Durable, Reusable Routing Envelop

Abstract

A durable, reusable routing envelope is provided that is environmentally friendly and provides a greatly extended lifetime compared to routing envelopes in current use.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to providing durable, reusable, and thus environmentally friendly, envelopes in situations such as interoffice mail.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Routing envelopes are used in large numbers for interoffice mail or other deliveries by government agencies, colleges and universities, and other entities such as corporations. These envelopes typically provide a pocket for containing the papers or other items to be transferred from one person or department to another, and a space on the face of the envelope for writing in the destination of the envelope. Often, the face of the envelope provides a series of horizontal lines; when the envelope is re-used, the prior destination is “deleted” by marking through it, and the new destination or recipient written in on the next available line.

While such envelopes are reusable to a limited extent, they are typically disposed of when all the address lines have been used, or earlier if the envelope is already worn out from handling. Previous attempts have been made to “renew” the lifetimes of such envelopes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,137 to Coffey discloses a reusable envelope with a replaceable address label. The address label of Coffey must be replaced in its entirety when all of the address spaces have been used, but its use extends the lifetime of an envelope that is otherwise serviceable.

Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,198 to Daley discloses a reusable envelope with a front pocket to hold a pad of ruled sheets. Each sheet in the pad of the Daley disclosure provides a series of address spaces, with the intention that when a sheet is filled, the pad should be removed from the pocket, the top sheet discarded, and the pad then should be replaced in the pocket. Depletion of the entire pad requires a new address pad, a process that can continue until the envelope wears out.

However, in each of these prior disclosures, the envelope material must be sufficiently rigid to provide structure to the envelope itself. In the disclosure of Daley, for example, the construction of the envelope is disclosed as making certain folds in a single piece of stock. Because these envelopes must be expected to withstand repeated day-to-day handling, the material that provides the envelopes structure is subject to continual wear, and must eventually be replaced.

Replacement of envelopes, especially at an institution or agency with a high-volume of interoffice mail, can require a large regular expenditure. Additionally, the “expired” envelopes must either be disposed of or recycled. Both options require an environmental cost; the choice is between the space and energy devoted to refuse disposal, such as a landfill, or the energy cost of recycling, new packaging, etc.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a reusable routing envelope that can have an extended lifetime compared to present envelopes, thus providing an envelope that is more environmentally friendly. It is further desirable to provide such an envelope that requires no periodic replacement of its component parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a routing envelope constructed primarily from a durable, flexible material, preferably a nonwoven polypropylene. Nonwoven polypropylene provides significantly better wear resistance compared to the paper or cardstock materials presently used for routing envelopes. In addition to its excellent durability, nonwoven polypropylene is light-weight, resists tearing, and yet is easily workable.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that other materials with similar durability may also be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, some versions of the polyethylene products marketed under the trade name Tyvek® may be suitable for this application.

In a preferred embodiment, the routing envelope of the present invention comprises two essentially rectangular pockets. A first pocket is formed entirely by the flexible, durable material and is closable by a secureable flap. In a preferred embodiment, the closure for the flap will be a button-and-string closure, allowing the flap to be secured or opened quickly while simultaneously providing security against loss of the envelope's contents during handling. Other closures may also be used, for example, button-and-hook fasteners, such as those marketed under the trade name Velcro® may be used. The only constraint on the closure is that, like the envelope's material, the closure should be durable and capable of long-term, repeated use without failure.

The second pocket of the envelope comprises an essentially transparent section, allowing a routing sheet to be slid into place in the second pocket so that the destination address is clearly visible. The essentially transparent section of the first pocket is preferably formed with essentially transparent, lightweight plastic. The plastic is less flexible than the flexible, durable material of the envelope, and thus provides structural support to maintain the shape of the envelope when it is empty.

The routing sheet may be a traditional style, providing spaces to write in successive addresses, or as simple as a single sheet showing the “To:” address. Because the routing sheet is easily and immediately replaceable with any sheet of plain paper, there is no need for pre-printed forms. If a multi-entry routing sheet is used to conserve paper and is filled up, it may be replaced in seconds with a new one produced on any local printer. Thus, the invention allows the display of routing information without the need for pre-printed forms or adhesives.

