Improvements in Post Cards.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 16th May., 1889-Accepted, 27th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Post Cards.
I HENRY JOHNSON of Trindle Road Dudley in the County of Worcester Mining
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows.:-
My Invention consists of the improvements in post cards herein after described by
which improvements the written contents of the post card while readily accessible
are not exposed to view in transit.
According to one of my improvements I take a piece of cardboard of a size and
shape equal to two post cards joined end to end or side to side. I fold or double
the said piece of cardboard at its middle the doubled cardboard having the size and
shape of an ordinary post card. At the middle of the three unfolded edges of the
card I make small slits or cuts either straight or curved the straight slits making
an acute angle with the edge of the partially detached small portion of the card and
when the slits are curved the chord of the curve is similarly inclined.
The slits opposite each other on the edges of the doubled card are inclined in
opposite directions. That is if the inclined slit on one edge proceeds from the
point at which it starts towards the right the slit opposite to it in the opposed edge
proceeds from its start to the left.
By the slits described tongues are formed at opposite points on the edges of the
folded card and by pressure these tongues may be made to interlock. Thus by
pressing the two superposed tongues into a position at right angles to the plane of
the card and in restoring them to the plane of the card making them cross each
other the tongue on one of the folds of the card is made to overlap the edge of
the other fold of the card and the folds or flaps are thus temporarily secured
together. By gentle pressure in the direction proper for opening the folded card
the tongues yield and permit of the opening or unfolding of the card and the
display of its written contents.
The writing on the post card is confined to the inner faces of the card one of the
outer faces being appropriated to the address and stamp. The other outer face may
be utilised for advertising.
According to another of my improvements I employ two detached pieces of card
each of the size of the post card to be made instead of a piece of double the size
and folded at its middle. Slits or cuts of the kind hereinbefore described are made
at the middle of each of the four edges of the cards and the two cards are connected
by the tongues formed by the said slits. Or where it is desired that facility should
be given for obtaining a partial examination of the contents of the post card two
slits or cuts are made on each of the longer edges of the cards which longer edges only
are connected together the ends or shorter edges being unconnected permit the interior
of the post card to be partially examined.
Although for convenience of description I have referred to an ordinary post card
yet I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to any size in carrying out
my invention.
Dated this 17th day of Angust 1888
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Post Cards.
I HENRY JOHNSON of Trindle Road Dudley in the County of Worcester Mining
Engineer 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 :-
My invention consists of the improvements in post cards hereinafter described by
which improvements the written contents of the post card while readily accessible are
not exposed to view in transit.
According to one of my improvements 1 take a piece of cardboard of a size and
shape equal to two post cards joined end to end or side to side. I fold or double
the said piece of cardboard at its middle the doubled cardboard having the size and
shape of an ordinary post card. At the middle of the three unfolded edges of the
card I make small slits or cuts either straight or curved the straight slits making an
acute angle with the edge of the partially detached small portion of the card and
when the slits are curved the chord of the curve is similarly inclined.
The slits opposite each other on the edges of the doubled card are inclined in
opposite directions. That is if the inclined slit on one edge proceeds from the point
at which it starts towards the right the slit opposite to it in the opposed edge proceeds
from its start to the left.
By the slits described tongues are formed at opposite points on the edges of the
folded card and by pressure these tongues may be made to interlock. Thus by
pressing the two superposed tongues into a position at right angles to the plane of
the card and in restoring them to the plane of the card making them cross each other
the tongue on one of the folds of the card is made to overlap the edge of the other
fold of the card and the folds or flaps are thus temporarily secured together. By
gentle pressure in the direction proper for opening the folded card the tongues
yield and permit of the opening or unfolding of the card and the display of its
written contents.
•
The writing on the post card is confined to the inner faces of the card one of the
outer faces being appropriated to the address and stamp. The other outer face may
be utilised for advertising.
According to another of my improvements I employ two detached pieces of card
each of the size of the post card to be made instead of a piece of double the size
and folded at its middle. Slits or cuts of the kind hereinbefore described are made
at the middle of each of the four edges of the cards and the two cards are
connected by the tongues formed by the said slits. Or where it is desired that
facility should be given for obtaining a partial examination of the contents of the
post cards two slits or cuts are made on each of the longer edges of the cards which
longer edges only are connected together the ends or shorter edges being unconnected
permit the interior of the post card to be partially examined.
Although for convenience of description I have referred to an ordinary post card
yet I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to any size in carrying out
my invention.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents the face and edge view of a
post card made by folding or doubling a piece of cardboard of the size and shape
represented in Figure 2. The piece of carboard Figure 2 has the size and shape of
two ordinary post cards joined end to end and is folded or doubled at the cross
crease a. The writing or printed matter is confined to the inner faces of the folded
post card Figure 1 and one of the outer faces is appropriated to the address and
stamp. The other outer face may be utilized for advertizing b are the straight
slits or cuts at the three unfolded edges of each division a² a³ of the cardboard
Figure 2 to form the interlocking or engaging tongues 62 62. It will be seen that
the straight slits bb make an acute angle with the partly detached small piece of
card and when the card Figure 2 is doubled at the crease a the slits bb brought

page_text: early opposite each other are inclined in opposite directions as seen in Figure 1.
