US3352481A - Social correspondence card construction - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 14,- 1967 F. KIRCHQF 3,352,481

SOCIAL CORRESPONDENCE CARD CONSTRUCTION Filed April 13, 1966 Him...

INVENTOR. FRED KIRCHOF ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,352,481 SOCIAL CORRESPONDENCE CARD CONSTRUCTION Fred Kirchof, R0. Box 1223, Scottsdale, Ariz. 85252 Filed Apr. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 542,316 1 Claim. (Cl. 22992.1)

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application Ser. No. 387,155 filed Aug. 3, 1964, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a social correspondence card construction.

More particularly, the invention concerns a social correspondence card construction which is adapted to be releasably sealed after writing thereon and to present to the recipient the appearance of a sealed private communication.

In another aspect, the invention relates to a social cor- Icspondence car-d construction adapted to be mailed or otherwise transmitted from the writer to the recipient thereof without the use of an envelope.

In a still further aspect, the invention relates to novel social correspondence card constructions which are releasably scalable and which, after opening by the recipient, present a pleasing and socially proper aesthetic appearance without torn or otherwise mutilated portions but which, nevertheless, are scalable after writing and which can remain in such sealed and private condition during transport thereof from the writer to the recipient.

Social correspondence is typically and commonly carried out by writing the desired message upon stationery of suitable weight, color and proportions, folding the stationery and inserting the same in a mailing envelope which is then sealed for delivery to the recipient. In general, the use of so-called postcards is not common for social correspondence inasmuch as the contents thereof are not maintained private during transport from the writer to the recipient. This lack of privacy detracts seriously from the social acceptability of such communications, and postcards have generally been limited to use in semi-business-type correspondence, advertising, and short informal messages. In an attempt to remedy the displeasing aesthetic character of messages written on postcards, it has been proposed to provide various constructions which can be sealed after writing and thereafter opened by the recipient of the message. However, such previous constructions require the use of tabs, scalable flaps, or other projections which detract from the appearance of the card before writing and, when received, must be torn or otherwise displaced so as to provide an even more displeasing aesthetic appearance after opening by the recipient.

It would be highly advantageous to provide a social correspondence card which, for both the'letter writer and the recipient, is perfectly rectangular in shape and which avoids the use of any perforations or mechanical contrivances or interlocking notches, die cuts or separately attached extraneous sealing devices.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a social correspondence card which is releasable scalable after writing and which, when opened a by the recipient, presents a clean, aesthetic, unmarred and untorn appearance.

Another principal object of'the invention is the provision of such a releasably scalable social correspondence card which is openable at or along the point of sealing thereof and which, after opening, does not visibly disclose the means for releasable seahng thereof.

7 A still further object of the invention is the provision of such social correspondence card constructions which suit the requirements of social stationery but which pro- 3,352,481 Patented Nov. 14, 1967 vide the convenience in handling and mailing heretofore provide-d by so-called common postcards.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a social correspondence card construction meeting the requirements of social stationery in terms of aesthetic appearance and the ability to present the appearance of a sealed private communication.

These and other, further, and more specific objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a social correspondence card construction embodying the present invention, the card being shown in its opened condition ready for writing or reading;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the card construction of FIG. 1 chosen for purposes of illustration in which the card is partially folded to show the method of sealing thereof;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the construction of FIGS. 1-2 taken along section line 33 of FIG. 2.

Briefly, in accordance with the invention, I provide a social correspondence card construction which is adapted to be releasably self-sealed and which presents the appearance of a sealed private communication to the recipient thereof comprising a rectangularly shaped card having upper and lower edges and provided with a transverse scored fold line located closer to the bottom edge than to the top edge thereof. The fold line divides the rectangularly shaped card into an upper panel and a lower panel adapted to fold upwardly against said upper panel along the fold line. The face of the card is provided with a writing area which includes the entire area of the lower panel and that portion of the upper panel which is masked by the lower panel when it is folded upwardly along the fold line into contact with the upper panel. The face of the card also is provided with a writing-free area on the card which is defined by that portion of the upper panel which remains visible when the lower panel is folded upwardly. The writing-free area includes a decorative emblem area which is horizontally located generally closer to the center of the card than to the sides thereof and a return-address area which may be conveniently located in any other portion of the writing-free area not occupied by the decorative emblem area.

