SHEET, FOLDABLE INTO A MAILER

Abstract: A sheet of rectangular or square shape for recording information, such as a sheet of writing paper or sheet of printer paper, has at least one pre-indicated or pre-made transverse fold line (8) for folding the sheet to give a sealed item for posting. The sheet also has at least three flaps (12, 13, 16) located at different edges of the sheet, which flaps are each foldable along a pre-indicated or pre-made flap fold line and can then be stuck to an opposing surface, such that the item for posting (23) is sealed at the four edges of the item for posting by means of the at least one transverse fold line and the three flaps (12, 13, 16) which have been folded over and stuck down.

Description: SHEET, FOLDABLE INTO A MAILER The invention relates to a sheet of rectangular or square shape for recording information, such as a sheet of writing paper or sheet of printer paper, having at least one pre-indicated or pre-made transverse fold line for folding the sheet to give a sealed item for posting. Such a sheet is known. Information can be provided on the one side of the sheet by means of writing or printing. The details for the addressee and optionally for the sender can be provided on the other side. Optionally it can also be indicated how the sealed item for posting can be opened. The aim of the invention is to provide a sheet of the above-mentioned type which can be better sealed so that the information in the sealed item for posting formed is better protected against use by unauthorised persons. To this end the sheet according to the invention is characterised by at least three flaps located at different edges of the sheet, which flaps are each foldable along a pre-indicated or pre-made flap fold line and can then be stuck to an opposing surface, such that the item for posting is sealed at the four edges of the item for posting by means of the at least one transverse fold line and the three flaps which have been folded over and stuck down. The three flaps and the fold line at the four edges of the item for posting are able to guarantee complete closure, as a result of which it is impossible for unauthorised persons to read the contents. Complete closure of the item for posting can best be obtained if the two parallel flaps extend over the complete edges of the sheet. Furthermore, the two parallel flaps can each have a projecting adhesion section which extends between the other flap and the at least one fold line. The adhesion sections can be provided with a gum by means of which they can be attached to the opposing surface. The sheet according to the invention can also be used as a sheet of printer paper. In this case it is desirable to make the longitudinal edges of the sheet uniform, that is to say without indented parts or projecting parts. For this application the two parallel flaps can have a tear section on the other side of the at least one fold line, which tear section projects by the same distance as the associated adhesion section, which tear sections have a pre- indicated or pre-made perforation line. By virtue of the straight guide, formed by the adhesion sections and the tear sections located in the extension thereof, the sheet can now be fed through a printer in the conventional manner. After printing, the tear sections are removed and the sheet is made up into an item for posting. To simplify these operations each adhesion section and associated tear section can be separated from one another by a notch, the tear lines each adjoining the deepest part of said notch. The sheet preferably has two transverse fold lines, by means of which the sheet is divided into three essentially equal parts. The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to a few illustrative embodiments shown in the figures. Fig. 1 shows the writing surface of a first embodiment of a sheet according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows the address surface of the sheet according to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows the sheet according to Figs 1 and 2 in the partially folded state. Fig. 4 shows the sheet according to Figs 1 - 3 folded together to give an item for posting. Fig. 5 shows opening of the posted item. Fig. 6 shows a second embodiment. The writing surface 2 of the sheet 1 is shown in Fig. 1 and the address surface 3 is shown in Fig. 2. Addressee details can be shown in the field 4 and, optionally, the sender's details in the field 5 on said address surface 3. The stamp can be affixed in the field 6. The sheet 1 is divided into the three parts 9, 10, 11 by means of the transverse fold lines 7, 8. The sheet 1 has two parallel flaps 12, 13 at the two longitudinal edges, which flaps are joined to the remainder of the sheet 1 via perforation lines 14, 15. A third flap 16 is provided at one of the ends of the sheet 1 via the perforation line 17. After wording has been written or printed on the writing section 2, the sheet 1 is folded over via the fold line 7. The sheet is then folded over via the fold line 8, after which the flaps 12, 13 are folded over along the fold lines 14, 15, as shown in Fig. 4. Flap 16 is also folded over about fold line 17. The flaps 12, 13 have adhesion sections 18, 19, each of which is provided with a layer of gum 20, 21. The flap 16 also has a layer of gum 22. In the state shown in Fig. 4 the adhesion sections 18, 19 and the flap 16 have been fixed to the opposing surface by means of the layers of gum 20 - 22, as a result of which an item 23 for posting which is completely sealed all round by the flaps 12, 13, 16 and by the fold line 8 is obtained. Fig. 5 shows that the item 23 for posting can be opened by tearing off the flaps 12, 13 along the perforation lines 14, 15 and 17. In connection with guiding a sheet through a printer it is desirable to make the outer boundaries of the flaps 12, 13 uniform, that is to say without locally projecting sections. In the variant in Fig. 6 the flaps 12, 13 are therefore provided with tear sections 24, 25, which are joined via perforation lines 26, 27 to the remainder of the flap 12, 13. Said tear sections 25, 25 are separated from the adhesion sections 18, 19 by means of notches 28, 29. The outside edges of the tear sections 18, 24 and 19, 25 are in the extension of one another, such that the desired guiding through the printer can be ensured. After the sheet has been printed on both sides the tear sections 24, 25 can be removed and the item for posting can be sealed in the manner shown in Figs 1 - 4. The sheets can be made up into a pad.

