US2819010A - Sealing envelopes - Google Patents

Description

United States PatentOfifice 2,819,010 Patented Jan. 7, 1958 SEALING ENVELOPES Jose Amiguet, Havana, Guba Application May 24, 1954, Serial No. 432,001 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-62) My present invention relates to scalable envelopes of flexible: sheet material, such as paper, cloth, cellophane or the like. i

It has heretofore been very difiicult to provide strong and air-tight seals on envelopes or bags of the character referred to. Thus, whereas in the case of paper bags it is quite customary to provide gummed flaps that may be folded over to join the two sides of the bag together, this method is not readily applicable to certain wrapping materials, such as cellophane, which will not stay folded unless placed in such condition by heat and pressure with the aid of suitable apparatus. Although cellophane has considerable advantages over paper as a wrapping material, including transparency and substantially complete airtightness, its use for this purpose has been limited heretofore, for the reasons indicated, to articles wrapped at the factory or packing plant.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a method of sealing an envelope of cellophane or, indeed, any flexible sheet material in such manner that the contents thereof are safe from spillage, contamination, contact with insects and so forth.

It is another object of my invention to provide a method of sealing an envelope in the aforedescribed manner by a quick, simple and dependable operation and without the need for special equipment.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an envelope of flexible sheet material, preferably cellophane, having means for quickly and efliciently sealing together a pair of lips or marginal portions thereof defining the mouth of the envelope.

In accordance with the invention, I provide a marginal envelope portion with a non-hardening adhesive material and a protective strip of flexible material bonded to it by means of said adhesive material, removal of the protective strip enabling this marginal portion to be adhesively pressed against a similar marginal portion to close the mouth of the envelope. In a preferred embodiment, both lips of the envelope mouth are originally provided with adhesive and protective strips.

According to another feature of my invention, the protective strip or strips are provided with bent-over ends engageable by the fingers of the user to facilitate removal from the envelope mouth. Similarly, the marginal portions of the envelope may have extensions with or without adhesive to be grasped by the user while the protective strips are being pulled from them.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation (parts broken away) of an envelope embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the envelope of Figs. 1 and 2 prior to sealing; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification.

In Figs. 1-3 there is shown an envelope according to the invention in the form of a cellophane bag having front and rear portions 1, 2 joined together at the bottom and the two sides to define a bag open at the top. Two strips 3a, 3b are bonded to the upper edges of envelope portions 1, 2, respectively, and extend upwardly beyond these portions, the exposed inner faces of these strips being covered with a non-hardening adhesive resin of the type used, for example, in commercial cellophane tape. One end of each strip 3a, 3b extends laterally beyond the envelope portions 1, 2 to form a lug 7a, 7b, respectively, from which the adhesive 4 may be omitted as shown. A second, protective strip 5a, 5b, of a width equal to that of the exposed inner faces of strips 3a, 3b but of greater length than the latter, extends along each of these inner faces and is removably secured thereto by the adhesive 4; the ends of these protective strips 5a, 5b are bent over, as shown at 6a, 6b in Figs. 1 and 3, so as lie within the mouth of the bag where they may be easily gripped by the fingers of the user.

After the bag has been filled with goods of any description, the user may quickly and easily seal it by grasping the lugs 7a, 7b with the fingers of one hand and the ends 6a, 6b with those of the other hand, then pulling these ends 6a, 6b away from the lugs 7a, 7b (i. e., to the left in Figs. 1 and 3) so as to detach the protective strips 5a, 5b from the marginal strips 3a, 3b. This action will draw the inner, adhesive-bearing faces of strips 3a, 3b into contact with each other and join them together; if necessary, the fingers of one hand may be run with slight pressure along the strips 3a, 3b to insure a perfect seal after the protective strips 5a, 513 have been fully removed. When the bag is to be reopened, the top of portions 1, 2 may be ripped or cut off or the strips 3a, 317 may be pulled apart at the lugs 7a, 7b which are free from adhesive.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modification in which the strips 3a, 3b are omitted and the adhesive 4 is applied directly to strip-like marginal areas along the upper inner edges of bag portions 1', 2. Lug-shaped extensions such as 7 are integral with portions 1', 2' and protective strips such as 5', having bent-over extremities 6, engage the marginal areas bearing the adhesive. The operation is the same as in the preceding embodiment.

The invention is, of course, not limited to the specific embodiments described and illustrated. Thus, it will be apparent that only a single bag portion, e. g. the rear portion 2 of Fig. 4, may be provided with adhesive 4 and a protective strip 5, removal of this one strip then euabling the adhesive-bearing marginal area of that portion to engage the corresponding marginal area of front portion 1'. With the preferred symmetrical arrangement, however, the marginal areas or lips of the bag will be drawn together virtually automatically as the two protective strips are pulled oil? in the manner disclosed. it will also be apparent that whereas the elements of the bag closure itself, such as the strips 3a, 3b and 5a, 5b, are advantageously made of cellophane or equivalent smooth-surfaced material compatible with adhesive resins, the body of the envelope 1, 2 (or 1, 2) may, if desired, be made of paper, cloth, or other substances, instead of cellophane, depending on whether or not protection of the contents from air and/ or moisture is required.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention lends itself readily to the wrapping of sandwiches, pies, seasonings and other edibles for outings, beach parties and so on, and in particular also to the packing of seeds, powdered chemicals and other comminuted substances requiring a spillproof seal. It should be understood, however, that these uses are enumerated merely by way of example; moreover, modifications and adaptations of the method and the arrangement herein disclosed are f jpj, "9,819,010

a 3 possible'without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A scalable envelope comprising a front portion and a rear portion provided with respective lip portions together defining a mouth, a non-hardening adhesive on the insides of said lip portions, and a pair of protective strips intermediate said lip portions each covering the adhesive on a respective one of said lip portions and removably secured thereto by said adhesive, said protective strips being provided with registered unattached extremities folded over and lying next to each other between the main portions of said protective strips, said lip portions being provided with lugs extending laterally beyond said front and rear portions adjacent said folded-over extremities, said extremities facing away from said lugs.

2. A sealable envelope according to claim 1, wherein said lugs are free from adhesive.

3. A scalable envelope comprising a front portion and a rear portion provided with respective lip portions to gether defining a mouth, a pair of marginal strips externally secured to said lip portions, respectively, and projecting beyond the latter all around said mouth, a

r 4 non-hardening adhesive on the inner faces of the projecting parts of said marginal strips, and a pair of protective strips intermediate said marginal strips each covering the adhesive on a respective one of said inner faces and removably secured thereto by said adhesive, said marginal strips being provided with lugs extending laterally beyond said lip portions, said protective strips being provided with folded-over extremities adjacent said lugs, said extremities facing away from said lugs and lying unattached alongside each other between the main portions of said protective strips. it

4. A scalable envelope according to claim 3, wherein said lugs are free from adhesive.

References (iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,492,960 Chambers May 6, 1924 2,404,337 Williams July 16, 1946 "2,409,100 5 Brady Oct. 8, 1946 2,483,604 Abramson Oct. 4, 1949 2,643,049 Bartelt June 23, 1953

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