Patent Publication Number: US-2007114784-A1

Title: Multi-ply automated mail advertising piece

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/731,535, filed on Oct. 28, 2005, for a multi-ply automated mail advertising piece, incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a advertising materials which are mailable directly to consumers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-ply automated mail advertising piece.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      The Applicant of this application is the inventor of U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,282 for a card having magnetic sheet secured to a surface; of U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,498 for a magnetic pocket card; and of other patents related to mailable advertising pieces and envelopes or frames having magnets attached.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a multi-ply automated mail advertising piece having a permanently glued lead edge area, the piece having enough thickness and stability so that it moves through United States Postal Service (“USPS”) automated mail processing machines without jamming. The multi-ply automated mail advertising piece may have a magnet for display to a metallic surface or a repositionable adhesive for adherence to a nonmetallic surface. Nonpermanent glue preferably adheres each page to its adjacent page such that each page can be separated from the other, except at the lead edge.  
      More specifically, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is for a multi-ply advertising piece, comprising: a first page having a first planar surface and a second planar surface; a second page having a third planar surface and a fourth planar surface; the second planar surface and third planar surface having a first glue located in a permanent adhesion area proximate a leading edge of the advertising piece, the advertising piece having an opposite edge and a left side and a right side; means for attachment affixed to the fourth planar surface at a location near the leading edge; and, a second glue located between the second planar surface and the third planar surface along the left side and right side of the advertising piece. The means for attachment can be, for example, magnetic or a repositional adhesive having a removable liner thereover. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1   a  shows the first planar surface of the first page of a first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 1   b  shows a working example of  FIG. 1   a;    
       FIG. 2   a  shows the second planar surface of the first page of the first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2   b  shows a working example of  FIG. 2   a;    
       FIG. 3   a  shows the third planar surface of the second page of the first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3   b  shows a working example of  FIG. 3   a;    
       FIG. 4   a  shows the fourth planar surface of the second page of the first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4   b  shows a working example of  FIG. 4   a;    
       FIG. 5  shows the first planar surface of the first page and a portion of the third planar surface of the second page of a second embodiment of the instant invention;  
       FIG. 6  shows the first planar surface of the first page and a portion of the third planar surface of the second page in a third embodiment of the instant invention;  
       FIG. 7  shows the first planar surface of the first page and a portion of the third planar surface of the second page in a fourth embodiment of the instant invention;  
       FIG. 8  shows the first planar surface of the first page and a portion of the third planar surface of the second page and a portion of a middle page in a fifth embodiment of the instant invention;  
       FIG. 9  shows a first planar surface having a pocket insert in a sixth embodiment of the instant invention;  
       FIG. 10  shows a first planar surface and a portion of the third planar surface of the second page having an inside pocket formed by an accordion fold in a seventh embodiment of the instant invention;  
       FIG. 11  shows a first planar surface, a portion of the third planar surface of the second page, and a series of coupons positioned between the second planar surface and the third planar surface in an eighth embodiment of the invention; and  
       FIG. 12  shows the second planar surface and the third planar surface in an “open” position in the eighth embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 13  shows a ninth embodiment of an advertising piece where the first page includes a pocket insert near the leading edge. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      With reference to Figures la,  2   a ,  3   a , and  4   a , there is shown a multi-ply automated mail advertising piece  10  of the instant invention. Respective examples are shown in  FIGS. 1   b,    2   b ,  3   b , and  4   b . In this embodiment  10 , the advertising piece  10  is formed of a first planar surface  12 , a second planar surface  14 , a third planar surface  16 , and a fourth planar surface  18 . The first planar surface  12  and the second planar surface  14  comprise a first page  15 . The third planar surface  16  and the fourth planar surface  18  comprise a second page  19 . The advertising piece  10  is comprised of a plurality of pages, such that the combined thickness of the pages preferably sums to the equivalent of 9-point stock. The size of the multi-ply automated mail advertising piece  10  is about 5¼ inches×10¾ inches, although the dimensions can vary as long as the size is appropriate for USPS mail processing machines. The second planar surface  14  of the first page  15  and the third planar surface  16  of the second page  19  are permanently adhered to each other in an adhesion area  11  at the lead edge  17  of the advertising piece  10 . The lead edge  17  leads the advertising piece  10  as it is processed through the USPS machines. The adhesion area  11  is preferably comprised of about a one inch area of permanent (i.e., solid) glue running from the lead edge  17  toward the opposite edge  21  and preferably from left side  22  to right side  23 . The adhesion area provides stability of the lead edge  17  for feeding into and processing through the USPS machines. The proper application of permanent glue at the adhesion area  11  will maintain the integrity of multiple pages through the USPS mailing process.  