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(11) | EP 0 102 792 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Mailer construction |
| (57) A mailer form comprising an envelope having a front and back sheet secured together
along marginal edges thereof. The front sheet has a window area. A self-reproducing
surface is provided in the envelope and faces the window area whereby a printer having
a non-carbonizing ribbon can print over the envelope front sheet to reproduce on the
self-reproducing surface information which is visible in the window area and not visible
in other areas of the envelope. |
[0001] The present invention relates to an improved mailer and method of making same, wherein the front sheet of an envelope is provided with a window area whereby information is printed over the envelope with a non-carbonizing ribbon to reproduce information on a self-reproducing surface in the envelope with the information being visible only in the window area of the envelope.
[0002] Mailer envelopes are known wherein an envelope is provided with a front sheet having a carbon backing and wherein on the front of the envelope a particular area is coated with a material which will reproduce printed information when a special coated ribbon is used in a printer and applied against the coated front portion of the envelope. However, the coated ribbon will not reproduce information on the non-coated areas of the front sheet of the envelope. On the non-coated areas of the envelope, printed information will be transferred, by the carbon backing, to a sheet interposed between the front and back sheets forming the envelope and not be visible on the outside of the envelope.
[0003] This type of known mailer and method of making same has been found expensive in that a special type coated ribbon is required in the printer to imprint information on the mailer envelope and it is further necessary to treat specific areas of the front sheet of the envelope with a reproducing coating material to reproduce information on the front sheet. Furthermore, some of the known mailers utilize a front sheet with carbon backing in order to transfer the printed information on an interior sheet of the envelope. A further disadvantage of this prior art is that the printer ribbons, having the special coating, are difficult to obtain due to the limited application of the ribbons, are not made for all types of printers and hava relatively short shelf life.
[0004] It is a feature of the present invention to provide a mailer form and method of making same which overcomes the above disadvantages of the prior art.
[0005] It is a further feature of the present invention to provide an improved mailer form wherein information is printed on a self-reproducing surface inside the envelope by utilizing a printer with a plain non-carbonized ribbon and wherein information is visible in a window area on the front of the envelope and not visible in other areas.
[0006] A further feature of the present invention is to provide a novel method of producing a mailer form wherein information is printed on an envelope and reproduced on a self-reproducing surface inside the envelope with information being visible in a window area on the front sheet of the envelope and not visible in other areas.
[0007] According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides a mailer form comprising an envelope having a front and back sheet secured together along marginal edges thereof. The front sheet has a window area. A self-reproducing surface is provided in the envelope and faces the window area whereby a printer having a non-carbonizing ribbon can print over the envelope front sheet to reproduce on the self-reproducing surface information which is visible in the window area and not visible in other areas of the envelope.
[0008] According to a further broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a mailer form comprising the steps of providing an envelope having a front and back sheet with the front sheet having a window area. The envelope has a self-reproducing surface therein facing the window area. The envelope is then fed through a printer for printing information on the front sheet through a non-carbonizing ribbon to reproduce on the self-reproducing surface information which is visible in the window area and not visible in the other areas of the envelope.
[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the examples thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGURE 1 is a fragmented front view showing one form of mailer adapted to be fed through a printing machine;
FIGURE 2 is a fragmented front view of a mailer envelope; and
FIGURE 3 is a front view of a further mailer form having a different envelope construction.
[0010] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, there is shown generally at 10 the mailer form of the present invention. The mailer form comprises an envelope 11 formed by a front sheet 12 and a backing sheet 13 secured together along marginal edges thereof by glue strips 14 as is commonly known in the art. The front sheet is provided with a window area 15 and a self-reproducing surface is provided in the envelope facing the window area.
[0011] The self-reproducing surface is constituted in Figure 1 by providing in the envelope one or more information sheets treated with a substance wherein the sheet 16 has a self-reproducing surface 16'. This self-reproducing surface faces the window area 15 of the front sheet 12. The window area 15 may be an open area or may be provided with a transparent film material 17 (see Figure 2).
