Closing liquid for security closures

• US 20080246271A1
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG
• Original Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG
• Inventors: Muhl, Wolfgang, Gerhardt, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/807,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20080246271A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 283/72
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/4895 Solvent bonding, i.e. the surfaces of the parts to be joined being treated with solvents, swelling or softening agents, without adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/00 Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin fibrous or filamentary layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/02; particulate layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/16; foamed layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/18
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/24 using solvents or swelling agents
• CPC Class Codes: B43M 5/042 for envelopes with only one flap
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 11/06 organic
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 11/08 Macromolecular additives
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0341 having label sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1051 by folding

Abstract

The invention relates to a sealing liquid for sealing mailpieces containing water and a penetration agent, to the uses thereof and to letter-closing devices and franking machines containing such a sealing liquid.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A sealing liquid for sealing mailpieces, comprising water and a safety additive being substantially not visible by immediate observation.

12. The sealing liquid according to claim 11, wherein said safety additive is selected from the group consisting of luminescent substances, peptides, proteins, nucleic acids, and low-molecular inorganic or organic substances different from other components of the sealing liquid.

13. The sealing liquid according to claim 11, wherein said safety additive is a nucleic acid with 2 to 50 nucleotides.

14. The sealing liquid according to claim 11, which comprises:

a) 50 to 99.9 wt.-% water;

b) 0 to 10.0 wt.-% penetration agent;

c) 0 to 10.0 wt.-% wetting agent;

d) 0 to 10.0 wt.-% stabilizer and/or buffer;

e) 0 to 5.0 wt.-% dyes;

f) 0 to 5.0 wt.-% aromatic substances;

g) 0 to 10.0 wt.-% biocides and/or fungicides and/or other usual auxiliary substances;

h) 0.0001 to 10.0 wt.-% safety additive;

with the components a) to h) adding up to 100 wt.-%.

15. The sealing liquid according to claim 14, which comprises:

a) 70 to 99.0 wt.-% water;

b) 1.0 to 30.0 wt.-% penetration agent;

c) 0 to 3.0 wt.-% wetting agent;

d) 0 to 3.0 wt.-% stabilizer and/or buffer;

e) 0 to 2.0 wt.-% dyes;

f) 0 to 1.0 wt.-% aromatic substances;

g) 0 to 1.0 wt.-% biocides and/or fungicides and/or other usual auxiliary substances;

h) 0.0001 to 2.0 wt.-% safety additive.

16. The sealing liquid according to claim 15, which comprises:

a) 80 to 99.0 wt.-% water;

b) 1.0 to 20 wt.-% penetration agent;

c) 0.01 to 1.0 wt.-% wetting agent;

d) 0.01 to 2.0 wt.-% stabilizer and/or buffer;

e) 0.01 to 1.0 wt.-% dyes;

f) 0.01 to 0.1 wt.-% aromatic substances;

g) 0 to 0.1 wt.-% biocides and/or fungicides and/or other usual auxiliary substances;

h) 0.0001 to 2.0 wt.-% safety additive.

17. The sealing liquid according to claim 15, wherein component h) amounts to 0.0001 to 0.1 wt.-% safety additive.

18. A method of sealing a mailpiece, comprising:

providing a mailpiece envelope with a gummed flap;

wetting the flap or an area of the mailpiece envelope opposite the folded flap with a sealing liquid according to claim 11 with a defined laterally inhomogeneous distribution of the sealing liquid and/or of the safety additive; and

subsequently folding the flap and pressing the flap against an opposed surface of the mailpiece envelope.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the mailpiece is a letter and the mailpiece envelope is a letter envelope.

20. The method according to claim 18, which comprises performing the wetting and folding steps with an automated letter-closing device.

21. A letter-closing device, comprising:

a tank containing a sealing liquid according to claim 11;

a wetting arm connected to said tank and configured to discharge sealing liquid from said tank and transferring discharged sealing liquid to a mailpiece inserted in the letter-closing device, wherein the sealing liquid is applied on a gummed flap or on a section opposite the gummed flap when the flap is folded onto the mailpiece with a defined laterally inhomogeneous distribution of the sealing liquid and/or of the safety additive.

22. A franking device, comprising a letter-closing device according to claim 21.

23. A mailpiece, comprising a mailpiece envelope having a flap with a gumming, wherein the flap is sealed by wetting the gumming with a sealing liquid according to claim 11, folding the flap, and pressing the flap with the gumming against the mailpiece envelope, and wherein the safety additive is disposed with a defined laterally inhomogeneous distribution in the section of the gumming.

24. A method of detecting an unauthorized opening of a mailpiece, wherein the mailpiece had been sealed with a sealing liquid according to claim 11 and with a laterally inhomogeneous distribution of the safety additive, and method comprises:

detecting and/or indicating the laterally inhomogeneous distribution of the safety additive and automatically comparing laterally inhomogeneous distribution to a laterally inhomogeneous reference distribution.