CLOSURE AND SEAL DEVICE FOR SEALING ENVELOPES AND PLASTIC ENVELOPE SUPPLIED WITH THE SAME

Abstract: A device for the closure and sealing of envelopes and the like comprising first and second elongated strips of plastic material (2, 3), foldable, one upon the other, along a narrow longitudinal hinge line (4). The first strip (2) has a series of locking pins (6) distributed along its length, each of the locking pins having a weakened base, and the second strip (3) is provided with a series of sockets (8) adapted for receiving respective locking pins in locking relation therein. With the purpose of permitting the device to be opened easily, when applied to a plastic envelope (11) with the locking pins penetrating orifices formed along the two borders at the mouth of the envelope, at least a part along the length of the longitudinal hinge line (4), starting from a first end, is weakened (at 9), and each strip is provided, at its first end, with an appendage capable of being held between the fingers of the user.

Description: Title: "Closure and seal device for sealing envelopes and plastic envelope supplied with the same" Technical field The present invention relates to a device for clos- ing and sealing envelopes and the like, especially plastic en¬ velopes for the transport of confidential documents or for rapid delivery services such as courier and related services. Background art Devices suitable for this use are well known, one example being that disclosed by Brazilian Patent PI 8903982-3 which describes and illustrates an elongated rectangular piece of plastic in the form of two parallel strips connected to each other along a narrow hinge line around which the strips can be doubled, one over the other. One of the strips is formed along its length with a series of small locking pins extending orthogonaly to its plane, while the other strip is formed with a corresponding series of sockets for receiving the locking pins in locking relation. The strip with the lock¬ ing pins is fixed, by means of plastic soldering, along the external border of one side of the mouth of a plastic envel¬ ope, with the locking pins perforating both borders of the en¬ velope. To close and seal the envelope one simply has to fold the strip with the sockets around the hinge line and press the two strips together until the locking pins enter the sockets and become held. The envelope is then closed with the hinge line situated along the mouth of the envelope, preventing ac¬ cess thereto. When the envelope is closed and sealed in this way it is no longer possible to open it without breaking the lock- ing pins which, for preference, have weakened bases. Any unau¬ thorized attempt to open the envelope results in the breakage of one or more locking pins, leaving a clear indication of vi¬ olation or attempted violation. Normal, or authorised, opening of the envelope is carried out, not at the mouth end because it is difficult, but by cutting open the end opposite to the mouth with scissors, thus leaving the closure device intact for later inspection to verify whether or not access to the envelope has been gained by unauthorised persons. Object of the invention The principal object of the present invention is to provide a device, of the type described above, which permits intentional opening of the envelope, via its mouth end, with¬ out the need to use scissors to cut it open, while at the same time allowing very simple and quick visual verification of whether or not the seal has been violated. Summary of the invention According to the present invention a device for closing and sealing envelopes and the like comprises first and second elongated strips of plastic material, foldable, one upon the other, along a longitudinal hinge line of narrower dimension, the first strip being provided with a series of locking pins distributed therealong, each of the locking pins having a weakened base, and the second strip being provided with a series of sockets adapted for receiving the locking pins in locking relation therein. The device is characterised in that, starting from a first end, at least a part along the length of the longitudinal hinge line is weakened, and that each strip is provided with an appendage at its first end ca¬ pable of being held between the fingers of the user. The device according to the present invention can be applied to an envelope in a manner identical to that described in the background art. However, it can be opened by holding each of the appendages and pulling them firmly away from each other, thereby initiating the tearing apart of the two strips, breakage of the locking pins at their weakened bases and the consequent opening of the envelope. To verify whether or not the device was violated it is simply necessary to look at the base of each locking pin to see whether it was broken cleanly or if someone put adhesive on the base in order to hide an unauthorised opening of the envelope. This method of verifica¬ tion is possible when the bases of the locking pins are joined to the respective strip of the device by means of small radial bridges within orifices formed in the strip. In this case, the inspection can be carried out by holding the strip up to the light in order to verify that the orifices are empty with the bridges broken. For preference, the weakened part along the length of the hinge line is a small fraction of its full length, be¬ ing sufficient simply to begin tearing apart of the strips. The appendage to be held between the fingers of the user may consist of a thin extension, starting from a point at the first end of the respective strip, adjacent to the hinge line. Preferably it is " " shaped, the "L" being in the plane of its associated strip. According to a second aspect of the present in¬ vention, a plastic envelope supplied with a closure and seal device, the envelope being provided with an opening having first and second borders superimposed and the closure and seal device being that described above, the first strip of the de- vice being fixed externally to the first border of the opening with each locking pin penetrating orifices aligned in the first and second borders of the opening, the first and second strips having lengths substantially equal to the lengths of each border along the mouth of the envelope. Brief description of the drawings The present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the ac- companying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a closure and seal device for