One-piece mailer and method for folding same

Abstract: A one-piece mailer (10) has at least two contiguous sections (11,12) disposed for folding over onto each other into overlying relation, each section having remoistenable glue (17) along the respective longitudinal edges for bonding the sections together, the glue being resistant to heat in excess of 400°F and having lay flat characteristics. Apparatus (24) for use in association with such blanks for folding and sealing them comprises means (26) for applying water to at least one side of the blank being conveyed along each longitudinal edge and means for folding the sections of a conveyed blank into overlying relation while pressing the opposed longitudinal edges together to permit the activated glue to bond the edges together. A printer may also be used to impart imaged variable information on each blank prior to folding with each blank being provided with pre-printed information.

Description: This invention relates to a one piece mailer. More particularly, this invention relates to a one-piece mailer and an assembly of interconnected one-piece mailers to be printed in non-impact printers, in particular, laser printers. Heretofore, various types of one-piece constructions have been known for the fabrication of a mailer. For example, U.S. Patent 4,055,294 describes a continuous web from which a series of connected one-piece assemblies are constructed. In this case, various lines of perforations are provided in the web so that the web may be folded about a longitudinal score line so that one portion overlies another portion of the web in order to define return envelope pockets therebetween. Other lines of perforations are also provided to permit the remaining web portion to be folded over the previously folded portions to form a series of three-ply mailers. In this construction, use is made of a previously applied adhesive which is activated by heat in order to secure the folded over portions together. Other types of assemblies have also been known wherein various plies of a mailer are folded over on each other and secured in place by a regular adhesive. However, these adhesives tend to be hot melt adhesives or other adhesives which are activated by heat in order to secure the folded portions together (see for example GB-A-1,594,798). In the case where users process streams of mailers, for example of the interconnected or single sheet type with hot melt, heat seal adhesives through laser printers, a difficulty arises in their inherent incompatibility with heat generating non-impact printer fuser stations which transfer and fuse variable computer information to the form since the heat generating fuser stations create intense heat, often exceeding 400°F (204°C) and are part of the printer paper path. If forms with heat seal adhesive come in contact with such heat generating fuser stations, the heat will activate the heat seal adhesive and damage both the printer and the heat seal form. One alternative solution to this problem which uses toner particles from xerography technology as agglutinant for an adhesive is disclosed in EP-A-0 193726. Regular adhesives when used on mailers and exposed so as to come into contact with heat generating fuser stations will also break down and can damage both printer and form. General disclosure concerning conventional adhesives for use in the gumming of flaps is to be found in Ullmanns Encyklopädie der technischen Chemie; 4, neubearbeitete und erweiterte Auflege, Band 14; Verlag Chemie Weinheim, New York 1977 pages 239 - 242 and 249. The use of regular water reactivatable adhesives on combinations of envelope and letter with manual handling and printing to take place by hand or typewriter is known from US-A-2,549,199. Various types of one-piece mailers have also been known wherein a blank is formed with two main portions to form the front and back of an envelope and a plurality of foldable tab portions which are provided with glue so as to be secured to one or both of the main portions when attached to or folded over onto these portions such as described in U.S. Patent 3,360,184. Such blanks however require multiple folding steps and if use is made of heat activated adhesives, similar problems arise as in the case of mailers. Specifically, the folding equipment requires some form of heater in order to activate the hot melt glues so as to form a sealed envelope. Such constrictions tend to not only be costly but are inherently incompatible with heat fuse continuous or single sheet fed non-impact printers (heat seal adhesive would be activated during printing and damage printer and form). Thus, many complications arise in attempting to provide a simple, inexpensive self mailer for non-impact printer users. It is an object of the invention to provide a one part continuous self mailer construction of interconnected one part blanks or single sheet mailer constructions which can be printed in such non-impact printers as laser printers. According to this invention, there is provided a mailer blank having at least two contiguous sections disposed for folding over on each other into overlying relation, each said section having remoistenable glue along the respective longitudinal edges for bonding said sections together, said glue being characterized by its imparting to the longitudinal edges of the blank a lay flat condition which is retained in both dry and moist