Year: 1887

page_text: 1, SAMUEL THOMAS BROOKS, residing at San Francisco, in the County of San
Francisco, and State of California, in the 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:
My invention relates to the art of sealing envelopes, packages and other similar
enclosing casings, where sealing wax or other similar material is employed, and my inven-
tion consists in the employment of a plate provided on one of its surfaces with scattered
inclined prongs or projections passing through the body of the envelopes, and
receiving the molten wax or other sealing material, by which said material is firmly
fixed in place.
In the ordinary sealing of envelopes, packages etc. it is customary to apply the
wax directly to the paper or other material of the envelope, and allow it to overlap
the fixed and folding flaps, so as to secure the latter.
But with packages, as thus sealed it is by no means a difficult operation to neatly
remove the entire body of the wax and replace it, this being done by employing a thin,...
flat knife either cold or hot, preferably hot, and passing it along between the wax and i
the material of the envelope.
The object of my invention is to prevent the surreptitious removal and replace-
ment of the seal, and to avoid completely any tampering with it, without its being
known.
Figure, 1, is an elevation of an envelope or package showing the plate with the
scattered inclined prongs or projections of said plate projecting through the flap, and
body of the envelope, each through its own puncture.
Fig. 2, is a view.showing the scattered-inclined prongs or projections of each plate
passing through in a body.
Fig. 3, shows the employment of a single plate in the body or permanent flap of
the envelope, and the folding flap, having an opening through which the prongs may
project as before.
Fig. 4, is an elevation of an envelope or package showing the application of the
sealing wax and the ends of the scattered inclined prongs or projections therein.
Fig. 5, is a section through the seal of fig. 4.
A, is an envelope which may stand for any suitable inclosing casing; B, is a plate
preferably of some thin metal, and shown in fig. 1, as being in two parts, one being

page_text: placed behind the main body or fixed flap of the envelope and the other behind the
folding flap thereof. This plate is provided on one of its surfaces only with small
scattered inclined prongs or projections, b, which pass through the body of the
envelope either in separate punctures, as shown in fig. 1, or in a body as shown in
fig. 2. C, is the sealing wax, (fig. 4.) which is applied to the envelope directly upon
and over the prongs or projections, b, of the plate or plates, B. These scattered
inclined prongs or projections firmly hold the wax, whether they project entirely
through and end flush with the surface of the wax, as I have shown in figs. 4, and, 5,
or only enter part way, for it is obvious that it is impossible to remove such wax as a
whole, and the use of the heated knife, as I have before mentioned, is in this case
impracticable, for the knife would come in contact with the prongs or projections of
the plate and not find a free passage; and also, the wax being held by the prongs
would not separate therefrom, and the only way to get it off is to pick it off in bits,
which of course would only be done by the person authorized to open the package, as
it would wholly destroy the seal.
There can, therefore, be no tampering with the seal. If but a single plate be used,
it may be arranged on an envelope as shown in fig. 3, where it is placed behind the
permanent flaps of the envelope and its prongs adapted to penetrato either
separately, or as a body, through all the flaps of the envelope including the folding
flap.
It will thus be seen that the package cannot be opened, without injuring the seal,
and any impression made thereon. The improvement is applicable to packages and
other inclosing casings, whether made of paper, cloth, or other material. The plates, B,
may be of any suitable material, preferably metal, brass being perhaps, the best metal
to be used.
The scattered inclined prongs or projections of the plates may be of different lengths,
according to the thickness of material through which they have to pass, and they may
be arranged in any suitable manner.
The plates may be attached behind the material in any way, as by pasting them
on, or they may be left loose and rely for their fastening upon the subsequently applied
sealing wax. The direction and inclination of the prongs may be varied according as
it may be found best.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improvement in the sealing of envelopes, packages and other enclosing cases,
consisting of a plate provided with inclined prongs or projections scattered over its
surface upon one side only, said prongs adapted to pass through the material com-
posing the envelope &c. at the point where the wax seal is to bo placed whereby said
wax or seal is held by contact with the prongs of the plate, substantially as herein-
before set forth.
2. In combination with an envelope, package or other enclosing casing, a metal
plate arranged within said envelope, package or other casing, said plate provided with
inclined projections scattered over its surface on one side only, which projections pass
outwardly through the material of the envelope in position to receive and secure the
wax seal, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 4th day of Novambar 1987