U.S. patent number 3,692,233 [Application Number 05/143,039] was granted by the patent office on 1972-09-19 for specialty envelope.
Invention is credited to William J. Carter, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,692,233 |
Carter, Jr. |
September 19, 1972 |
SPECIALTY ENVELOPE
Abstract
A tamper proof specialty envelope includes a quadrilateral base
panel to each edge of which a sealing flap is foldably joined. A
main one of the sealing flaps is configured in the same general
shape as the base panel and is folded into flat face-to-face
relation therewith. The three remaining sealing flaps are foldably
joined to the other three edges of the base panel respectively and
are configured to form a composite panel formed of the three
remaining coplanar flaps which are arranged in overlying relation
to said one main sealing flap and secured thereto and constitute a
tamper proof closure for an item such as a coin or a commemorative
stamp disposed therein and observable through viewing windows
formed in said base panel and in said main flap and in a certain
one of said coplanar flaps. A sealing stamp is then affixed to
portions of the three coplanar flaps and cancelling indicia is
imprinted over the sealing stamp and over adjacent portions of each
of the three coplanar sealing flaps.
Inventors: |
Carter, Jr.; William J.
(Tucker, GA) |
Family
ID: |
22502343 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/143,039 |
Filed: |
May 13, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/71; 229/79;
229/75; 229/80 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
27/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
27/04 (20060101); B65D 27/00 (20060101); B65d
027/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;229/68,71,75,80,79,92.1,92.3 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
|
|
|
|
1,985 |
|
Jan 1901 |
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GB |
|
284,302 |
|
Sep 1967 |
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AU |
|
366,697 |
|
Oct 1906 |
|
FR |
|
537,899 |
|
May 1922 |
|
FR |
|
Primary Examiner: Leclair; Joseph R.
Assistant Examiner: Garbe; Stephen P.
Claims
I claim:
1. An envelope comprising a base panel of quadrilateral
configuration, a sealing flap foldably joined to each edge of said
base panel, a main one of said sealing flaps being folded into flat
face-to-face relation with said base panel and the remaining
sealing flaps being folded into flat face-to-face relation with
said main sealing flap, said remaining sealing flaps being coplanar
with each other and being smaller in area than said main sealing
flap and being configured to form a composite flap wherein an edge
potion of each coplanar flap abuts an edge portion of each of the
other two coplanar flaps, and means for securing said coplanar
flaps to said main flap.
2. An envelope according to claim 1 wherein a sealing stamp is
secured to all of said coplanar flaps in overlying relation with
said abutting edge portions thereof.
3. An envelope according to claim 2 wherein stamp cancelling
indicia is marked on said sealing stamp and on said coplanar
flaps.
4. An envelope according to claim 1 wherein said main sealing flap
is configured to coincide substantially with said base panel.
5. An envelope according to claim 1 wherein a viewing window is
formed in said base panel and disposed in coincidental relation to
viewing windows formed in said main flap and in one of said
coplanar flaps whereby an object within the envelope and between
said base panel and said main flap is observable with the envelope
sealed closed.
6. An envelope according to claim 5 wherein positioning means is
disposed within the envelope and arranged to hold an object within
the envelope in a position to be viewed through said viewing
windows.
7. An envelope according to claim 5 wherein translucent closures
for two of said viewing windows are secured to the associated base
panel and to said one of said coplanar panels respectively and
affixed in overlying and sealing relation to the associated
window.
8. An envelope according to claim 1 wherein all panels and flaps
are constructed at least in part of translucent material.
9. An envelope according to claim 1 wherein one of said remaining
coplanar sealing flaps in secured to said main sealing flap with
contact adhesive.
Description
In order to provide reliable evidence of the date of first issue of
stamps, coins and the like, such objects may be placed within a
secure enclosure such as an envelope having viewing windows through
which the object may be observed and a sealing stamp applied
thereto and cancelled by post office cancelling indicia which
indicates not only the cancellation of the sealing stamp but which
also indicates the date of which the cancellation indicia was
applied to the envelope. By this means, collectors' items such as
coins and stamps may be authentically dated as of the date of first
issue and, with the passage of time, become more and more valuable
particularly where the envelope enclosing the objects is
constructed in a tamper-proof fashion.
