AN IMPROVED COMBINED REVERSIBLE LETTER SHEET AND ENVELOPE
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "AN IMPROVED COMBINED REVERSIBLE LETTER SHEET AND
ENVELOPE" and, in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention comprises a novel combination of letter-sheet and envelope for
correspondence and for general postal purposes. The said invention is illustrated
in the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing the inner letter writing portion, and the
primary fold ready for
use, and
Figure 2 is a similar view showing the addressing part and back of the letter.
Figure 3 is a view of the back of the complete combination letter envelope when
sealed.
Figure 4 is a view of the face or front side of the complete combination letter
envelope showing the printed instructions thereon.
Figure 5 is a view of the back of a modified form of the said complete
combination letter envelope, ready to be sealed.
Figure 6 is a similar view of the same showing the letter envelope when sealed,
and
Figure 7 is a similar view of said letter envelope when returned.
In the drawings.
A represents a letter leaf which is nearly one half of the sheet after receiving the
initial fold, and which is devoted to the body of the letter, and A', the reverse side
of this leaf.
F, and G, are respectively the opposite sides of the envelope portion of the sheet,
one fold of which is devoted to the stamp, address, and other directions.
C is a marginal flap and I and I' are the front and reverse sides of the enclosing
flap, and fand g, the front and opposite sides of a tongue T, which forms part of
the enclosing flap.

page_text: B is the part which constitutes the back of the letter when folded and closed;
and d, a slit formed in the body of the back B, to receive the tongue.
In using the improved sheet and envelope the body of the letter is written on
the part A, as indicated in Figure 1. The marginal flap C is first folded, and then
the letter, first on the line f¹, f¹, and then on the line ff. The address is then
written on the part F, as shown in Figure 4, and the tongue T is inserted in slit d,
when the letter is ready to be mailed.
To reverse the letter so that the reply can be returned on the same sheet, the
marginal flap C, is turned on the line e¹, e¹, and the portion, A, turned over on the
line f, Figure 1. This leaves the part A¹ to be written upon, .and the part G
for the new address.
As thus far described the letter sheet may be used for sending and returning the
letter without sealing, except so far as the same is secured by the insertion of the
tongue T in the slit d. But if it is desired to more securely seal the same, the
tongue may, on one side of the letter, be gummed above the line h, and on the other
side below the line h. Thus arranged, the tongue is not inserted in the slot, but is
sealed to the back of the envelope. The letter is then opened by cutting or tearing
the tongue on the line h, and in reversing and returning the letter, the gummed
portion of the enclosing flap below the line h is turned over and sealed to the back
of the envelope. e¹, f¹, indicate the line on which the enclosing flap may be
torn off.
By my improvement not only is the reversible letter leaf provided for the return
message, but has the double edges, and the same general appearance and form as an
ordinary envelope and these features are collectively preserved whereby the writing
is safely secured from inspection. The slit for the tongue is formed in the back of
the envelope near its centre.
In short, this my reversible letter sheet and envelope embraces in one structure
all the advantages of two ordinary letters and their separate envelopes. Again, by
my improvement, if it is desired to retain the message sent, the part of the sheet A,
on which the message is written may be torn off, and, if necessary, the marginal
fold also, and the reply written on the remaining blank fold.
Having. now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First The combined letter-sheet and envelope having the reversible letter leaf,
the reversible marginal flap not overlapping the said leaf, and the enclosing flap
provided with means substantially as described, by which the folded sheet may be
secured in closed condition both before and after it is reversed.
Second The combined reversible letter sheet and envelope, having the reversible
letter leaf, and provided with the enclosing tongued flap, the reversible marginal
folding flap, not overlapping the letter-leaf, and the slit formed in the back of the
envelope portion for the reception of the tongue, substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of November 1884.