US3273785A - Self-mailer - Google Patents

Description

Sept 20 1965 l. c.. BECKMAN ETAL 3,273,785

SELF-MAILER Filed March 25, 1965 FIGI Il) IIITI M TL r1: ms 2 /r w /w 1 l l l :VIII ||||1||||||||x| O O O O O O O O O/O 4 O O O 2L 1 United States Patent Oiice 3,273,785 Patented Slept. 20, 1966 3,273,7s SELF-MAILER Irving C. Beckman and Alex Morrell Beerbohm, Huntington Woods, Mich. (Both of 30105 Stephenson High- Way, Madison Heights, Mich.)

Filed Mar. 2s, 1955, ser. No. 442,663 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-69) This application relates to a self-mailer and more particularly a self-mailer which may be made in a continuous form and thereafter severed into separate mailers, and which includes as a part thereof a removable card portion which bears a name and address and thus functions rst as the addressing portion of the self-mailer and second, after mailing, as a separate addressed card of the credit card type.

In mailing cards, such as credit cards, such cards must usually be imprinted with a name, address, and other information and thereafter are normally inserted in addressed envelopes for mailing to the ultimate user. Such double addressing and handling is time consuming and expensive.

Hence, it is an object of this invention to provide a selfmailer comprised generally of two parts, namely an outer envelope-like container and a card within the container, with a portion of the card being exposed for imprinting a name and address `and the like thereon, after assembly of the self-mailer parts, for mailing the selfmailer as well as for ultimate use of the card separate from the self-mailer.

A further object of this invention is to provide a selfmailer made as a continuous form which includes Ias a part thereof small cards, and which can conveniently be manufactured and addressed on automatic machinery and thereafter severed or burst into individual mailing units, from which the addressee may remove the addressed card portion.

Another object is to provide a novel self-mailer, preferably of lightweight paper card stock, which can be formed onautomatic machinery and containing, as a part thereof, a card of different material, such as plastic, which can be machine imprinted, all as part of a continuous form.

For an understanding of the continuous form and mailers hereof, reference should be had to the speci-fication which follows and Iwhich refers to the appended drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is -a half scale plan view of a small part of a continuous form; and also shows, in plan, an individual self-mailer.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view, as if in section on line 2 2, FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are exploded views of parts of a mailer.

FIG. 5 is a reduced size perspective view of `a continuous form.

The drawing shows a mailer 9 which comprises two long and narrow registered upper and lower sheets 10 and 11 of substantial length, measured horizontally, but rather narrow, measured vertically. At the long edges 12, the sheets are sealed to each other by any suitable adhesive means such as adjacent spots of adhesive 13, spaced inwardly slightly from tear lines 12. The adhesive is of a nature permitting quick and easy separation of sheets 10 and 11. At the short edges 15, the sheets 1t) and 11 are sealed to each other by stripes of adhesive 14.

At both short edges 15 are lines of closely and uniformly spaced holes 16 for registering with teeth of printing feed rollers.

At one short edge 15, on upper sheet 10 only, is a hinge or score line 17. At the other short edge 15, on

sheets 11141, are registered tear lines 1S and 19, defining a tear strip 20.

Within and forming a part of the mailer 9, is a small sized card 21, of a material different than that of the stock of sheets 1041. The latter may be of paper or light weight card stock, whereas card 21 is preferably of a firm plastic stock, such as commonly used today for credit cards. Card 21 is secured removably to lower sheet `11 by an adhesive area 22 of a nature and composition permitting quick and easy removal of the card, without defacing or marring the removed card or leaving a residue on it. A portion 24 of plastic card 21 is surfaced in a manner to receive printing thereon, permanently and legibly. The printing may be applied to portion 24 of card 21 through a registering opening 26 in the front or top sheet 10; this can be done after card 21 is mounted on and adhesively secured to the bottom sheet 11 and after the top sheet is secured to the bottom sheet.

It will be understood that the various surfaces of the sheets may be printed with various items of information.

Small holes 16 at short edges 15 ofthe card containing sealed self-mailer 9 enable it to be fed automatically through a printing machine or a printing part of a computing, addressing or other machine, which prints the name and address of the ultimate consumer on surf-ace 34 of card 21, exposed through opening 26? in top sheet y10.

With card 21 adhesively secured inside the self-mailer 9, and mailer 9 sealed at all four edges, and the necessary name and address on portion 24 visible through opening 26, the device becomes a suitably sealed selfmailer. No envelope or wrapper is required, since the device here shown is itself a sealed self-mailer.

