Improvements in Letter-sheets and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1898-Accepted, 23rd July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter-sheets and the like.
A communication from GEORG KUHNE, of 25, Furstenstrasse, Dresden, in the
Empire of Germany, Merchant.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
-
This invention relates to a letter sheet or blank which by means of a projecting
wedge-shaped part forming one piece with the letter sheet enables the envelopes
to be quickly and easily opened without necessitating the use of a special tool and
without injuring the letter sheet or any enclosures that may be in it. Under the
word "letter sheet" a single, double or multiple sheet is intended which serves
for a handwritten, printed or illustrated letter or communication. The letter
sheet acts as a letter opener in such way that when it is being pulled out by pulling
the point of the wedge which is exposed for this purpose, the edges of the wedge,
cut the envelope. The opening of the envelope and the pulling out of the letter
are therefore simultaneous actions, in other words, the envelope need not be
opened by a special manipulation and great ease and quickness in opening the
envelope are attained.
The practical applications of the invention illustrated in the accompanying
drawing for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the invention, may
be divided into two groups which really differ only as regards the position of the
wedge shaped projection relatively to the body of the letter sheet in a closed
envelope. In one group this projection increases the height of the letter, while
in the other it is folded or creased so that only the point of the wedge projects
beyond the edge of the main body of the letter. In both groups the wedge-shaped
portion can be formed by suitably cutting out the paper or folding down the
corners of the letter sheet.
The first group will now be described.
Fig. 1 shows such a letter sheet in an envelope.
Fig. 2 shows it separately spread out so that it forms a double sheet.
The sheet of the letter blank marked 1 is cut away or formed at the narrow side
to form a wedge shaped projection and on the opposite narrow side is provided
with a recess a¹. The envelope U (Fig. 1 dotted lines) corresponds to the extreme
length of the sheet. The second sheet 2 is at its top smaller to the extent of the
height of the wedge-shaped projection and at the bottom to the extent of the depth
of the recess. When the letter is folded up the leaf 2 is turned over or under the
sheet 1. The point of ¹ is placed in an opening in the edge of the envelope so
that it can be seized by the tips of two fingers, or it can project through a slot
in the edge of a shorter envelope. To open the envelope and at the same time
to pull out the letter, the envelope is held with two fingers of the left hand below
the recess a while the free end of the wedge is seized with two fingers of the right

page_text: hand and the letter pulled out, the edges of the wedge ripping up or cutting
through the fold of the envelope.
The letter blank described can be made as large as desired by adding other
sheets or folds. Thus. to the sheet 1 (Fig. 2) there may be added another sheet 3
and to the latter sheet 4. The second and following sheets may be placed
symmetrically on both sides of the sheet with the wedge shaped pro-
jection or only on one side. To strengthen the wedge shaped portion another
sheet, or even all of them, may be provided with a wedge shaped projection as k².
The sheets 2, 3. may also extend to the lowest edge of sheet 1, but in such
case must have a similar recess to sheet 1.
A multiple letter sheet may be also made in the manner shown in Fig. 3, by
adding to the central sheets 2 and 3 of a horizontal series two sheets 5 and 6 and 7
and 8 at the top and bottom respectively. When folding down this letter sheet,
the couples of sheets just named are folded on to sheets 2 and 3. Then the
remaining horizontal series is folded down so that the outer sheets 1 and 4 with
the projections and recesses a¹ a cover each other. The whole has then the
same shape as the sheet shown in Fig. 1 and can be placed in an envelope in a
similar manner to said sheet.
Another multiple sheet is shown in Fig. 4 in which two sets of 3 sheets 1,
2 & 3 and 4, 5 & 6 are connected together by a strip having an opening which
when the sheets are folded one over the other forms two coinciding recesses a² a³.
This sheet can be divided into two smaller ones according to the present invention
by separating the strips connecting the pages 2 & 5.
In the sheets shown in Fig. 5 the wedge shaped projections 1 & 2 of the two
sheets 1 & 2 are produced by folding down the edges e el e² e³.
When the
sheets 1 & 2 are folded together the two connected edges e come inwards one on
the other, the two outer edges a e³ come on to the outer side of the double sheets
and to each other as may be seen from the dotted portion in Fig. 5 and from the
elevation of the open longitudinal edge of the double sheet in Fig. 6. Such letter
sheets have the advantage of enabling the whole of their surface to be written
upon and of having the edges of the wedge shaped projections stiffened by the
several layers of paper.
