MULTI-PART SETS OF COPY MATERIAL

Abstract: A multi-part set (18, 28, 38) comprising a plurality of leaves providing for so-called "carbonless" copying between different leaves of the set, comprises a sheet (10, 20, 30) of substrate material such as paper with respective portions (12,13; 23,24; 24,25; 35,33; 33,34; 34,36) of at least one face of the sheet being treated to provide for imaging therebetween when such portions lie in face-to-face relationship, the sheet of material being provided with at least one separation line (11; 21,22; 31,32) and being folded along or adjacent to said separation line to bring the treated portions into face-to-face relationship to form the leaves of the set. A predetermined image, such as a business form (I, II) may be applied to selected portions before the sheet is folded. Two-part (18), three-part (28) and four-part (38) sets are disclosed and a "hybrid" set (40) in which an additional leaf (41) is inserted between the leaves (12,13) of a two-part set (18).

Description: Title: MULTI-PART SETS OF COPY MATERIAL Description of Invention This invention relates to multi-part sets of copy material, (i.e. sets containing two or more leaves of sheet material secured together in face-to-face relation) which provide for so-called "carbonless" copying or imaging between the leaves of the set, whereby impact printing of an image on an upper leaf of the set will simultaneously make similar images on one or more other leaves of the set, and wherein at least some of the leaves of a set may bear a pre-applied image. The sheet material usually is paper and herein will generally be referred to as such; however it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to the use of other suitable sheet material. Multi-part sets of so-called "carbonless" papers are well known in which two coatings are formed respectively on the contiguous faces of superimposed leaves. The coatings usually comprise one that is generally known as a CB coating and which contains contains droplets of a colour-forming substance in a rupturable earner medium, and one that is generally known as a CF coating and which comprises a receptor layer of a substance that reacts with the colour- forming substance when released from the CB coating to produce a coloured image. The CB coating is normally provided on the back (underside) of the uppermost leaf, and the CF coating on the front (upper side) of the lowermost leaf, with any intervening leaves normally having a CF coating on the upper face thereof and a CB coating on the underside thereof. The colour- forming substance is usually contained either in discrete rupturable micro-capsules which are deposited with a suitable binder to forni the coating, or in discrete voids formed in a rupturable continuous phase carrier material, and herein, for convenience, the term "encapsulated" and its derivatives are intended to include both such types of containment The colour-forming substance normally comprises a mixture of colourless chemicals, typically dissolved in an oily solvent and encapsulated by well known techniques in discrete micro-capsules or micro-voids in a continuous phase carrier material. When micro-capsules or earner materials thus produced are ruptured by mechanical pressure, as by impact in a printing process involving mechanical impact, the chemicals are released from the CB coating and react to form a visible mark on the CF coating of the adjacent leaf. In addition to the image produced in this way. normally comprising variable information entered by the end user of the multi-part sets, a predetermined image, normally providing a framework for the information to be entered by the user, may be pre-applied by the multi-part set manufacturer to at least the upper side of at least one of the leaves by a suitable printing process, such as a non-impact printing process (e.g. offset, ink jet or toner deposition) which does not significantly damage the coating on the sheets. Whilst it is most usual to employ a copying system as above described, in which an essentially colourless colour-former develops a colour when released onto a suitable receptor material, other systems are possible, in particular, systems in which a reactive receptor coating is not required. For example, the CB coating may cany an encapsulated ink which directly marks the contiguous leaf onto which it is released, or the coating may carry separately encapsulated components which react when released and mixed to form a coloured ink that is transferred to the contiguous leaf. Accordingly, the terms "colour-former" and "colour-forming" as used herein are intended to include all such substances that may be encapsulated and are capable of producing an image, whether visible or not, when released and deposited on an adjacent sheet, whether or not requiring a reactive receptor coating to develop such image, and the term "copy coating" as used herein is intended to refer to any coating in which such colour-formers are releasably incorporated. Most commonly, such multi-part sets have been made by preparing the leaves as individual sheets and then securing them together in sets by the use of adhesive. The collating of