US31801A - Envelop - Google Patents

Description

\ UNITED STATES PATENT oFFioE.

JOSEPH GRAY, OF RAYMOND, MISSISSIPPI.

ENVELOP.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,801, dated March 26, 1861.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH GRAY, of Raymond, in the county of Hinds and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and Improved Letter Bag or Envelop for the Post- Ofiice Department; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a perspective view ofmy in vention in a closed state; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the same in an open state; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the saine in a closed state; Fig. 4, a detached perspective view of the address card.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The obj ect of this invention is to supersede the ordinary paper envelops which are used by postmasters for inclosingA a plurality of letters addressed to one place, and which are distributed by the postmaster of the oiiice where they are received.

The invention consists in the employment or use of a bag orenvelop constructed of thin oil-cloth or other suitable material and provided with elastic bands and an address card, all being arranged essentially as hereinafter Shown and described, whereby a number of letters may be inclosed and properly directed with the greatest facility, and the same bag or envelop, and also the same address card used indefinitely.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a bag or envelop which may be constructed of thin oil cloth or other suitable material provided with a flap B. The form and construction of the bag or envelop is shown clearly in Fig. 2. By referring to this figure it will be seen that it is the saine in form as an ordinary paper letter envelop, instead however of being pasted together it is sewed-at least this would be the most preferable mode of construction.

To the front side of the bag or envelop" there are attached two or more elastic bands C, C, which encompass the envelop and also encompass an address card D, as shown in Fig. 1. This address card may be of stiff paper with two holes a, a, made through it as shown in Fig. 4, for the bands C, C, to pass through. The card D, may have an address on each side of it, see Fig. `1, in which New York is shown on the exposed side. of the card and Boston shown by dots on the inner side. The card D, is placed on theflap side B of the bag or envelop and renders the same secure or prevents it from casually opening.

The device is used as follows: When a number of letters for instance are to be sent to the Boston oice from New York, they are placed in one, or more bags or envelops A, and the address D, attached thereto by the bands C, C, with the word Boston on the exposed or outer side. These same bags may be filled at the Boston ofiice with New York letters and the address card attached tovthem withthe word New York on the outside.

This invention may be adopted at a trifling cost, and will prove far superior to the ordinary paper envelops, as the letters may be expeditiously put up and transmitted with greater safety than by the old mode, and the address cards being of considerable size, the old addresses may be erased and new ones marked on when required.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure by Let-ters Patent.- As an improved article of manufacture a mail or package envelop composed of an envelop A, bands O and address card D, arranged as herein shown and described.

Jos. GRAY.

Vitnesses:

I. I. DRooNeooB, W. H. KERK.

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