We now come to the second group the representatives of which have the advan-
tage that the letter sheet completely fills up the envelope, that no recesses as a¹
are required, since the letter sheet (under the wedge shaped portion) can also be
held by the one hand whilst the other pulls at the wedge portion. The opening
and the pulling out in this case are effected in two distinct stages. First the
wedge shaped portion is pulled out, then the main body of the letter sheet follows.
After the resistance to the cutting of the envelope ceases the envelope can be held
a little more loosely and the letter pulled out completely.
Fig. shows a letter sheet of the second group according to this invention.
Fig. 8 shows the same sheet folded, in side elevation, Fig. 9 shows it spread out.
The wedge shaped projection k¹ is folded on to the sheet 1 which is itself some-
what conical, whilst on its other side there is added to the sheet 1 another sheet 2.
As may be seen from Figs. 7 and 8, the projection is folded on to the sheet 1
and the sheet 1 on to the sheet 2, so that the point of the wedge slightly projects
to enable it to be seized, and at the bottom a portion of the sheet 2 is not over-
lapped by sheet 1. When the projection is pulled, first this portion and then
the sheet 1 cut the envelope, and then the whole letter sheet is pulled out.
According to Figs. 10 and 11, only the wedge-shaped projection of the
rectangular sheet 1 acts as the cutting device. As may be seen from the dotted
portions in Figs. 10 and 11, the whole projection is first folded down on to the
sheet 1 and then a portion of the projection is folded upwards so that its point
projects beyond the edge of sheet 1. Other sheets 2 and 3 (if desired more than
shown in the drawing) may be added to main sheet 1. In such multiple letter
sheets, several of the sheets may be provided with wedge-shaped projections.
For instance, the two sheets 1 and 2 (Figs. 12 and 13) connected or folded along

page_text: the narrow side are provided with a wedge-shaped portion (k¹ k³) which is folded
in the manner just described and when folded lie on each other as shown in
Fig. 13.
The sheet shown in Fig. 14 spread out, in Fig. 15 folded and in Fig. 16 in side
elevation ready to be put into its envelope, is characterised by the projection
being produced partly by cutting out and partly by folding. The outer corners
of the double sheet 1-2 are cut off, and the two inner corners e¹ 2 are turned
inwards as in Fig. 5, whereby the two wedge-shaped projections are
produced.
The constructions described may be of course greatly varied or combined with
each other without departing from the spirit of the invention. The wedge shaped
projections may have the shape of a single or right angled wedge but it is pre-
ferable to form the wedge with symmetrically shaped sides shown through the
drawings. It is unimportant whether the projection is on the narrow or wide side
of the sheet, or whether there are two projections arranged opposite each other.
Of course a projection on the narrow side cuts better as it is narrower whilst being
of the same height. It does not matter which of the folds of the envelope is cut;
although preferably it is not necessary to cut the envelope at one of its folds at
all, as the point of the projection may project through a slot in a flap of the
envelope, in such case in sheets of the second group the projection need not
project beyond the edge of the sheet. In such case the paper of the envelope is
cut to form a slot for the said projection.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A "letter" sheet consisting of a main sheet and one or more folded sheets,
having one or more projections (2) produced by cutting or folding the corners,
the point of the wedge shaped portion being adapted to lie in an opening in the
envelope, whereby the envelope may be cut and the letter pulled out in one
operation substantially as described.
2. A "letter" sheet consisting of a main sheet and one or more folded sheets
having a wedge shaped projection or projections (12) produced by cutting or
folding the corners, said sheet being folded in a zig-zag manner whereby when
enclosed in an envelope having an opening for the point of the wedge portions,
the lower edge of the letter sheet together with the corresponding portion of the
envelope can be held by one whilst the wedge portion is withdrawn by the other
hand thereby cutting open the envelope, substantially as described.
3. A "letter" sheet substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 or
in Figure 3 or in Figure 4 or in Figures 5 and 6 or in Figures 7, 8 and 9 or in
Figures 10 and 11 or in Figures 12 and 13 or in Figures 14 and 15 of the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of May 1898.