Security envelope

• US 5,918,983 A
• Filed: 11/08/1996
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Control Paper Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Control Paper Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Palazzolo, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascua, Jes F.
• Application Number:
  US08/745,952
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 383/5, 383/78, 383/83, 383/84, 383/85, 383/88, 383/89, 383/61, 383/93
• US Class Current: 383/5
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 33/1691 using adhesive applied to attached closure elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 33/34 with special means for indicating unauthorised opening B65D33/2516, B65D33/2585 take precedence

Abstract

A security envelope for transporting valuable documents and articles includes a thin header formed of thin frangible material secured to the back panel having an adhesive layer that seals the header to the front panel upon folding and pressing closed. An inner layer of adhesive on the inner surface of the back panel seals the inner front and back panel surfaces to close the envelope chamber and extends further toward the envelope bottom than the header adhesive layer when sealed to prevent tampering tool access to the envelope chamber. Application of tampering heat will shrivel the header and cold sufficient to release the inner adhesive layer will cause pieces of the outer adhesive layer to break off and fall away. Printed indicia on the header inner surface and a transparent flood coat on the inner header surface will adhere to the header adhesive layer and aid in the tampering attempt indication.

Claims

1. A sealable plastic safety envelope for the conveyance of valuable documents that can be sealed by a sender and inspected by a recipient for indications of tampering or a tampering attempt undertaken by one or more of a variety of tampering techniques, the envelope comprising;

front and back panels of substantially equal length made of plastic material and defining a chamber and comprising front and back portions that comprise upper edges defining a laterally extending mouth opening to said chamber, each of said front and back portions having an inner and an outer surface, and said front portion having a lip region extending laterally coincident with the mouth and from the mouth downward a predetermined approximate distance from the mouth,

a tamper evident header having a back section secured across the outer surface of said back portion and a front section extending upward beyond said back portion for folding over said edges,

an outer adhesive layer coating said front section for securing said front section to said front panel outer surface and extending substantially across said lip region when said outer adhesive layer is pressed thereto,

said outer adhesive layer being located on said header to contact and extend across said edges when said front section is secured to said lip region,

an inner adhesive layer for sealing together said inner surfaces of said lip region and back portion and closing said chamber, said inner adhesive layer coating said inner surface of and extending laterally substantially across said back portion, said inner adhesive layer having a lowest boundary, and

a release liner for protecting said outer and inner adhesive layers from unwanted adhesion being releasably secured to and covering said outer and inner adhesive layers, and

wherein said outer surface of said frontportion includes indicia so located to aid the sender where to fold and press the free edge of said header on to said front portion, and

said outer adhesive layer when said header is properly folded relative to said indicia and pressed on to said front portion having a lowest boundary that would be located above said lowest boundary of said inner adhesive layer and said outer adhesive lowest boundary would overlie said inner adhesive layer, and wherein after the envelope is closed and sealed, said inner adhesive layer prevents access to items within the chamber if a tamper tool penetrates or blade cuts through said header and said lip region.

2. A scalable plastic safety envelope according to claim 1, wherein said outer adhesive layer extends across said back panel portion for securing said back section to said back panel outer surface.

3. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 1, wherein said header is made of material and has a thickness that shrivels with the application, to the header, of heat and becomes more frangible with the application to the header of cold temperature, whereby if after application of cold elements to the header the header is successfully raised, the outer adhesive layer remains on the outer envelope surface overlying the internal inner adhesive layer and further application of cold elements to release the internal layer must be applied to the exposed outer adhesive layer.

4. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 1, wherein said header comprises an inner surface to which said outer adhesive layer is secured, said inner surface having thereon a first printed layer in a first color and having thereon a second printed layer in a second color, and said outer adhesive layer being secured to said inner header surface and covering said first and second printed layers.

5. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 4, wherein said first printed layer comprises indicia that repeats in a predetermined pattern and said second printed layer comprises a flood coat covering said first printed layer.

6. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 5, wherein random portions of said first and second printed layers will adhere to said outer adhesive surface in the event tampering successfully pulls back said header from said outer adhesive layer.

7. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 6, wherein said outer adhesive layer comprises a third color and said header is sufficiently transparent to enable a recipient to see the third color or the absence of a combination of the second and third color in the event the header is removed from the outer adhesive layer and replaced at a slightly different position on the outer adhesive layer.

8. A sealable plastic safety envelope for the conveyance of valuable documents that can be sealed by a sender and inspected by a recipient for indications of tampering or a tampering attempt undertaken by one or more of a variety of tampering techniques, the envelope comprising:

font and back panels of substantially equal length defining a chamber and comprising front and back portions that comprise upper edges defining a laterally extending mouth opening to said chamber, each of said front and back portions having an inner and an outer surface,

a tamper evident header having a back section secured laterally across the outer surface of said back portion and a front section extending upward beyond the back portion upper edge,

an outer adhesive layer coating said front section for securing said front section to said front panel outer surface when said outer adhesive layer is pressed thereto and being located to contact both said edges when said outer adhesive layer is pressed thereto,

an inner adhesive layer for sealing together said inner surfaces of said front and back portions and closing sad chamber, said inner adhesive layer coating said inner surface of and extending laterally substantially across said back portion, said inner adhesive layer having a lowest bound, and

a release liner for protecting said outer adhesive layer from unwanted adhesion being releasably secured to and covering said outer layer, and wherein

said header comprises inner and outer surfaces, said inner surface having thereon a first printed layer in a first color and having a second printed layer on one of said first printed layer and outer header surface in a second color,

said outer adhesive layer being mounted to said inner header surface on one of said first and second printed layers, and

wherein said outer surface of said front portion includes indicia so located to aid the sender where to fold and press the free edge of said header onto said front portion, and

said outer adhesive layer when said header is properly folded relative to said indicia and pressed onto said front portion having a lowest boundary that would be located above said lowest boundary of said inner adhesive layer and said outer adhesive layer lowest boundary would overlie said inner adhesive layer, and wherein after the envelope is closed and sealed said inner adhesive layer prevents access to items within the chamber if a tamper tool penetrates or blade cuts through said header and said front portion.

9. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 8, wherein said first printed layer comprises indicia that repeat in a predetermined pattern and said second printed layer comprises a translucent flood coat covering one of said first printed layer and said header outer surface.

10. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 9, wherein said second printed layer overlies said first printed layer on the header inner surface and wherein portions of said first and second printed layers will adhere to said outer adhesive layer in the event tampering successfully pulls back said header from said outer adhesive layer.

11. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 10, wherein said outer adhesive layer comprises a third color and said header is sufficiently transparent to enable a recipient to see the combination of the third and second colors when the outer adhesive layer is sealed to the front panel and enabling the recipient to see the absence of the combination of the second and third colors in the event the header is successfully removed from and then replaced on the outer adhesive layer.

12. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 8, wherein said first printed layer comprises indicia that repeat in a predetermined pattern and said second printed layer comprises a translucent flood coat printed on said inner header surface.

13. A sealable plastic safety envelope according to claim 8, wherein said outer adhesive layer comprises a third color and cracks and includes pieces that release from the envelope front panel when chilled to the extent necessary to cause the inner adhesive layer to release.

