Re-Usable Envelope

The present invention relates to a re-usable envelope.

There is currently a social and political drive towards reducing human impact on the environment, particularly, by reducing the quantity of waste produced by businesses and individuals in everyday life. Paper is a large contributor to waste, and one form of paper that can be particularly wasteful is paper envelopes which are usually only used once and then discarded.

Envelopes which can be used more than once have been proposed; however, they often require a large amount of glue to hold the various seams together (which itself has an environmental impact) and they usually provide little or no proof of receipt to the intermediate user nor any indication as to whether the contents of the envelope have been tampered with.

According to the present invention there is provided a reusable envelope comprising: - a front sheet and a back sheet which together form a first pocket for holding a first mail item; a securing flap capable of securing the front sheet to the back sheet in order to close the first pocket; a first removable panel provided on the front sheet, wherein removal of the removable panel leaves a

second pocket and a part of the back sheet attached thereto to form a securing flap for closing the second pocket; and a second removable panel, wherein removal of the second removable panel leaves a third pocket and a remaining portion of the front or back sheet capable of forming a securing flap for closing the third pocket .

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims .

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which: -

Figure 1 is a front view of a reusable envelope according to the present invention, where the reusable envelope is in a first item receiving configuration prior to a first use;

Figure 2 is rear view of the reusable envelope of Figure 1 ,-

Figure 3 is a front view of the reusable envelope of Figure 1 showing the removal of a first address panel to prepare the envelope for a second use;

Figure 4 is a front view of the reusable envelope of Figure 3 closed for a second use;

Figure 5 is a front view of the reusable envelope of Figure 4 during preparation for a third use,-

Figure 6 is a front view of the reusable envelope of Figure 5 closed for a third use;

Figure 7 is a front view of a second embodiment of the envelope; Fig 8 is a front view of the second embodiment, with the first address panel Pl removed;

Fig 9 is a front view of the second embodiment, in preparation for its third use; and

Fig 10 is a front view of a third embodiment of the invention, with the first address panel Pl removed.

Figures 1 to 6 illustrate a first embodiment of the envelope of the present invention. In this embodiment, the envelope is configured so that it can be closed to form a large sized envelope, then opened and re-closed to form an intermediate-sized envelope, which can then in turn be opened and re-closed as a small-sized envelope.

The reusable envelope 10 has a generally rectangular front sheet 12 having a first closure flap 14 (securing flap) attached to its upper edge to close the envelope during its first use. The closure flap 14 has a first removable tab 20 provided with fastening means, such as an adhesive strip or coating, on its rear side. A perforation line L4 is located at the join between the first removable tab 20 and the closure flap 14.

The right hand and bottom edges of the front sheet 12 (as seen in the Figure) are attached to a corresponding rear sheet 13 at joining strips 16 and 18 to form a pocket which can receive the first item to be delivered. The joining strips 16 and 18 may be paper welded or glued with a suitable adhesive, or alternatively tabs (not illustrated) on the front or rear sheet may be used to fold over the edges of the rear or front sheet to join the sheets together. In this embodiment, the left-hand edges of the front sheet 12 and the rear sheet 13 are joined by a fold. A fold line Fl is provided at the join between the front sheet 12 and the first closure flap 14.

A series of perforation lines are provided in the front sheet 12 in order to allow easy separation of the front sheet into various portions prior to the reuses of the envelope.

A first address panel Pl extends from the upper edge of the front panel 12, and is bounded by perforation lines LlL and LlR at its left and right edges (as seen in the Figure) and by perforation line LIB at its lowermost edge. By separating the perforation lines LlL, LlR and LIB the first address panel Pl and the first flap 14 attached thereto by fold line Fl can be separated from the remainder of the envelope material . The address for the first recipient may simply be written on the outside of the address panel Pl, or the first address panel may be formed with a window to

permit an address written on a sheet within the envelope to be read.

As can be seen in Figure 2 , the exterior part of the area P5 of the rear sheet 13 is formed adjacent its upper edge with a closure formation 28 cooperable with a first closure tab 20 at the central part of the first flap 14.