According to the invention, a tamper-proof envelope is provided in
which a four-sided base panel is provided with sealing flaps
foldably joined to each of its edges. A main one of the sealing
flaps is folded into face-to/-face relation with the base panel
along one edge thereof and sealing flaps are foldably joined to the
other three side edges and arranged in overlying relationship with
respect to the main sealing flap. The latter three sealing flaps
are coplanar and constitute a composite panel generally shaped to
coincide with the base panel and the main sealing flap. According
to a feature of the invention the coplanar flaps are disposed with
an edge portion of each lying adjacent edge portions of the other
two coplanar sealing flaps. Thus a sealing stamp is arranged to
overlie and be sealed to portions of all of the coplanar sealing
flaps. Furthermore when cancellation indicia is applied to the
sealing stamp and to each of the coplanar sealing flaps, such
indicia is clearly legible due to the fact that the sealing flaps
are coplanar and thus do not constitute a stepped area for
receiving the cancelling indicia. By this means the first date of
issue of a new coin or stamp is established and, due to the passage
of time, the value thereof appreciates due to the fact that the
specialty envelope of the invention precludes tampering and hence
insures the authenticity of the first day of issue of the object
included in the envelope.
For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to
the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawing in which
FIG. 1 is a view of the front of an envelope constructed according
to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a view of the back of the envelope shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main blank from which the envelope of
FIGS. 1 and 2 is constructed;
FIG. 4 is a view of the blank depicted in FIG. 3 after certain
folding operations have been performed;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of positioning means which is inserted into
the envelope and which serves to hold the object disposed within
the envelope in general coincidence with the viewing windows;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but which depicts the insertion
of the positioning means of FIG. 5 into the envelope shown in FIG.
4;
FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are views corresponding to FIGS. 1, 2, 3,
4 and 5 and which simply depict a slightly different form of the
invention in which the viewing windows are all rectangular in
configuration and the translucent membranes are not part of the
envelope. Instead the membranes are part of the insert.
In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a base panel in which a
viewing window 2 is formed. Viewing window 2 is provided with a
closure in the form of a translucent membrane 3 which is secured
about its edges to the base panel 1 in overlying relation to the
window 2. Main sealing flap 4 is foldably joined to an edge of base
panel 1 along fold line 5 and is provided with a circular viewing
window 6 over which a square closure panel 7 is disposed, such
closure panel being of translucent material and being secured by
any suitable means to sealing flap 4. Of course closure 7 could be
of any suitable configuration. The remaining sealing flaps 8, 9 and
10 are foldably joined to different edges of base panel 1 along
fold lines 11, 12, and 13 respectively. Adhesive material as
indicated by stippling is applied to sealing flaps 8, 9 and 10 as
indicated by stippling in FIG. 3. The adhesive which is applied to
flap 10 and to the coincidental area of flap 4 is contact type
adhesive.
In order to form the envelope as show in FIG. 4 from the blank
depicted in FIG. 3, the main sealing flap 4 is first folded
upwardly and forwardly along fold line 5 and into face-to-face
contact with base panel 1 after which sealing flaps 8 and 9 are
folded into face-to-face relation with the main sealing flap 4 and
secured thereto as indicated in FIG. 4. Viewing window 14 is formed
in sealing flap 8 and when assembled as shown in FIG. 4 is disposed
in coincidental relation with the viewing window 6 formed in main
sealing flap 4.
In order to insure proper positioning of an object within the
envelope so that it may be readily observed from either side of the
envelope through the viewing windows 2, 6 and 14, positioning means
such as is shown in FIG. 5 may be used. The positioning means of
FIG. 5 incorporates a generally rectangular panel 15 to which is
secured a double thickness open-ended tube of translucent
membranous material designated by the numeral 16. Stamps such as
are indicated in FIG. 5 by the numerals 17, 18, 19 and 20 are
inserted into the translucent tubular structure 16. Since the
translucent envelope 16 is secured to the plate 15 as indicated in
FIG. 5, the stamps 17, 18, 19 and 20 are fixed in position relative
to positioning panel 15. A viewing window 21 is formed in
positioning panel 15.