Upon receipt of the sealed mailer by the customer or ultimate consumer, he tears off tear strip 20 at one short edge 15 on lines 1849; and easily hinges back top sheet 10 on foldline 17. Then the printable instruction surfaces on the inside of mailer 9 are visible as is card '2-1 itself, which can now be separated instantly from sheet 11 and removed quickly and easily by the c-onsumer, without being marred or defaced by the adhesive in area 22 which had removably secured the card to sheet 11, and leaving no adhesive residue on card 21.

The continuous form The continuous form, FIGS. 5 rand 1,I 'comprises continuous upper and lower sheets 10 and 11 having at each continuous edge 15 uniformly and closely spaced holes 16 for receiving teeth -of printing feed rolls. Uniformly spaced along the form on both sheets are ,registering transverse tear lines 12. Quickly and easily separable adhesive in the form of spots 13 are also as shown. Each portion of the continuous form between `a pair of such lines 12 may be severed or burst off the continuous strip to form a single mailer 9 `such as has just been described. In the continuous form, adhesive stripes 14 at :short edges 15 of mailers 9 are joined to form continuous stripes of adhesive.

An important aspect of the device herein described is the size relation of the parts. Inserted card 21 is small, preferably wallet size, 3%" x 21/8, approximately, because this size has been found acceptable. On the other hand, mailer 9 ris considerably longer and wider, about 8 X 31/2", a size that enables the continuous form to be made by existing computing, addressing, etc., machinery and to have the consumers name and address imprinted by existing printing machinery or printing parts of larger machinery.

If sheets 1tl11 were of the same small length dimension as cards 21, the sheets would be too small to run through machinery for being formed into continuous forms and for being printed and for having the imprinting done on the cards. If cards 21 were made of the larger size, to

3 match the size of sheets -11, the cards would be unacceptably large for consumer use.

The use of the continuous form avid the individual mailers A card manufacturer ships a supply of cards 21, preferably with their imprintable .portions 24 left blank, to a manufacturer of forms.

A forms manufacturer, using automatic machinery, manufactures a continuous form comprising upper and lower sheets 10-11 with cards 21 spotted between them at uniform intervals, one card per pai-r of transverse tear lines 12, with the continuous strip having continuous stripes 14 of adhesive at its edges 15, a continuous fold line 1'7 on the top sheet, continuous tear lines 18-19 on the top and bottom ysheets forming continuous tear strips 20, registering holes 16, and alined openings 26. The printing on the forms, wherever desired and on whatever surfaces and portions of surfaces desired, may be done at or prior to the manufacture of the forms themselves. The assembly of the cards and the sheets is also accomplished during the manufacture of the continuous forms.

Ultimately, there is manufactured a continuous form which -may be folded in zig-zag fashion, as is preferable, on transverse lines 12. There are fold lines for the folding of the form into zig-zag fashion but they also become tear lines when the individual mailers are to be severed.

Manufactured continuous forms, preferably in zig-zag condition, are shipped to a purchaser of continuous forms, who then runs them through imprinting machinery to imprint on portions 24 of the cards, the names and addresses of t'he ultimate consumers to whom he will be mailing the mailers. Thereupon the continuous form is burst or severed into individual mailers 9 by having the form torn across on tear lines 12. Mailers 9 are then ready to be mailed to the ultimate consumers.

When he receives a mailer, he tears off tear strip 20 on lines 18-19 at one short edge, folds back top sheet (FIG. 4) or cover sheet 10 on fold line 17, and now has exposed the instructions printed inside the mailer and also has exposed for easy removal the contained card 21 having his name and address on it at 24.

Now having described the card mailer and the continuous form herein disclosed, reference should be had to the claims which follow.

We claim:

1. A continuous burstable printing form for permitting high speed computerized printing `of small or wallet size stiff plastic card components thereof, such ias are conventionally used `as identification and credit cards; with the form being burstable into individual card containing self mailers;

said form comprising long continuous registered upper and lower webs of paper or light card stock;

the webs having horizontal tear lines uniformly spaced 4along the form and extending from one vertical continuous edge to the other to enable the form to be burst on such tear lines int-o rectangular individual two ply card mailers; there being horizontally arranged adhesive spots in each individual mailer between but also adjacent the horizontal tear lines and spaced inwardly from the ho-rizontal edges of said mailer for removably sealing together the plies thereof adjacent the tear lines;

the remaining or vertical edges of the mailer, transverse to the tear lines, also being sealed, whereby the mailer is sealed completely on all its edges while still part of the form;

each mailer, while still a part of the form, `containing as a component, between its sealed together plies and adhesively but removably secured therein, one small or wallet size stiff heavy stock rectangular printable plastic card such as is conventionally used `as an identification or credit card; the length and width of each mailer being considerably greater than the length and width of the card thereof, with the card being so positioned that all four edges of the card are well spaced from all four edges of the mailer;

and with all cards being uniformly spaced and in alinement in the form for printing continuously; the upper web having uniformly spaced alined window openings, one at each card to enable the exposed parts of the cards to be printed through the openings;

with each opening being smaller than the card beneath it so that edges of the card are covered and protected by the upper web;

the adhesive spots being between the horizontal edges of the card and the horizontal edges of the mailer; the mailer also hav-ing at each vertical edge a vertical .line of uniformly and closely spaced holes.

