IMPROVEMENTS IN ENVELOPES AND IN BAGS, SUCH AS ARE USED FOR TRANSMITTING SAMPLES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Girdwood, of Edinburgh, in the County
of Mid Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ENVELOPES AND IN BAGS, SUCH AS ARE USED FOR TRANSMITTING SAMPLES,"
Sealed the 9th July 1869, and dated the 27th January 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Girdwood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th January 1869.
I, ROBERT GIRDWOOD, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ENVELOPES AND IN BAGS, SUCH AS ARE USED FOR TRANSMITTING
SAMPLES," to be as follows, that is to say i-
This Invention has principally for its objects to avoid waste of the
paper or other material used for making envelopes, sample bags, or the
like, and to provide for the effectual closing of sample bags, but in

page_text: such a way that they may be opened for inspection and as effectually
reclosed.
In carrying out the Invention the material is cut into a shape which
is symmetrical, or nearly so, with respect to a centre line dividing the
entire or address side longitudinally or transversely. When the envelope
is to be of the ordinary oblong form the closing flap is made by
preference at one end, that is, at one of the shorter sides, and the points
of the other three flaps unite at the middle of the closing flap end, or
at what may be termed the open end of the envelope or bag. The
flap folded over from the side or end opposite to the open end and which
may be termed the tail flap is, by preference, made with a rounded point
and is necessarily long, tapering, and narrow, whilst the remaining or
wing flaps are broad at the open end and taper thence to the corners
at the other end. The edges of the tail flaps are shaped, so as when
folded to be counterparts of the edges of the wing flaps, but with
sufficient excess for gumming, and it is preferred to continue such excess
or overlapping quite to the point of the tail flap, so that at that point
there will be three thicknesses (and four when the closing flap is folded
over), whereby great security will be obtained. If the edges of the tail
and wing flaps are made straight the material will present a triangular
form, or an ogee-sided figure will be presented if the edges are_curved;
but any convenient or ornamental contour of the edges may be adopted,
provided that for any concavity in the edge of the tail flap a corresponding
convexity is formed in the edge of the wing flap, and vice versa. In
some cases, if preferred, the tail flap need not be continued quite to the
open end, but in such cases the wing flaps must overlap each other
from the end of the tail flap to the open end of the envelope.
The improved closing arrangements may be applied to sample bags
or envelopes made as herein-before described or as described in the
Specification of Letters Patent granted to the present applicant, and
dated 8th January 1868 (No. 75), or otherwise. The closing is effected
by first folding down the corners at the open end, and then folding the
middle point thus formed over in the same direction. This brings a
number of plies over each other at the middle of the end, and a per-
foration is made either completely through to the other side, or only
through to the inside. A metal clip of any of the various kinds in use
that may suit is then inserted in the perforation to secure the bag, such

page_text: clip being partly inserted from the inside before closing when both
sides of the bag are not perforated. The partial perforation is better
adapted for samples of small seeds or grains, which are not so apt to get
out as when both sides of the bag are perforated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Girdwood in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
GIRDWOOD, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Girdwood, Her special licence
that I, the said Robert Girdwood, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Girdwood, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENVELOPES
AND IN BAGS, SUCH AS ARE USED FOR TRANSMITTING SAMPLES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Girdwood, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
o be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
late of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Girdwood, do hereby
leclare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and

page_text: by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to say -
My said Invention has principally for its objects to avoid waste of the
paper or other material used for making envelopes, sample bags, or the
like, and to provide for the effectual closing of sample bags, but in
such a way that they may be opened for inspection and as effectually
reclosed,
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, may be properly understood I have hereunto appended a
Sheet of explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and repre-
senting examples of forms of envelopes designed according to my said
Invention, and also showing sample bags as made with my improved
arrangements for closing them,
Figures 1 and 2 represent portions of two lengths of paper with lines
delineated upon them, such as will give forms of envelope blanks com-
prised in my Invention; and Figures 3 and 4 represent such blanks as
folded into envelopes.
In carrying out the part of my said Invention relating to envelopes
the material is cut into a shape which is symmetrical, or nearly so, with
respect to a centre line 1-2, shown red, and dividing the entire or
address side, indicated by dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2, longitudinally.
When the envelope is to be of the ordinary oblong form the closing
flap 3 is made at one end, that is, at one of the shorter sides, and the
points of the other three flaps unite at the middle of the closing flap end,
or at what may be termed the open end of the envelope or bag. The
flap 4 folded over from the side or end opposite to the open end, and
which may be termed the tail flap, is by preference made with a rounded
point, and is necessarily long, tapering, and narrow, whilst the remain-
ing or wing flaps are broad at the open end and taper thence to the
corners at the other end. The edges of the tail flaps 4 are shaped so as
when folded to be counterparts of the edges of the wing flaps 5, but with
sufficient excess for gumming; and in the case of sample bags I prefer
to continue such overlapping quite to the point of the tail flap, so that
at that point there will be three thicknesses (and four when the closing
flap is folded over), whereby great security will be obtained, as shown in
Figures 5 and 6 hereinafter referred to, If the edges of the tail and
wing flaps are made straight, as in Figures 1 and 3, the unfolded blank

page_text: will present a triangular form, or an ogee-sided figure will be presented
If the edges are curved, as in Figures 2 and 4; but any convenient or
ornamental contour of the edges may be adopted, provided that for any
concavity in the edge of the tail flap 4 a corresponding convexity is
formed in the edge of the wing flap 5, and vice versa.
An inspection of Figures 1 and 2 is sufficient to show the economy
of material which arises from applying my improved form to envelope
blanks. Thus it will be observed that between any two blanks having
the points of the tail flaps 4 at or near one edge of the strip of paper
there is a space 6 left of the same form but with the point of its tail
flap directed reversely or towards the other edge of the strip, whilst
the same form that gives this result also admits of the flaps being
folded over without overlapping each other more than is necessary for
security.
My improved closing arrangements may be applied to sample bags
or envelopes made as herein-before described, or as described in the
Specification of certain Letters Patent granted to me, and dated 8th
January 1868 (No. 75), or otherwise.
Figure 5 is a view of a blank made as herein-before described, but
for a sample bag, and Figure 6 shows the same as folded. Perforations
are made, as shown at 7, and when the parts are folded together they
may be secured by a metal clip passing completely through from the
front to the back,
Figure 7 represents another form in the case of which the closing is
effected by first folding down the corners at the open end along the
dotted lines 8-9 and 8-10, and then folding the middle point 11 thus
formed over in the same direction, that is, along the line 12-13. This
brings a number of plies over each other at the middle of the end, and
a perforation is made either completely through to the other side or
only through to the inside. A metal clip of any of the various kinds
in use that may suit is then inserted in the perforation to secure the
bag, such clip being partly inserted from the inside before closing
when both sides of the bag are not perforated. The partial perforation
is better adapted for samples of small seeds or grains, which are not
so apt to get out as when both sides of the bag are perforated. The
perforations may be formed beforehand in the blank at the several

page_text: points 7, which come over each other when folded, or in any other
convenient way.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that
what I believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention 5
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,-
1. The making of blanks for envelopes or sample bags of any of the
various forms included in the terms herein-before specified.
And, 2. The making of envelopes or sample bags with improved 1
arrangements for closing the same, substantially such as are herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Girdwood, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
11