Optical disc mailpiece for automated letter processing by U.S. Postal Service equipment

A mailpiece for optical discs and like articles that can meet the U.S. Postal Service standards for automated letter processing by Postal Service equipment and thus qualify for appropriated postal mailing rates.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This patent specification relates to mailpieces for optical discs and similarly shaped and dimensioned articles.

BACKGROUND

Optical discs such as Compact Discs (CDs) and DVDs often are mailed through the U.S. Postal Service in packages that contain one or more discs and may also include printed material that can be on the package or in the form of separate sheets inserted in or otherwise secured to the package. One of the goals in designing such products is to provide a package that will safely transport its contents. Another is to make that package easy to use both by the sender and the recipient. Yet another is to make the package convenient and inexpensive to manufacture, and to provide convenient ways to print on the package and to insert a disc therein and to address the package and provide postage. Another very important consideration, particularly when large numbers of packages are to be mailed, is the postage rate. As can be appreciated, some of these goals conflict. For example, a package may be made very sturdy to protect the disc but this may also make it heavy and expensive to manufacture and to ship. Conversely, a package may to inexpensive to make and ship but may not offer sufficient protection. Many proposals have been made for such packaging, including as discussed in the following U.S. Patents and published patent applications, which hereby are incorporated by reference in this patent specification: US 2005/0247769 A1; US 2003/0230515 A1; US 2005/0029135 A1; US 2005/0252801 A1; U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,070,048 B2; US 6,981,587 B2; US 6,434,867 B1; US 6,398,024 B2; 6,129,389; 6,016,907; 5,791,467; 5,931,293; 5,791,467; 5,775,490; 5,772,019; 5,769,216; 5,749,463; 5,647,482; 5,662,217; 5,657,867; 5,641,063; 5,460,265; 5,419,433; 5,333,728; 5,248,032; 5,154,284; 5,147,036; 5,119,933; 5,101,973; 5,048,681; 4,850,731; 4,473,153; 4,200,189; 3,381,888; 3,717,297; 2,097,916.

SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

This patent specification discloses an optical disc mailpiece that provides good protection for an optical disc, is convenient and inexpensive to manufacture and use, and may provide the very important benefit of meeting the U.S. Postal Service standards for automated letter processing. This means that a particularly advantageous postal rate can be applied for shipping quantities of such packages through the U.S. Postal Service because they can be processed using the Postal Service's automated letter handling equipment rather than hand sorting or other processing by hand applicable to packages that do not meet this standard. Currently, the standard is referred to in Quick Service Guide 201 and subsidiary guides cited therein, including but not limited to 201a and 201b. All of said guides are hereby incorporated by reference in this patent specification.

In one non-limiting example, the mailpiece starts as a five-panel unitary cardboard blank having a generally rectangular central panel, a left panel, a right panel, an upper panel and a front panel, with foldlines between the central panel and each of the other four panels. Text and images can be printed on, and labels can be attached by adhesives or otherwise to, each side of each panel as desired. The left panel has a cutout that is shaped and dimensioned to accept a peripheral portion of an optical disc such as a CD or a DVD of nominal diameter 120 mm or 80 mm or some other diameter. The mailer can alternatively accept non-circular optical information carriers or similarly shaped or dimensioned objects. To assemble the mailpiece, the left panel is folded under the central panel and a disc is partly inserted into the cutout. The cutout is shaped, positioned and dimensioned such that the disc is spaced from the left edge of the central panel by a considerable distance, such as an inch or more, but is adjacent, e.g., within a half-inch or a quarter inch, from the other three sides of the central panel. Then, the right panel is folded under the central panel and over the disc and the left panel, the upper panel is folded under the central panel and over the right panel, and the front panel is folded under the central panel and over the upper panel. The front panel of the assembled mailpiece is held in place with an element such as one or more water seals securing the front panel to the central panel, a tear strip, adhesive, double-sided adhesive tape or other known ways of sealing one cardboard panel to another.

Preferably, the assembled mailpiece with an optical disc inside is less than a quarter-inch thick, and is 7 inches long and 5 inches high. As mentioned above, the disc is offset from the left side of the mailpiece, to facilitate automated processing of the mailer by U.S. Postal Service equipment.

Also disclosed is a method of forming and using a mailpiece of the type described in this patent specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This patent specification describes a blank for forming a mailpiece for an optical disc or a similarly shaped and dimensioned article, and a method of making and using such a mailpiece.

In describing preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner. In addition, a detailed description of known functions and configurations will be omitted when it may obscure the subject matter of the invention described in the appended claims.