individual sheets to form sets and use of adhesive to secure them together in the sets is time consuming and expensive. It can require special coatings to ensure the adhesive will only adhere the sheets within a set together without also adhering different sets together. The operation requires skill and experience, and results are not always reliable. Any problem arising at this stage might entail the wastage of material which has already been subjected to relatively costly treatment, often including printing onto the sheets, if the problem cannot be rectified. It is broadly an object of the present invention to provide for the cost- effective manufacture of multi-part sets without the need for adhesives. According to one aspect of the present invention, we provide a multipart set of copy material comprising a plurality of supeiposed leaves wherein said leaves are formed from a single sheet of material and said single sheet is folded about at least one line whereby said single sheet is divided into a plurality of respective portions corresponding in number to the number of said leaves and said respective portions are disposed in contiguous face-to-face relationship to form said supeiposed leaves; and on at least one face of said sheet at least one of said respective portions carries a copy coating over at least part of said portion to provide for the transfer of a user-applied image from that portion on which said coating is provided to another of said portions which is arranged in contiguous face-to-face relationship therewith. The line on which the sheet is folded may also serve as a separation line whereby separation of said portions after use is facilitated. For this puipose, the sheet material may simply be creased along said line by viitue of the folding process, whether this process is carried out by hand or by machine. However, preferably, the line on which the sheet is folded is defined by a pre-foπned line of weakness formed in the sheet material, and this line of weakness may serve both as a fold line for the initial folding of said sheet during the manufacture of the multi-part set and a separation line for the subsequent separation of the leaves when the set has been used. Alternatively, folding may take place along a line (whether or not being formed as a pre-formed line of weakness) parallel to a separation line so that part of the portion between the line of folding and the separation line remains attached to the remainder of the set when the part on the other side of the separation line is detached. Usually such a separation line will be formed by partially severing the portions from one another, e.g. by means of a discontinuous cut line or a line of perforations, which in either case will also facilitate folding as well as separation. The separation line may be formed by scoring the material through part of the thickness thereof, again facilitating subsequent separation of the portions. Alternatively, the separation line may be a tear line or a cut line Nevertheless, a separate fold-line may be formed, for example by creasing the sheet material at a position spaced from and parallel to the separation line. According to a second aspect of the present invention, we provide a sheet of material for use in making a multi-part set of copy material comprising a plurality of supeiposed leaves, wherein said sheet comprises at least two portions so airanged that the sheet can be folded to bring respective ones of said portions into contiguous face-to-face relationship to form said leaves; and wherein on at least one face of said sheet at least one of said respective portions carries over at least part of said portion a copy coating to provide for the transfer of a user-applied image from that portion on which said coating is provided to another of said portions which is airanged in contiguous face-to- face relationship therewith. Preferably said sheet is formed with at least one separation line whereby said sheet is divided into said respective portions and whereby separation of said portions after use is facilitated. To form the multi-part set, the sheet can then be folded along or adjacent to said at least one separation line so that the portions are brought into the required contiguous face-to-face relationship. Alternatively, the sheet material may simply be creased along said line by virtue of the folding process, whether this process is carried out by hand or by machine. According to a further aspect of the present invention, we provide a method of making a multi-part set of copy material comprising a plurality of supeiposed leaves from a single sheet of substrate material, by folding said sheet along at least one line whereby said single sheet is divided into a plurality of respective portions corresponding in number to the number of said leaves and in such a manner that said respective portions are disposed in contiguous face-to-face relationship to form said supeiposed leaves; and before said folding applying on at least one face of said sheet to at least one of said respective portions a copy coating to provide for the transfer of a user-applied image between different ones of said portions when said