Envelope with dual pockets

An envelope includes a front panel and a rear panel with a closure flap. The front and rear panels are connected by an expandable sidewalls formed by joining end flaps of the front and rear panel. The sidewalls have an intermediate line of weakness that allows bending and expansion. The line of weakness is backed on the inside by an extension from the front panel flap which reduces the likelihood of the sidewall being turned outwardly rather than inwardly into the envelope. A front to rear strip connects the front panel with the back panel so as to form a relatively small pocket and a relatively large pocket within the envelope. A locking tab is preferentially placed above the small pocket and constructed of extensions of the front panel and sidewall to allow a user to selectively use the locking tab to hold objects within the small pocket or release such objects. The envelope is especially suited for transferring finished photographic prints and a container holding negatives for the prints.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to an expandable envelope having two 
pockets and including a keeper for maintaining articles in one of the 
pockets. 
The photographic industry has historically utilized an envelope or packet 
for holding the photographic negatives and developed photographic prints 
of a customer and to allow the photographic printer to easily and simply 
turn over the prints and negatives to the customer. Historically, 
envelopes with a single large pocket or with an end to end divider down 
the center of the envelope forming a pair of side to side pockets have 
received both the negatives cut in strips and the photographs in a side by 
side configuration. 
The photographic industry is currently planning to change the manner in 
which some photographs will be returned to a customer. That is, while some 
photographs will be continued to be developed and returned to customers in 
the same manner as in the past, a certain growing percentage of 
photographs will not. In particular, there appears to be a developing 
trend toward returning negatives to a customer in a wound spool that is 
inserted in a canister or tube suitable for holding negatives in a roll. 
That is, negatives will be in a continuous strip and rolled, rather than 
cut into short strips containing just a few negatives each and left flat. 
In some of the future formats, these rolls of negatives may contain many 
more than the current rolls of film, for example 100 negatives or more. 
The present envelopes for receiving pictures and negatives are generally 
unsuited for the new format in that the container or canister for the 
rolled negatives is somewhat cumbersome and tends to fall out of the 
conventional envelopes. Furthermore, the roll tends to push against the 
expandable joint at the ends of the envelope and invert that joint so that 
the end of the envelope sticks outwardly rather than inwardly into the 
envelope. This impedes insertion of the envelope into a larger outside 
container or cover, as is often utilized. 
Consequently, it is desirable to have an envelope that is suitable for the 
photographic business and, in particular for returning completed prints 
and underlining negatives in a roll to a customer in a single envelope. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An envelope includes a front panel and a rear panel connected at the bottom 
thereof so as to form an enclosure. An expandable end wall is formed by 
extensions of the front and rear panels on either side thereof. 
The expandable end walls are formed by a double folded flap forming inner 
and outer portions joined to the back panel and a flap joined to the front 
panel which allow folding inward of the end wall relative to the remainder 
of the envelope. In particular, the end wall is formed by joining the 
outer portion of the rear wall flap to the front wall flap. However, the 
front wall flap is constructed to be somewhat wider than the outer portion 
of the rear wall flap to which it is attached and is positioned inward of 
the rear wall flap outer portion, so as to extend over a foldable joint 
between the two rear wall flap portions. This reinforces the foldable 
joint of the sidewall to help prevent it from being pushed outwardly as 
opposed to the normal and desired position of folding inwardly toward the 
center of the envelope or being fully open. 
The front and rear panels are connected by an upright front to rear flap 
which is positioned intermittently between the two end walls, but closer 
to one of the end walls than the other. The flap thereby divides the 
interior of the envelope into a first comparatively smaller pocket and a 
second larger pocket. 
The end wall on the side of the envelope associated with the smaller pocket 
and an adjacent portion of the front panel extend above the smaller pocket 
and include a series of lines of weakness which allow cooperative folding 
of the upper corner of the front panel and the upper end of the end wall 
from a configuration wherein the smaller pocket is open and an object may 
be placed into the smaller pocket to a configuration wherein the smaller 
pocket is at least partially closed and an object is maintained in the 
smaller pocket. 
In particular, a locking tab is formed which extends over the smaller 
pocket. The locking tab includes four triangular shaped elements, two 
adjacent elements from the front panel and two adjacent elements from the 
end wall flap associated with the front panel which are foldably joined 
along one edge thereof. The locking tab is constructed in such a manner 
that lines of weakness separate and define the triangular elements and 
allow folding in such a manner that when the locking tab is moved into the 
locking configuration thereof, the front and back panels tend to hold the 
tab in the locked configuration and prevent an object falling from the 
smaller pocket. However, a person may expand the front and rear panels 
manually and use their finger to easily move the locking tab between the 
opened and locked configurations thereof. 
