An Improved Letter Envelope.
Year: 1895

page_text: "DI FUIFICATION.
=:
· An Improved Letter Envelope.
..
- ·İ, BERNARD VAN RAALTE of 19, Lisle Street, Leicester Square, London W.
Cigar Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows::
My invention has for its object to so construct envelopes for containing letters or
other private correspondence, that the same cannot be opened by steaming or other
culeans in ffraud of the addressee without the said envelope afterwards bearing
sunmistakeable evidence of the fact..
For the purpose of my invention-I construct the envelope, of whatever size or
(shape it may be, in such a manner that the edges of the adhesive flap thereof
sare finely serrated, pinked; enotched, or otherwise jagged in regular order, and
Ecorresponding with the projecting portions of such serrations or the like I form
saline or lines of perforations or small openings in the body of the envelope,-so
that the said projecting portions of the edges of the flap cover, or occur between
the said perforations or the like when the flap is gummed down in the usual way,
fandit would then be almost an impossibility: to steam or otherwise moisten. 'the
saideflap and raise the same sufficiently to remove or read the contents of the
senvelope without tearing, breaking, or otherwise rupturing the whole or some
portion of the projections upon the edges of the flap, which would supply ample
evidence of such surrepticious opening when the flap was again gummed down,
by reason of the absence of the removed projections, the rupture of some of the
sperforations or openings in the body of the envelope, or, and the impossibility
to replace the said projections in the exact position and order, relatively, to, the
said perforations, that they occupied when the envelope was first closed.
Dated this 3th day of February 1895

page_text: flap raised, while Fig. 2 is a like view with the said flap presumably gummed down.
and the letter or the like enclosed.
Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating a few of the many ways in which
the principle of my invention may be carried into effect.
For the purposes of my invention. I construct an envelope, of whatever size or
shape it may be, in such a manner, that the edges of the adhesive flap A thereof,
are serrated, pinked, scolloped, notched, jagged or otherwise, in regular order, so
as to provide extensions, swellings or protuberances as at B, examples of which
are shewn at Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, and corresponding, with the said projecting
portions B, I form a line or lines of perforations or openings, of any size or shape,
in the body of the envelope; as at G, so that the portions B of the flap A, may
either cover the said perforations or openings,, when the flap A is gummed, down,
as at Fig, 3, or alternate with and occur between the same as at Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7,
and shewn more graphically by Fig. 2, and it would then be almost impossible to
steam or otherwise moisten the edges of the flap A, and raise this-sufficiently
to read or remove the contents of the envelope without tearing, breaking or other-
wise rupturing the whole or some portion of either the projections B, upon the
edges of the flap A, or the perforations C-in the body of the envelope, or both,
which would supply ample evidence of such sarrepticions opening when the flap
was again gummed down; by reason of the absence or rupture of some of the.
portions B, or the rupture of some of the perforations G,,or the inability to.
replace the projections: B, or such of them as remain intact, intthe same order and
positions relatively to the openings O, that these occupied. when the envelopes was
first closed.
It is obvious that the principle of my invention may be carried into effect.by.
forming the projections or. protuberances B, of almost any shape or size varying if
desired with the size or texture of the envelope, and although in all the views
have chosen to show the perforations or openings Grof.circular formation; I may
provide these of any shape or form most suitable according to the shape, form or
size of the protuberances B...
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.
In an improved letter envelope, the formation of; projections or protuberances
such as B upon the flap A, of any desired size, shape or configuration, and a line or
lines of perforations or openings such as C, in the body of the envelope, in such
positions that the portions B may cover, or alternate with and occur between the
apertures C, when the flap A is gummed down in the usual way, substantially as
and for the purposes herein described and shewn by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of November 1895.
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