FIG. 1illustrates an example of a cardboard blank for making an optical disc mailpiece. Preferred shapes and dimensions of one example of the blank are given inFIG. 1, but it should be understood that they are for only a particular example and do not limit the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims. The blank is a five-panel unitary cardboard blank having a generally rectangular central panel10, a left panel12, a right panel14, an upper panel16and a front panel20, with foldlines between central panel10and each of the other four panels. As seen inFIG. 1, the free corners of the left, right, upper and front panel preferably are rounded, preferably with a radius not greater than 0.125 inch. Text and images can be printed on, and labels can be attached by adhesives or otherwise to, each side of each panel as desired. The left panel has a cutout14athat is shaped and dimensioned to accept a peripheral portion of an optical disc such as a CD or a DVD of nominal diameter 120 mm or 80 mm or some other diameter. The mailer can alternatively accept non-circular optical information carriers or similarly shaped or dimensioned objects.

To assemble the mailpiece, left panel14is folded under central panel10and an optical disc22disc is partly inserted into the cutout, as illustrated inFIG. 2, which is a schematic, not to scale view from the side of the blank opposite that ofFIG. 1. Cutout14ais shaped, positioned and dimensioned such that disc22is spaced from the left edge of central panel10by a considerable distance, such as an inch or more, but is adjacent, e.g., within a half-inch or a quarter inch, from the other three sides of the central panel. Then, as viewed from the side of the blank seen inFIG. 1, right panel16is folded under central panel10and over disc22and left panel14, upper panel18is folded under central panel10and over right panel16, and front panel20is folded under central panel19and over upper panel18. As viewed from the side of the blank seen inFIG. 2, this process involves folding right panel16over disc22and left panel14, folding upper panel18over right panel16, and folding front panel20over upper panel18. Front panel20of the assembled mailpiece can be secured in place with an element such as one or more wafer seals24securing front panel20to central panel10. For example, half of a circular wafer seal is adhered to front panel20and half to central panel10as illustrated inFIG. 1. Alternative ways of securing front panel20in the assembled handpiece are possible, such as tear strips, adhesives, or double-sided stick tape.

FIG. 3, which is not to scale so that it will more clearly illustrate the arrangement of panels and the disc in an assembled mailpiece, is a side view of the mailpiece from its short right side.FIGS. 3-6are schematic views that are not to scale. The folds between panels are shown as rectangular in side views and in cross-section for clarity inFIGS. 3-6, and the thickness of an optical disc and the vertical distances between panels are exaggerated. It should be understood that in practice the folds are rounded and the mailpiece is much thinner in the vertical direction. Central panel10and right panel16show inFIG. 3as joined at the fold line between them, and front panel20shows as folded under central panel10and over upper panel18.FIG. 4is a similar view from the long side of the assembled mailpiece where central panel10and upper panel18show as joined at the foldline that separates them and front panel20shows as folded under central panel10and over upper panel18.FIG. 5similarly shows the assembled mailpiece with a disc inside but in a cross-section through the center opening22aof disc22and parallel to the long side of the mailpiece. As seen inFIG. 5, disc22is under central panel10but is partly inserted into cutout14asuch that a part of left panel14is between central panel10and disc22and a part of left panel14is under disc22. right panel16is under disc22, upper panel18is under right panel16, and front panel20is under upper panel18.FIG. 6is a similar cross-sectional view through the center of disc22but parallel to the short side of the assembled mailpiece. As seen, disc22is under central panel10, right panel16is under disc22, upper panel18is under panel16, and front panel20is under panel18.

Preferably, and when it is desired that the assembled mailpiece with an optical disc inside comply with the U.S. Postal Service standards for automated letter processing, the assembled mailpiece is less than a quarter-inch thick, and is 7 inches long and 5 inches high, using a blank having the shape and dimensions shown inFIG. 1. As mentioned above, in the assembled mailpiece the disc is offset from the left side of the mailpiece, as best seen inFIGS. 2 and 5. In other embodiments, the optical disc mailpiece when assembled can have an aspect ratio in the range of 4.5-5.5 to 6.7-7.5. The blank ofFIG. 1can be made of 10-point cardboard, and preferably is made of sheetstock of 20 lb. basis weight (17 by 22 inches by 500 sheets) to 70 lb. basis weight (25 by 38 inches by 500 sheets), and more preferably of a minimum of 24 lb. basis weight (17 by 22 inches by 500 sheets). Preferably, in the assembled mailpiece the distance between the upper and lower foldlines exceeds 120 mm by less than 10 mm, and more preferably by less than 5 mm, thereby matching an optical disc having a nominal diameter of 120 mm. Preferably, the assembled mailpiece with an optical disc inside, is at least 0.009 inches thick and no more than 0.250 inches thick, in order to meet the U.S. Postal Service standards for an automation-compatible letter-size mailpiece (in particular, Quick Service Guide 201b). Preferably, optical disc22is secured inside the assembled mailpiece such that it is spaced from the left foldline by no less than 40 mm and more preferably by about 50 mm and from each of the other foldlines by no more than 10 mm and more preferably by no more than 5 mm, and is held in position by its engagement with cutout14aand the upper, lower and right foldlines as viewed inFIG. 1.

The above specific embodiments are illustrative, and many variations can be introduced on these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the disclosure or from the scope of the appended claims.