Return card system

• US 5,031,382 A
• Filed: 12/07/1989
• Issued: 07/16/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Mail Systems, Inc. (Transcontinental Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Mail Systems, Inc. (Transcontinental Incorporated)
• Inventors: Boyle, Donald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coan, James F.
• Application Number:
  US07/447,217
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 493/216, 493/921, 493/919, 53/460, 53/206, 53/411, 53/131, 229/92.3, 229/73
• US Class Current: 53/411
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/08 Letter-cards or letter-sheets, i.e. cards or sheets each of which is to be folded with the message inside and to serve as its own envelope for mailing

Abstract

A combined letter and return card system is disclosed. A sheet of letterhead stock is provided with an opening near the upper left of the sheet in the position where the recipient'"'"'s inside address is normally typed. A preprinted return card is affixed to the reverse side of the sheet in position to rearwardly overfit the window opening. A space for applying the recipient'"'"'s address on the return card is exposed through the opening. The return card includes a perforated tear strip which is secured to the reverse side of the letterhead sheet by employing a continuous stripe of adhesive. Additionally, upper portions of the return card are adhered by a plurality of transversely spaced, small adhesive dots. The recipient'"'"'s address is printed through the opening onto the card simultaneously with imprinting an individualized salutation on the front face of the letter. The message may also be printed at the same time as the salutation and address, or the message may be pre-printed. The letter and card may then be folded and placed in a window envelope, the recipient'"'"'s address being visible through the envelope window.

Claims

1. A method for simultaneous printing of a letter and a return card, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a stock letter blank with an address opening, the blank having a front face and a rear face;

(b) positioning a preprinted return card over the letter blank at the rear face thereof so that said card overfits said opening;

(c) securing the return card to said rear face by applying adhesive to vertically spaced and transversely spaced portions of one of the return card and said rear face;

(d) printing simultaneously said front face of the blank and said return card portion visible through said opening;

(e) folding said printed blank about said secured return card with said name and address folded outwardly;

(f) placing said printed blank and attached return card in a window envelope so that said name and address is visible through the window in the envelope;

(g) removing the printed blank from the window envelope and separating the return card from the rear face of the blank, said separating including separating the plurality of spaced, small adhesive dots without separating the continuous adhesive strip; and

,

(h) perforating the return card above the continuous adhesive stripe and separating the return card from the printed blank by tearing along the perforations.

6. The combination return card and letter according to claim 1 wherein said adhesive stripe is smooth and of uniform thickness.

8. The combination return card and letter according to claim 6 wherein said releasable adhesive comprises a plurality of spaced, small adhesive dots the dots being upwardly spaced from the smooth, uniform thickness, adhesive strope.

9. The combination return card and letter according to claim 8 wherein the adhesive dots are transversely spaced on the return card.

2. A combined return card and letter, comprising:

a letter blank provided with an address opening, a front face and a rear face;

a return card sized to at least overfit said opening, said return card being adhered to the rear face of the blank so that a predetermined portion of the return card is visible through said opening, said return card having an upper edge and a lower edge, a releasable adhesive comprising at least one small dot applied to the return card near the upper edge, said return card being provided with linear perforations near said bottom edge, the perforations defining a bottom tear strip, the tear strip portion of the return card below said perforations being affixed to the rear face of the letter blank; and

an adhesive strip on one of said rear face of the letter blank and said return card bottom tear strip for holding said return card to said letter blank;

wherein when said letter blank is printed, the recipient'"'"'s address can be printed through said opening onto the return card and the return card can be removed for reply by tearing along said perforations, the bottom tear strip portion of said card remaining affixed to said letter blank.

3. The combination return card and letter according to claim 2 wherein said adhesive stripe is positioned on said letter sheet rear face proximate to and below said opening.

4. The combination return card and letter according to claim 2 wherein said letter blank further comprises printed materials on the front face of said blank.

5. The combination return card and letter according to claim 2 wherein said releasable adhesive comprises a plurality of spaced, small adhesive dots to temporarily secure a portion of the return card which is spaced from the tear strip to the rear face of the letter blank.

7. The combination return card and letter according to claim 5 wherein the adhesive dots are transversely spaced on the return card.

10. A method for simultaneous printing of a letter and a return card, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a stock letter blank with an address opening, the blank having a front face and a rear face;

(b) positioning a preprinted return card over the letter blank at the rear face thereof so that said card overfits said opening, the return card having a tear strip defined by perforations;

(c) securing the return card to said rear face by applying adhesive to vertically spaced and transversely spaced portions of one of the return card and said rear face, including applying the adhesive in a continuous stripe at the tear strip, and also applying the adhesive in a plurality of spaced, small dots in transversely spaced locations spaced from the tear strip; and

,

(d) printing simultaneously said front face of the blank and said return card portion visible through said opening.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the printing on the front face of the blank comprises a salutation and the printing on the return card comprises a name and address.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the printing further comprises printing a message on said letter simultaneously with printing the said salutation and name and address.

13. The method according to claim 10 and the further steps of:

(e) folding said printed blank about said secured return card with said name and address folded outwardly.

14. The method according to claim 13 and the further step of:

(f) placing said printed blank and attached return card in a window envelope so that said name and address is visible through the window in the envelope.

15. The method according to claim 14 and the further step of

(g) removing the printed blank from the window envelope and separating the return card from the rear face of the blank.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the separating comprises separating the plurality of spaced, small adhesive dots without separating the continuous adhesive stripe.