2. A continuous burstable printing form according to claim 1 wherein each mailer has vertical `score lines on at least the upper ply, short distances in from its sealed vertical edges, :and extending from one horizontal tear line to the other;

said adhesive spots being of a nature to permit nondestructive separation of the upper ply from the lower ply when the upper ply -is torn on either or both score lines, to expose the mounted card therein without defacing the interior surfaces of the mailer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,334,413 l1/1943 Kerr 229-71 3,104,799 9/ 1963 Steidinger 229-69 3,111,258 11/1963 Perlstein 229-923 3,140,816 7/ 1964 Schultz 229-69 3,181,774 5/1965 Littman 229-71 X JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A CONTINUOUS BURSTABLE PRINTING FORM FOR PERMITTING HIGH SPEED COMPUTERIZED PRINTING OF SMALL OR WALLET SIZE STIFF PLASTIC CARD COMPONENTS THEREOF, SUCH AS ARE CONVENTIONALLY USED AS IDENTIFICATION AND CREDIT CARDS; WITH THE FORM BEING BURSTABLE INTO INDIVIDUAL CARD CONTAINING SELF MAILERS; SAID FORM COMPRISING LONG CONTINUOUS REGISTERED UPPER AND LOWER WEBS OF PAPER OR LIGHT CARD STOCK; THE WEBS HAVING HORIZONTAL TEAR LINES UNIFORMLY SPACED ALONG THE FORM AND EXTENDING FROM ONE VERTICAL CONTINUOUS EDGE TO THE OTHER TO ENABLE THE FORM TO BE BURST ON SUCH TEAR LINES INTO RECTANGULAR INDIVIDUAL TWO PLY CARD MAILERS; THERE BEING HORIZONTALLY ARRANGED ADHESIVE SPOTS IN EACH INDIVIDUAL MAILER BETWEEN BUT ALSO ADJACENT THE HORIZONTAL TEAR LINES AND SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE HORIZONTAL EDGES OF SAID MAILER FOR REMOVABLY SEALING TOGETHER THE PLIES THEREOF ADJACENT THE TEAR LINES; THE REMAINING OR VERTICAL EDGES OF THE MAILER, TRANSVERSE TO THE TEAR LINES, ALSO BEING SEALED, WHEREBY THE MAILER IS SEALED COMPLETELY ON ALL ITS EDGES WHILE STILL PART OF THE FORM; EACH MAILER, WHILE STILL A PART OF THE FORM, CONTAINING AS A COMPONENT, BETWEEN ITS SEALED TOGETHER PLIES AND ADHESIVELY BUT REMOVABLY SECURED THEREIN, ONE SMALL OR WALLET SIZE STIFF HEAVY STOCK RECTANGULAR PRINTABLE PLASTIC CARD SUCH AS IS CONVENTIONALLY USED AS AN IDENTIFICATION OR CREDIT CARD; THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF EACH MAILER BEING CONSIDERABLY GREATER THAN THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF THE CARD THEREOF, WITH THE CARD BEING SO POSITIONED THAT ALL FOUR EDGES OF THE CARD ARE WELL SPACED FROM ALL FOUR EDGES OF THE MAILER; AND WITH ALL CARDS BEING UNIFORMLY SPACED AND IN ALINEMENT IN THE FORM FOR PRINTING CONTINUOUSLY; THE UPPER WEB HAVING UNIFORMLY SPACED ALINED WINDOW OPENINGS, ONE AT EACH CARD TO ENABLE THE EXPOSED PARTS OF THE CARDS TO BE PRINTED THROUGH THE OPENINGS; WITH EACH OPENING BEING SMALLER THAN THE CARD BENEATH IT SO THAT EDGES OF THE CARD ARE COVERED AND PROTECTED BY THE UPPER WEB; THE ADHESIVE SPOTS BEING BETWEEN THE HORIZONTAL EDGES OF THE CARD AND THE HORIZONTAL EDGES OF THE MAILER; THE MAILER ALSO HAVING AT EACH VERTICAL EDGE A VERTICAL LINE OF UNIFORMLY AND CLOSELY SPACED HOLES.

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