envelopes, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device shown in figure 1 mounted on a plastic envelope in preparation for closing; Figure 3 is a perspective view, similar to that of figure 2, but with the envelope closed and sealed by the de- vice according to the invention; and Figure 4 shows the envelope being opened with the strips of the closure and seal device being pulled apart by the appendages provided by the invention. Detailed description of the invention The closure and seal device illustrated in figure 1 consists of a single piece 1 of molded polypropylene or simi¬ lar material. It comprises two elongated rectangular strips 2 and 3, connected to each other along a narrow hinge line 4 around which the strips can be folded, one upon the other. Strips 2 and 3 are provided with rectangular apertures 5 along their lengths, for the purpose of economising on the material used in their construction. Strip 2 is formed with a series of locking pins 6 distributed therealong. The base of each locking pin 6 is connected, adjacent to the edge of strip 2 furthest from hinge line 4, to the inner border of a corresponding orifice by means of four small bridges 7, thereby weakening the con¬ nection between the locking pin and the strip. Strip 3 is formed with a corresponding series of sockets 8 distributed therealong, inside each one of which there is a locking formation cooperable with a corresponding locking pin 6. Thus, substantially as described and illus¬ trated in the above mentioned Brazilian Patent Application PI 8903982-3, upon folding strips 2 and 3 around hinge line 4 and squeezing the outer sides of the strips together, locking pins 6 enter sockets 8 where they become held in locked relation. In accordance with the present invention, a short length of hinge line 4, starting from one end, is weakened by means of a plurality of perforations 9. Along with this, the internal edge, i.e. the edge adjacent to hinge line 4, of each of strips 2 and 3 is formed at its end with a small "L" shaped appendage 10, in the plane of each respective strip, so that, by holding each appendage 10 between the fingers of each hand and pulling the appendages away from each other, piece 1 is easily torn down its middle along hinge line 4. Figure 2 shows the device of figure 1 mounted at the mouth of a plastic envelope 11. Here, strip 2 is placed ex¬ ternally of and along a first border of the mouth of envelope 11 with its transverse ends soldered thereto 12. Locking pins 6 on strip 2 penetrate orifices 13, in the first border, which are in registration with corresponding orifices 13 in a second border on the other side of envelope 11. The envelope is il¬ lustrated in its closed configuration in figure 3 wherein, starting from the configuration shown in figure 2, the front facing, second, border of the mouth of envelope 11 is placed against the first border so that locking pins 6 on strip 2 penetrate orifices 13, whereupon strip 3 is folded downwards until locking pins 6 enter, and become locked in, respective sockets 8. Intentional or authorised opening of the envelope is illustrated in figure 4, which shows a user gripping append- ages 10 between his fingers and pulling them apart. This breaks the length along hinge line 4 weakened by perforations 9 and initiates the tearing of the closure and seal device along the entire length of hinge line 4, such that the small bridges 7, weakening locking pins 6, are broken leaving the pins themselves trapped in sockets 8. Once the envelope has been opened, visual inspection of strip 2 - by, for example, holding it up to the light - will show that all the orifices, in which locking pins 6 were held by bridges 7, are empty, that is that there was no attempt to violate the seal, with consequent prior breakage of one or more of the locking pins, camouflaged by the use of adhesive to clog the orifices. It should be understood that the existence of a hinge line 4 weakened by perforations 9 and the provision of appendages 10 allows greater facility in the opening of envel- ope 11, without having to use scissors or the like to cut it open and without prejudicing the degree of security afforded by the sealing system. The device 1 illustrated in the figures is the pre- ferred embodiment of this invention. However, other configura¬ tions are possible within the same inventive concept, and it should be understood that changes to the specific sealing sys¬ tem can be made, without going beyond the intended scope of this invention. Similarly, the shape of the appendages 10 can be modified, the "L" shape being only a preferred configura¬ tion, and the length along hinge line 4, weakened due to per¬ forations 9, can be varied as long as it is sufficient to begin the tear as illustrated in figure 4. The scope of the invention should therefore be lim- ited only by the terms and interpretation of the following claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Closure and seal device, for closing and sealing envelopes and the like, comprising first and second elongated strips of plastic like material, foldable, one upon the other, around a narrow longitudinal hinge line, said first strip be¬ ing provided with a series of locking pins, distributed therealong, each of said locking pins having a weakened base, and said second strip being provided with a series of sockets adapted for receiving said locking pins in locking relation therein, said device characterised in that, starting from a first end, at least a part along the length of said longitudi¬ nal hinge line is weakened, and that each strip is provided, at said first end, with an appendage capable of being held be¬ tween the fingers of the user. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that said part along the length of said longitudinal hinge ] ine is a small fraction of the total length of said hinge line. 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said appendage comprises a thin extension, adjacent to said hinge line, starting from a point on said first end of each respective strip. 4. Device according to claim 3, characterised in that said thin extension is "L" shaped and lies in the same plane as its associated strip. 5. Device according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that said weakened base of each of said lock¬ ing pins comprises small radial connections formed in an aper¬ ture in said first strip. 