When the first address panel Pl has been removed, the rear sheet 13 is substantially intact, while the upper half of the front sheet 12 and the flap 14 are removed. The remainder of the front sheet 12 forms a pocket with the rear sheet 13, which is substantially half the size of the original envelope, with the area P5 of the rear sheet 13 extending upwardly to form a foldable flap. A fold line F3 extends across the rear sheet 13, in alignment with the perforation line LIB of the front sheet 12. Once the first address panel Pl and the flap 14 have been removed, the remainder of the material thus forms a second envelope, closeable by folding the panel P5 downwardly over the remaining part of the front panel 12.

At the lower part of front sheet 12, there is formed an upwardly-concave arcuate slit Cl, and a horizontal perforation line L3 extends between the ends of the arcuate slit Cl to define a segment-shaped panel P4. The panel P4 comprises a second removable tab 26 which may fold away from the plane of front sheet 12 along

perforation line L3 , and is engagable with, the panel P5 after it has been folded down, to close the envelope for its second use.

Perforation line L2 extends across the front panel 12 below perforation line LIB. Perforation line L2 is angled downwardly at its end sections, and includes an upwardly protruding centre section to encompass a faying surface region 24. A fold line F2 is also provided below perforation line L2 , extending across the front sheet 12 between the intersections of the perforation line L2 and the edges of the front sheet 12. The area 22 between the perforation line L2 and the fold line F2 will eventually constitute a closure flap for the third use of the envelope, the surface region 24 forming a third closure tab. In contrast with the first removable tab 20 of the closure flap 14, the tab 24 does not have a perforation where it joins to the closure flap 22.

As shown in Figure 1, panel Pl may be provided with a printed name and address and postage payment (stamp) area.

Referring to Figure 2, the back sheet of the reusable envelope has an upper panel P5 delineated from a lower panel P6 by a perforation line L5 , whose position corresponds to the position of fold line F2 of the front sheet. The upper panel P5 has perforation lines L6 and L7 extending downwardly from the upper edge of

the panel and joined by a transverse perforation line L8 to define a rectangular removable panel P8. A first delivery stage removable tab 28 is defined adjacent the lower edge of the panel P8 by an arcuate slit C2 extending below, and joining the ends of, perforation line L7. The tab 28 may fold away from the plane of panel P5 along perforation line L7.

A fold line F3 is also provided across the centre of the back sheet, corresponding to the position of the perforation line LIB of the front sheet.

The lower panel P6 has a panel P7 constituting a third delivery stage removable tab 30 which is cut from panel P7 along an arcuate cut C3 , the ends of the arcuate cut C3 being joined by a perforation line L9, such that the panel P7 may fold away from the plane of panel P6 along perforation line L9.

The closure flap 14 seen at the top of Figure 2 is the reverse side of the closure flap 14 shown in Figure 1.

Various subject matter may be usefully printed onto the reusable envelope, for example, instructions could be printed onto each securing flap in order to assist the user with the folding procedure at each delivery stage. Furthermore, it may be useful to print notations (such as numbers or dots on each delivery stage removable tab in order to clarify, to the user, whether that removable tab is for use in the first,

second or third delivery stage. It would also be desirable to print information on the inside of each of the removable panels in order to provide each addressee with information on the original sender / manufacturer of the envelope.

In use, the envelope is supplied to the first user as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In a first delivery stage, the first user places the item to be delivered into the pocket provided between the front and back sheets of the envelope (as is conventionally known) . The first user then folds over the closure flap 14 along fold line Fl until it is folded adjacent the back sheet of the envelope at panel P5. The closure flap 14 therefore effectively closes the opening at the top of the pocket between the front and back sheets . The first user then ensures that the first delivery stage removable tab 20 is attached to the corresponding first stage removable tab 28. This may be done by applying adequate pressure to adhesive provided therebetween. The envelope 10 and its contents may now be consigned to the first addressee (second user) .

The attachment between the first delivery stage removable tab 20 and the corresponding removable tab

28 should be relatively strong. This ensures the security of the envelope's contents in transit.

Preferably, the removable securing tabs 20 and 28 resist separation from one another with a greater force than is required to tear the perforations on

lines L4 and L7. When the envelope is opened the tendency will be for the removable tab 20 to tear along the line L4 and remain attached to the removable tab 28 as the closure flap 14 is folded back toward the open position. The attached removable tabs 28 and 20 can then be torn off and discarded, leaving the panel P8 in position. Therefore, if the person opening the envelope is not the intended first addressee, then it will be immediately obvious to the intended first addressee that the envelope has been opened, and potentially tampered with, in the intermediate stage .