FIGS. 1   a  and  4   a , which illustrate the first planar surface  12  and the fourth planar surface  18 , respectively, display a line traversing the advertising piece  10  near the leading edge  17  to point out the area where the first page  15  and the second page  19  are permanently attached. The permanent adhesion is placed in this area where the first page  15  and the second page  19  are permanently attached at the adhesion area  11  of the second planar surface  14  and the third planar surface  16 . Pages  15  and  19  can be separated from each other in the area below the line, as described in more detail below.  
      A means for attachment  13 , such as a thin flexible magnetic sheet material or a repositionable adhesive with removable liner may be affixed to the fourth planar surface  18  of the second page  19  at the adhesion area  11  near the lead edge  17 . The magnetic sheet material facilitates the application of the advertising piece  10  to a metallic surface, such as a refrigerator door or metallic bulletin board, and the like, to display the advertising piece  10 . The magnet can be of varying sizes (length and width) and positioned anywhere on the piece due to the fact that the permanent glue at the lead edge  17  provides the stability. The magnet may be applied as a label, that is, removed from a liner and applied with a permanent adhesive. Also, instead of application of a magnet label, a long strip of roll magnet can be used with individual magnet pieces cut from the roll to desired size, and adhesively affixed to the advertising piece  10 . Alternatively, as a means for attachment, a repositionable adhesive with a removable liner may be used at the adhesion area  11  on the fourth planar surface  18  of the second page  19  so that the advertising piece  10  can be adhered to a non-metallic surface. The permanent glue in the adhesion area  11  allows for mailing with or without a magnet at the lead edge  17 .  
      The thin flexible magnetic sheet material  13  is known and is a vinyl material including magnetic materials dispersed therethrough. Such a sheet of flexible magnetic material can be purchased under the trademark “ULTRAMAG” from FlexMag Industrial, Inc., a Division of Dynacast Co., Marietta, Ohio.  
      Two or more pages of the advertising piece  10  are adhered to each other via nonpermanent glue spots  20 . The first page  15  and the second page  19  are adhered to each other at the second planar surface  14  and the third planar surface  16  via the glue spots  20 . These glue spots  20  position multiple pages together so that the advertising piece  10  maintains its structural integrity as it moves through the USPS mailing process, while allowing for easy page separation by the recipient. As shown in  FIG. 3   a , the third planar surface  16  has four glue spots  20   a . As shown in  FIG. 3   b , the third planar surface  16  has six glue spots  20   b . Any number of glue spots  20  may be utilized so long as multiple pages remain adhered to each other and the structural integrity of the advertising piece  10  is maintained as it moves through the USPS mailing process. The first page  15  and the second page  19  can be separated from each other by pulling apart at these glue spots  20   a ,  20   b  to expose the interiorly located second planar surface  14  and the third planar surface  16 . However, the first page  15  and the second page  19  may still remain attached at adhesion area  11  of the leading edge  17 .  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b,  the first planar surface  12  of the first page  15  will most likely display information such as advertisements, contact information for the advertising company, and an assortment of coupons. Referring now to  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , the second planar surface  14  of the first page  15  will most likely display information such as coupon disclaimers, terms/conditions, and any other pertinent information that may not be aesthetically pleasing from an advertising standpoint. Due to the positioning of the second planar surface  14 , such information is hidden from view until the first page  15  and the second page  19  are separated at the glue spots  20  by the recipient. Referring now to  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b , the third planar surface  16  of the second page  19  will most likely display information such as coupon disclaimers, terms/conditions, and any other pertinent information that may not be aesthetically pleasing from an advertising standpoint. Like the second planar surface  14 , the third planar surface  16  displays information that will be hidden from view until the first page  15  and the second page  19  are separated at the glue spots  20  by the recipient. Placing the non-aesthetically information in such a way allows for more surface area on the first planar surface  12  and the fourth planar surface  18  for aesthetically pleasing material, such as advertisements, coupons and trademarks. Referring now to  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , the fourth planar surface  18  of the second page  19  will display information including additional coupons, advertising, and mail address routing information. Also, a magnet or a repositionable adhesive with liner may be positioned on the fourth planar surface  18 .  
