Improved Safety Envelope.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1899 .
Complete Specification Left, 5th Mar., 1900-Accepted, 7th Apr., 1900
Improved Safety Envelope.*
I, AUGUSTE MARES, Merchant, of Sainte Livrade, in the Republic of France, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention for an improved safety envelope has for its object to provide an
envelope which cannot be surreptitiously opened and reclosed without evidence of
such opening being apparent. According to this invention each side flap of the
envelope is slit or slotted near its outer edge to form a narrow strip fast at its two
ends, the bottom flap is perforated with a suitable opening and the top or closing
flap is formed with an elongated tongue. The side flaps are folded inwards and
slightly overlap at the centre so that the narrow strips formed therein lie one over
another, the bottom flap being then folded over the side flaps with its opening over
and exposing the narrow strips in its side flaps.
In order to fasten the envelope the upper flap which is gummed at its inner edges
is first moistened and then turned down into the proper position, and, at the same
time the tongue piece passed through the opening in the bottom flap and under the
narrow strips in the side flaps. The tongue piece having been passed under the
strips in the side flaps, is turned down on the side bearing the address and inserted in
a sinall slit formed therein, the gummed end of the tongue piece being previously
moistened.
The place of the slit formed on the side bearing the address is completely covered
by the postage stamp.
For the sake of greater security an envelope with five seals may be employed.
This envelope is closed in the same inanner, but in order to ensure absolute security,
a number of sinall openings are made, which form crosses at those spots where the wax
seals are placed, and so that by means of the seals, the four sides of the envelope are
made completely homogenous. The articles enclosed in the envelope are preserved
from contact with the wax by a sheet of paper from which they are removed.
Dated this 3rd day of May 1200
I, AUGUSTE MARES, Merchant, of Sainte Livrade, in the Republic of France, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to a safety envelope, the method of closing which is not

page_text: apparent, and which when once closed cannot be opened without the fact of its having
been opened becoming apparent.
In the annexed' drawing six different forms of the envelope unfolded, are repre-
sented. The lines indicated by dots and dashes indicate the places where the paper
of which the envelope consists is folded, while the dotted line encloses the place for
the postage stamp.
The envelope shown in Fig. 1 is provided with a tongue a and four holes b c d e.
The method of closing this envelope is as follows:
The two flaps A A of the envelope are folded over in such a manner, that the
holes c and are placed one above the other. Then the upper flap is folded over
and its edges stuck down in the same inanuer as in an ordinary envelope: The
hole bis arranged in such a manner that the passage formed by the holes c and d
and the borders of the flaps A A can be seen. Then the lower flap c is folded over in
such a manner that the tongue a can be made to pass through the said passage, as
shown in Fig. 1"; there remains then only to fold the tongue over on to the address
side of the envelope and to insert it into the slot e, taking care to moisten the gum
with which the upper surface of the tongue is first coated. The slot e will be
completely covered by the postage stamp.
In the envelope shown in Fig. 2 there are certain alterations.
The passage which in the former case is formed by the holes c, d and the upper
edges of the flaps A A is in this case formed by the holes c c and d d. The method
of closing this envelope is the same as in the former case.
.
With registered letters the seal is affixed to the back of the envelope at the
place where the four flaps of the envelope meet, that is to say, it is placed over
the hole b. The liquid.sealing wax penetrates between the flaps and causes them
to adhere together and to the paper inside which is always wrapped round the valuable
matter contained in the envelope.
This single seal renders the envelope more secure than five seals placed upon an
ordinary envelope, as experience has shown that it is not impossible to remove
and re-affix, without it becoming apparent, the seals attached to the envelopes
generally in use at present.
To obtain still more security the envelope for five seals shown in Figs. 3 and 4
may be employed. This envelope is closed in the same manner as the preceding
ones, but in order that the security should be absolute it is provided with small
crescent shaped holes o and o¹ at the places where four of the seals are to be placed,
so that the latter render the four sides of the envelope homogeneous. The valuable
matters enclosed in the envelope are protected from contact with the sealing wax by
an ordinary sheet of paper which should be wrapped round them.
•
In the form of the envelope shown in Fig. 5 the tongue is provided with two
ears gg. The flaps A A B, of this envelope are provided with holes c c, d and b,
and with slots h which are placed one above the other when the flaps A A B have
been folded suitably. The method of employing this envelope differs but little from
that of those hereinbefore described.
In closing the envelope, the two ears gy are first folded, on the lines indicated by
dots and dashes so that the tongue is tapered and can enter more easily into the
passage formed by the holes c c and d d and reached through the hole b. When the
tongue has been pushed through the said passage it is inserted into the slots / with
its two ears g g unfolded, and it is obvious that it cannot leave the slots again as its two
ears prevent its doing so.
The envelope shown in Fig. 6 offers the same security as the preceding one but is
more simple.
In closing this envelope the two ears g g of the tongue a are also folded over and
the latter is introduced into the slots h in the flaps A A B; the latter are preferably
folded in such a manner that the three slots coincide.. The ears g g prevent the
tongue a from leaving the slots h.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-

page_text: tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The safety envelope provided with a tongue a with or without ears gy which by
passing through several holes in the envelope renders the latter secure and holds all
parts of the envelope together in order to prevent the envelope being opened without
leaving traces thereof, substantially as described.
2. The form of envelope as in Claim 1 in which the holes cd are arranged in
such a manner that they form a passage when the flaps A A B of the envelope, in
which the said holes are made, are suitably folded, in order that the tongue may he
caused to pass through the said passage, bent over the edge of the envelope and
inserted into the slot e which is then covered by the postage stamp, substantially as
described.
3. The form of envelope in Claims 1 and 2, in which the small holes o and o¹ in the
envelope are so arranged as to form crescents at places where seals are to be affixed in
order that the sealing wax may firmly connect the four flaps of the envelope.
4. The form of envelope in Claim in which the tongue a is provided with ears yg
which can be folded in order that the tongue may be introduced into the various
holes b, c, d, and the slots in the envelope but which ears acting as a
catch, prevent the tongue from leaving the holes without being torn, substantially
as described.
Datad this 2nd d...
1000
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.