states of the glue to permit mechanical feeding of the blank through a feed path and through a printer whether of impact or non-impact type and through the fuser station of a laser printer. Generally, a glue which provides a lay-flat condition in the mailer blank will have the preferred additional property of heat resistance to enable the blank to be printed in a printer having a heat generating fuser station, typically a laser printer. In particular, the glue content should withstand intense heat above 400°F or (204°C) for the glue then to retain its ability to behave as a remoistenable glue. The mailer of the invention may be constructed with two or three foldable sections. In addition, the mailer blank may be provided with one or two transverse fold lines to permit subsequent folding of a blank into a two-ply mailer or three-ply mailer. The one-piece mailer may also have heat resistant remoistenable glue disposed near a transverse edge for bonding to other sections. Whether the mailer is a two-ply or three-ply mailer, this glue serves to seal the mailer transversely across the mailer without leaving a gap which might be inadvertently opened. The mailer may also be provided with pre-printed information to which variable information may be added during processing through printers of non-impact or impact type. The mailer blank may form part of a mailer assembly having a plurality of interconnected one-piece mailer blanks which are separated from each other by transverse burstable lines of weakening. In this respect, the mailer assembly may be of one-ply construction and may be provided with removable strips of control holes along the longitudinal edges to facilitate feeding through various types of automatic machinery, for example, a non-impact laser printer. After the mailer assembly has been processed, for example, through a laser printer which provides the mailer with information, such as an address of a recipient, address of a sender and other information, each mailer blank is separated from the assembly, if continuous, by bursting along a transverse line of weakening. Thereafter, water is applied to the edges of each mailer to activate the glue strips and the blank is folded with the folded over sections being pressed together in order to effect a bonding of the sections together via the water-activated glue strips. When the blanks also have glue along a transverse edge, this glue is also activated by the application of water along the transverse edge or on the opposite transverse edge to the glue on the blank prior to folding of the blank. When the blank is folded, the glue comes into contact with the moistened paper or the paper comes into contact with the moistened glue thus effecting a bonding of the transverse edge to a facing mailer section. Where the assembly to be processed is to be processed for use in making envelopes, each blank may be provided with a built-in return envelope and the address of a recipient. In addition, the fold lines can be located differently so that after each blank, whether a single sheet or burst from a continuous assembly, the result is an outgoing envelope with a built in top open return envelope with a remoistenable glue flap. Each blank may also be provided with a return address of a bulk user and the address of a recipient. In addition, the fold lines can be located differently so that after each blank is burst from the assembly and subsequently folded, the result is an envelope with an unsealed flap. The mailer blank of this invention is suitable for passage through an apparatus for folding and sealing the mailer blanks into mailers. Such apparatus generally includes a feed means for receiving and conveying a one-piece mailer blank with remoistenable glue strips thereon, means for applying water to at least one side of the conveyed mailer blank along each longitudinal edge in order to activate the glue, and means for folding the sections of the mailer blank into overlying relation while pressing the opposed longitudinal edges together in order to permit the activated glue strips to bond the edges together and form a sealed unit. The folding apparatus may be of generally conventional structure modified to have a means for applying water to the edge areas of the conveyed mailer blanks. In this regard, the means for applying the water may include a water reservoir disposed below the conveyed mailer blanks and an applicator, such as a rotatably mounted wheel or capillary brush, for transferring water from the reservoir to the underside of a conveyed blank. Alternatively, the means for applying the water may include a water reservoir and a nozzle which communicates with the reservoir and is directed towards a conveyed blank for transferring water to the conveyed blank by pressure or by gravity. Where the blanks are provided with glue along a transverse edge, the folding apparatus also includes a similar means for applying water to the conveyed blanks along the transverse edge or opposite the transverse edge so when the form is folded either the moistened transverse glue comes into contact with the paper or the moistened paper comes into contact with the transverse glue. The invention further provides a self mailer construction of interconnected one piece blanks as well as a single sheet mailer having remoistenable glue to be processed through continuous or sheet feed non-impact printers in particular, especially