      Due to the fact that the advertising piece  10  is comprised of multiple pages, advertisements and coupons are not required to be “back-to-back”, that is, perforations for coupons and the like do not have to be lined up, and can even be optional on either page. This allows for different layouts on each page of the advertising piece  10  and for different perforation possibilities (i.e., one section could be perforated into 10 coupons, while the other section could be perforated into 20 “smaller” coupons or not perforated at all). As shown, the coupons in  FIGS. 1   b  and  4   b  have vertical and horizontal perforations separating the individual coupons.  
       FIG. 5  illustrates another embodiment of the advertising piece  210 . In this embodiment, a “die-cut” hole  222  is formed in the first page  215  to expose a portion of the third planar surface  216  of the second page  219 . Any die cut shape can be formed in the first page  215  to expose the third planar surface  216 , however, the second page  219  (“hidden” behind the first page  215  in  FIG. 5  except for the die-cut hole  222 ) must remain “full size” and solid to contribute to the integrity of the advertising piece  210 .  
       FIG. 6  illustrates yet another embodiment of the advertising piece  310 . Here, in contrast to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-4  where the first and second pages were of same length, the first page  315  is shorter than the second page  319  to expose a greater surface area of the third planar surface  316  of the second page  319 . The positioning of the glue spots (not shown in  FIG. 6 ) on the third planar surface  316  must be adjusted accordingly due to the shortened length of the first page  315 . Again, the second page  319  must remain “full size” and solid to contribute to the integrity of the advertising piece. For drawing convenience, the first page  315  is shown slightly raised from the second page  319  at its bottom edge.  
       FIG. 7  illustrates still yet another embodiment of the advertising piece  410 . Here, the first page  415  is shorter than the second page  419  to expose a greater surface area of the third planar surface  416  of the second page  419 . A pull tab  432  (i.e., “lift” tab) positioned on the first page  415  allows for the user to easily grab the first page  415  and pull it away from the second page  419 . The pull tab  432  may be of varying sizes and shapes and positioned at varying locations on the first page  415 . Further, the first page  415  does not have to be shorter than the second page  419 , and the pull tab  432  could optionally extend past the second page  419 . Again, the second page  419  must remain “full size” and solid to contribute to the integrity of the advertising piece. For drawing convenience, the first page  415  is shown slightly raised from the second page  419  at its bottom edge.  