In order to provide for concealing the self-sealing adhesive bands, the card is provided with colored areas, advantageously of a contrasting color and/or texture. The colored areas comprise a border situated along the periphery of the card and extending inwardly thereof at least a distance corresponding to the thickness of the self-sealing adhesive bands and a lower portion of the decorative emblem area.

The releasably self-sealing adhesive bands are, correspondingly, situated along the sides of the card from the bottom edge upwardly to substantially the lower portion of the writing-free area, along the lower portion of the decorative emblem area, and along a portion of the lower edge of the card which is in a position to register with the lower portion of the decorative emblem area when the lower panel is folded upwardly along the fold line.

The present invention utilizes the type of cohesive but inadhesive material commonly found in so-called selfsealing envelopes, which is a latex material Well known in the envelope art under the term dry sealing adhesive, which has been appropriately modified as hereinafter described to allow opening the card construction by release of the adhesive at the point of sealing. The principal characteristic 'of the material is that two strips of it when brought into juxtaposition will stick to one another with 4) sufficient tenacity to form a releasable seal, but will not stick to any other objects. Accordingly, when the unused cards are stacked in an appropriate box or bag for display and sale thereof, the cards will not stick together as the adhesive strips will merely contact the rear surface of the next card in the stack.

The colored areas are advantageously provided by imprinting with a printing ink of a color which contrasts markedly with the remainder of the surface area of the card. The colored areas function to mask and conceal the presence of the self-sealing adhesive bands from both the writer and the recipient of the card construction. Although the self-sealing adhesive bands are generally transparent, they do alter the surface texture of the card when applied thereto and, if not masked by application to a colored or suitably different textured area, they detract from the aesthetic appearance of the card and, thereby, reduce its acceptability as social correspondence stationery.

Turning now to the drawings which, taken in conjunction with the detailed description thereof, will enable persons skilled in the art to practice the invention and to identify the presently preferred embodiments thereof, FIG. 1 is a plan view of a correspondence card construction embodying the features and advantages of the present invention. The card is generally rectangular in shape, as shown, and is provided with a scored transverse fold line 2 located closer to the bottom edge 3 than to thetop edge 4. When the bottom panel, generally indicated by reference character A, is folded upwardly along the fold line 2 into contact with the upper panel, generally indicated by reference character B, that portion of the card below the dashed line 5 is not visible and, therefore, provides a writing area for the placement of a message which can be mantained private during transmission of the message to the recipient. That portion of the card which lies above the dashed line 5 remains visible during transmission of the message and is maintained free of writing. The writing-free area above the dashed line 5 includes a decorative emblem area 6 and anarea 7 which is used for a return address. The decorative emblem area 6 functions to provide a colored area 8 extending slightly below the dashed line 5, the function of which will be explained later. The card is provided with a border 9 along the peripheral edges thereof. This border 9 and the lower portion of the decorative emblem area 8 are suitably imprinted with ink of a color or texture contrasting markedly from the surface of the remainder of the card to provide concealment of the strips of self-sealingadhesive 10 located along the sides ofthe card and the strip 10a located along a portion of the bottom edge of the card which registers with a mating strip disposed in the lower portion 8 of the decorative emblem area.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the card of FIG. 1 partially folded to illustrate the mating of theadhesive surfaces 21 disposed along the edges thereof and thestrips 22 located along a portion of the bottom edge of the card and the strip 22a located along the bottom portion of the decorative emblem area. After the message is written, the bottom panel, generally indicated by reference character A, is merely folded upwardly along thefold line 23 into releasably sealable contact with the upper panel, generally indicated by reference character B. The pair ofadhesive strips 22 and 22a provide a necessary sealing point intermediate the edges of the card but, as illustrated, need not necessarily be placed horizontally in the exact center of the card. Rather, it is only necessary that thestrips 22 and 22a be placed in an area generally closer to the center of the card than to the edges thereof.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the card of FIGS. 1-2 taken along section line 3-3 of FIG. 2. The bottom panel, indicated by reference character A, folds upwardly, after the message is written, against the upper panel, indicated by reference character B, bringing theadhesive strips 21 into releasably sealing contact, thereby sealing 4 the edges of the folded card to provide substantial privacy for the contents of the message.

