Improvements in Envelopes:
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 8th June, 1895.
Improvements in Envelopes:
I, BRENT WATERS, of 8 West Camden Street, in the City of Baltimore,..
County of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, United States of America, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and, in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement:-
The present invention has for its object to provide an envelope especially adapted
for containing and mailing printed matter, such as circulars and the like, wherein
no sealing of the envelope is permitted by the Post Office regulations.
Previous to my invention, it was common to use the ordinary letter envelope,
and after placing the circular or other printed matter therein it was usually the
custom to turn the flap down and into the envelope, and over the contents as a
safe-guard against the contents dropping out while passing through the mails.
The ordinary letter envelope when used for such purposes was found objectionable
from the fact that the arrangements of the flaps as above described consumed much
time where thousands of circulars or like printed matter are prepared for mailing,
besides, these flaps increase the cost of manufacture as an unnecessary amount
of paper is wasted when the envelope is only intended to be used for unsealed
matter.
It is the purpose therefore of the present invention to provide an envelope
wherein this flap heretofore in use may be dispensed with and simple means
employed for holding securely within the envelope the printed matter designed to be
mailed, this dispenses with the necessity of having to fix the flap on each envelope
to secure the contents against loss, and the time necessarily consumed in its
accomplishment is therefore saved.
The several objects above numerated and the advantages gained are attained by
an envelope constructed substantially as shown in the drawings and hereinafter
described and claimed.
Fig. 1 of the drawings represents a perspective view of an envelope con-
structed in accordance with my invention with the back partly broken away, the
inwardly projecting retaining flanges in the present instance being shown as fluted
or corrugated.
Fig. 2 represents a plan view of the blank from which the envelope is made.
Fig. 3 represents a transverse section on an enlarged scale showing the inwardly
retaining flanges without being fluted or corrugated.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of an envelope partly broken away,
showing the flanges at one end, with the said end closed.
In the accompanying drawings, A represents the envelope formed from the
blank shown in Fig. 2, the flaps a, forming a means for sealing the ends when the
two sides forming the front and back of the envelope are brought together.
The flanges b, which retain the contents of the envelope in place and prevent its
accidentally dropping out, extend down into the envelope upon both sides thereof,
and are cut away at their ends as shown at c, so as to be free to expand or extend
at an angle as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thereby closing the opening in the envelope
by the two flanges meeting.
If desired the flanges may he corrugated or fluted or made plain as found
desirable, in the former case, the flange being much strengthened and its
resisting action against the accidental dropping out of the circular or other
printed. inatter.

page_text: The envelope of course may be of any size and shape, and made from any
quality of paper to adapt them to wants of the trade.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. An envelope having inwardly extending flanges upon both sides thereof which
come in contact with each other without being secured together to close the
envelope, said flanges cut away at their ends to enable them to freely yield when
placing the contents in the envelope, as set forth.
2. An envelope having inwardly-extending flanges fluted or corrugated and
cut away at their ends as shown, said flanges coming in contact with each other
to close the opening in the envelope, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
Dated this 16th day of April 1895
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.