       FIG. 8  illustrates yet another embodiment of the advertising piece  510 . Here, there are multiple pages: a first page  515   a  and a middle page  515   b . This is illustrative of the fact that the invention can have multiple pages. Here, the first page  515   a  and middle page  515   b  are the same size as the second page  519 . To expose a portion of the third planar surface  516  of the second page  519 , a tab  532   b  results after a lower portion of the middle page  515   b  is removed. To expose a portion of the middle page  515   b  and a portion of the third planar surface  516  of the second page  519 , another tab  532   a  results after a lower portion of the first page  515   a  is removed. The tabs  532   a  and  532   b  can be of varying sizes and shapes, so long as a portion of the underlying page(s) are exposed. Again, the second page  519  must remain “full size” and solid to contribute to the integrity of the advertising piece. For drawing convenience, the first page  515   a  and the middle page  515  are shown slightly raised from the second page  519  at their bottom edge. With a single-ply postcard, 9-point stock is used. With the prior two-ply embodiments, two pages of about 4.5-point stock are preferably used. In this three-ply embodiment  510 , preferably three pages of about 3-point stock are used to obtain the best postage rates. Any number of pages can be used to form the multi-ply piece of the present invention.  
       FIG. 9  illustrates still yet another embodiment of the advertising piece  610 . Here, the first planar surface  612  of the first page  615  includes an outside pocket  642 . The outside pocket  642  may be formed by the first page  615  being folded upon itself and permanently adhered at the edges  643  of the outside pocket  642 , although other formations of the outside pocket  642  are within the scope of the invention. Again, the second page  619  must remain “full size” and solid to contribute to the integrity of the advertising piece  610 . For drawing convenience, the first page  615  is shown slightly raised from the second page  619  at its bottom edge.  
       FIG. 10  illustrates yet another embodiment of the advertising piece  710 . Here, the third planar surface  716  of the second page  719  includes an inside pocket  742 . The inside pocket  742  may be formed by the second page  719  being folded upon itself and permanently adhered at the edges  743  of the inside pocket  742 , although other formations of the inside pocket  742  are within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, an accordion fold  744  may be formed to provide more surface area for advertisements and coupons. This accordion fold portion  744  extends from the end of the portion of the second page  719  that forms the pocket inside  742 . These advertisements and coupons can also be perforated for ease of separation, and then placed in the inside pocket  742 . Note, it is contemplated that the outside pocket  642  may also display the accordion fold as shown in  FIG. 10 . Again, the second page  719  must remain “full size” and solid to contribute to the integrity of the advertising piece. For drawing convenience, the first page  715  is shown slightly raised from the second page  719  at its bottom edge.  
       FIG. 11  illustrates yet another embodiment of the advertising piece  810 . In this embodiment, perforations  856   a  formed in the first page  815  allow a first page cut-out  815   a  to be partially removed to expose part of a middle page  888 . A tab  832   a  positioned on the first page cut-out  815   a  makes it easy for the recipient to separate the first page cut-out  815   a  from the first page  815 . Upon separation, a series of coupons  855  or other advertisement material, which may be formed on the middle page  888 , are positioned between the second planar surface (not shown) and the third planar surface  816  and may be exposed. Also, “loose” coupons or other advertising material may be positioned in the area between the second planar surface (not shown) and the third planar surface (not shown), particularly if no middle page  888  is present. Further, perforations  856   b  formed on the middle page  888  allow a middle cut-out  815   b  to be partially removed to expose the third planar surface of the second page. A menu or additional advertisements may be exposed on this third planar surface. The first planar surface  812  of the first page  815  may further include an outside pocket  842 . For drawing convenience, the first page cut-out  815   a  is shown slightly torn from the perforations  856   a  to expose the middle page  888  and the coupons  855  or advertising material. This embodiment  810  shows a rectangular first page cut-out  815   a , although any size or shape is within the scope of the invention, however, the second page  819  (“hidden” behind the first page  815  in  FIG. 11 ) must remain “full size” and solid to contribute to the integrity of the advertising piece  810 . Also note, one or more pages that are perforated and detachable are within the scope of this invention.  
