Improvements in Envelopes.
Year: 1895

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Envelopes.
I, ELDRED SHERRELL VANCE, of Donoho, in the County of Smith and
State of Tennessee, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 :-
My invention relates to an envelope designed for use in the mail and express
services, and the objects in view are to provide an improved form of envelope to
open which it is necessary to destroy the same, whereby the fraudulent opening of
the envelope in transit is prevented; and furthermore, to provide an envelope of
cheap and simple construction wherein the minimum amount of material is used to
accomplish the ends of my invention.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following
description and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the
appended claims.
In the drawings
:-
Figure 1 is a view of the blank from which the improved envelope is formed.
Figure 2 is a view of the completed envelope.
Figure 3 is a section on the line of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the blank partly folded.
Figure 5 is a section on the line y-y of Fig. 2.
Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of
the drawings.
The blank comprises a body portion a, an upper flap or wing b, an opposite lower
flap or wing d, and opposite lateral flaps or wings c, and e. The lateral flaps c, and e,
are of different lengths, the former being of a length corresponding approximately
with that of the main or body portion of the blank, while the flap or wing e, is
shorter than c, whereby when folded upon the main or body portion it terminates
short of the inner end of the flap c, to avoid forming a. bunch or enlargement
adjacent to the inner end of the flap c. Furthermore, the upper edges of the
flaps c, and e, are concavely curved as shown at c', and el, whereby said upper edges,
when the lateral flaps are folded upon the surface of the main or body portion, are
arranged below the folding line of the upper flap b. The upper flap b, is semi-
elliptical in contour and is of a depth slightly less than one-half the vertical
measurement of the main or body portion a, the object thereof being to cover the
upper concave edges of the lateral flaps c, and e, when said flaps are folded upon
the main or body portion a.
The lower or closing flap d, corresponds in length with the main or body portion
and in width with the same, the outer edge of said flap being concaved as shown
at f2, whereby when folded to cover the lower edge of the flap b, a portion of the
surface of the flap b, will be exposed, as shown in Fig. 2.
The flap e, is provided with adhesive material, or is gummed on its outer surface
contiguous to its free edge as shown at f, the shaded portion indicating the surface
gummed. Said flap e, is also gummed for a short distance upon its outer
surface contiguous to its inner end, and parallel with its lower edge, as shown at fl.
This flap e, in the process of manufacture, is first felded upon the line indicated
by dots, upon the inner surface of the main or body portion a, as shown in Fig. 4,
thus exposing the gummed portions of its surface, as indicated at f, and f', and
subsequently the opposite lateral flap c, is folded upon the inner surface of said
ninin or body portion to lie in contact with the exposed surface of the flap e.
This flap c, is gummed at its outer edge upon its inner surface, as indicated at g,
and after the folding of the flap c, it is connected to the flap e, by means of the

page_text: gummed surfaces 9, and f. The flap c, having been properly secured to the flap e,
the upper flap b, is folded downwardly to cover the upper edges of the lateral flaps
and said flap b, is gummed at its outer curved edge as shown at i, to adhere to the
outer surface of the longer flap c.
This completes the initial preparation of the envelope, the fastening of the
lower or closing flap d, being left for the user to accomplish, and if preferred the
flap b, may be left open also. The flap b, is gummed at its outer edge and upon its
outer surface as shown at k, in Fig. 2, the gummed surface being shown in dotted
lines, and the flap d, is gummed at its lateral edges and upon its inner surface as
shown at h, and ', and in addition to this, the outer surface of the flap c, at its
lower edge, and therefore contiguous to the folding line of the closing flap, is
gummed as shown at g'. Thus when the closing flap is folded upon the exposed
surface of the flaps 6, and c, it is secured by the adhesive material at all four edges,
namely, at its outer concave edge by the gummed surface k, at its lateral edges to
the outer surface of the flap c, by the gummed surfaces h, h', and at its inner edge,
at the point of contact with the flaps c, and e, by the gummed surfaces g', and f¹.
It will be obvious that with this arrangement and manner of securing the cover
or closing flap of the receptacle the difficulty of opening the envelope without
marring or destroying the same is increased to the maximum, inasmuch as four
gummed edges must be released before access can be had to the interior; but in
order to still further increase this difficulty it is preferred to place the address
upon the surface of the flap d, and the postage stamp if placed: at the upper right
hand corner as usual in mailing, will adhere to the exposed surfaces of both the
closing flap d, and the upper flap b, thus serving as a seal.
It will be seen furthermore, that the construction of the blank is compact, and
that it may be struck from the material without extensive waste this being a
desideratum in the manufacture of envelopes for the reason that the cost is. thereby
materially reduced.
Furthermore, the contour of the blank is approximately regular, the only
departures from straight lines being the convexed outer edge of the flap b, and the
concaved edges of the flaps c, d, and e, the concaving of the lateral flaps being only
sufficient to permit the accurate folding of the flap 5, and the concaving of the
outer edge of the flap d, being sufficient merely, to expose a portion of the outer
surface of the flap b.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
I claim is
declare that what
The hereindescribed mail. and express envelope having a blank comprising a
rectangular body portion a, lateral integral flaps c, and e, the flap e, being of less
length than the flap c, and said flaps c, and e, being gummed respectively upon their
inner and outer surfaces, as shown at g, and f, whereby when the lateral flaps are
folded parallel with the inner surfaces of the main or body portion they may be
secured together by means of said gummed surfaces, an upper semi-elliptical flap b,
adapted to fold over the upper edges of the lateral flaps and provided with a
gummed inner surface i, to adhere thereto, and a lower or closing flap d, of a width
approximately equal to the main or body portion, and cut away at its free edge to
expose a portion of the surface of the flap b, said flap d being gummed at its lateral
edges as at h, h, the lateral flaps being gummed upon their outer surfaces adjacent
to their lower surface as at f, g, and the flap b, being gummed upon its outer
surface as shown at k, whereby the lower or closing flap d, is secured by adhesive
material at its inner, outer and lateral edges, substantially as specified.
Dated this 19th day of February 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.