The envelope includes a cover panel which is attached to the rear panel and 
which extends over the top of the envelope to enclose the small and large 
pockets from the top. 
The envelope is especially useful for storing and transporting finished 
photographs in the large pocket and a container holding negatives in a 
rolled configuration within the smaller pocket. 
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore the objects of the present invention are to provide an envelope 
having a relatively large interior pocket and a separate relatively small 
interior pocket, separated by a front to rear wall especially an envelope 
suited for receiving completed photographic pictures in the larger pocket 
and a container containing rolled photographic negatives in the smaller 
pocket; to provide such an envelope having a front panel and a rear panel 
connected by expandable sidewalls formed of interconnected flaps extending 
from the front panel and the rear panel; to provide such an envelope 
wherein the expandable sidewalls are formed by joining a rear panel side 
flap having a line of weakness separating the rear panel flap into a first 
inner segment and an outer second segment and a front panel side flap such 
that the front panel side flap is fixed to the second segment; to provide 
such an envelope wherein the front panel side flap is longer than the rear 
panel side flap second segment and positioned inwardly thereof relative to 
the envelope so as to extend beyond the link of weakness separating the 
rear panel flap first and second segments so as to reenforce the sidewall 
against outward folding thereof; to provide such an envelope having an 
integral tab at the upper end of the corner of the front panel and the 
front panel side flap that is manually foldable between a locking position 
wherein a locking tab is formed over the envelope small pocket to maintain 
an item in the small pocket and a non locking or open configuration 
wherein the tab is upright to allow removal from or placement of objects 
into the small pocket; and to provide such an envelope which is relatively 
easy to make, inexpensive to produce and especially well suited for the 
intended usage thereof. 
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from 
the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying 
drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, 
certain embodiments of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed 
herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are 
merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. 
Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are 
not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims 
and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to 
variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately 
detailed structure. 
The reference numeral 1 generally designates an envelope in accordance with 
the present invention. A cut envelope blank 3 is illustrated in FIG. 1 
from which the envelope 1 is manufactured. 
With reference to FIG. 1, the envelope blank 3 is constructed by well known 
methods of cutting from a larger single piece of paper stock and various 
lines of weakness which facilitate folding along the lines formed on the 
envelope blank 3 by conventional and well known methods. 
With reference to FIG. 2 the envelope 1 is constructed to enclose 
photographs 5 and a canister or cylindrical container 6 which holds film 
negatives (not shown) in a roll. 
The envelope 1, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 includes a front panel 10, a rear 
panel 11 and a closure flap 12. The front panel and rear panel are 
connected near a lower end thereof (as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4) by a bottom 
strip 15. The bottom strip 15 is joined along each side thereof to the 
front panel 10 and rear panel 11 at lines of weakness 16 and 17 
respectively. There is also a center line of weakness 18 in the bottom 
strip 15 which runs parallel to the lines of weakness 16 and 17. The strip 
15 folds or bends at the lines 16, 17 and 18 to allow expansion or 
compression of the envelope 1, that is, greater spacing between or less 
spacing between the front panel 10 and rear panel 11, respectively. 
The front panel 10 and rear panel 11 are generally rectangular in shape and 
are relatively parallel to one another when the envelope is completed such 
as is shown in FIG. 2. 
The closure flap 12 is attached to the upper side of the rear panel 11 
opposite the bottom strip 15. The closure flap includes a top section 21 
and a front cover section 22. The flap top section 21 is connected to the 
rear panel 11 at a line of weakness 24. The top section 21 and cover 
section 22 are likewise connected at a line of weakness 25. The line of 
weakness 25 allows folding therealong so that the closure flap 12 may be 
folded from an open configuration thereof, as is seen in FIG. 2, to a 
closed configuration thereof, as is seen in FIG. 3, while the line of 
weakness 25 likewise allows folding of the top section 21 so as to be 
folded further relative to the cover section 22 to allow the entire 
closure flap 12 to move into the closed configuration, as seen in FIG. 3. 
Extending laterally outward from each side of the rear panel 11 when the 
envelope is still in the blank 3 form, are a pair of side flaps 29 and 30. 