       FIG. 12  illustrates the second planar surface  814  and the third planar surface  816  in an “open” and exposed position in the eighth embodiment of the invention  810 . This illustration serves to highlight the interior construction of the advertising piece  810 , and is not drawn to scale. The area to the left of the bottom fold line  872  or toward the bottom of the page when viewed in portrait orientation is the third planar surface  816  of the second page  819 . Permanent glue areas  820 , which vary in size, shape, and positioning, are located near the edge of the third planar surface  816 . Permanent adhesion areas  811  are located near the ends of the second planar surface  814  and the third planar surface  816 . The area to the right of the bottom fold line  872  or toward the top of the page when viewed in portrait orientation is the second planar surface  814  of the first page  815   a ,  815   b . When the advertising piece  810  is folded at the bottom fold line  872 , the third planar surface  816  and the second planar surface  814  are permanently adjoined at the glue areas  820  and the adhesion area  811 . However, the first page cut-out  815   b  remains unattached to the third planar surface  816 , and can be removed from the first  815   a  via the perforations  856  to expose the third planar surface  816 .  FIG. 12  also illustrates the backside  842   a  of the outside pocket  842 .  
      Note,  FIG. 12  does not show the middle page  888  for clearness. The middle page  888  may or may not be present in the eighth embodiment  810 . However, if the middle page  888  were present in  FIG. 12 , it would line up against the glue areas  820  and be permanently attached at the glue areas  820 . The middle page  888  would also have a similarly-aligned glue area  820  so that when the first page  815  folds at the bottom fold line  872 , the second planar surface  814  would fold to meet the middle page  888  and be permanently attached at the glue areas.  
       FIG. 13  illustrates a ninth embodiment of advertising piece  910 . Here, the first page  915  is shown slightly raised from the second page  919  at its bottom edge for drawing convenience. The positioning of the nonpermanent glue spots (not shown in  FIG. 13 ) on the third planar surface  916  must be adjusted accordingly due to the top pocket insert  942  positioned near the lead edge  917  of the advertising piece. The top pocket insert  942  is formed by a permanent glue line area  920  which affixes the second planar surface (not shown) and the third planar surface  916 . The glue line area  920  runs along the edge of the top pocket insert  942  and at the sides, but does not run completely along the lead edge  917 , to form the top pocket insert  942 . Again, the second page  919  must remain “full size” and solid to contribute to the integrity of the advertising piece  910 .  
      Optionally, in the ninth embodiment of the advertising piece  910 , the pocket insert  942  may include a die-cut notch  960  which would expose a small portion of the third planar surface  916 . This optional notch  960  may be of any size and positioned anywhere along the leading edge  917  except at the glue line area  920 . The notch  960  facilitates the grasping of any materials that may be positioned in the top pocket insert  942 . Nonpermanent glue spots (not shown) could then be positioned on either side of the notch  960 , so that when the recipient wants to place something inside the top pocket insert  942 , he must separate the second planar surface (not shown) from the third planar surface  916 . Alternatively, the notch  960  may be positioned on the second page (only the third planar surface  916  of the second page is shown), such that it would not be visible when the advertising piece  910  is hung from a refrigerator or other surface. Again, nonpermanent glue spots could then be positioned on either side of the notch.  
      Optionally, in the ninth embodiment of the advertising piece  910 , the pocket insert  942  may further include a removable area  957  formed by perforations  956 . This removable area  957  may include one or more coupons, or perhaps a game schedule, or perhaps a “loyalty” card for future use. Detaching the removable area  957  may expose more area of the third planar surface  916 , which may include menu information or more advertisements. Once the removable area  957  is detached from the remaining portion of the top pocket insert  942 , a frame  972  remains. This frame  972  is still attached to the top pocket insert  942 , but is not attached to the third planar surface  916  of the second page via glue. The recipient could display an object, such as a picture for example, in the frame  972 . The advertising piece  910  could then be mounted to a refrigerator via the magnet (not shown) and display information such as coupons which can be torn off, and even a picture inserted into the frame  972 .  
      The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom for modifications can be made by those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.