U.S. patent number 3,830,422 [Application Number 05/241,325] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-20 for package for special postal issues and method of making same.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Capistrano Cover Corporation. Invention is credited to John Malcolm Dunn.
United States Patent |
3,830,422 |
Dunn |
August 20, 1974 |
PACKAGE FOR SPECIAL POSTAL ISSUES AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME
Abstract
A package and a process for making the package wherein a
first-day, first-issue postage stamp is enclosed within an envelope
having outer panels with one or two apertures aligned with a recess
in a stamp holder which secures the stamp. Transparent stamp
shields preferably cover the stamp's obverse and reverse faces and
close the envelope apertures. A like stamp is affixed to the
envelope exterior and is processed through the mail such that date
and place indicia are stamped on the envelope and cancel the
exterior stamp. Preferably the inner stamp holder is an extension
of the obverse and reverse walls of the envelope.
Inventors: |
Dunn; John Malcolm (San
Clemente, CA) |
Assignee: |
Capistrano Cover Corporation
(San Juan Capistrano, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
22910240 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/241,325 |
Filed: |
April 5, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/71 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
27/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
27/04 (20060101); B65D 27/00 (20060101); B65d
027/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/8R,79,DIG.8
;229/71,87R,92.3 ;40/152 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Price; William I.
Assistant Examiner: Garbe; Stephen P.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Gribble; Wm. Jacquet
Claims
I claim:
1. A philatelic package for first day, first issue stamps from a
conventional stamp block having gummed selvage edges and comprising
an enclosure having a plurality of joined panels including an
obverse panel, a reverse panel, each of said obverse and reverse
panels having interior and exterior faces, a third panel, cut lines
in each of the panels defining apertures therein that are aligned
when the panels are folded to define the enclosure, said third
panel defining an apertured stamp holder; a stamp having a gummed
selvage edge attached to the holder such that the stamp aligns with
the aperture therein, a similar stamp affixed to the exterior face
of the obverse panel, postal indicia indicating point of posting
and date of posting affixed to the obverse panel of the enclosure,
a transparent shield intervening between the apertures in the
enclosure obverse and reverse panels and the stamp, each panel of
the plurality being joined to the adjacent panel along fold lines
parallel to each other, and menas for fastening the enclosure
closed to secure the stamp and holder therein.
2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a
plurality of edgrs defining a notch in the margin of the third
panel, and a folded transparent shield held between the notch edges
to preclude movement within the envelope to dislodge the shield
from covering the apertures in the obverse and reverse panels.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a package and method of packaging
first-day, first-issue postage stamps or "First Day Covers" wherein
the philatelist is afforded both canceled and uncanceled versions
of the desired stamps.
One of the areas of specialized philatelic collection is the
collection of stamps obtained and canceled on the first day that
they are issued by the Post Office. Conventionally the place of
cancelation bears some relationship to either the subject matter of
the stamp or the particular date. For instance, stamps related to
the American Revolution may be issued near appropriate
commemorative days from the city of Philadelphia.
Previous packaging of such stamps have included an appropriate
stamp conventionally placed upon an envelope exterior and canceled
by hand in the manner provided by the Post Office for philatelic
covers. Normally the envelope encloses a leaflet or card giving
information about the stamp. Previous attempts have been made to
enclose the first-day, first-issue stamp within the postmarked
envelope. Such attempts have been hampered and made expensive by
involved procedures and arrangements for displaying the stamp. I
have invented a package and a method for assembling the package
which protects the enclosed stamp, affords visual inspection of
both its obverse and reverse faces and insures proper dating of the
enclosed stamp or its unobvious removal from the envelope.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention contemplates a process for packaging special issue
postage stamps, preferably from a stamp block having selvage edges,
and including the steps of forming a tri-panel outer enclosure,
forming an aperture in each panel of the enclosure, removing a
marginal stamp from a stamp block with selvage attached to the
stamp, and attaching the selvage to a panel of the enclosure at an
edge of the aperture therein so that the stamp coincides with the
aperture. A transparent shield is placed on each side of the stamp
and the enclosure is folded together about the shields, stamp and
stamp panel. If the enclosure is an envelope the envelope seams are
then sealed. Indicia including the postal date and posting location
is applied on the enclosure exteriorly. Preferably the stamp
affixed to the exterior of the enclosure is identical except for
selvage to the interior one.