The tongues 62 62 thus formed from the slits bb and situated at opposite points on
the edges of the folded card are capable of interlocking in the manner best seen in
the enlarged view of a portion of the locked edge of the folded card in Figure 12
where the upper layer of the card is marked c and the lower layer d. The tongue
on the upper layer c is marked e and the tongue on the lower layer is marked f
the said tongues e and f being interlocked. In interlocking the two superposed
tongues ef both are pressed in the same direction into a position at right angles to
the plane of the card. The tongue fis first pressed down into the plane of the card
and afterwards the other tongue e is pressed upon the tongue so that they cross each
other. The pair of tongues at each of the unfolded edges of the card are in this way
interlocked and the said edges thus temporarily secured together. By gentle pressure
in the direction proper for opening the card the tongues ef yield and permit of the
opening or unfolding of the card.
The written contents of the post card thus made whilst readily accessible are not
exposed to view in transit.
.
Figure 3 represents the face and edge view of a folded post card of the kind last
described excepting that the interlocking tongues are made from curved slits
instead of straight slits and Figure 4 represents the piece of cardboard which is
folded or doubled at the crease a to form the post card Figure The curved
slits are marked 63 63 in Figure 4 and the tongues made therefrom are marked b
in Figure 3. Figure 13 represents one pair of curved tongues of the card
Figure 3 drawn to a large scale the two layers of the card and the tongues in the
said Figure 13 being marked with the same letters of reference as corresponding
parts in Figure 12.
Figure 5 represents a post card made from the two detached pieces of card
represented in Figures 6 and 7. In this arrangement two slits 65 at the
longitudinal edges of each piece of cardboard are used to forin two pairs of super-
posed tongues 6666 at the longer edges of the card to secure the two detached parts
of the card together in the manner before described with respect to the tongues of
the post card Figure 1. In a post card secured at its longer edges only as
represented in Figure a partial examination of the contents of the post card
can be obtained. This double post card is specially fitted for use as a return post
card one of the cards being used by the sender and the other card which is stamped
but not written upon being used for the answer or return card.
Figure 8 represents the face and edge view of a four fold post card made
according to my invention and Figure 9 represents the piece of cardboard from
which the post card Figure 8 is made. The said piece of cardboard Figure 9 has
the size and shape of four ordinary post cards joined side to side and has three
creases hi the four parts of the cardboard being furnished with inclined slits b' b
to form the tongues 68 68 Figure 8 for securing together the edges of the folded
post card. In folding the piece of cardboard Figure 9 to form the four fold post
card the outer parts or divisions k and are folded respectively upon, the inner parts
or divisions m and n at the creases gi and the doubled parts are folded at the
crease h upon one another so as to produce the four fold post card represented in
Figure 8. The pairs of tongues at 68 68 are interlocked in the same manner as the
single pairs of tongues hereinbefore described.
Or a four fold post card may be made from the piece of cardboard represented in
Figure 1. This piece of cardboard consists of the creased or divided middle
parts pq to form the outer flaps of the folded card and the wings or side parts rs to
form the inner flaps of the post card. The edges of the parts p q have slits 610 610
from which the interlocking tongues are made. In forming a post card from the
piece Figure 10 the side flaps rs are first folded upon the back of the middle flap q
at the creases t and u and the flap p is then folded at the crease w upon the back of the
flap with the folded side flaps rs between them. A four fold post card of the
kind represented in front and edge view in Figure 11 is thus produced and the edges
of the folded outer parts pg are secured together by the interlocking tongues at 611

page_text: By post cards I mean cards suitable for transmission by post and having written or
printed matter upon them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention of "Improvements in post cards"
:-
First The combination with some or all of the unfolded edges of a folded or
doubled post card each folded part having preferably the size and shape of an
ordinary post card of interlocking tongues for temporarily securing together the two
parts of the folded card and for permitting the ready opening or unfolding of the
card substantially as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 12
and 13 of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly-A post card consisting of two detached pieces of card each preferably
of the size and shape of an ordinary post card and the combination therewith of
interlocking tongues for temporarily securing together the two cards at some or all
of their edges substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in Figures 5, 6
and 7 of the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly A four fold post card made and some or all of its unfolded edges
temporarily secured together by interlocking tongues substantially as hereinbefore
'described and illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying Drawings,
Fourthly A four fold post card made and the unfolded edges of the outer folded
parts of the card temporarily secured together by interlocking tongues substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Dated the Sixteenth day of May 1889
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.