IMPROVEMENTS IN POSTAL ENVELOPES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN POSTAL ENVELOPES." A communication from abroad. by
Charles K. Marshall, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, George Elliot, of the City and
State of New York, and Mary Boyd Cummings, of Washington; District of
Columbia, all in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th August 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of. Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. " IMPROVEMENTS IN POSTAL ENVELOPES." [A
communication from abroad by Charles K. Marshall, of Vicksburg, Mississippi,
George Elliot, of the City and State of New York, and Mary Boyd Cummings, of
Washington, District of Columbia, all in the United States of America.]
The object of my Invention is the production of a letter envelope adapted to
perform the ordinary functions of two letter envelopes, and this without reversing
the original folding of an envelope, as has sometimes been done to accomplish such
purpose. For this purpose I provide the face of a letter envelope with two sets of
superscription lines, and with two stamps, and its sealing flaps with two mucilage
surfaces, so distinctly separated from each other that one may be utilized to seal up
the envelope on its first transmission through the mail, and the other on the return
of the envelope through the mail. The said envelope is not only capable of doing
double service as such, but also furnishes to a person to whom such envelope is
addressed the means for a reply without subjecting such person either to the
expense of postage, or of another envelope.
The body portion of the envelope and the sealing flap may be made like an
ordinary envelope except as herein-after described. Lines are impressed upon one
face of the envelope as a guide for the superscription adress prior to its first sending
by post, and similar lines are impressed on its other face for a second superscription
adress prior to a second sending of the envelope through a post office. Over these

page_text: lines, at convenient points, postage stamps are placed, the left-hand stamp being
intended to prepay the postage on the first posting of a letter within the envelope,
and the right-hand stamp being intended to prepay the postage on a second
posting of the envelope and its contents. For uniformity of address the face of
the envelope may have directions printed upon it to "write the first address on
the left."
The under side of the sealing flap has two sealing surfaces, or surfaces having a
mucilage thereon, to effect the usual sealing of an envelope, that is to say, an outer
sealing surface and an inner sealing surface, so that when this improved envelope is
first posted the letter contained therein can be sealed up within the envelope by
utilizing in the usual manner the mucilage for such purpose; then on a second
posting of the envelope the mucilage can be in like manner used for a second
sealing of the envelope. These separated sealing surfaces of the flap are indicated
by section lines which run in reversed direction; and the flap has a series of punc-
tures, perforations, or slits cut through it between the outer sealing surface and the
inner sealing surface. These punctures or perforations may be in the shape of a
round hole, or of a slit out through the flap, the same being made either in a right
line across the flap, or a regular curved line, to predetermine the line of fracture or
separation of the outer sealing surface of the flap from its connection with the inner
sealing surface when the envelope is first opened, after having once been sealed.
The said envelope may be made without perforations between its sealing surfaces,
the intermediate space being unperforated and having no mucilage upon it.
In the use of the envelope which has its flap perforated it can be opened after a
first sealing up by running a pin or other suitable implement along the line of the
perforations to disconnect the flap along said line:. And in case the two sealing
surfaces have no perforations between them, as the severance of the flap can readily
be effected by a paper cutter, scissors, or other proper instrument, inserted between
the flap and the body of the envelope; and on the outside of the flap over this
space directions for so opening may be printed,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
February 1878.
"
A
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN POSTAL ENVELOPES.'
communication from abroad by Charles K. Marshall, of Vicksburg, Mississippi,
George Elliot, of the City and State of New York, and Mary Boyd Cummings, of
Washington, District of Columbia, all in the United States of America.
The object of my Invention is the production of a letter envelope adapted to
perform the ordinary functions of two letter envelopes without reversing the
original folding of an envelope as has sometimes been done to accomplish such
purpose. For this purpose I provide the face of a letter envelope with two sets of
superscription lines, and with two stamps, and its sealing flaps with two mucilage
surfaces, so distinctly separated from each other that one may be utilized to seal
up the envelope on its first transmission through the post, and the other on the
return of the envelope through the post. The said envelope is not only capable of
doing double service as such, but also furnishes a person to whom the envelope is
addressed with the means for a reply without subjecting such person either to the
expense of postage or of another envelope.