The side flap 29 is joined to the remainder of the rear panel 11 at a line 
of weakness 31 and there is a second line of weakness 32 which is parallel 
to the line 31 that substantially separates the side flap 29 into a first 
or inner segment 33 and a second or outer segment 34 and facilitates 
folding therebetween. 
The side flap 30 is likewise joined along one side thereof to the rear 
panel 11 at a line of weakness 35 and has a second line of weakness 36 
parallel to the first line of weakness 35 and which separates the side 
flap 30 into a first or inner segment 37 and a second or outer segment 38. 
As with the other lines of weakness described herein the lines 35 and 36 
allow and facilitate relative folding of adjacent elements separated by 
the lines of weakness. 
The front panel 10 has laterally extending side flaps 41 and 42. The side 
flap 41 is attached to the front panel 10 at a line of weakness 43 and the 
side panel 42 is attached to the front panel 10 at a line of weakness 44. 
As best can be seen in FIG. 4, the front panel side flap 41 is fixedly 
joined with the back panel side flap outer segment 34 so as to overlap 
therewith and to be positioned inside thereof relative to the envelope 1. 
The side flap 41 is secured to the segment 34 by glue or the like. 
Likewise the flap 42 is fixedly secured to the segment 38. In this manner 
the side flaps 29 and 41 form an expandable sidewall 45 and the flaps 30 
and 42 form an expandable sidewall 46. 
An enclosure 47 is thus formed between the front panel 10, the rear panel 
11, the sidewalls 45 and 46 and the bottom strip 15. The enclosure 47 is 
generally completed by placing the closure flap 12 in the closed 
configuration thereof, as is seen in FIG. 3, with only the upper corners 
above the sidewalls 45 and 46 remaining open. 
Each of the front panel flaps 41 and 42 have a structural extension or 
backing strip 49 and 50 respectively which extend beyond the lines of 
weakness 32 and 36 and are not secured to the segments 34 and 38 
respectively. The backing strips 49 and 50 support the lines of weakness 
32 and 36 and engage the inner segments 33 (see FIG. 5) and 37 when the 
envelope is fully expanded (FIG. 5) to help prevent the sidewalls 45 and 
46 from folding outwardly relative to the envelope 1, that is to the left 
in FIG. 5, but rather urges the sidewalls 45 and 46 to fold inwardly into 
the envelope 1 upon compression. 
A pocket forming intermediate strip 51 is attached to both the front panel 
10 and rear panel 11 and extends from front to back of the envelope 1 
between the panels 10 and 11. In particular, the strip 51, as can be seen 
in phantom lines in FIG. 2 and in an end view in FIG. 4, is constructed of 
a rectangular sheet of paper stock, stiff card or the like. The strip 51 
includes three lines of weakness 53, 54 and 55 to allow folding 
therealong. The line of weakness 53 separates a first segment 56 from a 
second segment 57. The segment 53 is secured by gluing or the like to the 
rear panel 11. Attached to the segment 57 is a segment 58 and the two 
bridge between the front panel 10 and rear panel 11 folding at a line of 
weakness 54 which extends generally vertically therebetween allowing the 
segments 57 and 58 to bend relative to one another and expand or accordion 
with the sidewalls 45 and 46. The segment 58 is in turn connected to the 
segment 59 at a line of weakness 55. The segment 59 is secured to the 
front panel 10 by gluing or the like. 
The strip 51 thereby extends between the front panel 10 and a rear panel 11 
with a generally vertical orientation and with the ability to expand or 
compress as the envelope 1 is filled or emptied. The strip 51 also divides 
the enclosure of the envelope into a first comparatively small front to 
rear pocket 61 and a second comparatively large front to rear pocket 62. 
The small pocket 61 is sized and shaped to receive the container 6 
therein. The pocket 62 is sized and shaped to receive a plurality of the 
finished photographs 5. 
As used herein any directional connotations refer to the envelope as 
aligned in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. That is, with the envelope 1 being generally 
upright and the front panel 10 and rear panel 11 being generally 
vertically aligned with the closure flap 12 at the upper end of the 
envelope. While these specific directional connotations are utilized 
herein to better describe the invention relative to the drawings, it is 
foreseen that the envelope 1 can assume a wide variety of alignments and 
is often used with the rear panel 11 positioned downwardly. Consequently, 
directional connotations as used herein are for description purposes only 
and are not intended to be limiting upon the scope of the invention. 