those with heat generating fuser stations, while remaining in a lay flat condition without curling up of the edges of the constructions. The invention also provides a method of processing a mailer blank according to the invention comprising the steps of providing a supply of said blanks, passing each blank through a printer to impart variable information on each blank; wetting each blank in a region of the glue to activate the glue; and folding the sections of each blank into facing relation to secure the sections together in glued relations. Finally, this invention provides a method of processing a mailer assembly according to the invention comprising the steps of providing a said mailer assembly; passing the assembly through a printer to impart variable information on each blank of the assembly; thereafter separating each imaged blank from the mailer assembly; wetting each blank in a region of the glue to activate the glue; and folding the sections of each blank into facing relation to secure the sections together in glued relation. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a one-piece mailer blank embodying this invention; Figure 2 illustrates the position of the blank of Figure 1 as conveyed within a folding machine; Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of the manner in which the blank of Figure 1 is folded in the folding machine; Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of a second one-piece mailer embodying the invention; Figure 5 illustrates a view of a continuous mailer assembly embodying this invention; Figure 6 illustrates a folding machine incorporating a plurality of water applicators for use with mailers in accordance with the invention; Figure 7 illustrates a modified means for applying water to the underside of a one-piece mailer blank; Figure 8 illustrates a further modified means for applying water to a conveyed mailer blank; Figure 9 illustrates a modified means for applying water to a mailer which operates under gravity; Figure 10 illustrates a modified folding machine for activating glue on a transverse edge of a blank; Figure 11 illustrates a view of a mailer blank having remoistenable glue spots at a transverse edge; and Figure 12 illustrates a view of a blank having a shaped flap with remoistenable glue for making an envelope. Referring to Figure 1, the one-piece mailer is formed from a flat blank of paper 10 of rectangular shape which is divided by transverse fold lines 14, 15 into three sections 11, 12, 13 which together are contiguous over the length of the mailer, a pair of longitudinal perforations 16, or other like lines of weakening extended along the blank 10 approximately one-half (1/2) inch (1.27 cm) from the respective longitudinal edges. Each section 11, 12, 13 is also provided with a pair of remoistenable glue strips 17 along and between each respective longitudinal edge and a perforation 16. For example, each glue strip is 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) wide for a blank having a width of 8 1/2 inches (21.6 cm). The remoistenable glue is made of any suitable heat resistant glue providing lay flat characteristics when applied, which can be reactivated with water. In particular, the glue is typically able to withstand temperatures exceeding 400°F (204°C). "Lay flat" means that the paper is not curled by the glue when applied nor is the paper curled after exposure to humidity after such application. By way of example, the glue may be a vinyl acetate copolymer dispersion adhesive, such as a vinyl acetate homopolymer emulsion base having a 58-61% solids content, a formulated resin adhesive with dextrin having a 66 % solids content or a resin remoistening adhesive having a 66 % solids content. The one-piece mailer blank 10 also has remoistenable glue in the form a cross-web array of glue dots 17' disposed near a transverse edge, i.e. the top edge as viewed, of the upper section 11. These glue dots 17'are made of the same glue as the glue strips 17. Alternatively, the dots 17' may be replaced by blocks or a line of glue. Referring to Figure 5, the mailer assembly 18 is formed of a plurality of interconnected one-piece mailer blanks 10 which are separated by transverse burstable lines of weakening 19. In addition, the assembly 19 includes weakening 19. In addition, the assembly 19 includes longitudinal strips 20 flanking remoistenable glue strips 17 and which are provided with control holes 21, for example for feeding through a laser printer (not shown) for the application of information to the various mailer blanks 10. For example, use may be made of any continuous fed printer having a heat generating fuser station. Figure 1 shows how each mailer blank 10 of three sections can be imprinted with information such that the upper two sections 11, 12, as viewed, form a voucher including the address of a recipient while the lower section 13 is printed, for example as a cheque. In this case, the lower fold line 15 is made as a line of weakening, e.g., a perforation, to permit the section 13 to be subsequently separated from the section 12 while also lying flat to avoid jamming in a printer. In addition, the backside of the mailer blank 10 may be provided with information, such as the return address of a sender, for example in one corner of the middle section 12. In addition, the middle section 12 is provided with a cut-out or die-cut window 22 and an overlying transparent panel such as a plastic film 23 to permit viewing of a printed address of the recipient on one section 13. When one-piece mailers are produced from continuous stationery as shown in Figure 5, then after feeding the mailer assembly 18 through the printer, the longitudinal strips 20 may be removed and, thereafter, the individual mailer blanks 10 can be separated from the assembly 18 by bursting across those lines of weakening 19 which are to be not merely fold lines and locations at which one section may be removed from the mailer but locations at which one mailer is separated from the next member. The mailer assembly 18 constitutes a one part continuous self-mailer constructions of interconnected blanks 10 which may be provided with preprinted information using a printing press ink able to withstand the conditions to which the blank is subjected during subsequent processing in a continuous or sheet fed printer. Usually, thus, the ink will be heat resistant when the blank is to be used in laser printers when the thus heat resistant printing press inks and the then heat resistant remoistenable glue used in the assembly 18 would be able to withstand intense heat often exceeding 400°F (204°C) with the glue providing "lay flat" characteristics when applied. In this respect, the lay flat characteristics of the glue are vital to the feeding of the self-mailer 18 through the sensitive feed paths of continuous and sheet fed non-impact printers. The self mailer 18 may also be provided with variable information, such as address information, by means of a non-impact printer. For example, the variable information may be imaged on one side of a blank 10 with the blank 10 being subsequently folded and sealed with the address information exposed through the cut out 22. If non-impact imaging is required on both sides of a mailer blank 10, the cut-out 22 and transparent panel 23 may be eliminated as the address can be imaged on the other side of the blank 10 during the imaging process. After being burst from the mailer assembly 18, each mailer blank 10 can be delivered to a folding and sealing machine or apparatus 24. In this regard, as indicated in Fig. 6, the machine 24 includes a tray 25 for receiving a stack of mailer blanks 10, means 26 for applying water to at least one side of the blank 10 along each longitudinal edge in order to activate the glue and means (not shown) for folding the sections 11, 12, 13 into overlying relation while pressing the opposed or facing longitudinal edges together to permit the activated glue strips 17 and 17' to bond the edges together. The machine 24 is of conventional structure and need not be further described. For example, in the case of a machine sold by Pitney Bowes as a Desk Top Folding Machine, Model 1831 or any similar manufacturers Desk Top Folder, a feed means 27 in the form of a friction feed roller (Fig. 2) is provided to individually convey the blanks 10 from the tray 25. Fig. 2 shows how the means 26 for applying water, of which only part is visible in Fig. 6, includes a pair of water reservoirs 28 each of which is mounted on the machine 24, a plastic tube 29 for delivering water from the reservoir 28 and an applicator 30 for transferring water from the respective reservoir 28 via the tube 29 to the edge of the conveyed blank 10. In this regard, as indicated in Fig. 2, each blank 10 is conveyed with the glue side facing the respective applicator 30. Referring to Fig. 2, each water applicator 30 is in the form of a rotatably mounted wheel 31 which is capable of picking up water from a reservoir 32 for application to the underside of the blank 10. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 7, the applicator may be a brush 33 which extends upwardly from the reservoir 32 for wetting the conveyed blank 9 by capillary action. As indicated in Fig. 8, the water applicator may be in the form of a nozzle 34 which communicates with the reservoir 32 so as to spray water onto the blank 10. Still further, as indicated in Fig. 9, the reservoir 32 may be disposed above the plane of the blank 10 so that water is fed by gravity through the nozzle 34. Referring to Fig. 3, the means for folding the sections 11, 12, 13 of the blank 10 is of conventional structure which employs folding plates which function to fold the blanks 10 on each other to form a three-ply mailer 35, for example, as shown in Fig. 4. The mailer 35 can then be mailed in a conventional manner. As indicated in Fig. 3, once the glue strips 17 and 17′ have been activated by the application of water, the check forming section 13 is folded up against the middle section 12 with the respective glue strips in facing relation to each other. Thereafter, the remaining section 11 can be folded up so that the glue strips 17 thereon face an unglued surface of the section 13. During pressing of the sections together along the edges, the glue serves to bond the sections together into a sealed unit at the ends of the mailer 34. Of note, depending on the folding machine, the water applicators may be positioned to apply water to the downside of a blank as in Fig. 2 or the upside of a blank. In either case, the glue strips would be in facing relation to the applicators. Referring to Figure 4, when a recipient receives the mailer 35, both edges may be torn off along the overlying perforations 16 so as to permit the remainder to be opened flat. The lower section 