[0012] As shown in Figure 1, a plurality of forms 10 are attached together in a side-by-side relationship by perforated lines 18 whereby each of the envelopes 11 is separable from one another. A feed strip 19 is detachably secured along opposed end edges of the envelopes 11 whereby the envelopes can be fed through a high-speed printer. The printer is provided with a non-carbonizing ribbon for imprinting information on the front sheet 12 of the envelope. The printed information is reproduceable on the self-reproducing surface 16' on the information sheet 16 and visible in the window area 15. Infornr ation printed on other areas is not visible as it is concealed by the front sheet 12. In order to have access to the information sheet 16 the envelope 11 is provided with a tear strip 21 along an end edge thereof. A removable tab 22 is also provided along the inner perforated line 21' of the tear strip to facilitate access to the interior of the envelope 11.
[0013] As shown in Figure 2 the envelope is a standard-type envelope having a flap 23 along the marginal top edge 24 thereof to seal the open top edge of the envelope. The information sheet 16 is also provided inside the envelope and the information imprinted on the envelope is only visible in the window area 15, as above described.
[0014] Referring now to Figure 3 there is shown a modified form of the type described in Figure 1 and as herein shown the backing sheet 13 of the form is treated with a self-reproducing material whereby the information imprinted over the front sheet 12 will reproduce on the inner surface of the backing sheet. Accordingly, there is no information sheet 16 provided within the envelope. In order to have access to the backing sheet the envelope 12, as shown in Figure 3, is provided with opposed tear strips 25 along the longitudinal marginal edges thereof and a further tear strip 26 along one end edge thereof. The opposed end edge is provided with a peel-off glue along a glue portion 27 thereof. Perforations 25' and 26' permit detachment of the tear strips 25 and 26, respectively. Thus, the front sheet 12 can be easily separated from the backing sheet 13 whereby the backing sheet constitutes the information carrying sheet. The front sheet is also provided with one or more window areas 15 for the same purpose as hereinabove defined.
1. A mailer form comprising an envelope having a front and backing sheet secured together
along marginal edges thereof, said front sheet having a window area, a self-reproducing
surface in said envelope facing said window area whereby a printer having a noncarboniz-
ing ribbon can print over said envelope front sheet to reproduce on said self-reproducing
surface information which is visible in said window area and not visible in other
areas of the envelope.
2. A mailer form as claimed in claim 1 wherein said self-reproducing surface is provided
on one or more information sheet located between said envelope front and backing sheet.
3. A mailer form as claimed in claim 1 wherein said self-reproducing surface is provided
on the interior surface of said envelope backing sheet.
4. A mailer form as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein said window area is provided with
a transparent film material.
5. A mailer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said envelope front and backing sheet are
glued together along marginal edges by glue strips, and means to detach at least one
of said glued strips.
6. A mailer as claimed in claim 5 wherein said means is a tear tab.
7. A mailer as claimed in claim 5 wherein said means is constituted by perforated
lines extending along three marginal edges of said envelope spaced inwardly of said
glue strips, the other marginal edge having a peel-off glue to separate said front
and backing sheet.
8. A mailer as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said envelopes are attached
together in side-by-side relationship by perforated tear lines, and a feed strip detachably
secured along opposed end edges of said plurality of envelopes for feeding said envelopes
through a printer having a plain non-carbonizing ribbon for imprinting information
thereon reproduceable on said self-reproducing surface only.
9. A mailer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said envelope has a flap along a marginal
edge thereof to seal an open edge of said envelope.
10. A method of making a mailer form comprising the steps of:
(i) providing an envelope having a front and back sheet with said front sheet having a window area, said envelope having a self-reproducing surface therein facing said window area;
(ii) printing information on said front sheet through a non-carbonizing ribbon to reproduce on said self-reproducing surface information which is visible in said window area and not visible in other areas of the envelope.