Recyclable single-sheet mailer
First Claim
1. A recyclable single-sheet mailer, comprising:
- an elongated sheet of substantially opaque, recyclable paper having a front face, an opposing rear face, a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposing side edges;
a plurality of transverse fold lines formed in the paper stock parallel to the top and bottom edges dividing the sheet of paper into a plurality of panels, each of the panels having a front face and a rear face;
at least one transparent and seamless window area formed in the sheet of paper by chemical treatment to render the opaque paper transparent in the window area; and
a plurality of adhesive strips disposed on at least one of the faces of the sheet of paper, including at least one strip of adhesive disposed across the rear face adjacent the top edge and defining an inside flap, whereby the sheet of paper is folded and sealed along the inside flap to form a mailer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The recyclable single-sheet mailer is a single sheet of predominantly opaque paper stock having a front face, a rear face, top and bottom edges, and a transparent and seamless addressee window area defined thereon. All printed content is applied to the rear face of the mailer. The mailer has a plurality of transverse fold lines formed parallel to the top and bottom edges, dividing the sheet into a plurality of panels configurable as either a one-way mailer or as mailer with a business or courtesy reply envelope. Furthermore, a two-dimensional barcode containing addressee specific account information may be printed on the reply envelope to facilitate handling. Finally, addressee information, including bar-coded POSTNET data, may be printed in mirror image within the transparent window area, facilitating correct barcode scanning.
158 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A recyclable single-sheet mailer, comprising:
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an elongated sheet of substantially opaque, recyclable paper having a front face, an opposing rear face, a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposing side edges;
a plurality of transverse fold lines formed in the paper stock parallel to the top and bottom edges dividing the sheet of paper into a plurality of panels, each of the panels having a front face and a rear face;
at least one transparent and seamless window area formed in the sheet of paper by chemical treatment to render the opaque paper transparent in the window area; and
a plurality of adhesive strips disposed on at least one of the faces of the sheet of paper, including at least one strip of adhesive disposed across the rear face adjacent the top edge and defining an inside flap, whereby the sheet of paper is folded and sealed along the inside flap to form a mailer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A recyclable single-sheet mailer, comprising:
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an elongated sheet of substantially opaque, recyclable paper having a front face, an opposing rear face, a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposing side edges;
at least one transparent and seamless window area formed in the sheet of paper by chemical treatment to render the opaque paper transparent in the window area; and
indicia representing addressee information imprinted in mirror image on the rear face of the transparent window area. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of forming a recyclable single-sheet mailer from an opaque sheet of recyclable paper, comprising the steps of:
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forming a fold line adjacent a top edge of the sheet, thereby forming a flap;
coating a rear face of the flap with a strip of adhesive;
forming weakened lines along opposite sides of the sheet to form tear away strips, whereby the sheet is capable of being torn along the weakened lines to open the mailer;
forming transverse fold lines across the sheet in order to define an upper top panel a lower top panel, an upper bottom panel, and a lower bottom panel;
chemically treating at least one portion of the upper top panel to form a transparent window area in the opaque sheet; and
applying strips of adhesive to the tear way strips on a rear face of a plurality of the panels. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification