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(11) | EP 3 187 341 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | MAILER MADE OF CARDBOARD WITH COMPARTMENT CLOSED BY A TEAR-AWAY LEAF AND CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY TWO-DIMENSIONAL EXTRACTABLE CARDS AND OBJECTS |
| (57) A mailer made of cardboard or equivalent material is provided with at least one compartment,
closed by a removable leaf, for containing and hiding an object with a substantially
two-dimensional development, such as a brochure, a credit card, a membership card,
or a ticket, which can be taken out merely by tearing said leaf along a pre-set tear
line, which enables also complete detachment thereof from the cardboard on which it
is provided, rendering, on the one hand, evident any attempt at theft or tampering
and, on the other, also enabling re-use of said part of the mailer for further advertising
and commercial messages. As further communication tool, within the mailer, the compartment
can be closed by a wall on which are present pre-dinked shapes - graphically representing
objects or tools - which are provided by perforated lines along the corresponding
contours that facilitate detachment thereof and their independent use.
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[0001] The present invention relates to the sector of paper and cardboard design techniques and more in particular to a mailer made of cardboard or equivalent material, provided with at least one compartment, closed by a removable leaf, designed to contain, and hide, an object having a substantially two-dimensional development, such as a brochure or leaflet for information or advertising purposes, a credit card, a membership card, or a ticket for an event or show. The contents of the compartment, whether a leaflet, a card, a ticket, or whatever else, can be taken out merely by tearing the aforesaid leaf along a pre-set tear line, which also enables complete detachment thereof from the cardboard on which it is provided, on the one hand, rendering evident any attempt at theft or tampering and, on the other, also enabling re-use of said part of the mailer according to the invention, given its shape, for further advertising and commercial messages.
[0002] Constituting an additional characteristic of the mailer according to the invention is the fact that, as further communication tool capable of surprising the customer, inside the mailer, on the wall that closes said compartment there may be present pre-dinked shapes - graphically representing objects or tools - which are provided, that is, with perforated lines along the corresponding contours that facilitate detachment thereof and their independent use.
[0003] As is known to the person skilled in the sector, one of the critical aspects that arises in shipping of mailers, also through the postal system, is inherent in the ease with which these may be tampered with, above all where they contain more or less private or confidential information of any kind.
[0004] Various attempts have been made to make up for these critical aspects by providing mailers that use more or less effective security systems. However, these attempts have not led to the results hoped for and do not enable full use, for advertising purposes, of the elements that make them up, owing to their shape.
[0005] The mailer forming the subject of the present patent application overcomes all the critical aspects highlighted above, security being guaranteed by the anti-theft tear-away system for closing of the single housing, with the added possibilities of re-using the removable part, given its shape, for other purposes (for example, advertising or commercial purposes), and of supplying materially additional communication tools, which can be used separately from one another and cannot fail to have a big effect on the clientele to which the mailer is addressed.
[0006] The present invention will now be described, by way of illustration, according to two preferred embodiments, which are not, however, to be understood as in any way limiting, with particular reference to the attached drawings, it being borne in mind that what is illustrated, without prejudice to its intrinsic functionality, can vary as regards dimensions, numbers, and shapes, without this possibly limiting the sphere of protection of the present invention.
[0007] In the plates of drawings:
Figure 1 is a front view of a closed mailer provided with a compartment according to the invention, designed for substantially two-dimensional objects, such as cards, tickets or the like;
Figure 2 is a rear view of the same mailer;
Figure 3 is a front view of the format, laid out for printing, of the mailer according to Figures 1 and 2, comprising a central part with two side flaps - one of which is provided with a window - which can be folded on one another, and a leaflet (or other substantially two-dimensional object, such as a card or a ticket), which is separate and is to be inserted into the mailer;
Figure 4 is a view of the back of the laid-out format of the mailer and of the card illustrated in Figure 3;
Figure 5 shows the first step of preparation of the mailer according to the previous figures, which starts with folding the flap in which the window is made on the central part, and then inserting the leaflet or card;
Figure 6 shows the second step of preparation of the same mailer, with completion of folding of the flap with the window on the central part;
Figure 7 shows the third step of preparation, with gluing of the flap provided with the window on the central part and start of folding, on the latter, of the other flap on which the leaf is provided for access to the inside of the mailer, which can be opened along an anti-theft tear line;
Figure 8 shows the final step of closing of said flap on the flap provided with the window for completion of the mailer;
Figure 9 is a perspective front view of the mailer, with the leaf on the front flap just opened, after it has been torn along the perforated line at the bottom and the two vertical sides;
Figure 10 is a front view, once again of the same mailer, with the detachable leaf totally raised so as to disclose the leaflet or card contained therein, but still constrained to the mailer along the tear line present on one perimetral side of the mailer itself;
Figure 11 is a front perspective view of the mailer with the leaf open, as in the previous figure, and the card partially pulled out of its compartment;
Figure 12 is a front perspective view of the mailer, again with the leaf raised, once the card contained therein has been removed; and
Figures 13 and 14 are, respectively, a front view and a rear view of the laid-out format of the mailer according to a variant embodiment, where the first flap that can be folded on the central part has a smaller height than the second flap and has shapes representing objects or tools having pre-dinked contours to enable detachment thereof and their independent use; and
Figures 15, 16, and 17 show the various steps of preparation of the mailer according to the variant embodiment of Figures 13 and 14, where it will be noted that the only difference consists in the fact that pulling the card out of the compartment closed by the removable leaf is carried out at a short side.