In the accompanying Drawing,-
Figure 1 is a plan of an envelope made according to my Invention, and shewing.
its superscription face and the sealing flap extended on the same plane.
Figure 2 is a plan of the under side of the said envelope.
Figure 3 is a view of an envelope similar to that shewn in Figure 1; and Figure 4
is a plan of the under side of the same.
Figure 5 is a view of an envelope like that shewn in Figure 1; and Figure 6
shews the under side of the same.
A indicates the body portion of the envelope, and A' the sealing flap, the said
body and flap being made like an ordinary envelope except as herein-after
described.
As shown in Figures 1, 3, and 5, b, b, b, are lines impressed upon the left-hand
face of the envelope as a guide for the superscription address prior to its first
mailing or posting, and b', 6', 6', are similar lines on its right-hand face for a second
superscription address prior to a second mailing or posting of the envelope in a
post office. Over these right and left hand lines 6 and 6' at convenient points,
postage stamps, as at c, c¹, are placed, the left-hand stamp c being intended to pre-
pay the postage on the first mailing of a letter within the envelope, and the right-
hand stamp c being intended to prepay the postage on a second mailing of the
envelope and its contents. The lines 6' and stamp c¹ can be utilized for the first
mailing, and the lines b and stamp c for the second mailing. For uniformity of
address the face of the envelope may have directions printed upon it to " write the
first address on the left," as in Figures 1 and 3.
The under side of the sealing flap A¹ shows two sealing surfaces or surfaces
having mucilage thereon to effect the usual sealing of an envelope, that is to say,
an outer sealing surface as at d, and an inner sealing surface as at d¹, so that when
this improved envelope is first mailed or posted the letter contained therein can be
sealed up within the envelope by utilizing in the usual manner the mucilage & for
such purpose; then on a second mailing of the envelope the mucilage, as at d¹, can
be in like manner used for a second sealing of the envelope.
In Figures 2, 4, and 6, these separated sealing surfaces d, d', of the flap A¹, are
indicated by section lines which run in reversed direction; and in Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4, the flap A¹ has a series of punctures, perforations, or slits, as at e, cut through
it between the outer sealing surface d and the inner sealing surface d', as shown. These
punctures or perforations may be in the shape of a round hole cut through the flap

page_text: as in Figures 3 and 4, or in the shape of a slit cut through the flap as in Figures 1
and 2, the same being made either in a right line across the flap, or in a regular
curved line to predetermine the line of fracture or separation of the outer sealing
surface of the flap from its connection with the inner sealing surface d¹ when
the envelope is first opened after having once been sealed.
In Figures 5 and 6 the said envelope is shown without perforations between its
sealing surfaces d'and d, the intermediate space as at d² being imperforated and
having no mucilage upon it.
In the use of the envelope which has its flap perforated as indicated in Figures
1, 2, 3, and 4, it can be opened after a first sealing up by running a pin or other
suitable implement along the line of the perforations to disconnect the flap along
this line. And in case the two sealing surfaces d and d have no perforations
between them, as in Figures 5 and 6, the severance of the flap along the line of the
space can readily be effected by a paper cutter, scissors, or other proper instru-
ment inserted between the flap and the body of the envelope; and on the outside
of the flap over this space d² directions for so opening the envelope may be
printed.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I do not claim providing an envelope with two gummed surfaces on a single
flap for the purpose of permitting a post-office official to open and examine a letter
and seal it again during its passage through the post, but I claim, an envelope having
two sets of superscription lines, as at 6 and 6, two postage stamps for prepayment
of postage, as at c and c¹, and two sealing surfaces on its sealing flap, as at d and d¹,
as above set forth, and for the purposes specified.
In witness. whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
W*. ROB', LAKE. (L.S.)