The second pocket may also be provided with a means of securing it in a closed configuration, but one is generally not necessary. If so desired, a means for securing the second pocket could be fashioned in any of a number of ways apparent to those skilled in the art, such as by providing a hook-and-loop closure, providing a second flap to secure the second pocket, or even utilizing the same flap to secure both the first and second pockets. Such variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the preferred embodiment, three sides of both the first and second pockets are permanently secured, and preferably so secured by stitching along three sides of a rectangularly configured envelope. This construction allows for each pocket to have one open side for insertion of documents into the first pocket and a routing slip into the second pocket. A securable flap is preferably provided to hold the open side of the first pocket closed, thus securing the contents of the first pocket in the envelope during routing. Alternative methods of holding the openable side of the first pocket closed may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. Similarly, alternative construction of the envelope pockets, such as by making two or more sides of either pocket openable, may be utilized, although these embodiments are not preferred as they would increase the cost of manufacture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an elevational view of one side of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is an elevational view of a second side of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, an embodiment of the invention is a two-pocket envelope 10. Envelope 10 comprises a first pocket 12 and a second pocket 14. First pocket 12 is securable by folding flap 16 over first pocket open end 18, and securing flap 16 in position, for example by use of releasable closure 20. Releasable closure 20 is preferably a string-and-button closure and comprises first button 22, second button 24, and string 26, and can be repeatedly used to releasably secure flap 16.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that other releasable closures may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, hook-and-loop closures, such as those marketed under the trade name Velcro®, may be used.

Alternatively, flap 16 could be attached to, or be made part of, first side 28 of envelope 10, and be releasably securable over both first pocket open end 18 and second pocket open end 19. However, securing second pocket open end 19 is not required.

First side 28 of envelope 10 is preferably secured along three edges, for example by edge stitching 30. Those of skill in the art will recognize that other means for securing these edges, such as adhesives, maybe used as a matter of engineering or design choice. Additionally, hem stitching 32 may be used to form a hem to protect the edge of the material at top edge 34 of first side 28, but unlike edge stitching 30 would not penetrate intermediate side 36 of first pocket 12.

Second side 38 of envelope 10 comprises an essentially transparent section 40. Like first side 28, second side 38 is preferably secured along three edges, and this is preferably accomplished by having edge stitching 30 penetrating both first side 28 and second side 38. Also like first side 28, second side hem stitching 42 may be used to form a hem at top edge 44 of second side 38.

Except for essentially transparent section 40, envelope 10 comprises a flexible, durable material, preferably a nonwoven polypropylene. These preferred materials are extremely wear resistant and durable, but are essentially cloth-like, and provide little, if any structural support to keep envelope 10 flat, especially when empty. Essentially transparent section 40 is preferably a transparent plastic of greater rigidity than the flexible, durable material that forms the body of envelope 10. Essentially transparent section 40 thus assists the structure of envelope 10 to retain its preferred shape for better ease of handling.

In use, materials to be transferred are placed in first pocket 12 through first pocket open end 18 and secured therein by securing flap 16 with closure 20. A routing slip (not shown) is inserted in second pocket 14 through second pocket open end 19 so that the routing information is visible through essentially transparent section 40.

The above descriptions are provided by way of example only and do not limit the scope of the invention. Those of skill in the art will recognize that variations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention that is claimed below.

Claims

1. A reusable envelope, comprising a flexible, durable material, wherein said envelope comprises a first pocket, a releasable closure for selectively securing said first pocket in a closed configuration, and a second pocket, wherein said second pocket comprises an essentially transparent section, and wherein said essentially transparent section comprises a material of greater rigidity than said flexible, durable material.

2. The envelope of claim 1, wherein said flexible, durable material comprises a nonwoven polypropylene.

3. The envelope of claim 1, wherein said flexible, durable material comprises a plastic material.

4. The envelope of claim 1 wherein said flexible, durable material comprises a polyethylene material.

5. The envelope of claim 1, wherein said essentially transparent side section of said second pocket comprises an essentially transparent plastic.

6. The envelope of claim 1, wherein said releasable closure comprises a button-and-string closure.

7. The envelope of claim 1, wherein said releasable closure comprises a hook-and-loop closure.