Abstract:
A mailing device and method including a bar coded return label removably mounted to the original communication, but attachable to a return envelope supplied by the recipient. An original document includes a letterhead having the label removably mounted thereto which duplicates the identity of the sender in both written and bar coded data appearing beneath the label on the letterhead. The label includes self-adhesive allowing the label to be removed from the docment and mounted to a return envelope identifying the original sender. The removable stickers may be shaped as a business card and arranged in a vertical stack.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is in the field of mailing devices utilizing a message sheet and envelope, and more particularly a bar coded mailing device to facilitate machine sorting. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Standard bar coding has been established in the merchandising field to allow automatic reading of the data represented by the code. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,204 issued to Hughes, et al. discloses a self-adhesive label mounted to a document with the label having a telephone number in bar code form. Mailing address information has also been represented by bar codes printed on envelopes such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,317 issued to Kranz. Another example of optical character recognition markings being printed directly on the envelope is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,635 issued to Barr. 
     Typically, the sender of correspondence such as a bill or statement includes within the original envelope a return envelope to facilitate return of a check or money order by the recipient. The return envelope must be pre-printed with the sender&#39;s address and in many cases contains the optical character or bar coded information associated with the sender&#39;s address. The pre-printing of the return envelope, as well as the inclusion of the return envelope in the original envelope, adds to the mailing cost. As such, there is a need for a means to provide the recipient with the bar coded information of the sender&#39;s address without including a return envelope in the sender&#39;s original envelope. Disclosed herein is such a mailing device. 
     My mailing device includes a sticker or label removably mounted to the original statement or stationary duplicating the letterhead appearing thereon which also includes bar coded address information. The recipient may then remove the label and attach the label to a return envelope supplied by the recipient providing automatically for the bar coded information corresponding to the original sender&#39;s address. Peel-off labels incorporating bar code information are previously known such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,327 issued to Logan; however, a mailing device including a return envelope and original sender&#39;s stationary with peel-off letterhead label has not been previously known. Another version of a peel-off label is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,877 issued to Jenkins. 
     The removable paper sticker may also include the phone number of the presenter and therefore be removed from the letterhead and mounted at a convenient location adjacent a phone to allow for recall of the presenter&#39;s phone number. Further, the stickers may be shaped as a business card and may be arranged in a vertical stack and removed therefrom to be mounted to a return envelope. Thus, the sticker can serve as a combination business card and return address sticker. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment of the present invention is a bar coded mailing combination with separable return label comprising a paper sheet including an addressor&#39;s section with a first portion to identify the addressor in written words, a removable paper sticker mounted atop the addressor&#39;s section and having a bottom surface and an outwardly facing top surface, the sticker having a return section thereon identifying the addressor in pre-printed written words and in pre-printed machine readable bar code, and, adhesive means on the bottom surface operable to allow the sticker to be removed from the paper sheet by the addressee and to then mount the sticker onto a return envelope utilizing the identity of the addressor in pre-printed machine readable bar code on the sticker to mail same to the addressor. 
     Another embodiment of the present invention is a method of mail communication comprising the steps of providing a paper sheet having a first letterhead section identifying the original sender and further having a message section to contain a message to the original recipient, mounting a sticker removable atop the first letterhead section and concealing same until removed, the sticker including a second letterhead section identifying the original sender in indicia both in pre-printed written words and in machine-readable bar code, mailing the paper sheet with the sticker mounted thereon in a first envelope to the recipient, opening the first envelope, removing the sticker from the paper sheet, mounting the sticker onto a return envelope provided by the recipient utilizing the identity of the original sender in machine-readable bar code on the sticker to mail the return envelope back to the original sender, and mailing the return envelope back to the original sender. 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a bar coded mailing combination having a separable return label to be attachable to a return envelope supplied by the recipient. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is a business card for dispatch to a recipient from a presenter comprising a sheet sized as a business card and containing indicia thereon identifying the presenter in indicia both in pre-printed written words and in pre-printed machine-readable bar code, and, adhesive means on the sheet operable to removably mount the sheet to an item supplied by the recipient. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved mailing device including means for automatically addressing the return message without requiring inclusion of a return envelope. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of mail communication allowing for the pre-addressing of a return message in bar coded form without including a return envelope with the original message. 
     Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a combined business card and return address sticker. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide means for encouraging use of bar coded mail by the U.S. Post Office thereby eventually reducing postage. 
    
    
     Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the mailing device incorporating the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the document included in the envelope shown in FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a front view of the removable sticker mounted atop the document shown in FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of a return envelope having mounted thereon the sticker of FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stack of business cards incorporating the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a top view of one of the cards shown in the stack of FIG. 5 and with the corner turned to illustrate the adhesive positioned on the back thereof. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
     Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown the mailing device 10 which is the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The mailing device includes a conventional envelope 11 having the standard construction and with the flap 12 shown fragmented to illustrate the envelope as enclosing my new document 13 having a removable sticker 14 mounted atop the letterhead of the document. Envelope 11 has printed thereon the name and address of the sender in the sender portion 15 in the upper left hand corner, whereas the name and address of the recipient is printed in the recipient section 16 located in the center of the envelope. 
