Year: 1895

page_text: I, WILLIAM DIXON HORTON, of Arlington, Massachusetts, United States of
America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to envelopes and comprises the improvements hereinafter
described.
Envelopes as usually constructed are of a rectangular shape to correspond with
the shape of the folded letters which they are intended to contain. The letter
usually fills or nearly fills the space in the envelope so that except by the use of a
knife or other instrument it is often difficult to open the envelope without damaging
the letter contained therein.
According to my invention I so shape the envelope that the letter cannot
entirely fill it thereby providing a part or parts of the envelope which can be
torn off to facilitate the removal of the letter or contents without fear of damaging
the same.
This object I attain by making one edge or two or more edges of the envelope
inclined to the adjacent edges at an angle less or greater than a right angle instead
of being at right angles thereto as heretofore, or by making it or them with a
bend or angle or two or more bends or angles.
A corner or angle or two or more corners or angles of such an envelope is or
are not filled when the letter is inserted in the envelope and such empty part or
parts of the envelope can be torn off and the letter extracted from the envelope
without any difficulty, by the fingers alone and without the aid of any opening
instrument, and also without any risk of injuring the letter, or other contents of
the envelope.
Dated this 4th day of November 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
I, WILLIAM DIXON HORTON, of Arlington, Massachusetts, United States of
America, Gentleman, 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 relates to envelopes and comprises the improvements hereinafter
described.
Envelopes as usually constructed are rectangular to correspond with the shape
of the folded letters which they are intended to contain. The letter usually fills
or nearly fills the envelope so that except by the use of a knife or other
instrument it is often difficult to open the envelope without damaging the letter
contained therein.

page_text: According to my invention I so shape the envelope that the letter or other
document cannot entirely fill it thereby providing at least one part of the envelope
which can be torn off to facilitate the removal of the letter or contents without
fear of damaging the said contents.
This object I attain by making one edge or two or more edges of the envelope
at an inclination to the adjacent edges instead of at right angles thereto as
heretofore, or by making it or them with a bend or angle or two or more bends or
angles.
A corner or angle or two or more corners or angles of such an envelope is or are
not filled when the letter is inserted in the envelope and such empty corner or
angle of the envelope can be torn off and the letter extracted from the envelope
without any difficulty, by the fingers alone and without the aid of any opening
instrument, and also without injuring the letter, or other contents of the envelope.
In the accompanying drawings are shown, by way of example a number of
forms of my improved envelope.
In all of the figures, the dotted line ab marks off that part of the envelope
which is not filled by the letter or other contents and which can be torn off when
the letter is in the envelope. The said part or parts to be torn off is or jare
bounded in Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 8 by the lines a b, bc, a c and in Figures 5,6
and 7 by the lines a b, bc, cd, a d. The broken lines represent, in the open
position, those flaps of the envelope which are different from those of an ordinary
envelope and which produce my novel shape.
In Figure 1 the part a b c to be torn off is formed by inclining one side edge of
the envelope at an angle greater than a right angle to the top edge of the
envelope. Figure 2 shows two such parts a be formed by similarly inclining the
two side edges of the envelope. In Figure 3 the bottom edge of the envelope is
inclined at an angle greater than a right angle to one of the side edges. In
Figures 4 and 5 the side edge of the envelope which is to be torn off is made up
of two flaps. In Figures 6 and 7 the side edge to be torn off is made up of
three flaps. The constructions shown in Figures 6 and 7 only differ in that in
Figure 6 the part to be torn off is at the side edge of the envelope while in
Figure 7 it is at the bottom of the envelope. In the envelope shown in Figure 8
only a part of one side edge is intended to be torn off. In this latter form of
.envelope, the bottom flap is made of such shape as to cover the gap between the
side flaps.
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
clain is :-
:-
1. An envelope shaped substantially as described so that one or more of its
corners or angular portions will not be occupied when a letter or other document
is inserted therein, for the purpose specified.
2. An envelope constructed substantially as described with reference to any one
of the figures of the accompanying drawings for the purpose specified.
Dated this 18th day of December 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.