The package of the invention may comprise a stamp holder, a first
day of issue stamp secured by the holder with a transparent shield
on each side of the holder. The stamp holder is apertured so that
both obverse and reverse faces of the stamp may be inspected. An
enclosure encloses the holder, the stamp and the shields and may be
sealed. The obverse and reverse faces of the enclosure preferably
have apertures which align with the aperture in the enclosed stamp
holder. The holder may be of such a size or be so affixed to the
enclosure that the three apertures remain aligned. Preferably a
stamp similar to the enclosed stamp is affixed to the enclosure
exterior along with exterior indicia indicating the posting date
and location in the cancelation of the exterior stamp.
The process and package of the invention provide philatelists with
a protected and visible uncanceled first day of issue stamp
specimen and a canceled specimen on the exterior of the envelope.
The Post Office indicia authenticates the date of mailing of
usually including the legend "First Day of Issue," insuring that
the stamps were in truth posted on the first day of issue.
Various arrangements of stamp holder and transparent shields may be
utilized, making the inventive package inexpensive in materials and
fabrication. The philatelic cover resulting is authentic,
protective of the stamp and complete. These and other advantages of
the invention are apparent from the following detailed description
and drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of a package in
accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a flat pattern of an enclosing envelope of the package
embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flat pattern of a transparent shield utilized in the
embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary reverse view of a conventional block of
stamps having gummed selvage edges;
FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation taken along line 5--5 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 6 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of an alternate
embodiment of a package of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a sectional elevation taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 6;
and
FIG. 8 is a lay-out view of the unfolded enclosure, partly broken
away, of the embodiment of FIG. 6 combined with interior and
exterior stamps.
In the various views like parts are identified by like reference
characters. In the sectional views horizontal dimensions are
increased for clarity.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1-5 illustrate an embodiment of the invention wherein the
outer envelope comprises three panels. The envelope is a part of a
first-day cover or stamp package 11 which has an external stamp 12
and an internal stamp 13. The stamps are preferably identical
except that exterior stamp 12 is canceled by postal indicia, such
as the Post Office stamped circle 14. As can be seen from FIGS. 2
and 5, an envelope 16 has a front panel 17, an interior stamp
holder panel 18 and a closure panel 19. Panel 19 may have a gummed
area such as the area 21 to seal the envelope. The envelope further
has gummed side flaps 22, 23 which seal the ends in conventional
fashion when the envelope is folded along lines A and B.
Each of the panels 17, 18 and 19 has cut lines 24, 25, 26 27 which
define apertures 29, 30, 31 in the panels 17, 18, 19, respectively.
The apertures are located in each panel such that they coincide
when the envelope is folded along fold lines A and B.
FIG. 4 illustrates fragmentarily a conventional block of stamps 35
wherein each stamp is defined by rows 32 of perforations. The
stamps 33 which form the courses of the block adjacent the
periphery thereof are adjacent gummed selvage edges like the edges
36, 37 shown in the fragmentary block of FIG. 4.
The ratio of stamps 33 within a block which are adjacent selvage
edges compared to inner stamps 34 varies with the size and
dimensions of the stamp. In a conventional block of fifty stamps,
such as commemoratives, twenty-six of the fifty stamps in the block
have selvage edges.
As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, a stamp, such as the stamp 33A
of FIG. 4, is separable from the block such that the selvage
portion 37A is still attached thereto. In the process of the
invention the selvage edge 37A is attached to the stamp holder
panel 18 with the base of the stamp adjacent fold A. When the
envelope is folded about lines A and B, the stamp is framed
obversely and reversely by the apertures 29 and 31 of the other two
panels. Since the gummed side of the stamp and the condition of the
perforate edges are important to philatelists, the aperture sizes
with respect to the stamp are such that the entire gummed surface
and the perforate edges are visible through both obverse and
reverse apertures in the outer envelope panels.
The stamp is exposed both front and rear because of the apertures
29 and 31 of the enclosing envelope. It is desirable to shield the
stamp from harmful penetration through the apertures. The inventive
package therefore provides shields 43, 44 on either side of the
stamp. The shields may be separate but preferably are comprised of
a single sheet, such as the sheet 46 of FIG. 3, which is folded
along line C and placed about holder panel 18, as shown in FIG.
5.
The dimension L.sub.2 of the shield sheet is only slightly smaller
than the dimension L.sub.1 of the front panel 17 such that the
shield does not shift within the envelope to expose a part of the
stamp through the aperture. Preferably the half dimension W.sub.2
from the fold line to the edge of the shield is greater than the
dimension W.sub.1 from the edge of the holder panel to the base
edge of aperture 30 for the same reason.
