US1995183A - Return mailing piece - Google Patents

Description

' March'19, 1 935; M, B. KOVNAT RETURN MAILING PIECE Filed April 29, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Do; 2 D o' CHICAGO I LL T11 oavolHo 20a M nor! 40 AY 5T.

M WWWWW/Z77/WW/7% March 19, 1935. M. B. KOVNAT RETURN MAILING PIECE 0 S S M Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 14 Claims.

This invention relates in general to a mailing piece and is more particularly described as a return mailing piece combining an original and a return mailing envelope in one.

One of the principal objects of the invention is in the provision of an original mailing piece open for postal inspection which may be sent at a low postal rate and combining and including a return envelope in which an enclosure such as money, a coupon or a letter may be returned.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a mailing piece of this class in which the original address is printed but once upon the mailing piece and appears upon the return mailing piece without further attention or signature of the person to whom it is first addressed.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a return mailing piece comprising an envelope with a flap and an extension, the flap being reversible and covering one side of the envelope as an original mailing piece and the other side of the envelope as a return mailing piece.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a return mailing piece comprising an envelope having the adhesive for sealing the flap at the lower edge of the envelope rather than on the flap or adjacent the upper edge of the envelope. v f

A still further object of the invention is in the provision of an envelope with a flap and an extension, the extension exposing the address of the person to whom it is originally sent and being removable and the flap being reversible and folded over the original address and sealed in place covering the original address.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a'perspective of a mailing piece in accordance with this invention partially folded for original mailing;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a mailing piece folded and sealed for original mailing with the upper edge partially opened for postal inspection;

Fig. 3 is a section of the folded and sealed mailing piece;

Fig. 4 is a blank or development of a single sheet from which the mailing piece is produced;

Fig. 5 is a section of the mailing piece in return form with the flap reversed and sealed at the lower rear side of the envelope;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the mailing piece before the flap is reversed;

Fig. 7a is a perspective of the mailing piece after the extension is severed, the flap reversed, and ready for return sealing.

Fig. 7 is a perspective of a modification having a larger extension to the flap, foldable over the opening of the envelope and the envelope having an ungummed flap at one end for postal inspection; Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the original folded mailing piece; and Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the return mailing piece with the end flap also closed;

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are perspective views of another modification in which the envelope flap is folded upon itself, reversing the extension so that it may be folded over the envelope, leaving the opening exposed as in Fig. 2 for postal inspection, Fig. 11 illustrating the partially closed position of the original mailing piece, and Fig. 12 illustrating the partially closed position of the return mailing piece; and

Figs. 13, 14 and 15 illustrate another modification with a further extension to the flap foldable partially zig-zag and over the bottom of the envelope, Fig. 14 illustrating the original mailing piece partially closed, and Fig. 15 illustrating the return mailing piece partially closed.

A return mailing piece of this kind is particularly adapted for advertising purposes, for reminding customers of remittances, collections, renewals, and to make offers of merchandise for which the prospect is to return a coupon or make a payment or. remittance. The sides or surfaces of the mailing piece, other than the addressed faces, may therefore be printed to advertise the goods which is offered for sale, the intention being to provide a return envelope which requires no attention upon the part of the prospect except to enclose his remittance in the envelope, to remove the extension flap, to sealthe envelope and re-mail it.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, this mailing piece comprises a single piece of sheet material such as paper for forming an envelope having a front 10, a back 11, and two end flaps 12 which are folded together and sealed in any ordinary way to provide a completely formed and pasted envelope. Extending from the upper edge of the front of the envelope is a flap l3 foldable reversely over the front and back of the envelope upon a fold line 14. Extending outwardly and beyond the flap 13 is an extension 15 having a fold line 16 for connecting it to the flap 13.

On the back 11 of the envelope is an outline 16 for receiving an originaladdress 17 therein which is visible through a window 18 of the exdesired either end of the extension 15 may be bent outwardly from the envelope as indicated in Fig. 2, to disclose the interior of the envelope proper for postal inspection, if desired. This will permit the mailing piece to be sent originally at a low mailing rate which may be a saving of postage for the original sender.

When the original mailing piece is received by the person to whom it is sent the seal 20 is broken and the extension is severed from the flap 13 along the fold line 16, the envelope flap 13 preferably having cut-away edges 21 at the extremity thereof for more easily defining the fold line 16 and for more easily severing it along the line 16.

Instead of the envelope flap or the upper portion of the envelope being provided with an adhesive for attaching the flap 13, the lower edge of the back 11 of the formed envelope has an adhesive or gummed portion 22 extending below the original address 17 so that to seal the envelope as a return mailing piece the flap 13 is reversely folded about its fold line 14 until its outer edge covers the original address 17 and is caused to adhere to the back of the envelope by the adhesive 22. Before the envelope is sealed any desired remittance or enclosure may be inserted in the envelope which has a printed return address 19 so that the person returning the mailing piece is not even required to attach his signature in order that the original sender may know the sender of the return piece.

In the form shown by Figs. 7, 8 and9, the envelope has a back 30 with a flap 31 attached thereto and with a flap 32 unattached to the back but provided with dry gum 33 by means of which it may be sealed for first class mail matter. A flap 34 has an extension with two sections 35 and 36, the outer one having a window opening 37 through which a sending address 38 is visible when the flap 34 is folded over the face of the envelope and the sections 35 and 36 are folded over the envelope as shown. A fastening stamp, seal, or clip 39 may be attached over the edges for holding the parts together as an original mailing piece and the flap 34 is reversely folded and attached by means of the adhesive 22 at the lower edge of the back of the envelope as shown in Fig. 9.