Once the first addressee (second user) has opened the envelope and removed the contents, he may use the envelope again. To prepare for this second use, he firstly removes the panel Pl from the envelope as shown in Figure 3. Removal of the panel is effected by tearing along the perforations LlL, LlR and LIB and results in the back sheet of the envelope (panel P5) remaining in place on the envelope. Panel Pl can be kept by the first addressee (second user) as proof of receipt for the first delivered item. The second user now places the second item to be delivered into the remaining pocket provided by panels P2 , P3 and P5. The user then folds the panel P5 toward P3 along line F3. At this point the second delivery stage removable tab 26 can be passed through a second delivery stage attachment aperture (created by the removal of the tab 28) . The second delivery stage removable tab 26 is

then attached to the removable panel P8 by suitable fastening means such as adhesive in the form of an adhesive strip or layer (see Figure 4) . Once the second addressee's address has been written on the panel P5, the envelope 10 and its contents may be consigned to the second addressee (third user) . As an alternative to writing the address on the panel P5, the rear sheet 13 may be formed with a second window

(not shown) appropriately placed for an address written on the contents of the envelope to be read.

Again, the attachment between the second delivery stage removable tab 26 and the removable panel P8 should be relatively strong. This ensures the security of the envelope's contents in transit. When the envelope is opened by the third user, the second delivery stage removable tab 26 and removable panel P8 will resist separation from one another with a greater force than is required to tear the perforations L3 , L6 and L8, the tendency will be for the removable panel P8 to tear along the lines L6 and L8 and remain attached to the second delivery stage removable tab 26 as the panel P5 is folded back toward the open position. The attached tabs 26 and panel P8 can then be torn off and discarded. If the person opening the envelope is not the intended second addressee, then it will be immediately obvious to the intended second addressee that the envelope has been opened, and potentially tampered with.

Once the third user has removed the contents of the envelope he may use the envelope again. To prepare the envelope for this third use, he firstly removes the panel P5 of the rear sheet 13 and the border panel P2 of the front sheet 12 from the reusable envelope as shown in Figure 5. Removal of the panels P5 and P2 is assisted by the perforations along L2 and L5. Panel P5 can be kept by the third user as proof of receipt of the second delivered item. The third user now places the third item to be delivered into the remaining pocket provided by panel P3 and P6 and then folds the securing flap 22 along fold line F2 until it is folded adjacent the back sheet of the envelope. The further securing flap 22 therefore effectively closes the gap at the top of the remaining envelope. The third user then ensures that the securing tab 24 is attached to the third delivery stage removable tab 30. Again, this may be done by applying adequate pressure to an adhesive strip or layer provided therebetween. The consignee's address is written on panel P3 , or placed so as to be visible through the second window (if provided) , and the envelope 10 and its contents are sent to the third addressee.

The security of the envelope's contents in transit is again ensured in a similar manner as in the previous delivery stages . When the envelope is opened, since the securing tabs 24 and the third stage removable tab 30 resist separation from one another, the tendency will be for the third delivery stage removable tab 30

on the back sheet 13 to tear along the line L9 and remain attached to the securing tab 24 as the flap 22 is folded back toward the open position. This leaves an aperture in the panel P6 where the third delivery stage securing tab 30 was previously present. Therefore, if the person opening the envelope is not the intended third addresses, then it will be immediately obvious to the intended third addresses that the envelope has been opened, and potentially tampered with, in the intermediate stage.

The third and final addressee (fourth user) may, if desired, open up the remaining portion of the envelope by tearing apart the panels P3 and P6 along perforation lines LlO and LIl in order to view any information printed on the inside of the panels P3 and P6.

A second embodiment of the envelope is illustrated in figures 7 to 9. The structure of the envelope is similar to that of the first embodiment, and like reference numerals are used to describe corresponding parts. The difference between the second embodiment and the first is that in the second embodiment the first flap 14 is attached to the rear sheet 13, rather than to the panel Pl of the front sheet 12.