[0008] With reference to the figures as these are represented, it is pointed out that the mailer that forms the subject of the present invention, merely by way of example, is rectangular in shape and is made of cardboard (or equivalent material), with a central fixed part and two side flaps that can be folded like a book on one another, where the central part A functions as base, the first flap B is provided with an extensive window D, and provided on the flap C is a perforated line 1 that delimits a purposely provided tear-open leaf E, as will be described more fully hereinafter.
[0009] Figures 5 to 8 illustrate the steps of preparation of the mailer. After the leaflet or card H has been inserted (Figure 6), the flap B is folded and glued on the central part A thanks to two adhesive strips provided along the two free sides 7 and 8, thus defining a compartment, designed to contain substantially two-dimensional objects, such as for example coupons, brochures, CDs, cards, and the like, which is open on just one side to enable removal of the contents (Figure 7).
[0010] The above compartment is then sealed by folding and gluing the flap C in turn on the flap B, by means of the adhesive strips provided along the three free sides 7, 8, and 9.
[0011] According to a characteristic of the invention, once the flap C has been torn along the perforated line 1, the leaf E thus formed, which may have variable dimensions and shape, is raised so as to enable access to the underlying housing and extraction of the contents H therefrom. Advantageously, the window D enables the contents of the compartment to be viewed, even before they are taken out.
[0012] In the case where, instead of the simple creasing between the central part A and the flap B, there is provided a further tear line 10, detachment of the leaf E from the part C of the cardboard on which it is provided is completed. Otherwise, the leaf, even though it is open, cannot may be separated from the mailer.
[0013] Each leaf E, in addition to being provided with a contour tear line 1, is purposely provided with a tab 4, surrounded by perforations having a pitch that is slightly longer than that of the leaf, this enabling the user, once the tab has been raised, to tear open the leaf E easily without tearing either the leaf itself or much less the cardboard B.
[0014] The objects H housed inside the compartment cannot in any way come out of the mailer unless the operation of opening of the leaf E is carried out by tearing it open, starting from the tab 4, along the entire tear line 1.
[0015] To be able to take out the object H present in the mailer according to the invention, the user will have to pull the tab 4 of the leaf E so as to be able to gain access to the underlying compartment.
[0016] In this way, only and exclusively the addressee of the mailer is able to gain access to the contents, and any sign of theft or tampering present along the tear line 1 is immediately visible.
[0017] It is evident that the leaf may assume different shapes characterized by further tear lines, which enable creation, by way of example, of advertising coupons, cards or any visual-communication product that may be used also independently.
[0018] On the back of the cardboard used as base A, there is the space for the data of the addressee 6, as well as for stamping 5. These data may, of course, be provided also on the front part of the invention.
[0019] Figures 15-18 illustrate a variant of the invention, where the flap B has a lower height than the base A and the top leaf C. When the two sides 7 and 9 are glued together, the side 8 thus remains free so as to enable easy access to the compartment for insertion and extraction of the leaflet, card, or ticket that the mailer is to contain.
[0020] According to a peculiar characteristic of this embodiment, the flap B advantageously has a plurality pre-dinked shapes V representing objects or figures that can easily be detached and used individually. In the case illustrated by way of example, the shapes refer to various work tools that may be present in a toolbox. It goes without saying that this constitutes a pleasant surprise that undoubtedly attracts the interest of the recipient of the mailer and of his or her family. Obviously, the solution that is described opens up various possibilities: for example, playing cards or more or less widespread elements of games may be reproduced so as to involve adults and children alike in activities that can be protracted in time, thus increasing the outreach and hold of the advertising message and so guaranteeing its effectiveness.
[0021] Advantageously, the mailer according to the present invention, which has been represented with a preferred rectangular shape, may assume an extremely wide range of shapes.
[0022] Consequently, the invention has been described in relation to its functions by way of non-limiting illustration, and it is hence to be understood that variations and/or modifications may be made thereto, without thereby departing from its sphere of protection as defined in the ensuing claims.
it is formed starting from a sheet of cardboard, or equivalent material, made up of a central part (A) and two laterally opposite flaps (B) and (C), the first of which (B) is folded on the inner face (Ai) of said central part (A) to form a pouch designed to receive a substantially two-dimensional object (H), the edges of the flap (B) being attached, with any technique, to the edges of the central part (A), which functions as base, via fixing along their entire perimeter or part thereof (7, 8, and 9); and
the flap (C), which is folded and glued on said folded flap (B) so as to close the mailer, has a tear-open contour line (1) designed to create a leaf (E) of variable dimensions and shape, which, once torn open, enables access to the underlying housing for extraction of the contents (H) therefrom.