6. Plastic envelope supplied with a closure and seal device, said envelope provided with an opening having first and second borders superimposed and said closure and seal de¬ vice comprising first and second elongated strips of plastic material of substantially the same length as said borders, said first strip, being provided with a series of locking pins distributed therealong, each of said locking pins having a weakened base, and said first strip being fixed externally to said first border of said opening with each of said locking pins 6 penetrating orifices aligned in said first and second borders of said opening in said envelope, and said second strip being joined to said first strip along a narrow longi- tudinal hinge line by means of a series of hinges, around which said second strip is capable of being folded to be superimposed on said first strip with said borders of said en¬ velope held therebetween, said second strip being formed along its length with a series of sockets adapted to receive said locking pins in locking relation therein, said plastic envel¬ ope characterised in that, starting from a first end, at least a part along the length of said longitudinal hinge line is weakened, and that each strip is provided, at said first end, with an appendage capable of being held between the fingers of the user. 7. Envelope according to claim 6, characterised in that said part along the length of said longitudinal hinge line is a small fraction of the total length of said hinge line. 8. Envelope according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that said appendage comprises a thin extension, adjacent to said hinge line, starting from a point on said first end of each respective strip. 9. Envelope according to claim 8, characterised in that said thin extension is "L" shaped and lies in the same plane as its associated strip. 10. Envelope according to any of claims 6 to 9, characterised in that said weakened base of each of said lock¬ ing pins comprises small radial connections formed in an aper- ture in said first strip. AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 24 June 1996 (24.06.96) ; original claims 1-3 and 6-8 amended ; remaining claims unchanged (2 pages ) ] 1. Closure and seal device, for closing and sealing envelopes and the like, comprising first and second elongated strips of plastic like material, foldable, one upon the other, around a narrow longitudinal hinge line, said first strip being provided with a series of locking pins, distributed therealong, each of said locking pins having a weakened base, and said second strip being provided with a series of sockets adapted for receiving said locking pins in locking relation therein, said device characterised in that, starting from a first end, at least a part along the length of said longitudinal hinge line is weakened to define a tear line, and that each strip is provided, at said first end, with an appendage capable of being held between the fingers of the user to facilitate the tearing apart of said first and second strips along said tear line. 2. Device according to claim 1 , characterised in that said tear line occupies a small fraction of the total length of said hinge line. 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said appendage comprises a thin extension, adjacent to said tear line, starting from a point on said first end of each respective strip. 4. Device according to claim 3, characterised in that said thin extension is "L" shaped and lies in the same plane as its associated strip. 5. Device according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that said weakened base of each of said locking pins comprises small radial connections formed in an aperture in said first strip. 6. Plastic envelope supplied with a closure and seal device, said envelope provided with an opening having first and second borders superimposed and said closure and seal device comprising first and second elongated strips of plastic material of substantially the same length as said borders, said first strip, being provided with a series of locking pins distributed therealong, each of said locking pins having a weakened base, and said first strip being fixed externally to said first border of said opening with each of said locking pins penetrating orifices aligned in said first and second borders of said opening in said envelope, and said second strip being joined to said first strip along a narrow longitudinal hinge line by means of a series of hinges, around which said second strip is capable of being folded to be superimposed on said first strip with said borders of said envelope held therebetween, said second strip being formed along its length with a series of sockets adapted to receive said locking pins in locking relation therein, said plastic envelope characterised in that, starting from a first end, at least a part along the length of said longitudinal hinge line is weakened to define a tear line, and that each strip is provided, at said first end, with an appendage capable of being held - 10 - between the fingers of the user to facilitate the tearing apart of said first and second strips along said tear line. 7. Envelope according to claim 6, characterised in that said tear line occupies a small fraction of the total length of said hinge line. 8. Envelope according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that said appendage comprises a thin extension, adjacent to said tear line, starting from a point on said first end of each respective strip. 9. Envelope according to claim 8, characterised in that said thin extension is "L" shaped and lies in the same plane as its associated strip, 10. Envelope according to any of claims 6 to 9, characterised in that said weakened base of each of said locking pins comprises small radial connections formed in an aperture in said first strip. STATEMENT UNDER ARTICLE 19 Having studied the result of the international search, applicant has cancelled amended claims 1 to 6 so as to define the weakening at" at least a part along the length of said longitudinal hinge line" as being a TEAR LINE so as more clearly to distinguish from the present inventor's own EP,A,0 323 706. Minor amendments have been made in claims 2, 3, 7 and 8 as a result of the introduction of the term TEAR LINE. No other changers have been made.

Inventors: DE LIMA CASTRO NETTO EDUARDO, DE LIMA CASTRO NETTO, EDUARDO
Applicants: ELC PROD SEGURANCA IND, LIMA CASTRO NETTO E DE, DE LIMA CASTRO NETTO, EDUARDO, ELC PRODUTOS DE SEGURANCA INDUSTRIA E COMERCIO LTD
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B65D27
IPC codes: B65D27, B65D33