A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN ENVELOPES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernest Petito; of Grange Terrace, Michael's Grove,
Brompton, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "A
CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN ENVELOPES,"
Sealed the 27th July 1866, and dated the 3rd February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernest Petito at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
February 1866.
I, ERNEST PETITO, of Grange Terrace, Michael's Grove, Brompton, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN ENVELOPES," to be as follows (that is to say):-
My Invention has reference to a certain improvement in envelopes, with a
view of enabling the same to be more readily opened when required for
removing the letter or otherwise than at present, and consists in employing in
the manufacture of envelopes a thread, secured longitudinally within the
creases or folds of the flaps thereof, or in any other suitable position, so that
upon the said thread being pulled outwards the envelope is cut through and
[Price 8d.]

page_text: opened by the action of the thread without injury to the seal or letter, the
thread being formed of any material, and gummed or secured to the envelope
as may be found desirable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ernest Petito in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ERNEST
PETITO, of Grange Terrace, Michael's Grove, Brompton, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Ernest Petito, Her special licence that I, the said Ernest
Petito, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the
said Ernest Petito, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN ENVELOPES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Ernest Petito, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ernest Petito, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, (and the Drawings therein referred to (that is to say):-
My Invention has reference to an improvement in envelopes with a view
of enabling the same to be more readily opened when required for the
purpose of removing the letter or otherwise than by the ordinary method,
and consists in employing in the manufacture of envelopes a thread secured
longitudinally within the creases or folds of the flaps thereof, or in any other

page_text: suitable position, so that upon the said thread being pulled outwards the
envelope is cut through, and thereby opened without requiring to break
the seal or otherwise injure the letter or envelope, the said thread being
formed of any material and gummed or fixed to the envelope or superficially
united on one side only of the body of the paper during the process of
manufacture, and arranged or placed transversely, obliquely, or otherwise,
as may be found desirable.
And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I now proceed to describe the same by the aid
of the accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and
figures thereon marked (that is to say) :-
Fig. 1 represents an envelope unfolded, having the thread opener secured
thereto; Fig. 2, corresponding view shewing the flaps closed, and the position
of the thread for opening the same; Fig. 3, a view of the same, representing
the envelope partly cut through or opened by the thread; Fig. 4, an edge
view thereof; Fig. 5, the same opened throughout. In each Figure the same
letters of reference denote similar corresponding parts. A, A, the body of
the envelope; B, B, the flaps thereof; C, C, thread opener secured within
the crease or fold of one of the flaps; D, D, perforations assisting the
thread in separating the folds of the envelope; E, E, opening caused by
the pulling out of the thread through the crease for extracting the letter
or contents from the envelope.
In conclusion to the foregoing description I' would here briefly note
that the dividing thread opener may be formed of silk, hair, cotton, metallic
thread, or other fibre, either secured to the creases, folds, or flaps of the
envelope by means of gum, cement, adhesive substances or compositions
thereof applied to the surface of the said envelope or worked within the
pulp or fabric of the paper during the process of manufacturing the same.
And I would again note that the said threads may be tinted or colored,
and arranged within one or more of the said creases or points of opening
as may be found requisite.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried
into effect, I would have it clearly understood that I do not intend to confine
myself to the precise details herein-before described, as the same may be
otherwise varied without departing from the general principle of this my said
Invention, nor do I claim as new and of my said Invention the exclusive use
of the several parts, substances, and processes, except when the same are
employed in and for the purposes of my said Invention, which I hereby declare

page_text: to consist in forming envelopes having a thread for opening the same in
combination therewith in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernest Petito, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
R. H. P. CoOKE,
Clerk to Messrs. Weatherdon & Co.,
77, Chancery Lane.
E. PETITO. (L.B.)