- l6, 1933 Patented Se t, 18, 1934 John W. McDonald, Los Angeles, Calif. Application October is, 193's, Serial No. 693349 6 Claims. 3 (c1. 229-80) This invention relates to an improvement in envelopes, and more particularly to the provision of means for detecting any fraudulent attempt to-open an envelope that has been sealed against inspection. 1 I" W Y The invention consists in providing openings in the back or sealing flap, or both, of the usual paper envelopes and covering these openings with -a substance or material, so that the material of the sealing flap will overlie the material of the 'back'of the envelope and caused to adhere to each other as the envelope fiap is moistened and sealed to the back. An envelope constructed in this manner and sealed cannot be tampered with for the purpose of surreptitiously opening the. same without indicating in some manner that an unwarranted attempt has beenmade to open the envelope, either by rupturing one or bothof the strips, or defacing and destroying the appearance of the strips from their normal state:

The invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims In the accompanying drawing:

'Fig. l is a perspective viewof the invention applied to an'envelope showing the flap opening;

' Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view with the envelope sealed; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view showing the effect on the sealing means when the envelope is being pried open;

Fig; 4 is a detail view partially in elevation and partially in section showing a modified form of sealing strip; I

Fig. 5 is a detail view in perspective showing the construction illustrated in Fig.- 4 when the flap of the envelope has been pried up, e-

Fig. 6 is a detail view in elevation showing the sealing strip provided with slits.

This invention is intended for use with any kind of envelope, and the'type of envelope shown in the drawing is merely for the sake of illustrating the principle of the invention and its application.

The envelope 10, is provided with the usual back 11 and sealing or gummed flap 12. The back 11 and flap 12 are each provided with an elongated opening 13 and 14 respectively, which openings are brought into registry when the flap 12 is sealed in position or overlies the back 11.

Applied to the exterior surface of the flap 12 and extending across the opening 14 is a defaceable or rupturab-le material, such as glassine transparent gummed paper 15, which is attached glue tissue, and like material may be employed,

to the surface of the envelope around the opening 14'by the gum on 'the paper 15 or other suitable adhesive. The back 11 is provided with a like strip of the glassine paper 16, but the paper is applied.

to the inner surface of the back and across the?. -opening'l3,'presenting the gummed surface toward the exteriorsurface of the envelope or outwardly, and is attached to the inner surface on the paper.

When the envelope is surface of the'fiap 12 is moistened as-well as the gummed surface of the glassine paper 15, and as the fragile sealed to theback 11,-the two strips or pieces of the glass ine paper 15 .andlS are caused to'adhere to each other. In this manner I have an open faced back or window in the backof the envelope which may be used for the address or return address. However, should an attempt be made to fraudulently open the envelope by raising the flap, a cloudy spot would immediately form on the- glassine strips 15, 16 where separated, or

one or both would be torn or ruptured due to their particularcharacteristics, making it impossible tore-seal the envelope and eliminate the cloudy or-torn condition of the strips or pieces 15 and 16, and'thereby indicating to the person receiving the envelope that it had been tampered with in an at tempt to gain access to the contents of the envelope.

While reference has been made to the use of glassine transparent gummed paper, it is to be understood that tissue paper, sheet gelatine, fish but the glas'sine paper has proven most satisfac-- tory and therefore some preference has been given In Figs. 4 and 5 the envelope has the flap 12 provided with the glassine strip in a similar manner as shown in Fig. 1, but the back 11, has the opening 13 covered with a. thin tissue of paper 17, which is applied to the inner surface of the back across the opening 13, and secured to theback by a suitable adhesive, leaving the lower edge of the tissue paper free or loose throughout the lower longitudinal edge. In this form, when the flap 12 is moistened and the strip 15 for sealing the envelope, the flap 12 will be sealed to the back 11 and the strip 15 to the tissue paper strip 17. In this instance the tissue paper will be torn, wrinkled or broken in case the flap is lifted in opening the envelope, and the tissue paper being of a flimsy nature cannot be repaired, and thereto be-sealed the inner attempts to unseal the envelope.

fore it will be apparent that an unwarranted attempt has been made to open the envelope.

