Envelope having a remailable portion

• US 4,815,654 A
• Filed: 10/28/1987
• Issued: 03/28/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BUESCHER, EUGENE J., 80% INTEREST, O'MEARA, WILLIAM R., 20% INTEREST
• Original Assignee: William R O'Meara
• Inventors: Buescher, Eugene J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garbe, Stephen P.
• Application Number:
  US07/114,629
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 229/73, 206/610
• US Class Current: 229/305
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 27/06 with provisions for repeated re-use

Abstract

A mailing envelope that has a closure flap and is provided with lines of perforations that divide the envelope into separable two portions, one of which is usable as a mailable envelope. The perforations are spaced from edges of the envelope so that the envelope resists inadvertent breaking along the lines of perforations during stuffing and handling during mailing.

Claims

1. A reusable envelope comprising front and back panels each having opposed ends and opposed sides, the opposed ends of said front panel being connected respectively to the opposed ends of said back panel, one of said opposed sides of said front panel being connected to one of the opposed sides of said back panel, a first closure flap for closing the reusable envelope having one side integrally connected to one of said sides of one of said panels an having an opposed free side, said front and back panels having first and second tear lines of perforations, respectively, extending between said opposed sides of said panels with the line of perforations on said one panel extending into said flap, one of said lines of perforations being spaced from at least one of said sides of the panel on which it extends to resist premature tearing thereof, said lines of perforations being laterally offset from each other dividing the reusable envelope into two envelope portions, first adhesive means on said first closure flap for adhesively connecting areas of said first flap to areas of said other panel for closing the reusable envelope, said envelope portions after the reusable envelope is closed being separable from each other at said tear lines of perforations when opening the reusable envelope with one of said envelope portions providing a formed envelope with a second closure flap, facing areas of said panels between said lines of perforations being substantially unattached to each other and said first flap being substantially unattached to areas of said other panel between said lines of perforation after the reusable envelope is adhesively closed by said first flap to allow the separation of said envelope portions when the reusable envelope is opened, and second adhesive means on said second closure flap for adhesively closing said formed envelope.

2. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said tear line of perforations on said one panel is spaced from the free side of said flap.

3. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said second tear line of perforations is spaced from said one side of said back panel.

4. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said first line of perforations is spaced from said one side of said front panel.

5. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said first flap is connected to the other of said sides of said front panel at a fold line, said first tear line of perforations is spaced from said fold line with none of the perforations intersecting said fold line.

6. The envelope of claim 5 wherein said first tear line of perforations is spaced from the free edge of said flap.

7. The envelope of claim 6 wherein said first tear line is spaced from said one side of said front panel.

8. The envelope of claim 7 wherein said first tear line of perforations is spaced from said other edge of said front panel.

9. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said second tear line of perforations includes a slit longer than any other perforation thereof.

10. The envelope of claim 1 wherein the closure flap of the formed envelope has a non-dryable adhesive thereon, and a peel-away cover strip having a slick surface covering said adhesive and at least a portion of said second line of perforations.

11. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said front panel has a mailing address area intersected by said first tear line of perforations, and said first tear line of perforations has a series of perforations smaller than other perforations thereof located in said mailing address area.

12. The envelope of claim 1 including a line of adhesive connecting said front and back panels together adjacent one end thereof to space an insert from said one end.

13. The envelope of claim 1 wherein none of the perforations of said second line of perforations intersects any of said sides of said back panel.

14. The envelope of claim 1 wherein none of the perforations of said first line of perforations intersects any of said sides of said front panel.

15. The envelope of claim 14 wherein none of the perforations of said second line of perforations intersects any of said sides of said back panel.

16. The envelope of claim 15 wherein said second line of perforations includes a slit linger than any perforation of said second line of perforations.

17. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said front panel has a mailing address area thereon, and said first line of perforations extends through said mailing address area.

18. The envelope of claim 17 wherein said front panel includes a return address area latterly spaced from said mailing address area such that said second flap when closing said formed envelope covers said part of the mailing address area but not the return address area.

19. The envelope of claim 17 further including a message sheet connected to one of said panels by a third tear line of perforations.

20. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said one opposed side of said back panel is integrally connected to said one opposed side of front panel along a fold line, and said fold line has a slit extending laterly between said first and second lines of perforations.

21. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said panels are discreet paper sheet members connected together at said opposed ends and along said one sides thereof by adhesive means, and said lines of perforation are substantially straight lines of perforations.

22. A reusable envelope comprising front and back panels each having left and right end edges and upper and lower side edges, said panels being connected together adjacent the left and right edges and adjacent one of the side edges of the panels to provide a pocket for receiving an element to be mailed, a first closure flap having a free side edge and integrally connected to said front panel along an opposed side edge thereof and adapted to be folded over said back panel for closing the reusable envelope, said front and back panels having first and second tear lines of perforations, respectively, extending substantially vertically between the side edges of said panels with said first line of perforations extending into said first closure flap, one end of one of said lines of perforations extending close to but spaced from one of said edges, said first and second lines of perforations being laterally offset from each other with said first line of perforations spaced farther from said right edges than said second line of perforations to divide the reusable envelope into right and left envelope portions, first adhesive means on said first closure flap extending laterally between the left end thereof and said first line of perforations and laterally between the right end thereof and said second line of perforations so that said first closure flap adheres to aeas of said back panel in areas thereof to the left of said first line of perforations and to the right of said second line of perforations when said first closure flap is adhereingly closing the reusable envelope, said envelope portions being spearable at said first and second lines of perforations when said portions are pulled apart to open the reusable envelope, the facing areas of said first flap and said back panel and the facing areas of said front and back panels between said first and second lines of perforations when said first closure flap is adhesively closing said reusable envelope being substantially unattached to each other to allow movement between said facing areas during the opening of the reusable envelope, said left envelope portion including parts of said front and back panels and part of said first closure flap with a portion of said back panels part extending rightwardly beyond the right end of said front panel part to provide a second closure flap for closing said left envelope portion and having a free edge, second adhesive means on said second closure flap adjacent to said free edge thereof for adhesively connecting it to said front panels part when closing said left envelope portion.

23. The envelope of claim 22 wherein said one edge is the free side edge of said flap.

24. The envelope of claim 22 wherein said one edge is the lower edge of said front panel.

25. The envelope of claim 22 wherein said front panel includes mailing address means located to be intersected by said first line of perforations.

26. The envelope of claim 25 wherein said front panels includes return address means spaced leftwardly from the free edge of said second closure flap when said left envelope portion is adhesively closed by said second closure flap.

27. The envelope of claim 26 wherein said first line of perforations extends close to but is spaced from the upper and lower edges thereof and the opposed edge o said first closure.

28. The envelope of claim 27 wherein said second line of perforations extends close to but is spaced from the upper and edges thereof.

29. The envelope of claim 28 wherein the front and back panels comprise a single sheet member folded along one edge of each panels to form said front and back panels.

30. The envelope of claim 28 wherein said first line of perforations includes a series of perforations within said mailing address means smaller in length than other perforations of said first line of perforations.

31. The envelope of claim 22 wherein said first adhesive means has a color in contrast with the color of the reusable envelope.