Abstract:
A mailer business form assembly comprises a non-adhesive bearing message sheet and one or more adhesive-bearing cover sheets prepared for printing of the message sheet, alignment and sealing to provide multiple mailers.

Description:
This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 07/425,002 filed 10/20/89, abandoned 3/27/91; Ser. No. 07/298,329 filed 01/13/89, abandoned 11/16/89; Ser. No. 07/158,022 filed 02/12/88 abandoned 2/10/89; Ser. No. 07/028,071 filed 03/18/87 abandoned 5/16/88 and Ser. No. 06/556,925 filed 12/01/83 abandoned 4/27/87. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to business form assemblies, and more particularly, to such assemblies providing mailers. 
     An object of this invention is to provide an improved continuous business form assembly of at least two webs for collation and sealing into mailers. 
     Business forms are provided to users either in an essentially finished condition or in an intermediate condition. The finished condition is exemplified by closed and sealed mailers which are ready for mailing after the user has added his information by impact printer or ink jet printer. Intermediate condition mailers are those in which the interior of the form is exposed to the user. Information may be added to the interior of forms in the intermediate condition by impact printer. Generally, forms shipped in the intermediate condition have a heat sealable adhesive around at least a part of the periphery of the form so that the form may be finally closed and sealed. The final steps of the assembly process involve machines which fold or align the sheets of the form and subsequently apply heat and pressure to activate the heat seal glue around at least part of the periphery of the form. 
     In recent years, there has been a rapid growth in the use of non-impact (NIP) printers, such as laser printers, because of their versatility and variable printing. Problems have arisen, however, because the non-impact printers which use toner particles generate internal heat to fuse the particles forming the images. The higher temperatures required for fusing soften the hot melt adhesive, causing the glue on the open form to adhere to the internal rolls of the non-impact printers, thus fouling the machine. When such fouling occurs, many times the machine must be partially disassembled and cleaned. This is obviously time consuming and expensive. The present invention avoids this problem of the prior art by providing a business form assembly capable of use in conjunction with heat-generating printers. 
     In a principal aspect, the invention is an improved business form assembly comprising a message web having a message sheet and a cover web having a cover sheet. The message sheet has a longitudinal dimension between end edges along a longitudinal axis and a transverse dimension between marginal edges along a transverse axis. Marginal lines of perforations extend along the marginal edges fully between the end edges. Transverse, end lines of perforations extend along the end edges only between the marginal lines of perforations. No adhesive is present on any portion of the message sheet. 
     The message cover sheet has a longitudinal dimension between cover sheet end edges equal to the longitudinal dimension of the message sheet, and a transverse dimension between cover sheet marginal edges equal to the transverse dimension of the message sheet. The cover sheet is superimposed upon the message sheet and has marginal lines of adhesive along the cover sheet marginal edges. These adhesive lines extend fully between the cover sheet end edges and are nearer the cover sheet marginal edges than the message sheet marginal perforation lines are to the message sheet marginal edges. Transverse, end lines of adhesive are along the cover sheet end edges, extending fully between the cover sheet marginal edges and being nearer the cover sheet end edges than the message sheet end perforation lines are to the message sheet end edges. Preferably, cover sheet marginal and transverse, end lines of perforations are superimposed on the message sheet marginal and transverse, end lines of perforations. The marginal and end lines of adhesive adhere the cover sheet to the message sheet. 
     Other objects, advantages and features are part of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment. The detailed description follows a brief description of the drawing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in relation to the accompanying drawing, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a preferred mailer of the invention, with a corner of a cover sheet turned back to reveal detail; 
     FIG. 2 is a second plan view of the mailer of FIG. 1, with the cover sheet and message sheet shortened to reveal detail; and, 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating use of the business form assembly of the present invention in the intermediate condition, depicting printing of the message sheet of the business form assembly with a computer controlled Non-Impact Printer (NIP) as well as collation, sealing and separation of the business form assemblies for mailing. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-2, the preferred embodiment of the invention is a business form assembly 4 comprising a message web 1, a cover web 2 and a back web 3. The webs 1, 2, 3 have superimposed, spaced series of transverse, margin-to-margin perforation lines 40; and superimposed, marginal feed strips 50. The webs 1, 2, 3 provide mailers, each mailer extending between adjacent perforation lines 40. Each mailer comprises a message sheet 5, a top cover sheet 6 and a bottom cover sheet 7. As will be described, when the assembly 4 is completed, the sheets 5, 6, 7 are adhered to each other totally about their peripheries and across their centers. 
     The message sheet 5 is rectangular. It has a longitudinal dimension between a straight upper end edge 8 and a straight and parallel lower end edge 9. It has a transverse dimension between straight, parallel, marginal edges 10, 11. The sheet 5 has (and also the sheets 6, 7 have) pin feed holes in the feed strips 50. 
