Improvements in Envelopes and Wrappers for Postage Purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Envelopes and Wrappers for Postage Purposes.
I, JOSEPH JOHNSON, of Thompson Street, Bilston, in the County of Stafford,
Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object certain improvements in envelopes or postage
wrappers which prevent them being tampered with or opened, and their contents
withdrawn, without detection. The construction of the envelope or wrapper
according to this invention is such as to enable the closure flap when sealed to be
firmly gummed over parts of the permanent foldings of the envelope, so that until
the sealing flap is ungummed or broken the other folding parts cannot be very
easily interfered with.
The general method of surreptitiously opening letters is to moisten the gummed
parts over a steaming vessel and then to carefully insert a thin edged instrument
to separate them. Now to obviate this is the purpose of this invention, and the
same is accomplished by constructing the envelope as hereinbefore described, viz.,
with the sealable closure flap overlapping the folding parts, perforating the edges
of the said folding flaps, and applying to the inner faces thereof, so as to be inside
the envelope, words, letterings, or figures, printed or written thereon by a liquid
colour having in its composition wax. The purpose of the latter element is to
blur the letterings or figures when the gummed edge is acted upon by the steam,
the said wax liquifying and running riot over them, spoiling their configuration,
and enabling the tampering to be detected. The perforations along the edges
also help in this respect, as the edges of the flaps which are adjacent thereto are
easily broken. The construction of the envelope consists of two folding over-
lapping sides and a longitudinal folding end, the latter extending into a tongue
piece and running the full length of the envelope, and which is adapted to come
underneath the closure flap, previously described, when the same is gummed down.
The letterings may be placed in any convenient position or positions upon the
flaps or folding, so that, in attempting to open any one of them by steaming,
indication is given to the receiver by the blurriness of the letters or figures.
The liquid for lettering may consist only of colour, but the surface upon which
the letterings are placed must be coated with wax, or similar material, so as to
combine and give the result as before described. As an extra precaution against
tampering with letters, coincident holes may be formed through the permanently
folding parts or flaps, so that, should the outer flap be steamed and opened, it
would be difficult to again gum it down with the holes or perforations of the parts
opposite to each other.

page_text: or colour letterings or their equivalents. The arrangement of these last named
parts may be varied and their sizes variable in consideration of the position
of the gummed part a³, which is the part to be steamed.
Figs. 4 and 5 represent what is known as a long envelope constructed according
to this invention, the said Figs. being respectively a side elevation with the flap
open and a transverse section on the line 3 Fig. 4. In this envelope the edges of
the flap a are perforated as in the previous arrangement and the wax and coloured
parts as a are also provided, but as well as these the longitudinal and permanently
folded end c is extended into a tongue-piece and runs the full longitudinal
length of the envelope, thus sealing the folding and overlapping envelope
sides The edges of this permanently gummed tongue-piece have perfora-
tions within them, for the purpose of adding difficulty to the prising of the said
tongue-piece after steaming.
The elevation and section Figs. 6 and 7 show a modification of the envelope
Figs. 4 and 5. In these views the tongue piece or extension
of the folding
end c is centrally pierced or perforated, as likewise is the edges d, d of the folding
and overlapping sides, the said perforations in the parts coming coincident.
These perforations are small ones and they are provided to present difficulty in
again sealing the tongue piece 2, with its perforations coincident with those in
the sides, if at any time the said tongue piece is lifted through the aid of the
steaming process.
Figs. and 9 represent in elevation and section (the latter on the dotted line 5,
Fig. 8), a modification of the envelope Figs. 4 and 5. The construction of the
tongue piece is identical with that in Figs. 4 and 5, but the edge of the
folding side is longitudinally perforated or formed with a slot c. On the outside
face of the edge d of the folding side, adjacent to the inside edge of the folding
side, is arranged a strip of wax or its equivalent g, upon which are placed
letterings and figures g², the said letterings or figures coming opposite the slot e
in the folding side. The edges of the folding sides are permanently gummed to
each other, as also is the tongue piece to them, and any attempt to liquify the
gum by steaming will result in the melting of the wax film and the blurring of
the letters and figures.
Thus it will be seen that by arranging wax and letters in combination on
gummed sealing flaps of envelopes, or on parts adjacent to the said flaps, any
surreptitious attempt in opening them by steaming can be detected, and also that
by perforating the edges of the said sealing flaps a secondary preservative against
tampering is formed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
First. In envelopes, postal wraps, and the like, arranging upon their gummed
closure or sealing flaps, or upon parts of the envelopes or wraps adjacent to the
said gummed parts, a combination of wax and ink or colour in the form of
coatings, the coating of wax to form a base to the ink and to carry it so that on the
wax liquifying the ink matter will blur, substantially as described.
Second. In envelopes postal wraps and the like, perforating the edges of the
gummed closure flaps and arranging in combination therewith a coating or layer
of wax having upon it ink and colour letterings, figures, or such like, for the pur-
pose substantially as described.
Third. In envelopes postal wraps and the like, making the permanent closure
flap extend the full length of the envelope and to overlap the edges of the closing
sides, and perforating its edges for the purpose substantially as described.
Fourth. In envelopes postal wraps and the like, the combination of an extended
permanent closing flap, a folding side overlapped by it having a longitudinal
slot therein, and an open side having a strip of wax and coloured matter in com-