Improvements in and Connected with Envelopes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 19th Sept.. 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Dec., 1888
Improvements in and Connected with Envelopes.
I, ROBERT ALEXANDER SHAND, 38 Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Accountant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:
This Invention, which relates to improvements in and connected with Envelopes,
has for its object to facilitate the opening of the same and consists in providing
the inside of the Envelope with a piece or skeleton of card board or other suitable
material, a tongue or projecting portion of which is passed through a central opening
or slit in the hinge or fold of the Envelope flap, the arrangement being such that
when the Envelope is sealed down and the tongue protrudes from the top of the
Envelope, by attempting to pull the tongue from the Envelope the whole length of
the hinge or the flap of the Envelope is instantly cut across from end to end and
allows the Letter to be withdrawn and at the same time the Envelope flap is not
torn as at present.
In order to obtain the cutting action by the pulling out of the tongue piece,
I construct the piece of cardboard with two inclined planes, the apex of the said
formation forming the tongue, the two inclined planes therefore constitute two
cutting knives or edges, the angles of the said inclines being such as to give the
sloping or inclined cut which cuts or severs gradually and the most efficiently.
I may construct the rest of the card of any suitable formation as will not prevent
the card being freely withdrawn when holding the Envelope between the fingers, and
which will at the same time keep the card in position.
In some cases and in lieu of the cutting card being a separate portion I may make
it, in itself, a correspondence, invitation advertisement card.
The slit or small aperture in the centre of the flap-hinge of the Envelope may be
and is preferably stamped or cut out when the Envelope is in the course of manu-
facturing and it is preferably of a width to fit exactly the protruding tongue.

page_text: In lieu of the shape for cutting as hereinbefore described, I may make the top
of the cutting card semi-circular or rounded or I may make the cutting edge in one
length, that is to say the top edge of the card sloping down from the one corner of
the Envelope; the tongue or pulling out piece may also as a modification and to suit
the various formations of the cutting card, be situated otherwise than at the centre
of the length of the Envelope flap and it may be a tag of silk or string attached to the
cutting card or it may be a ring or tag of metal and in lieu of a slit through the
centre of the Envelope flap there may simply be a small hole for the protrusion of
the tag.
In order to direct the attention of the recipient of the letter the word "pull" or
other word or words may be put upon the tongue or tag.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with Envelopes.
I, ROBERT ALEXANDER SHAND of 11 Carnarvon Street, Glasgow in the County of
Lanark, N.B., Accountant 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 :-
This invention which relates to improvements in and connected with envelopes, has
for its object to facilitate the opening of the same and consists in providing the inside
of the envelope with a piece or skeleton of card-board or other suitable material, a
tongue or projecting portion of which is passed through a central opening or slit in
the hinge or fold of the envelope flap, the arrangement being such, that when the
envelope is sealed down and the tongue protrudes from the top of the envelope, by
attempting to pull the tongue from the envelope, the whole length of the hinge or the
flap of the envelope is instantly cut across from end to end and allows the letter to be
withdrawn and at the same time the envelope flap is not torn as at present.
In order to obtain the cutting action by the pulling out of the tongue piece,
I construct the piece of card-board with two inclined planes, the apex of the said
formation forming the tongue, the two inclined planes therefore constitute the cutting
knives or edges, the angles of the said inclines being such as to give the sloping or
inclined cut which cuts or severs gradually and the most efficiently.
I may construct the rest of the card of any suitable formation as will not prevent
the card being freely withdrawn when holding the envelope between the fingers, and
which will at the same time keep the card in position.
In some cases and in lieu of the cutting card being a separate portion, I may make
it in itself a correspondence, invitation or advertisement card, or there may be
Lithographing, Photography Drawing, Stamping, Embossing, or anything of this
nature on the card, or it may be used as a Christmas Card.
The slit, a small aperture in the centre of the flap-hinge of the envelope, may be,
and is preferably stamped or cut out when the envelope is in the course of manu-
facturing, or it may be done by hand after the envelope is manufactured, and it is
preferably of a width to fit exactly the protruding tongue.
In lieu of the shape for cutting as hereinbefore described I may make the top of the
cutting card semi-circular or rounded or I may make the cutting edge in one length,
that is to say the top edge of the card sloping down from the one corner of the
envelope; the tongue, or pulling out piece may also, as a modification, and to suit the
various formations of the cutting card, be situated otherwise than at the centre of
the length of the envelope flap and it may be a tag of silk or string attached to the
cutting card or it may be a ring or tag of metal and in lieu of a slit through the centre
of the envelope flap there may simply be a small hole for the protrusion of the tag.
In order to direct the attention of the recipient of the letter the word "Pull" or
other word or words may be put upon the tongue or tag or upon the outside of the
envelope.

page_text: And in order that my invention may be more fully understood and carried into
practice, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which similar letters indicate corresponding figures throughout.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of an envelope constructed according to this invention.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the cutting card to be used with Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a view of the envelope closed with the cutting card therein.
Figure 4 shews an envelope through which the end of the cutting card protrudes,
from one of the side edges of the envelope.
Figure 5 shews a cutting card with curved edges, and,
Figure 6 is an envelope from which protrudes a tag attached to the cutting card.
The opening or slit A may be cut or formed upon any of the edges of the envelope
and in any position upon such edges. In figure 1 the slit is shewn at or near the
central part of the hinge or flap of the envelope. In figures 4 and 6 it is cut in the
side edge. This slit is always made of such length as to correspond with the tongue
or tag which it is intended to take. The cutting edge or edges C, D of the card B
may be either straight, as shewn in figure 2, or curved as shewn in Figures 4, 5,
and 6, the curve being but very slight so as to give a gradual and continuous cut.
The lower part of the card B is hollowed or cut away so that when inserted in the
envelope, as shewn in figures 3, 4 and 6 a convenient space E is left over which the
finger and thumb of one hand are naturally placed when the cutting card is being
used to open the envelope by pulling the tongue or tag with the other hand.
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 :-
The combination of a cutting card with an envelope provided with a slit in its edge
through which a tongue of, or a tag attached to, the said cutting card or a portion
thereof protrudes, constructed substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set,
forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of September 1SSS