The front panel 10 along with the sidewalls 45 and 46 are somewhat shorter 
in height as compared to the rear panel 11, as can best be seen in FIG. 2. 
Also, there is a cutout 65 on the upper left hand corner of the front 
panel 10, as is seen in FIG. 2 to allow easier access to the contents of 
the envelope 1 at this location by a user. The cutout 65 is especially 
positioned to allow a user to retrieve objects from the small pocket 61. 
A keeper or locking tab 69 is integrally formed from adjoining upper 
portions of the front panel 10 and front side panel flap 41. In 
particular, the locking tab 69 includes four generally triangularly shaped 
sections 71 and 72 that are adjacent to one another and positioned at the 
top of the side flap 41 and sections 73 and 74 which are adjacent to one 
another and positioned at the top of the front panel 10. The segment 71 is 
joined to the remainder of the side flap 41 at a line of weakness 77 and 
to the adjoining triangular section 72 at a line of weakness 78. The 
triangular section 72 is joined to the next adjoining triangular section 
73 by an upper portion line of weakness 79 of the line of weakness 43 
whereat the side flap 41 joins the front panel 10. The section 73 is in 
turn joined to the next adjoining section 74 at a line of weakness 80. The 
section 74 is joined to the remainder of the front panel 10 at a line of 
weakness 81 which preferentially is positioned such that the sections 73 
and 74 are generally aligned with the cutout 65 and that the start of line 
of weakness 81 is positioned to begin at the lowermost edge of the cutout 
65. All of the lines of weakness 77, 78, 79, 80 and 81 converge to a 
common point 84 which is a common apex for all of the triangular sections 
71, 72, 73 and 74. However, the lines 77 and 81 are not collinear. 
Operation of the locking tab 69 is best seen in FIGS. 6 through 10. In FIG. 
6 is seen a section of the envelope 1 showing the locking tab from the 
front, illustrates the locking tab 69 in an open configuration wherein it 
is relatively simple to remove the container 6 from the small pocket 61. 
In this configuration the locking tab 69 is positioned upwardly and the 
line of weakness 79 is collinear with the remainder of the line of 
weakness 43. Illustrated in FIG. 7 is the finger 86 of a user in the 
process of converting the locking tab 69 from the open position thereof to 
the locking position thereof. In FIG. 7 the locking tab is intermediate 
these two positions and the two segments 72 and 73 are being bent inwardly 
and folded along the line of weakness 79 so as to pass between the 
sections 71 and 74. 
In FIG. 8 the locking tab 69 is seen in the locking position thereof with 
the sections 72 and 73 completely between the sections 71 and 74. This 
configuration is also seen in FIGS. 9 and 10 as well as FIG. 2. When the 
locking tab 69 is in the locking configuration thereof it overlays the 
container 6 so as to prevent the container from easily falling from the 
small pocket 61. 
The locking tab 69 is an over center type of locking device. In particular, 
because the line of weakness 79 lies below the lines of weakness 77 and 78 
when in the locking configuration thereof and because the front panel 10 
and rear panel 11 tend to compress the locking tab 69, the locking tab 69 
is generally held in place in the locking position by the overall 
structure of the envelope 1. Therefore, the locking tab 69 does not 
disengage from the locking position thereof until a user selectively 
reverses the process shown in FIGS. 6 through 8. It is noted that in the 
process of moving from the open configuration to the locked configuration 
of the locking tab 69, the facets or segments 72 and 73 have faces that 
reverse, that is in the open configuration one side of each segment 72 and 
73 is in facing relationship to the other and in the closed configuration 
the opposite faces are in facing relationship to each other. It is also 
noted that in the locked configuration the line of weakness 79 is at least 
as low (actually slightly lower) than the lines 77 and 78 which cooperates 
with the segments 72 and 73 to produce the over center nature of the 
device which in turn helps prevent unintentional release of the locking 
tab 69. 
During usage of the envelope 1, the envelope 1 is configured as in FIG. 1 
and the photographs 5 and the container 6 are placed in the envelope 1. 
The locking tab 69 is pressed in place into the locking position thereof 
so as to hold the container 6 in the envelope 1. The closure flap 12 is 
closed to the position shown in FIG. 3 and the envelope 1 is then ready to 
be transferred to a customer. The customer reverses the process to remove 
the photographs 5 and the container 6. 
It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention 
have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the 
specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.