13 can then be removed along the perforations 15 where made as a cheque. Referring to Figure 11, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts as above,the mailer blank 10 may also be provided with remoistenable glue in the form of a cross-web array of glue dots 17' disposed near a transverse edge, i.e. the top edge as viewed, of the upper section 11. Referring to Figure 10, the machine 24 may also include means 26' for applying water to the blank 10 along a transverse top edge, as viewed, in order to activate the glue dots 17' which may be present. In this case, the water applying means 26' includes a reservoir 28' which is mounted at the upper end of a tray 35 for the folding means (not shown). As above, a plastic tube 29' extends from the reservoir 28' to an applicator (not shown) positioned under and in line with holes 36 in the tray 35 in order to transfer water to the leading transverse edge of a conveyed blank 10 on which the glue dots 17' are disposed. As indicated, suitable stops 37 are provided to stop movement of the blanks from the tray 35. After a blank 10 has been moistened along two longitudinal edges and the one transverse edge, the sections 11, 12, 13 are folded and pressed, as above with the remoistenable glue dots 17' of the top section 11 facing and bonding to the unglued surface of the check forming section 13. A completely sealed unit is then obtained, 1.e. a unit which is sealed at the sides as well as across the top (or bottom as the case may be). Referring to Figure 12, a one-piece blank 38 may be provided with lines 39 of remoistenable glue rather than strips of glue as illustrated in Figure 1. Further, a transverse line 40 of glue may also be provided at the upper edge. As indicated in Fig. 12, the blank 38 may also be shaped in a manner so that the lower two sections 41, 42 which are of rectangular shape form the front and back of an envelope while the uppermost section 43 forms a shaped flap for closing the envelope. In this case, the lower sections 41, 42 are separated by a transverse fold line 44 and are of equal height as viewed, while the flap 43 is separated from the section 42 by a similar transverse fold line 45 and is of smaller height. The flap 43 may be shaped as illustrated so as to have two shouldered portions 46 above the fold line 45 and a contoured closing portion 47 containing the tranverse line 40 of glue. The blank 38 may be folded in a similar manner to the mailers described above with respect to Fig. 10. In this case, each blank 38 is moistened along the longitudinal edges to activate the remoistenable line 39 of glue. During folding, the lower two sections 41, 42 are wetted and folded together about the fold line 44 with or without the unwetted flap section 43 being folded down over the back of the lower section 41 to form an unsealed envelope which can be subsequently stuffed and mailed in the usual manner. One advantage of this construction is that the resulting envelope is of simple inexpensive construction. Thus, a multiplicity of such blanks 38 can be supplied to a bulk user in pre-addressed form or in blank. The user can then perform a printing and folding operation to suit the use desired. As an alternative, the individual blanks may be "chopped" from a continuous web of paper so that the contour of the upper edge forming the flap section 43 is cut at the same time as the lower edge of the next blank is being cut. In this way, not only is the flap section formed with a contoured shape, but also the lower edge is formed with a recessed portion of mating shape. Thus, when the blank is subsequently folded into an envelope, the recess provides access into the pocket formed by the folded sections of the blank. The printer (not shown) may be of any conventional structure, for example having a means for imaging a blank 10 passing therethrough in its lay flat condition. The presence of a heat generating fuser station in the printer which may generate temperatures in excess of 400°F (204°C) will require the glue to be resistant to this temperature. Alternatively, the blanks 10 can be processed through a non-impact printer having a pressure or cold flow fuser station. In this case, heat resistant characteristics are not required of the glue but lay flat characteristics are required. Such blanks 10 may, in fact, be processed through impact printers when the lay flat characteristics of the glue are of benefit and both these and the remoistenable characteristics of the glue are not impaired . The invention thus forms part of a relatively simple and economical system for the printing, folding, addressing and sealing of a supply of one piece self mailers which includes a simple apparatus for the folding and sealing of one piece blanks into a mailer constructions. Further, since such apparatus requires a rather inexpensive water applicator, the overall costs of making and using such an apparatus are at a relative minimum, for example as compared with folding equipment which require heaters in order to activate a hot melt glue on a mailer blank. Still further, since a remoistenable glue is used, the costs of fabricating the one-piece mailer can be held to a minimum. The invention further provides a foldable blank which can generally be processed through heat generating printers without impairing the bonding qualities of the glue on the blank which is subsequently used to seal the folded blank.