different portions are airanged in contiguous face-to-face relationship. As previously mentioned, at least one separation line may be formed in said sheet to facilitate separation of said portions after use, and preferably also such separation line is used as the line on which the sheet is folded to form the respective portions of the sheet; The method may further comprise the step of applying an image to at least one face of at least one portion of the sheet before the sheet is folded. Such image may accordingly be applied to at least the upper side of at least one of the leaves by a suitable printing process, such as a non-impact printing process (e.g. offset, ink jet or toner deposition) which does not significantly damage the coating on the sheets, and may typically comprise a business form for completion by the end user. The copy coating applied to the sheet may comprise any known form of coating that enables an image to be transferred by means of impact through the top leaf of a multi-part set to one or more other leaves thereof by a "carbonless" process. Typically, the copy coating comprises a colour-former (CB) coating and, as is conventional for "carbonless" imaging, a further, receptor (CF) coating is applied to the corresponding portions of the sheet that are brought into contact with said CB coating. The colour-former (CB) coating preferably includes a layer of micro- encapsulated colour-forming substance, and the receptor coating is conveniently formed from a layer of a suitably reactive clay, but may alternatively consist of other receptor materials, such as phenolic CF, zinc salicylate, etc. Preferably the substrate material is paper, although in some circumstances other comparable sheet materials may be used In a simplest embodiment the invention is applied to the manufacture of a two-part set, in which said colour-former (CB) coating and receptor (CF) coating are provided on respective first and second portions of the same face of the sheet of substrate material, such that folding of the sheet to foim two supeiposed leaves brings said coatings on said first and second portions into contiguous face-to-face relationship. Where the sheet is formed with a separation line, this will be disposed between said portions, and folding may be effected at or adjacent said separation line. A manufacturer-applied image, where required, may be applied to the portion of the sheet having the receptor coating on the same face as that coating, and to the portion of the sheet having the colour-former coating on the face opposite to that coating. In a further embodiment the invention may be applied to the manufacture of a three-part set. In this case the folding of the sheet of the substrate material may be carried out about two lines extending substantially parallel to one another and spaced so to fold the sheet into three portions that may be equal or substantially equal in size, although in some circumstances the portions may be of substantially different sizes. Where the sheet material is provided with receptor (CF) coatings and colour-former (CB) coatings, it will be understood that these will be so airanged on said portions that on the folding of the portions the receptor (CF) coatings come into contact with the colour- former (CB) coatings. In particular, one face of the sheet may be provided with a receptor (CF) coating on a first one of said portions and a colour-former (CB) coating on a second one of said portions which is adjacent to said first portion, whilst the other face of the sheet is provided with a colour- former (CB) coating on a third one of said portions which is adjacent to said second portion and a receptor (CF) coating on said second portion, said second portion thereby having a CB coating on one face and a CF coating on its other face (i.e. constituting a CFB portion). A sheet thus prepared, and which may be provided with a pre-applied image on its portions as required, can then be folded in zig-zag fashion to provide a three-part set in which the three portions form respective leaves airanged face-to-face in fully or partially overlapping relation. Other arrangements of the coatings would enable the three-part set to be formed by folding the portions in other ways. It will be appreciated that, in principle, by increasing the number of parallel separation lines, and folding the portions thus produced in zig-zag fashion or otherwise, it is possible to form from a single sheet of substrate material a multi-part set with four, five, six or more leaves. However, in yet a further embodiment the invention may be applied to the manufacture of a four-part set by folding a sheet of the substrate material about two lines which extend substantially perpendicular to one another so as to divide the sheet into four portions, which may be equal or generally equal in size to one another. Again, where the sheet material is provided with receptor (CF) coatings and colour-former (CB) coatings, these will be so airanged on said portions that on the folding of the portions the receptor (CF) coatings come into contact with the colour-former (CB) coatings. In particular, a first one of said portions may be provided on one face