     Document 13 is shown in FIG. 1 with the removable sticker 14 of FIG. 3 mounted atop the letterhead, whereas document 13 is shown in FIG. 2 with the sticker removed revealing the letterhead having the same information as contained on the removable sticker. Document 13 may be produced from paper and has a letterhead or addresser section 17 identifying the addresser or sender in both printed or written words and in machine-readable or optical characters. Section 17 identifies the name, address and phone number of the sender in written or printed words in the top portion 18 of the letterhead whereas the name and address o the sender is repeated in machine-readable bar code in the lower portion 19 of the letterhead. The bar code identifies the original sender of the label to allow the recipient mailing the return envelope to deposit the return envelope into the United States mail without affixing the necessary postage, with the U.S. Post Office then reading the information and collecting the postage due from the original sender. The notation &#34;Mailing Label. No Postage Needed&#34; could appear at the bottom of the label. Immediately beneath the letterhead is the main portion 20 of the document in which the sender may print or write a message. 
     The removable paper sticker 14 has an outwardly facing top surface upon which is duplicated the information contained in the letterhead section 17 of document 13. Thus, the name, address and phone number of the sender is printed in the top section 21 of the sticker whereas the name and address of the sender is also included in machine-readable bar code in the bottom section 22 of the sticker. The printing in section 21 and 22 is of the same size and spacing as the information contained in section 18 and 19. Thus, sticker 14 may be mounted atop letterhead section 17 providing an appearance of being the letterhead for the document. The bottom surface of sticker 14 is provided with conventional self-adhesive to allow for the mounting and subsequent removal of the sticker. Further, the self-adhesive allows for the removed sticker 14 to then be mounted to a return envelope supplied by the recipient of document 13 thereby automatically addressing the return envelope. That is, sticker 14 may be removed from document 13 and then mounted in the center portion of return envelope 23 (FIG. 4) supplied by the recipient of envelope 11. In such a manner, the sender of envelope 11 and document 13 does not have to include a return envelope within envelope 11 thereby minimizing the cost associated with the device. Further, by providing sticker 14 to the recipient, a means is provided for automatically addressing the return envelope 23. 
     By pre-printing the identity of the sender in both written words and in machine-readable code, and by sizing the information on sticker 14 in the same manner as the information is sized in the letterhead of document 13, the sticker conceals the information contained in letterhead section 17 and is positioned approximately over the dashed line configuration as shown in FIG. 2. The sticker provides in combination with document 13 and the two envelopes a new and improved method of mail communication. The method includes the step of first mounting the sticker removably atop letterhead section 17 of document 13 to conceal same until removed. The paper document 13 is then enclosed in envelope 11 and mailed to the recipient who then opens the envelope and removes the document therefrom to read the message contained in section 20. In the event communication is then desired from the recipient to the sender the recipient removes sticker 14 from document 13 and mounts the sticker onto return envelope 23 which is provided by the recipient to utilize the identity of the original sender in both machine-readable bar code and in printed words, thereby automatically addressing the return envelope. A communication or message is then inserted into envelope 23 and the envelope is then mailed to the original sender. 
     It will be obvious from the above description that the present invention provides a new and improved mailing device and method of mail communication. It will be further obvious from the above description that the mailing device disclosed herein provides for an automatic means of pre-addressing a return envelope even though the return envelope is supplied by the recipient of the original communication. 
     The removable paper sticker 14 may be shaped as a business card and arranged in a vertical stack 30 (FIG. 5). Thus a plurality of cards may be removed one at a time on an as-needed basis. The top card 31 includes an address section 32 which identifies the name and address of the presenter and likewise may include the phone number of the presenter. This information is then duplicated in the bar coded section 33 immediately adjacent and beneath section 32. Conventional self-adhesive 36 is provided on the back surface 35 of card 31 with the corner 34 of the card turned in FIG. 6 to more clearly illustrate the backside thereof. 
     The business cards shown in stack 30 have the same information as sticker 14 with the indicia provided on the upwardly facing surface of each card and the adhesive means provided on the downwardly facing surface of each card. The phone number of the presenter of the card is included in the indicia to allow the recipient of the card to mount the card at a location near a phone for recall of the phone number. Likewise the card may be removably mounted to a return envelope supplied by the recipient of the card utilizing the indicia to identify the original presenter of the card. The bar coded information in section 33 of the business card identifies the original presenter of the card to allow the recipient or the person or entity mailing the return envelope to deposit the return envelope into the United States mail without affixing the necessary postage with the U.S. Post Office then reading the information contained in section 33 and collecting the postage due from the person identified on the card which is the original presenter of the card. The notation &#34;Mailing Label. No Postage Needed&#34; could appear at the bottom of the card. Each business card in stack 34 is therefore actually a combination business card and return address sticker. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.