It is to be noted that the strips of glassine or tissue paper 15, 16, 17 are applied to different surfaces of the envelope back 11 and flap 12. By applying the strip 15 to the exterior surface of the flap 12, and either of the other strips 16, 1'? to the inner surface of the back, it is impossible to raise the flap after it has been sealed without in some manner damaging either or both of the strips 15, 16 and 17. Again, if the strips 16 and 17 were applied to the exterior surface of the back it might be possible to raise the flap 12 without any serious; injury to either of the strips 15, 16 or 17, yet this transparency destroyed or injured, each stripmay be provided with perforations or slits '18 to insure that one or both will be ruptured or disfigured if an attempt is made to open the sealed envelope.

[The size, location or formation of the openings in the envelope may be varied to suit the-demands or requirements of the user, and therefore it is not the intent to be so limited, or as to the ;num ber-of openings'employed in the back 11 or flap 12. Also, the location of the defaceab'le strips on the back or flap may be varied unchanged to suit the peculiar conditions or desires of .the user without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

This invention has many superior advantages over other devices for accomplishing this purpose, as, for instance, the application of seals or strips to the exterior surface of the-envelope flaps and then-sealed to the back of the envelope, because such sealing is often broken in the handling of the mail matter, and not due to any malicious With the present invention there is nothing to be destroyed, as the sub-stances or material employed in connection with either the flap or back are of a character which will withstand the ordinary abuses to which they are subjected in mail handling, and it is only when some means is employed to lift or raise the flap to unseal the envelope that these strips are caused to be defaced or disfigured; and by that is meant wrinkled, torn, blurred or what not, that such indication is given that some tampering has taken place. The gumming or sealing of these strips to the back and flap and together, insures that the strips will be deformed in some manner upon the raising of the sealed flap.

, What I claim is:

1. An envelope comprising a back and'a sealing flap said sealing flap being provided with an opening therein, a strip forming a closure therefor,

said sealing flap, back and strip all being sealed together so that any attempt to unseal the envelope would damage the strip and present visible indication thereof.

2. An envelope consisting of a back and a sealing flap each having an opening therein, and strips applied to said back and flap over said openings, one of the strips having a gummed surface, said strips being sealedtogether asthe flap is sealed to the back so that one .or both of the strips will be damaged in an attempt to unseal the envelope and present visible indication thereof.

3. An envelope comprising a back and a sealing flap each having an opening therein adapted to be in registry as the flap overlies the back,

a transparent gummed strip applied over each strips being sealed together as the flap is sealed to the back and one or both of the strips becoming, disfigured 'in an attempt to unseal the envelope.

4; An envelope comprising a-back and a "sealing flap. eac'hhaving an-opening therein adapted-tobe brought into registry as the flap overlies theback, strips for closing the openings one atleast of which has a gummed surface, one strip being attached to the exterior'of the flap, and the other strip being attached to the inner surface of the back, said flap {being sealed to the back as the strips are sealed together and one or both of the strips becoming disfigured in an attempt to unseal the envelope.

5. An envelope co'mprising a back flap and a sealingfiap, said sealing flap being provided with an opening therein, and a transparent gummed strip applied :to the sealing flap and sealed thereto for. closing the opening "therein, said sealing flap adapted .to be sealed toathe back flap, said gummed strip secured to the back flap by the gummed surfacethereof for additionally securing the back and sealing flaps together in sealing the envelope so that any attempt to unseal the envelope would present visible indication thereof on said strip. 1

6. Anenvelope comprising a back flapand a sealing. flap one of which isprovided with an opening therein, said sealing flap adapted to be sealed to the back flap, and a transparent gummed strip secured to one'of theflaps in a position to overlie the opening in the other flap when the flaps are in sealed position so that said strip is visible from the exterior ofithe sealed envelope, an'd'the gummed surfaceo'fsaid stripsecuring the other flap to the strip and flap having the opening therein so that the envelope is additionally sealed and any attempt to unsealthe same will present visible indicationthereof on said strip.

. JOHN W... MCDONALD.

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