with a colour-former (CB) coating and a second one of said portions may be provided on one face with a receptor (CF) coating, while the remaining two of said portions are provided with a colour former (CB) coating on one face and a receptor (CB) coating on their respective opposite faces so that they are CFB portions. Then by appropriate cutting and folding of the sheet material a four- part set may be created in which said first portion which is provided with only the colour-former (CB) coating and said second portion which is provided with only said receptor (CF) coating respectively constitute the uppermost and lowermost leaves of the set, while the remaining two portions which are provided with both coatings constitute intermediate leaves of the set. Any required image or images may be printed on the portions as required prior to the folding thereof to form the set. The invention also provides a multi-part set made in accordance with any of the above methods. The invention yet further provides sheet material for use in carrying out the method of the invention, comprising portions treated to provide for said "carbonless" imaging therebetween and at least one separation line between respective portions of the sheet. The treated portions are preferably provided with CF and/or CB coatings in any of the arrangements above described. It is envisaged that sheets of material prepared as above described will be supplied to printers who will print, e.g. forms, in accordance with their customers' requirements on the sheets and then fold them to form the multi-part sets to be supplied to their customers ready for use. Such printing may be carried out, for example, by means of an offset printing process or an electronic printing process. In carrying out the invention, as will be appreciated from the following description of specific embodiments thereof, the pre-applied image on the portions of the sheet of substrate material may require to be printed on both faces thereof. Whilst such printing involves higher costs than printing on one face only of a sheet of material, it is believed that multi-part sets in accordance with the invention can still be produced more economically than by methods proposed hitherto. The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:- Figure 1 illustrates one face of a sheet of substrate material during the manufacture of a two-part set in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 illustrates the opposite face of the sheet shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates the sheet of material shown in Figures 1 and 2 after partial folding to from the required two-part set; Figures 4 to 6 are views respectively similar to those of Figures 1 to 3 illustrating the manufacture of a three-part set in accordance with the second embodiment of the invention; Figures 7 to 9 are views also similar to those of Figures 1 to 3 illustrating the manufacture of a four-part set in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 10 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention. Referring firstly to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, these illustrate the manufacture in accordance with the invention of a two-part set. Figure 1 shows one face 10a of a generally rectangular sheet 10 of substrate material, which preferably is paper. The sheet 10 is divided by a separation line 11 extending transversely across it into first and second portions 12 and 13, which as illustrated are of similar size, although in some cases the two portions may be of different sizes. Separation line 1 1 is conveniently formed by a line of small perforations, or a line of spaced slits, so as to facilitate the separation of the first and second portions 12, 13 from one another. On the face 10a, as shown in Figure 1. the sheet 10 is patch coated over all or part of the first portion 12 with a colour-former (CB) coating, e.g. with colour-foπning chemicals micro-encapsulated therein, and over all or part of the second portion 13 with a receptor (CF) coating, e.g. a suitable receptor clay, while the opposite face 10b of the sheet is free from such coatings. The coatings may be tinted, as may be the non-coated parts of the sheet. The sheet 10 may be pre-printed with any required image while it is in a flat condition. In particular, an image 1, such as a business foim, may be printed on the uncoated face 10b of the first portion 12 as shown in Figure 2, and in the illustrated embodiment a further image II, such as the same or a different business foπn, is shown printed on the CF coated face 10a of the second portion 13 of the sheet as shown in Figure 1, but it will be understood that in some cases the further image II may not be required. Such printing may be cairied out prior to the application of the coatings, but since paper coaters will not usually have printing apparatus it is preferable for the printing to be cairied out after the coating operation, and normally at a different site. Thereafter, the two-part set 18 is created by folding the sheet 10 along the separation line 1 1, or along a fold line near thereto, as indicated by the airows A in Figures 1 and 2 to bring the CB coating