14. A sealable plastic safety envelope for the conveyance of valuable documents that can be sealed by a sender and inspected by a recipient for indications of tampering or a tampering attempt undertaken by one or more of a variety of tampering techniques, the envelope comprising:

front and back panels defining a chamber and having front and back portions comprising upper edges defining a laterally extending mouth opening to said chamber, each of said front and back portions having an inner and an outer hole-free surface respectively,

a tamper evident header having a back section secured laterally across the outer surface of said back portion and a front section extending beyond the back portion upper edge,

an outer adhesive layer coating said front section for securing said front section to said front portion when said outer adhesive layer is pressed thereto,

an inner adhesive means for sealing said inner surfaces of said front and back portions together to close the chamber and for preventing access to documents within the chamber if a tamper tool penetrates or blade cuts either (i) through said header and said front portion or (ii) through said header and said back portion, said inner adhesive means coating said inner surface of and extending laterally substantially across said back portion and said inner adhesive layer-having a lower portion that extends lower than that portion of the back section that is secured to said back portion and lower than that portion of the front section that becomes secured to said front portion when said header is properly positioned over and pressed toward said front portion,

a release liner for protecting said outer adhesive layer from unwanted adhesion being releasably secured to and covering said outer adhesive layer, and wherein

said header comprises inner and outer surfaces, said outer adhesive layer being secured to said inner header surface.

15. A sealed plastic safety envelope for the conveyance of valuable documents that had been sealed by a sender for inspection by a recipient for indications of tampering or a tampering attempt undertaken by one or more of a variety of tampering techniques, the envelope comprising:

front and back panels of substantially equal lengths defining a chamber and comprising front and back portions, said front and back portions comprising upper edges forming part of a laterally extending closed and sealed mouth of said chamber, each said portion having an inner and an outer hole-free surface respectively,

a tamper evident header having a back section secured laterally across the outer surface of said back portion and a front section secured across the outer surface of said front portion,

an outer adhesive layer for securing said front section to said front portion outer surface and said back section to said back portion outer surface and said outer adhesive layer being in contact with and sealing both said edges,

an inner adhesive means sealing the mouth by sealing the inner surfaces of said front and back portions to each other and for preventing access to documents within the chamber if a tamper tool penetrates or blade cuts either (i) through said header and said front portion or (ii) through said header and said back portion, said inner adhesive means extending laterally substantially across said front and back panel portions and having a lower boundary positioned below said outer adhesive layer on said front portion and below said outer adhesive layer on said back portion.

16. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 15, wherein said outer adhesive layer extends laterally substantially through said back portion for securing said back section to said back portion outer surface.

17. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 15, wherein said header is made of material and has a thickness that shrivels with the application to the header of heat and becomes frangible with the application to the header of cold temperature, whereby if after application of cold elements to the header the header is successfully raised, the outer adhesive layer remains on the outer envelope surface overlying the inner adhesive means and further application of cold elements to release the inner adhesive means must be applied to the exposed outer adhesive layer.

18. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 17, wherein said header is formed of acetate material.

19. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 18, wherein said header is approximately one millimeter thick.

20. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 15, wherein said header comprises an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner header surface having thereon a first printed layer in a first color, and a second printed layer in a second color printed on one of the inner header surface and the outer header surface, said outer adhesive layer being mounted to said inner header surface.

21. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 20, wherein said first printed layer comprises indicia that repeats in a predetermined pattern and said second printed layer comprises a translucent flood coat.

22. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 21 wherein random portions of said first printed layer will adhere to said outer adhesive surface in the event tampering pulls back a header portion from said outer adhesive layer without tearing or breaking said header.

23. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 22, wherein said outer adhesive layer comprises a third color for visually combining with said second color whereby parts of said outer adhesive layer break away if cold temperature elements are applied through the outer adhesive layer to sufficiently chill and release the inner adhesive layer and thereby leave an absence of the third color under the header when the header is replaced on the outer adhesive layer.

24. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 15, wherein said header comprises an inner header surface and an outer header surface,

said outer adhesive layer being secured to said inner header surface, said inner header surface having thereon a first printed layer in a first color, said outer printed surface having a second printed layer in a second color.

25. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 24, wherein said inner header surface is treated to release the first printed layer to said inner adhesive means upon peel-back and said first printed layer forms indicia.

26. A sealed plastic safety envelope according to claim 25, wherein said second printed layer is non-releasable from said outer header surface and comprises a translucent flood coat.