In the form shown by Figs. 10, 11, and 12, the number of sections of the extension is the same as in the form shown by Fig. 7 but the envelope flap is foldable upon itself in two sections 41 gummed edge 22 at the lower back edge of the envelope.

The form shown by Figs. 13, 14 and 15 is similar in operation to the previously described form with the exception that the flap instead of being divided into two sections is in one section 51 and the letter or extension 51 is in three sections 52, 53 and 54 which fold over the face of an envelope 55 in zig-zag form as shown more clearly in Fig. 14 and the outer edge secured by a seal 39, the outer section 54 with its window 56 then disclosing the original address 57 and when the flap extensions are removed the flap 51 is bent reversely over the opening .of the envelope 5'7 and secured to the gummed strip 22 at the lower edge of the envelope back.

In all of these forms the folded envelopes for their original or first mailing are secured by means of a stamp, seal, or clip 39 as in Fig. 8, and it will be seen that the envelope is gummed about its lower back edge, that the flap extension has a window in the outermost section which discloses the original sending address at the back of the envelope, and that the envelope flap proper is foldable reversely in using the mailing piece originally and as a return mailing piece. A flap extension of various sizes may be provided having one or more sections, to contain as large a message either in the form of a letter or as advertising material, as desired, and in each case the original mailing piece is accessible for postalinspection so that it may be sent at a minimum postal rate and still will provide a re-' turn envelope of specifically novel form which may be returned as a first class mailing piece.

I claim:

1. A return mailing piece comprising an envelope with a return address on the front face of the envelope, a flap and an extension forming a continuation thereof having an indicated severing line upon which the extension is foldable and by which it is easily severed, the flap being folded over the face of the envelope and the extension over the rear thereof as an original mailing piece, and the extension being removed along the indicated severing line and the flap only reversed and applied over the rear of the envelope as a return mailing piece.

-2. A return mailing piece according to claim 1 in which the removable extension is connected to the flap by a fold line terminally distinguished by notched edges and along which it is severed in changing the original mailing piece to a return mailing piece.

3. A return mailing piece comprising an envelope with the return address on the front face and the original address upon the back, a flap foldable over the front face to cover the return address as an original mailing piece and over the back to cover the original address as a return mailing piece, and a severable extension of the flap having a window therein and foldable over the back of the envelope as an original mailing piece, the window disclosing the original address which is covered by the flap when the extension is removed and the flap reversed to cover the back.

4. A return mailing piece according to claim 3, in which the extremity of the flap extension covers the back of the envelope, and fastening means extending over the edge of said extension and the mailing piece and engaging the adjacent edge of the flap for holding the mailing piece closed.

5. In a mailing. piece according to claim 3, means for holding the mailing piece closed; at the position.

7. A return mailing piece comprising an envelope with a foldable flap and a foldable extension thereof adapted to cover the back of the envelope, the envelope having a return address upon its face and an original address upon its back, the extension having an opening through which the original address is visible; and a sticker extending over the extremity of the extension, the open edge of the envelope, and the adjacent inner edge of the flap to hold the parts together as an original mailing piece and to expose the envelope for postal inspection.

8. A return envelope having a flap and an extension to cover the envelope back as an original mailing piece, means for securing the parts together for postal inspection as an original mailing piece, the extension having means for disclosing an original address upon the back of the envelope, and an adhesive strip at the lower edge of the back of the envelope to which the flap will adhere when it is reversed to cover the original address and to close the envelope as a return mailing piece with the extension removed.

9. A return mailing piece comprising an envelope with a reversible flap and a foldable removable. extension thereof adapted to extend over the envelope back when the flap covers the face of the envelope, means for securing the extension and the open edge of the envelope together, and an adhesive to secure the flap to the back of the envelope when it is reversely folded to cover the back thereof. r

10. In a return mailing piece, an envelope having a flap and an extension having a window opening and foldable to cover the back of the envelope disclosing an address thereon for originally mailing the piece, the extension being removable without afiecting the envelope, and the flap of the envelope being reversible from a position covering the face of the envelope as anoriginal mailing piece to a position covering the back of the envelope and covering the original address thereon, the envelope being provided along its lower back surface with an adhesive for holding the flap in place thereover.

11. A return mailing piece comprising an envelope with a flap and an extension thereof having an address window therein, a return address on the face of the envelope, an original address on the back of the envelope disclosed by the window when the extension is folded and covered by the flap when the'mailing piece is returned, and one end of the envelope having an unsealed flap openable for postal inspection and gummed for sealing as first-class return mail.-

12. A return mailing piece comprising an envelope with end flaps one permanently attached to the back and the other dry gummed and open for postal inspection but closable for first-class return mail, a flap and an extension thereof having a window aperture to disclose a sending address on the back of the envelope, the flap and extension foldable over the envelope opening, and the lower edge of the envelope back having an adhesive for attaching the envelope flap and covering the original sending address when the mailing piece is returned.

13. Areturn mailing piece comprising an envelope having a flap and a multiple fold extension thereof, a sending address on the back of the envelope and a return address on the front, the outer portion of the extension having a window to disclose the sending address, and the flap being foldable upon itself to reverse the folding of the extension and to position the window over the sending address, the envelope being gummed at its lower rear edge to attach the edge of the flap thereto and cover the sending address.

14. A return mailing piece comprising an envelope having a flap and a removable multiple folding extension having an address window at its outer portion, the flap and extension foldable in zig-zag fashion at one side of the envelope and the window portion extending over the edge thereof to disclose a sending address on the back of the envelope, the extension being severed from the flap as a return mailing piece, the flap being foldable reversely over the envelope as a return mailing piece, and the lower rear edge of the envelope having an adhesive for attaching the flap thereto.

MAURICE B. KOVNAT.

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