on face 10a of the first portion 12 into contiguous face-to-face contact with the CF coating on face 10a of the second portion 13. As shown in Figure 3, in the two-part set thus produced, the printed form I appears on the upper face 10b of the first portion 12, which forms the top leaf of the set, while the second portion 13 forms the bottom leaf of the set. Form II, which is printed on the upper CF coated face 10a of the second portion 13, is then in register with the form I so that information entered on form I by the user is copied onto form II. It will be appreciated that where the form II is required to be printed on the face 10a of the second portion 13. the printing of the fonns 1 and II will be a duplex process, i.e. printing is cairied out on both faces 10a and 10b of the sheet 10. Figures 4 and 5 show a sheet 20 divided by two separation lines 21, 22 into first, second and third portions 23, 24, 25. The face 20a of the sheet visible in Figure 4 is provided with a CF coating over all or part of the first portion 23 and with a CB coating over all or part of the second portion 24. The face 20b of the sheet 20 visible in Figure 5 is provided with a CB coating over all or part of the third portion 25 and with a CF coating over all or part of the second portion 24, so that the portion 24 is a CFB portion, having CB and CF coatings on the respective faces thereof. A three-part set 28 is created from the sheet 20 by folding the sheet in zig-zag fashion at the separation lines 21, 22 in the manner as shown in Figure 6 to bring the CF coated face 20a of the first portion 23 into contact with the CB coated face 20a of the adjacent second portion 24 and to bring the CF coated face 20b of the third portion 25 into contact with the CF coated face 20b of the second portion, so that third portion 25 forms the top leaf of the set, the second portion 24 foims an intermediate leaf, and the first portion 23 forms the bottom leaf of the set. Prior to such folding, the uncoated face 20a of the third portion 25, and the CF coated faces 20a and 20b of the first and second portions 23, 24 respectively may be printed with any required image or images such as forms I and II previously described. It will be appreciated that, by using sheet of substrate material of coπespondingly greater length and dividing it into further portions by means of additional separation lines, and folding the portions in a similar zig-zag manner it is possible to provide sets having four, five, or more parts. However, whilst zig-zag folding is prefeπed, other folding aπangements are possible. Thus, for example, subject to repositioning of the coatings as necessaiy, the first portion 23 of the sheet of material 20 shown in Figures 4 and 5 could be folded about line 21 to bring it between the second and third portions 24, 25. Likewise, in the case of a four or more part set, the two end portions could be folded inwardly or outwardly over the respective adjacent portions. Refeiring now to Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings, these show a sheet 30 of substrate material which is provided with two separation lines 3 1, 32 extending perpendicularly to one another so as to divide the sheet into four substantially equally sized portions 33, 34, 35, 36. The face 30a of the sheet visible in Figure 7 is provided with a CF coating over all or part of the first portion 33, a CB coating over all or part of the second and third portions 34, 35, and with a CB coating over all or part of the fourth portion 36. The face 30b of the sheet 30 visible in Figure 8 is provided with a CB coating over all or part of the first portion 33 and with a CF coating over all or part of the second portion 34, while the third and fourth portions 35, 36 are uncoated. After printing with any reqired image, such as a business form, on the appropriate faces of the various portions, the sheet 30 is cut or otherwise severed along that part of the separation line 31 which divides the third and fourth portions 35, 36. Then the third and fourth portions are folded as indicated by aπows B in Figure 9 about the separation line 32 to bring their respective CB and CF coated faces into face-to-face contact with the CF and CB coated faces of the first and second portions 33, 34 respectively. The first and fourth portions 34, 36 together are then folded back to back about separation line 31 to bring the CB coated face 30b of the first portion 33 into face-to-face contact with the CF coated face 30b of the second portion 34. Thus a four-part set 38 is foimed in which the third portion 35 is the top leaf, the first and second portions 33, 34 are intennediate leaves, and the fourth portion 36 is the bottom leaf of the set. Alternatively, with appropriate repositioning of the coatings, other folding aπangements would be possible. Thus the invention enables multi-part sets to be created in a manner which does not involve the collating and adhesively securing of individual sheets as has generally been the case hitherto. Nevertheless "hybrid" multi-part sets may be made as shown, for example, in Figure 10, which illustrates a three-part set 40 foimed from a two- part set as shown in Figure 3 with the addition of an intennediate CFB leaf 41 inserted between the portions 12. 