With the sealing flap 10 open as indicated in FIG. 4, the
positioning means 15 and its associated stamps is inserted into the
envelope from the right hand end thereof as shown in FIG. 6 and
when fully inserted into the envelope, sealing flap 10 is folded
upwardly and toward the left along fold line 13 and affixed to the
main sealing flap 4. The envelope then appears generally as
indicated in FIG. 1 with portions of stamps 19 and 20 being
observable through sealing windows 14 and 21.
In order to authenticate the date of the stamps such as 17, 18, 19
and 20 inside the envelope, a sealing postage stamp such as is
indicated by the numeral 22 in FIG. 1 is adhered to the upper
righthand corner of the envelope. It is apparent in FIG. 1 that
portions of sealing stamp 22 overlie and are adhered to adjacent
portions of the coplanar sealing flaps 8, 9 and 10. Thus it is
impossible to open the envelope without rupturing the sealing stamp
22.
With the envelope arranged as depicted in FIG. 1 it is then
presented to the post office where conventional cancellation
indicia generally designated by the numeral 23 is applied via a
cancellation stamping operation along with a date and place stamp
generally designated by the numeral 24. It is apparent from FIG. 1
that the cancellation indicia 23 overlies portions of sealing stamp
22 as well as portions of sealing flaps 8, 9 and 10, each of which
is provided with an edge portion closely adjacent an edge portion
of both of the other sealing flaps.
Since the sealing flaps 8, 9 and 10 all lie in a common plane, the
cancellation indicia 23 is applied in a neat and orderly fashion
because the adjacent portions of coplanar panels 8, 9 and 10 do not
overlap. There is thus no offset between portions of lines of
cancellation indicia 23 which offset, if apparent, conceivably
could indicate that the envelope had been opened and resealed thus
derogating from the authenticity of the stamped date of the objects
such as 17-20 inclusive. According to one feature of this invention
the cancellation lines 23 are neatly and properly aligned affording
reliable evidence that the envelope has not been tampered with and
that the contents truly represent dates of first issue.
From FIG. 5 it is apparent that viewing window 21 is formed in
positioning panel 15 and because the membrane 16 is translucent,
portions of the stamps 19 and 20 may be observed from the front
side of the envelope. The back side of the envelope is shown in
FIG. 2 in which the front portion of the stamps 17, 18, 19 and 20
may be observed through rectangular viewing window 2 formed in base
panel 1.
The modified arrangement depicted in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 is
quite similar to the structure depicted in FIGS. 1-6 and
corresponding parts of the modification are identified by the same
numerals as are used in FIGS. 1-6.
The positioning panel, FIG. 11, could differ from the panel
depicted in FIG. 5 only in the size, shape and location of its
viewing window, however, an alternative type positioning panel is
shown in FIG. 11. It is formed of two sheets of translucent
material between which the objects are positioned and heatsealed or
otherwise secured in the correct position. Conversely, the type
positioning panel shown in FIG. 5 could be replaced by the type
depicted in FIG. 11. The construction of the positioning panel
could vary widely depending upon the size, shape etc. of the object
or objects to be displayed. The arrangement of FIGS. 7-10 inclusive
differs from the arrangement of FIGS. 1-6 inclusive in that all the
viewing windows and all the panels are coincidental in size and
configuration. Thus the viewing window 25 in base panel 1 coincides
with viewing widow 26 in main sealing flap 4 and with viewing
window 27 formed in sealing flap 8. It follows that the objects 29
ad 30 must be disposed within the positioning panel 28 in such a
manner that the objects coincide with the viewing windows when the
positioning panel 28 is inserted into the righthand end of the
envelope depicted in FIG. 10.
Although the envelopes as described above would necessarily be
constructed of an opaque material, with openings for windows having
been cut, the envelopes could be constructed totally or partially
of a translucent material.
From the above description it is apparent that by either
modification of the invention, a secure and tamper proof envelope
is provided by which reliable and authentic evidence of the date of
first issue of collectors' items is provided.
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
* * * * *