As will be apparent from FIG. 3, the portion indicated by reference character C of the upper panel B which extends above the lower edge of the lower panel A when the card is folded provides a backing against which thefinger 31 of the recipient may be positioned to conveniently and rapidly locate the opening between the panels A and B, permitting the panel A to be retracted from its releasably sealed position to open the card construction for reading the contents thereof.

The following example illustrates the presently preferre'd method of providing the self-sealing adhesive strips mentioned hereabove.

Example A so-called rubber cement which is latex material commercially available under the tradename Carters Rubber Cement from the Carters Ink Co., Cambridge, Mass., was thinned by mixing one part by volume of thinner with three parts of the rubber cement and thoroughly mixing the two materials. The thinner was a petroleum fraction commonly known as naphtha and is commercially obtainable under the tradename Carters Thinner" from the same source as the rubber cement.

The purpose of adding the thinner is to render the adhesive releasable at the point of sealing. The exact proportions of rubber cement and thinner are not highly critical and it is only necessary to reduce the bond strength sufiiciently by adding thinner to the cement to permit the seal to be parted by breaking the adhesive bond rather than tearing the paper substrate.

For best results, I apply the thinned adhesive in a i wide band of approximately 1-2 mils thickness.

Various minor and immaterial modifications of the embodiment of the invention chosen for purposes of illustration will occur to those skilled in the art having regard for the disclosure hereof. To the extent that such minor and immaterial variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope of the invention which is defined by a just interpretation of the following claims.

Having fully described my invention and the presently preferred embodiments thereof, I claim: 7

A social correspondence card construction which is adapted to be releasably self-sealed and which presents the appearance of a sealed private communication to the recipient thereof, comprising:

(a) a rectangularly shaped card substantially free of perforation and having upper and lower edges and being divided by a transverse scored fold line located closer to the bottom edge than to the top edge into (1) an upper panel, having substantially continuous sides, and

(2) a lower panel having substantially continuous sides, adapted to fold upwardly against said upper panel along said fold line;

(b) a writing area on said card including (1) the entire area of said lower panel, and

(2) that portion of said upper panel which is masked by said lower panel when said lower panel is folded upwardly as aforesaid;

(c) a writing-free area on said card defined by that portion of said upper panel which remains visible when said lower panel is folded upwardly as aforesaid, said writing-free area including 7 (l) A decorative emblem area horizontally located generally closer to the center of said card than to the sides thereof, and

(2) a return address area;

(d) colored areas on said card for concealing selfsealing adhesive bands comprising (1) a border situated along the periphery of said card and extending inwardly thereof at least a distance corresponding to the thickness of said self-sealing adhesive bands, and

6 (2) a lower portion of said decorative emblem said bands, after sealing, being mutually releasable at the area; point of sealing without damage to the card substrate.

(e) self-sealing adhesive bands situated (1) along the sides of said card from the bottom References Cited edge upwardly to substantially the lower portion 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS of said writing-free area, 2,676,702 4/ 1954 Whitefoot. (2) along the lower portion of said decorative 2,910,222 10/1959 Bermingham, et al. 229-73 emblem area, and (3) along the lower edge of said card in a position FOREIGN PATENTS to register with said lower portion of said deco- 0 78,659 10/1919 Austriarative emblem area when said lower panel is 63'735 7/1945 Dmmarkfolded upwardly as aforesaid; DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner.

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