13 of the two-part set to create a three-part set. The intennediate leaf 41 could remain unsecured to the top and bottom leaves formed by portions 12 and 13, and be retained in position by friction, but alternatively adhesive could be applied to the upper edge of the intennediate leaf 41 to secure it in place, and since the adhesive would be enclosed by the folded sheet 10 of the two-part set there should not be any tendency for such three-part sets to adhere to one-another when foimed into a stack. Of course, more than one intermediate sheet 41 could be assembled between the top and bottom leaves of the set, and indeed two folded sheets could be "nested" to form a four-part set. Whilst as illustrated in the accompanying drawings the invention is exemplified by reference to the use of conventional CF and CB coatings, it will be understood that other types of "carbonless" copying systems may be employed in an analogous manner, in particular systems that do not require any form of reactive receptor coating, so that in such cases only a single face of each contiguous pair of faces will require the application of the colour-former coating. Further, whilst the illustrated embodiments all have lines of weakness forming a physical separation line that preferably also serves as a fold line, it would be possible for such physical lines of weakness to be omitted from the substrate material, and for the material instead simply to be folded along the line indicated, and creased during such folding in such a manner as to create a separation line as a result of the folding. The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific foims or in teims of a means for peifoiming the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A sheet of material for use in making a multi-part set of copy material comprising a plurality of supeiposed leaves, wherein said sheet comprises at least two portions so airanged that the sheet can be folded to bring respective ones of said portions into contiguous face-to-face relationship to form said leaves; and wherein on at least one face of said sheet at least one of said respective portions cairies over at least part of said portion a copy coating to provide for the transfer of a user-applied image from that portion on which said coating is provided to another of said portions which is airanged in contiguous face-to-face relationship therewith. 2. A sheet according to Claim 1 wherein said copy coating comprises a colour-foimer coating, and a receptor coating is provided on the face of another of said portions which is so airanged that said receptor coated face can be brought into contiguous face-to-face relation with said colour-foimer coating when said sheet is folded to foim said leaves. 3. A sheet according to Claim 1 wherein at least one face of at least one of said portions of the sheet cairies a predeteπnined printed image. 4. A sheet according to Claim 3 wherein said predetermined image comprises a business foim to which said user-applied information is to be added by the user. 5. A sheet according to Claim 1 , wherein said sheet is foimed with at least one separation line whereby separation of said portions after use is facilitated. 6. A sheet according to Claim 5, foimed with a single said separation line which divides the sheet into first and second said portions, and wherein at least said first portion cairies said copy coating to provide for said image transfer between said two portions; whereby when said sheet is folded at or adjacent said separation line said two portions are brought to said contiguous face-to- face relationship to foim a two-part copy set. 7. A sheet according to Claim 5 foimed with two said separation lines which are substantially parallel to and spaced from one another and divide the sheet into three of said portions. 8. A sheet according to Claim 5 foimed with at least three said separation lines which are substantially parallel to and spaced from one another and divide the sheet into at least four said portions. 9. A sheet according to Claim 7 or Claim 8 wherein, at one face of the sheet at least one of a pair of said portions that are adjacent to one-another cairies said copy coating to provide for said image transfer between said pair of portions, and at the other face of the sheet at least one of a further pair of said portions that are adjacent to one another cairies said copy coating to provide for said image transfer between said further pair of portions, one portion of each of said pairs being common to both pairs; whereby when said sheet is folded at or adjacent said separation lines said three portions are brought to said contiguous face-to-face relationship to foim a three-part copy set. 10. A sheet according Claim 5 formed with two of said separation lines extending substantially perpendicular to one another to divide the sheet into four said portions; and wherein at one face three of said portions cany said copy coating to provide for said image transfer between said portions in said face-to-face relationship; whereby when said sheet is partly severed and folded at or adjacent