Claims: Claims 1. Sheet (1) of rectangular or square shape for recording information, such as a sheet of writing paper or sheet of printer paper, having at least one pre-indicated or pre-made transverse fold line (8) for folding the sheet to give a sealed item (23) for posting, characterised by at least three flaps (12, 13, 16) located at different edges of the sheet, which flaps (12, 13, 16) are each foldable along a pre-indicated or pre-made flap fold line (14, 15, 17) and can then be stuck to an opposing surface, such that the item (23) for posting is sealed at the four edges of the item for posting by means of the at least one transverse fold line (7) and the three flaps (12, 13, 16) which have been folded over and stuck down. 2. Sheet according to Claim 1, wherein one of the flaps (16) is parallel to the at least one transverse fold line (7) and the other two flaps (12, 13) extend along mutually opposing edges of the sheet. 3. Sheet according to Claim 2, wherein the two parallel flaps (12, 13) extend over the complete edges of the sheet. 4. Sheet according to Claim 3, wherein the two parallel flaps (12, 13) each have a projecting adhesion section (18, 19) which extends between the other flap (16) and the at least one fold line (7). 5. Sheet according to Claim 4, wherein the two parallel flaps (12, 13) have a tear section (24, 25) on the other side of the at least one fold line (7), which tear section projects by the same distance as the associated adhesion section (18, 19), which tear sections have a pre-indicated or pre-made perforation line (26, 27). 6. Sheet according to Claim 5, wherein each adhesion section (18, 19) and associated tear section (24, 25) are separated from one another by a notch (28, 29), the tear lines each adjoining the deepest part of said notch. 7. Sheet according to Claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein each adhesion section (18, 19) is provided with an adhesive (20, 21), such as a gum. 8. Sheet according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the fold lines of the two parallel flaps (12, 13) are perforation lines (14, 15). 9. Sheet according to one of the preceding claims, wherein two transverse fold lines (7, 8) are provided by means of which the sheet is divided into three essentially equal parts (9, 10, 11). 10. Set of sheets according to one of the preceding claims made up into a stack or pad.

Inventors: NAGEL WALTER ALBERT, VERHOEF KLAAS, NAGEL, WALTER, ALBERT, VERHOEF, KLAAS
Applicants: NAGEL WALTER ALBERT, VERHOEF KLAAS, NAGEL, WALTER, ALBERT, VERHOEF, KLAAS
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B42D15
IPC codes: B42D15