Two way envelope

• US 5,169,061 A
• Filed: 04/29/1991
• Issued: 12/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William R O'Meara
• Original Assignee: William R O'Meara
• Inventors: Buescher, Eugene J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garbe, Stephen P.
• Application Number:
  US07/693,917
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 229/73, 229/305
• US Class Current: 229/305
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/18 Devices or arrangements for indicating destination, e.g. by code marks applying data to information carriers G06K1/12
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 27/06 with provisions for repeated re-use

Abstract

A two-way envelope includes front and back panels having a portion removable to open the two-way envelope with the other portion forming a reply envelope having an end closure flap for closing the reply envelope. The two-way envelope is preprinted with a reply address, a bar code corresponding to the reply address and an identification code indicating the presence of the bar code. After the two-way envelope is opened and the replay envelope closed, the reply envelope includes the reply address, bar code and identification code but not the outgoing address of the two-way envelope.

Claims

1. A two-way envelope comprising front and back panels connected together to form a pocket therebetween for containing an element to be mailed, said front panel having an outgoing address area for receiving an original outgoing mailing address, a first line of perforations on said front panel extending between the upper and lower edges thereof dividing said front panel into left and right sections between the left and right end edges of the two-way envelope, a second line of perforations on said back panel extending between the upper and lower edges thereof and laterally offset rightwardly of said first line of perforations dividing said back panel into left and right sections between the left and right end edges of the two-way envelope, said right sections separating from said left sections along said first and second lines of perforations in response to forces tending to pull the left and right sections apart during the opening of the two-way envelope to provide a discardable envelope portion including said right sections, and a reply envelope including said left sections, a part of said left section of said back panel extending rightwardly beyond said left section of said front panel to provide a right end closure flap foldable over said left section of said front panel for closing said reply envelope, the two-way envelope having a reply address, a reply bar code corresponding to said reply address and readable by a postal service code reader for sorting mail and, an identification code indicating the presence of said reply bare code and readable by a postal service code reader, at least a portion of said reply address and said indentification code being located on said part of said left section of said back panel of the two-way envelope and extending parallel to said end edges, said reply bar code being on said left section of said front panel and extending parallel with and adjacent to the left end edge of the two-way envelope, said second line of perforations being laterally offset rightwardly from said first line of perforations such that after the two-way envelope is opened and said end closure flap is folded over said left section of said front panel said reply envelope includes said reply address, said reply bar code, and said indentification code but is essentially free of said outgoing mailing address area.

2. The two-way envelope of claim 1 further including an original outgoing address in said outgoing address area extending substantially parallel with said upper and lower edges.