Claims: A mailer blank (10, 38) having at least two contiguous sections (11, 12, 13; 41, 42, 43) disposed for folding over on each other into overlying relation, each said section having remoistenable glue (17; 39) along the respective longitudinal edges for bonding said sections together, said glue being characterized by its imparting to the longitudinal edges of the blank a lay flat condition which is retained in both dry and moist states of the glue to permit mechanical feeding of the blank through a feed path and through a printer whether of impact or non-impact type and through the fuser station of a laser printer. A mailer blank as set forth in Claim 1, whose glue is heat resistant to permit the blank with said glue thereon to be processed through a non-impact printer heat generating fuser station. A mailer blank as set forth in Claim 2, wherein said glue is able to be subject to temperatures above 400°F (204°C) at said fuser stations and retain its ability to behave as a remoistenable glue. A mailer blank as set forth in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said glue is made of a vinyl copolymer dispersion adhesive. A mailer blank as set forth in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said glue is made of a vinyl acetate homopolymer emulsion base. A mailer blank as set forth in any preceding claim, wherein said one of said sections 11; 43) has said remoistenable glue (17'; 40) disposed near a transverse edge thereof for bonding to the other section 13; 41). A mailer blank as set forth in Claim 6 wherein said glue is in the form of a cross-web array of remoistenable glue dots (17'). A mailer blank as set forth in any preceding claim which forms part of a mailer assembly (18) having a plurality of interconnected said blanks (10), a plurality of transverse burstable lines of weakening (19) separating said blanks (10) from each other, and a pair of longitudinal lines of weakening (16) extending with said longitudinally contiguous sections (11, 12, 13, 41, 42, 43) at respective longitudinal edges thereof. A mailer assembly as set forth in Claim 8 wherein each blank has three longitudinally contiguous sections (11, 12, 13; 41, 42, 43) and a transverse fold line (14, 15; 44, 45) between each pair of said sections, at least two sections (11, 12; 41, 42) having a pair of longitudinal strips of said remoistenable glue thereon and said remoistenable glue (17; 40) being disposed near a transverse edge of each blank. A mailer blank according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 which is a one-piece mailer blank having at least two contiguous sections (41, 42) disposed for folding over on each other into overlying relation, each said section having said remoistenable glue (39) along the respective longitudinal edges for bonding said sections together and a third section(43) defining a flap for folding over one of said contiguous sections (41), said flap having said remoistenable glue (4) along a transverse edge for bonding said flap to said one section (41). A method of processing a mailer blank according to any of Claims 1 to 7 and 10 comprising the steps of providing a supply of said blanks (10), passing each blank through a printer to impart imaged variable information on each blank; wetting each blank in a region of the glue to activate the glue; and folding the sections of each blank into facing relation to secure the sections together in glued relations. A method of processing a mailer assembly according to Claim 8 or 9 comprising the steps of providing a said mailer assembly; passing the assembly through a printer to impart variable information on each blank of the assembly; thereafter separating each imaged blank from the mailer assembly; wetting each blank in a region of the glue to activate the glue; and folding the sections of each blank into facing relation to secure the sections together in glued relation. A method as claimed in Claim 11 or 12, wherein the mailer blank or mailer respectively is passed through a laser printer to impart imaged variable information thereto, the glue comprised by the mailer blank or mailer assembly being resistant to temperatures generated in the laser printer.

Inventors: DICKER DAVID, DICKER, DAVID
Applicants: TRANSKRIT CORP, TRANSKRIT CORPORATION
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B42D15
IPC codes: B42D15, B42D5, B43M5