said separation lines said two portions are brought to said contiguous face-to-face relationship to foim a four-part copy set. 11. A multi-part set of copy material comprising a plurality of superposed leaves wherein said leaves are foimed from a single sheet of material and said single sheet is folded about at least one line whereby said single sheet is divided into a plurality of respective portions coiresponding in number to the number of said leaves and said respective portions are disposed in contiguous face-to-face relationship to foim said supeiposed leaves; and on at least one face of said sheet at least one of said respective portions cairies a copy coating over at least part of said portion to provide for the transfer of a user-applied image from that portion on which said coating is provided to another of said portions which is airanged in contiguous face-to-face relationship therewith. 12. A multi-part set according to Claim 1 1 wherein said copy coating comprises a colour-former coating, and a receptor coating is provided on the face of another of said portions which is in contiguous face-to-face relation with said colour-foimer coating. 13. A multi-part set according to Claim 1 1 wherein at least one face of at least one of said portions of the sheet cairies a predetermined printed image. 14. A multi-part set according to Claim 13 wherein said predetermined image comprises a business foim to which said user-applied infoimation is to be added by the user. 15. A multi-part set according to Claim 1 1, wherein said sheet is foimed with at least one separation line whereby separation of said portions after use is facilitated. 16. A multi-part set according to Claim 15 comprising two of said leaves wherein said sheet is formed with a single said separation line which divides the sheet into first and second said portions, and at least said first portion cairies said copy coating to provide for said image transfer between said two portions; said sheet being folded at or adjacent said separation line so as to bring said two portions to said contiguous face-to-face relationship and foim said two supeiposed leaves. 17. A multi-part set according to Claim 15 comprising three of said leaves wherein said sheet is foimed with two said separation lines which are substantially parallel to and spaced from one another and divide the sheet into three of said portions. 18. A multi-part set according to Claim 15 comprising at least four of said leaves wherein said sheet is foimed with at least three said separation lines which are substantially parallel to and spaced from one another and divide the sheet into at least four said portions. 19. A multi-part set according to Claim 17 or Claim 18 wherein, at one face of the sheet at least one of a pair of said portions that are adjacent to one- another cairies said copy coating to provide for said image transfer between said pair of portions, and at the other face of the sheet at least one of a further pair of said portions that are adjacent to one another cairies said copy coating to provide for said image transfer between said further pair of portions, one portion of each of said pairs being common to both pairs; and said sheet being folded at or adjacent said separation lines to foim the three supeiposed leaves in said contiguous face-to-face relation. 20. A multi-part set according to Claim 15 comprising four of said leaves wherein said sheet is foimed with two of said separation lines extending substantially perpendicular to one another to divide the sheet into four said portions; and at one face three of said portions cany said copy coating to provide for said image transfer between said portions in said face-to-face relationship; the sheet being severed and folded along said separation lines as required to foim said four leaves in said face-to-face relationship. 21. A method of making a multi-part set of copy material comprising a plurality of supeiposed leaves from a single sheet of substrate material, by folding said sheet along at least one line whereby said single sheet is divided into a plurality of respective portions corresponding in number to the number of said leaves and in such a manner that said respective portions are disposed in contiguous face-to-face relationship to foim said supeiposed leaves; and prior to said folding applying on at least one face of said sheet to at least one of said respective portions a copy coating over at least part of the portion to provide for the transfer of a user-applied image between different ones of said portions when said different portions are airanged in contiguous face-to-face relationship. 22. A method according Claim 21 wherein said copy coating which is applied to at least part of one face of said at least one portion comprises a colour-foimer coating. 23. A method according to Claim 22 wherein a receptor coating is applied to at least part of one face of at least one other of said portions. 24. A method according to Claim 21 comprising the further step of foπning at least one separation line in said sheet whereby separation of said portions after use is facilitated. 