In the embodiment, the flap 14 has a central removable tab 20 which fastens to the removable panel Pl to close the envelope for the first time. When the first

addressee removes the panel Pl in order to re-use the envelope, the tab 20 separates from the flap 14 and is discarded with the panel Pl. For these second use, the envelope closes by folding the panel P5 to overlie the panel P3 , and the flap 14 then folds around the lower edges of the front and rear sheets and is secured to the lower region of the rear sheet . The flap 14 may be secured to the lower region of the rear panel by an adhesive applied to one or more removable portions similar to the tab 26, formed on the rear sheet .

For the third use of the envelope, the front and rear panels are torn along the perforation lines L2 and L5. Again, in this embodiment the structure is different from that shown in figure 5, in that the perforation line L2 which defines the edge of the closure flap for the third use is formed in the rear panel, rather than in the front panel as before. The rear panel is also formed with the fold line F2 joining the closure flap 22 to the lower part of the rear panel. The front panel is formed with perforation line L5, at a position corresponding to the position of fold line F2. The effect of this modification is that, for the third use, the consignee's address may be written on the rear sheet and the flap 22 folded down over the front sheet panel P3 to close the envelope.

A yet further embodiment of the invention is shown in figure 10. Again the structure is similar to the

envelope described in relation to figures 1 to 6 , save that a perforation line L20 extends entirely across the rear sheet at a point between the upper edge of the rear sheet and the fold line F3, and at a corresponding position on the front sheet, perforation lines L21 extend to the edges of the front sheet from the perforation lines LlL and LlR, respectively.

In this embodiment, the first use is made in the same way as previously described, by folding over the flap 14 and securing it to the rear sheet by means of an adhesive. In this embodiment, however, it is not necessary to provide any removable tabs at this attachment point. When the envelope has been opened, for example by slitting along the fold line Fl, the envelope is prepared for its second use by removing the panel Pl and also the upper part of the panel P5, by tearing along the perforation lines L20, L21, LlL and LlR.

The envelope may be closed for its second use by simply folding the remaining part of panel P5 down over the front panel P3 , and securing it with adhesive. In this embodiment, the front panel is formed with a perforation line L5 and the rear panel is formed with the perforation line L2 and fold line F2 which define the closure flap 22 for the third use. When closing the envelope for its second use, the remaining part of panel P5 may be simply fixed to the

front panel at a region above the perforation line L5 by means of an adhesive coating or strip.

The envelope is opened after its second use by tearing along the perforation lines L2 and L5 , which exposes the contents for removal .

It will be appreciated that, in the described embodiments, the fold line F3 and the perforation line LIB extend across the rear and front sheets, respectively, at approximately their mid-points. If the front and rear sheets are sized so as to produce an A4 envelope initially, then the second use of the envelope provides an A5 size. Furthermore, the removal of the upper part of panel P5 in the third embodiment reduces the weight of the envelope for its second use, thus saving postage.

Preferably, the position of the perforation line L5 and fold line F2 is such that the envelope for the third use is a standard "DL" size, or one third the size of a standard A4 sheet.

Modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing, without departing from the scope of the invention; for example :-

Although in the embodiment described above in relation to Figures 1 to 6 panel P5 is folded forwards toward panel P3 of the front sheet along fold line F3 , it may

alternatively be folded rearwards toward panel P6 of the back sheet in preparation for delivery to the second addressee. In this case, the perforation line Lib may be placed nearer to the top of the envelope than the fold line F3 , panel Pl thereby increasing the height of panel P2. When panel P5 is then folded backwards toward panel P6, the top part of panel P2 will fold along fold line F3 thereby closing the entrance to the remaining delivery pocket provided between panels P3 and P2 on one side of the envelope and P6 on the other side of the envelope.

In a further modification (not shown) of the envelope of Figures 1 to 6, the perforation line L2 is omitted. In this case, the closure flap for the third use of the envelope is constituted by the region between the fold line F2 and the perforation line LIB. When panel P5 is removed from the envelope by tearing along perforation L5 on the rear of the envelope, in preparation for the third delivery stage, the panel P2 remains attached to panel P3. The third user now places the third item to be delivered into the remaining pocket provided between panel P3 and panel P6 and then folds panel P2 along fold line F2 until it is folded adjacent the back sheet of the envelope.