IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OP ENVELOPES AND POSTAL WRAPPERS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Pollock, of No. 34, Walbrook, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OP ENVELOPES AND POSTAL WRAPPERS."
Scaled the 6th December 1872, and dated the 11th June 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Pollock at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th June 1872.
I, JOHN POLLOCK, of No. 34, Walbrook, in the City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF ENVELOPES AND POSTAL WRAPPERS," to be as follows:-
The object of the Invention is to form the envelopes so that the
opening of them when desired may be readily and uniformly effected.
For this purpose a portion of the flap of the envelope between that
which is gummed or otherwise caused to adhere to the body of the
envelope when the envelope is closed has the substance of it reduced in
at least double lines, and the part between these lines is formed with the
ends of it to project, or so as to be readily taken hold of by the finger
ihumh

page_text: A convenient method of reducing these parts is by perforating rows of
holes therein. In order to open an envelope so formed and closed by
gumming, one end of the part between these lines will be taken between
the finger and thumb, and by being drawn upon will readily separate
from the other part, thereby opening the envelope or wrapper, thus
facilitating the ready and uniform opening of envelopes and postal
wrappers, and also the reclosing of such envelopes or wrappers, so that
in cases when the postal authorities may require to satisfy themselves as
to the contents of an envelope or wrapper they may readily open the
envelope or wrapper and reclose it. In such cases gum or adhesive
matter would be applied to that part of it next above that which would
be removed in opening by the removal of the part between the lines
referred to.
SPECIFICATION-in-pursuance-of_the_conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Pollock in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th December 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
POLLOCK, of No. 34, Walbrook, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Pollock, Her special license that I,
the said John Pollock, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Jolin Pollock, 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 THE MANUFActure
OF ENVELOPES AND POSTAL WRAPPERS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Pollock, my exccutors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and

page_text: cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Pollock, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of the Invention is to form the envelopes so that the
opening of them when desired may be readily and uniformly effected.
For this purpose a portion of the flap of the envelope between that
which is gummed or otherwise caused to adhere to the body of the
envelope when the envelope is closed has the substance of it reduced in
at least double lines, and the part between these lines is formed with the
ends of it to project, or so as to be readily taken hold of by the finger
and thumb.
A convenient method of reducing these parts is by perforating rows of
holes therein. In order to open an envelope so formed and closed by
gumming, one end of the part between these lines will be taken between
the finger and thumb, and by being drawn upon will readily separate
from the other parts, thereby opening the envelope or wrapper, thus
facilitating the ready and uniform opening of envelopes and postal
wrappers, and also the reclosing of such envelopes or wrappers, so that
in cases where the postal authorities may require to satisfy themselves as
to the contents of an envelope or wrapper they may readily open the
envelope or wrapper and reclose it. In such cases gum or adhesive
matter would be applied to that part of it next that which would
be removed in opening by the removal of the part between the lines
referred to.

page_text: ·
a, a, are the two side flaps, which are those first folded, and 6 is the
flap next folded on and gummed to the flaps a, a; c is the flap which is
in use, that last closed for sealing up the envelope. This order of folding
the flaps b and c may however be varied. c, c, represent a double row of
perforations by which one of the flaps of the envelope is pierced in order
thereby to reduce the substance of the envelope at that part and render
it easy for the removal of the part f between the lines e, e, which will
readily separate from the other parts on taking it by either end, lifting
it, and at the same time drawing it backwards over the part between
those two lines e, when a separation of the part from the other part of
that flap will readily be effected in the direction of the lines e, e.
If desired the edge of the remaining portion of the flap may be
gummed for reuse of the envelope after it has been opened by the sepa-
ration of the part ƒ in the manner described.
In a similar manner may other forms of envelopes be arranged, and
--the-improvements applied to postal wrappers.
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I am
aware that it has before been proposed to form the flaps of envelopes
with a single row of perforations for the purpose of facilitating the
I do not therefore claim the use
tearing or breaking open of the same.
of a single row of perforations, but what I claim is, the forming the flaps
of envelopes and postal wrappers with two or more lines of perforations
or where the parts are reduced in substance so as to facilitate the
removal of the part between such lines, substantially as described.
In witness whercof, I, the said John Pollock, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.