Improvement in Merchandise Envelopes."
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 18th Dec., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"Improvement in Merchandise Envelopes."
I, WILLIAM HERR BEECHER of 3652, North Broad Street, Philadelphia in the
County of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Manufacturer, 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:-
Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a plan view of an envelope with this invention applied thereto;
the envelope being open at the mouth.
Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1, but showing the envelope closed, ready
for mailing.
Figure 3, is a section on line -, Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2; but showing a modified form of this
invention (eyelets being used instead of slots) and one end only of the sheet metal
strip being tucked into its eyelet.
The invention relates to that class of envelopes generally used for mailing
samples of merchandise, &c, wherein there is secured transversely to a part or side
of the envelope, adjacent to the open end thereof, a thin pliable strip of sheet
metal, or the like, whose ends project beyond the corners of the envelope, and are
aklapted to be bent over inwardly upon the side of the latter (after the part to
which said strip is fastened is folded over so as to close the mouth of the envelope)
thereby securely holding the envelope thus closed, and so preventing the escape
of its contents.
An objection to envelopes of this class has been, that the bent over ends of the
said strip were liable to catch upon some object, in the course of handling, or in
passing through the mails, and thus the ends of the strip would be drawn out
or away from the side of the envelope, and consequently the contents of the latter
would sometimes escape.
The object of this invention is to provide means for obviating this difficulty,
without injuriously affecting the value of the envelope for the purposes for
which envelopes of its general class are used. This is done by the means and in
the manner hereinafter described.
Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an envelope of the
before mentioned class, in which this invention is embodied,-A is the envelope,
closed except at one end. To one side of the same, adjacent to the open and, is
pasted a tongue, b, of paper or the like, whose free end extends beyond the said
open end. In a fold or folds of this free end of the tongue is secured by pasting,
a thin pliable strip, c, preferably of sheet iron, the free ends, c', of which, as seen,
project some distance beyond the adjacent corners, respectively, of the envelope.
At suitable points in the tongue, b, slots, or slits, d. are made. The tongue
is pasted to the side of the envelope in a manner that the part thereof adjacent
to the said slits shall not adhere to the envelope, and the tongue is so applied
to the latter that the slits, will come into proper position, ss shown, for the recep-

page_text: tion of the ends of the pliable strip; which are tucked therein as hereinafter
described. The tongue is usually pasted to the envelope along the margin of
the tongue below the slits; that is, the paste is applied along the margin between
the lower end of the tongue and the parallel dotted line (seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3)
immediately above the end; as shown also in Figure 4.
When the envelope, thus constructed, has been filled with the desired articles
or material, the strip is folded over the open end of the envelope, and its ends
are bent over upon the envelope, and are tucked into the slits respectively, as
seen in Figure 2.
As the tucked in ends of the strip lie between the side of the envelope and the
tongue, they are thus prevented from coming into contact with the contents of
the envelope. And, if such contents be a powdered or comminuted substance,
the same cannot escape, as would be liable to occur if the slits were in the body of
the envelope; that is to say, in the latter case, the powder or the like would be
apt to escape through the edges of the slit, in the passage of the envelope through
the mail, especially if the slit should become accidentally torn or enlarged in
handling or transportation of the filled envelope.
In Figure 4, is shown a slight modification of the invention, which consists
in providing the tongue with eyelets, d', in lieu of the slits cut into the paper as
previously described; the free ends of the pliable strip being in like manner
tucked into the said eyelets.
The first described construction is, however, usually preferred.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
-
In an envelope of the class recited, the combination therewith of the tongue,
the pliable strip of metal secured to one end thereof, and having projecting ends,
together with the slits in said tongue, the latter being pasted to the envelope in
such manner as to leave a free space between the tongue and the side of the
envelope for the reception of the ends of the said strip.
Dated this fourteenth day of September 1897.
WILLIAM HERR BEECHER.
Wm. P. Thompson & Co.
Agents.