25. A method according to Claim 24 wherein said at least one separation line between said portions of the sheet is foimed by partially severing said portions from one another. 26. A method according to any one of Claims 21 to 25 further comprising applying a predeteimined image to at least one face of at least one of said portions of the sheet before the sheet is folded. 27. A method according to Claim 26 wherein said predeteimined image comprises a business foim to which said user-applied information is to be added by the user. 28. A method according to any one of Claims 21 to 25 for making a multipart set comprising two supeiposed leaves wherein said folding of said sheet of substrate material is effected along one line so as to divide the sheet into first and second said portions, and prior to said folding the step of applying said copy coating is cairied out on said first portion to provide for said image transfer between said two portions. 29. A method according to Claim 28 appendant to Claim 22, comprising applying a predeteimined image to said first portion on a face thereof opposite that having the colour-foimer coating before the sheet is folded. 30. A method according to Claim 29 comprising applying a predeteimined image to said second portion on the face thereof which comes into contact with said colour-foimer coating. 31. A method according to any one of Claims 21 to 27 for making a multipart set comprising three supeiposed leaves wherein said folding of said sheet of substrate material is effected along two parallel lines so as to divide the sheet into three portions, and prior to said folding the step of applying said copy coating is cairied out at one face of the sheet to on least one of a pair of said portions that are adjacent to one-another to provide for said image transfer between said pair of portions, and is cairied out at the other face of the sheet on at least one of a further pair of said portions that are adjacent to one another to provide for said image transfer between said further pair of portions, one portion of each of said pairs being common to both pairs. 32. A method according to Claim 31 wherein said one of said three portions which is common to both pairs has a colour-foimer coating on one face thereof and a receptor coating on the other face thereof, the sheet then being folded in zig-zag fashion. 33. A method according to any one of Claims 21 to 27 for making a multipart set comprising at least four supeiposed leaves by folding said sheet of substrate material along at least three parallel lines so as to divide the sheet into at least four portions, and prior to said folding applying said copy coating to at least one portion of pairs of said portions that are adjacent to one-another to provide for said image transfer between said portions in each of said pairs of portions, one portion of each of said pairs being common to two of said pairs. 34. A method according to Claim 33 as appendant to Claim 22, wherein said colour-former coating is applied to alternate portions thereof on opposite faces of said sheet, and the sheet is then folded in zig-zag fashion. 35. A method according to any one of Claims 21 to 27 for making a multipart set comprising four supeiposed leaves wherein said folding said sheet of substrate material is effected along two lines extending substantially perpendicular to one another so as to divide the sheet into four portions, and said sheet is additionally cut along part of the length of one of said lines; and prior to said folding and cutting the step of applying said copy coating is cairied out on respective faces of said portions such as to provide for imaging between said portions when folded into said face-to-face relationship. 36. A method according to Claim 35 as appendant to Claim 22, wherein said copy coating comprises a colour-foimer coating which is applied on one face of said sheet to a diagonally opposed pair of said portions, and on the opposite face of said sheet to a further one of said portions. 37. A method according to Claim 36 wherein a receptor coating is applied to those faces of the portions that, when the sheet is folded, come into contact with the colour-foimer coated faces of other portions. 38. A method for making a multi-part set of copy material comprising making a two-part set by the method as claimed in any one of Claims 28 to 30, and inserting between the two leaves thereof at least one further leaf coated so as to provide for said image transfer. 39. A sheet of material according to Claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or 4 and 5 or 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings. 40. A multi-part set of copy material according to Claim 11 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of Figures 3, 5, 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings. 41. A method of making multi-part set of copy material from a single sheet of substrate material according to Claim 21 and substantially as hereinbefore described.

Inventors: BOND MICHAEL PETER, BOND, MICHAEL, PETER
Applicants: BOND MICHAEL PETER, CARRS PAPER LTD, BOND, MICHAEL, PETER, CARRS PAPER LIMITED
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B41L1
IPC codes: B41L1, B42D15, B65D65