Patent ID: 8376212

Claim:
An automated flat mail piece comprising: a generally rectangular bendable envelope having a cavity defined by two generally rectangular and substantially planar panels having two generally parallel opposingly disposed longitudinal edges and two generally parallel opposingly disposed transverse edges wherein said bendable envelope is sealable on all said longitudinal and transverse edges and a first set of envelope bend enabling bands centrally disposed and perpendicular to said longitudinal edges on each said panel and a second set of envelope bend enabling bands centrally disposed and perpendicular to said transverse edges on each said panel; and a generally rectangular bendable insert tray having a generally rectangular base having two generally parallel opposingly disposed longitudinal edges and two generally parallel opposingly disposed transverse edges, a plurality of walls extending substantially perpendicularly and upwardly from a periphery of said base to cooperatively form a generally rectangular mouth, and four elongated flaps that extend substantially perpendicularly and outwardly from an edge of said mouth such that an outer periphery of each said elongated flap comes in contacting engagement with an interior portion of one of said longitudinal and transverse edges and a first set of tray bend enabling bands substantially disposed along said longitudinal bend axis of said bendable insert tray and a second set of tray bend enabling bands substantially disposed along said longitudinal bend axis of said bendable insert tray; wherein said base is used to hold at least one article affixed to said base and said bendable insert tray is placeable and sealable within said cavity of said bendable envelope to form an assembled mail piece; said bendable envelope comprises a transverse bend axis centrally disposed and perpendicular to said transverse edges of said bendable envelope and a longitudinal bend axis centrally disposed and perpendicular to said longitudinal edges of said bendable envelope; and when said bendable insert tray is disposed in said bendable envelope to form said assembled mail piece, said bendable insert tray comprises a transverse bend axis substantially co-linear to said bendable envelope's transverse bend axis and a longitudinal bend axis substantially co-linear to said bendable envelope's longitudinal bend axis, and said assembled mail piece bends less than 2 inches in each of the longitudinal and transverse directions when subjected to a transport belt tension of 40 pounds around an 11 inch diameter turn.