The assembled envelope, stamp and shield of the embodiment of FIG.
1 thus affords a stamp package wherein canceled and uncanceled
stamps of the same issue are presented with the uncanceled interior
stamp being protected against damage. Preferably the shield
material is a clear plastic, such as "Lexan," which has high
resistive qualities as well as clarity.
The process of the invention includes the steps of forming an outer
envelope, such as the envelope 16 of FIG. 2, forming a stamp
holder, which in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is the third panel of the
envelope and cutting apertures in the obverse and reverse faces of
the envelope and in the holder and then attaching a stamp having a
gummed selvage edge to the holder by means of the selvage edge
adjacent the aperture therein. The envelope is then partially
folded and the shield placed about the stamp holder on either side
thereof and the envelope closed about the holder and shields and
sealed. A like stamp is then placed on the exterior of the envelope
and the postal indicia including date, legend and location of
posting is applied to the envelope exterior and the exterior
stamp.
By using both those stamps of a stamp block which have selvage
edges and those which are not adjacent the stamp block edges there
is no appreciable accumulation of unused stamps. The process of the
invention is therefore financially feasible as well as efficient in
fabrication of a sealed and secured package.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 a folded card package 51
contains an uncanceled stamp 52 and has affixed to its exterior a
canceled stamp 53. Stamp 52 has a selvage edge 54. A postmark 55
cancels the exterior stamp and may contain postal date, legend and
location indicia.
As can be seen from FIG. 7, stamp 52 is adhered adjacent an
aperture 57 of a holder 58 by its selvage edge 54. The interior
stamp is further contained by a small folded Mylar sheet 59 held by
a notch 61 which is incised in edge 62 of holder 58.
The interior stamp is thus firmly held within the holder 58, which
is one panel of a three-panel enclosure. Holder 58 becomes the
interior panel when reverse panel 62 and front panel 63 are folded
about it.
The front panel 63 of the enclosure has an aperture 64. The
aperture may or may not be keyed in configuration to the subject
matter of the stamp. The aperture is closed with respect to the
holder by second sheet 65 of transparent shield 59, which is folded
about edge 66 of the stamp holder 58 in a rear portion 67. The rear
portion extends across the opening, and serves to overlap the
opening 68 of panel 62 entirely.
The enclosure has a sealing flap 72 (FIG. 6), or may have an
adhesive stripe 73 (FIG. 7) to seal the enclosure after the stamp
and shields are closed within the tri-fold card packs. Alternative
fastenings such as staples may be used.
The process illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 is one
in which the stamp is affixed adjacent an aperture of a stamp
holder, sheathed in a folded transparent shield which may be
secured in an edge aperture. The aperture in this instance could be
aptly defined as a lock. The shield is thus held across the front
and rear of the stamp holder and the stamp. The holder and the
shield are enclosed by folding the enclosure, which is then sealed,
has outer stamp 53 affixed thereto and then the postal indicia 55
is applied to cancel the stamp and validate the mailing date as of
the first date of issue of the stamps to form a First Day Cover.
The embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 thus provides a package containing
both canceled and uncanceled stamps in which the inner stamp is
protected from outer damage and the enclosure is sealed to further
preclude such damage.
In each of the illustrative embodiments the inventive package
affords a collector a canceled and an uncanceled stamp with the
date of issue verified by the postal cancelation. Both faces of the
stamps may be inspected within the inventive package and the
enclosed stamp is protected against damage from the exterior of the
envelope, enclosed by the transparent Mylar shield or shields. The
holders may be of cardboard or an acetate plastic to which the
transparent plastic shields may be attached.
In each embodiment the process of the invention comprises the steps
of joining the stamp and the holder by its selvage edge,
perforating one or more faces of the enclosing envelope, placing a
shield between the openings in the openings in the envelope and the
enclosed stamp, fastening the envelope closed about the holder and
the shields and stamp, affixing a like stamp to the exterior of the
envelope and applying postal indicia including date of posting and
location to insure and testify to the date of issue of the desired
stamp. While the illustrative embodiments described above have
disclosed packages enclosing a single stamp, the invention does not
preclude packages with groups of stamps enclosed and groups affixed
exteriorly. Generally two or more related stamps may be joined, but
stamp groupings of many types are not precluded.
The embodiments disclosed herein are to be regarded as illustrative
only since many variations within the scope of the invention will
occur to those skilled in this particular art. It is therefore
desired that the invention be measured by the appended claims
rather than the illustrative disclosure made herein.
* * * * *