AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ENVE- LOPES, AND IN THE MODE OF FASTENING THE SAME
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Holmes, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ENVE-
LOPES, AND IN THE MODE OF FASTENING THE SAME,"
Sealed the 13th September 1878 and dated the 28th March 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Holmes at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th March 1878.
JOHN HOLMES, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster.
"AN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ENVELOPES, AND IN THE MODE OF FASTENING THE
SAME."
The objects of this Invention are to effect a considerable economy in the quantity
of paper employed, and at the same time so to manufacture the envelope that only
one operation is required for fastening the envelope and affixing the postage stamp.
Instead of cutting the paper for the envelope in a rhomboidal or lozenge shape
as usual, and which occasions great waste of paper, I employ a rectangular piece
very little larger than twice the size of the envelope when folded, so that there is
scarcely any waste in the cutting of the blanks or forms from the sheet. One half
of this piece is made with a narrow flap along one side and end, and when the
piece is folded across the centre, these flaps, being gummed and turned over, the
edges of the other half form an envelope of a "pocket " form, closed at both sides and
one end, and open at the other end.
The other half is also made with a flap at one side, which, when the envelope is
finally closed, covers the open end (which is at the right-hand side of the envelope,
when the latter is seen with the address side upwards), and this flap which may be
removed or not as preferred, is finally secured by the gumming on or affixing of the
nostage stamn-

page_text: It will thus be seen that one operation only is required to fasten up the envelope
and affix the postage stamp, which both ensures the envelope being safely closed
and the postage stamp being properly affixed and in the right place, that is to say,
at the upper right-hand corner of the address side of the envelope.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Holmes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th Sep-
tember 1878.
JOHN HOLMES, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ENVELOPES, AND IN THE MODE OF FASTENING THE
SAME.
"
The objects of this Invention are to effect a considerable economy in the quantity
of paper employed, and at the same time so to manufacture the envelope that only
one operation is required for fastening the envelope and affixing the postage stamp.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood,
1 have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked
the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation thereof.
Instead of cutting the paper for the envelope in a rhomboidal or lozenge shape as
usual (see Fig. 1), and which occasions great waste of paper, I employ a rectangular
piece very little larger than twice the size of the envelope when folded (see Fig. 2),
so that there is scarcely any waste in the cutting of the blanks or forms from the
sheet. One half of the piece is made with a narrow flap a, a, along each side (see
Fig. 2), or along one side or end (see Fig. 2*), and when the piece is folded across
the centre at b, b, these flaps, being gummed and turned under or over the edges of
the other half, form an envelope of a pocket form," closed at both sides and one
"
end, and open at the other end (see Fig. 3).
The other half is also made with a flap c, c, at one side, which, when the envelope
is finally closed, covers the open end (which is at the right-hand side of the
envelope, when the latter is seen with the adress side upwards), and this flap c, c,
which may be gummed or not as preferred, is finally secured by the gumming on or
affixing of the postage stamp, see Fig. 4.
It will thus be seen that one operation only is required to fasten up the envelope
and affix the postage stamp, which both ensures the envelope being safely closed
and the postage stamp being properly affixed and in the right place, that is to say,
at the upper right-hand corner of the address side of the envelope.
This envelope if left in the form seen at Fig. 2 or Fig. 2* with the edges gummed
(but not folded up into the form of an envelope as at Fig. 3), may be used as a
memorandum form. Another advantage for commercial purposes is that the reverse

page_text: side of the envelope is perfectly plain, without joints or flaps, and may be most
advantageously employed for advertizing purposes.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention, the novel and
peculiar method of manufacturing envelopes as herein-before described, and illustrated
by the annexed Drawings, and more especially I claim the method of closing the
envelope by affixing the postage stamp as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Holmes, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-third day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.