     A first message sheet marginal line of perforations 12 extends along and spaced from the first message sheet marginal edge 10. A second message sheet marginal line of perforations 13 extends along and spaced from the second message sheet marginal edge 11. The lines 12, 13 extend longitudinally, fully between the message sheet end edges 8, 9. The marginal edge 10 and line 12 define a first longitudinally extending margin 14 of the sheet 5. The edge 11 and line 13 define a second longitudinally extending margin 15. 
     A first, transverse end line of perforations 16 extends along but spaced from the end edge 8. A second, transverse end line of perforations 17 extends along but spaced from the end edge 9. The lines 16, 17 extend only between the marginal perforation lines 12, 13. The edges 8, 9 and lines 16, 17 define end strips 18, 19 on the sheet 5. Preferably, end strips 18, 19 have longitudinal widths approximately equal to each other. No adhesive is present on either side of sheet 5. 
     The lines 12, 13, 16, 17 define a message area 23. The top cover sheet 6 has a longitudinal dimension between top cover sheet end edges 25, 26 equal to the longitudinal dimension of the message sheet 5 between its edge ends 8, 9. The top cover sheet 6 also has a transverse dimension between top cover sheet marginal edges 27, 28 equal to the transverse dimension of the message sheet 5 between its marginal edges 10, 11. Marginal lines of perforations 29, 30 extend longitudinally along the top cover sheet marginal edges 27, 28. The lines 29, 30 define marginal strips 31, 32 on the sheet 6, which have a transverse width less than the width of the message sheet margins 14, 15. 
     A first, transverse end line of perforations 16&#39; extends along and spaced from the end edge 25. A second, transverse end line of perforations 17&#39; extends along and spaced from the end edge 26. The lines 16&#39;, 17&#39; extend only between the marginal lines of perforations 29, 30. The edges 25, 26 and lines 16&#39;, 17&#39; define end strips 18&#39;, 19&#39; on the sheet 6. 
     Within the marginal strips 31, 32, the sheet 6 has marginal lines of adhesive 33, 34. The adhesive lines 33, 34 extend fully between the top cover sheet end edges 25, 26. The adhesive lines are joined along the end edges 25, 26 by transversely extending, end lines of adhesive 35, 36. The lines 35, 36 are within the end strips 18&#39;, 19&#39;. The adhesive lines 33, 34, 35, 36 circumscribe the periphery of the sheet 6. As most preferred, the adhesive lines 33-36 are a heat sealable adhesive. When heated, with the sheets 5, 6 separated from their webs or not, and the sheet 6 superimposed on the sheet 5, the adhesive adheres sheet 6 to sheet 5, outward of the perforation lines 12, 13, 16, 17 of the sheet 5 and in the margins 14, 15 and end strips 18, 19. The perforation lines 12, 13, 16, 17, 29, 30, 16&#39;, 17&#39; remain useful to separate the message areas from the margins 14, 15 and end strips 18, 19. Pressure sensitive or remoistenable adhesive may be employed as an alternate to the heat sealable adhesive. 
     The sheets 5 and 6, so adhered, form a mailer assembly useful with or without the sheet 7. If used without the sheet 7, the assembly forms a message unit. Each message unit remains sealed, and may be opened by removal of the top cover sheet marginal strip 31, with the message sheet margin 14, along the perforation lines 29, 12. Since the perforation line 29 is offset from the line 12, an edge is created that can be manually grasped. A message area, such as 23, may then be separated from its message unit, along other perforation lines. As most preferred, all the transverse perforation lines 16, 20, 21, 17 are progressive, in that perforation size is large toward the edge 10, and is progressively reduced toward edge 11. These progressive perforations facilitate separation of the message areas. 
     When the assembly has a back cover sheet, the preferred back cover sheet 7 has longitudinal and transverse dimensions equal to those of the cover sheet 6. The sheet 7 also has a pattern of adhesive lines identical to that of sheet 6, and the same reference numbers (with primes) are used to identify the adhesive lines on sheet 7 as are used on sheet 6. The sheet 7 may be a combined second message and bottom cover sheet, and may be a reversed, or turned over, duplicate of sheet 6, without the glassine window. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, the use of the assembly in the intermediate condition is disclosed. In the intermediate condition, the cover sheet web 50 and the message sheet web 52 are provided separately. If a back cover sheet is used, the back cover sheet web 58 is also provided separately. The mailer assembly process is arranged such that the message sheet web 52 passes through printer 54, where the message is added. The adhesive-bearing cover sheet web 50, and back cover sheet web 58, if included, do not pass through the printer but are superimposed on the printed message sheet and fed into a collating and sealing machine 56, where the webs are joined, sealed and detached as finished forms ready to be mailed. 
     The preferred embodiment of the invention is now described. If preferred, the message units may be self-contained envelopes with transparent-covered windows, such as windows 36, 37, shown on sheet 6. 
     The preferred embodiment may be varied, without departing from the invention. Therefore, to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter regarded as invention, the following claims conclude this specification.