TRANSPARENT ENVELOPE

Abstract

A transparent envelope for displaying the contents therein is described herein. In some embodiments, the envelope comprises a front panel, a back panel, a flap, and an adhesive strip. The front panel and back panel may be configured to provide a pocket for holding the contents. The envelope may be closed by folding the flap over an opening to the pocket and attaching the flap using an adhesive strip. The envelope encloses contents such as, for example, a gift for a recipient and festive items such as, for example, confetti to be sent to the recipient.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application claims priority benefit, with regard to all common subject matter, of earlier-filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/609,528, filed Dec. 22, 2017, and entitled “TRANSPARENT ENVELOPE.” The identified earlier-filed provisional patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present application.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the invention relate to an envelope for sending letters, cards, and photographs. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to a transparent envelope system comprising a transparent envelope containing decorative and personalized items that are visible through the envelope.

2. Related Art

Greeting cards, letters, and photographs can be sent in envelopes. Recipients receive the envelope, read who the letter is from and open the envelope to see what is inside. The recipient may be unenthusiastic upon receipt because it is received in a plain white envelope typical of any other mail. The experience of receiving a letter can be enhanced. What is lacking in the prior art is a way to preview the contents of the envelope prior to opening the envelope. Excitement can be generated upon receipt of the envelope when the recipient sees that they have received some sort of gift. The contents of the envelope may include a personalized item as discussed above and/or a decorative item such as confetti or other ornamental features to heighten the experience for the recipient.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention solve these problems by providing a transparent envelope for displaying the contents of the envelope to the recipient to increase excitement prior to opening. A first embodiment of the invention is directed to an envelope system for sending and displaying envelope contents, comprising an envelope, comprising a front panel formed of a transparent material, a back panel formed of the transparent material, wherein an opening is disposed between the front panel and the back panel creating a pocket for items to be inserted therein, and a flap disposed on either the front panel or the back panel for folding over and attaching to the other of said front or back panels enclosing the pocket and the contents therein. The envelope system further comprises a personalized item disposed within the pocket, and a decorative item disposed within the pocket, wherein the personalized item and the decorative item are visible when the envelope is sealed.

A second embodiment is directed to an envelope system for sending and displaying contents, comprising an envelope formed of a polymer comprising an opening for the contents to be inserted, an address label included either at an interior or an exterior of the envelope and visible from the exterior of the envelope, a personalized item disposed within the envelope, and a decorative item disposed within the envelope, wherein the address label, the personalized item, and the decorative item are visible from the exterior of the envelope when the envelope is sealed.

A third embodiment is directed to a method for creating an envelope system for displaying contents of an envelope comprising the steps of cutting a transparent polymer into a rectangle, folding the rectangle along a first crease creating a first panel and a second panel, wherein a face of the first panel and a face of the second panel are adjacent, wherein the first panel is larger than the second panel, binding a first panel edge to a second panel edge, wherein the bound edges, the first crease, and the first panel and the second panel create a pocket for receiving the contents, inserting at least one decorative item into the pocket for display through the transparent polymer, and folding the first panel along a second crease creating a flap for enclosing the pocket and the contents, wherein the flap is configured with an adhesive to secure the flap to the second panel and enclose the contents in the pocket of the envelope, wherein the contents are visible from an exterior of the envelope when the contents are enclosed in the pocket.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view of an exemplary envelope template for manufacturing;

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an envelope with enclosed contents;

FIG. 3 presents an exemplary embodiment of the envelope with attached address labels and postage;

FIG. 4 presents an exemplary embodiment of the envelope with a greeting card enclosed; and

FIG. 5 is an exemplary method for manufacture and assembly of embodiments of the envelope.

The drawing figures do not limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a distinct advance in the art by providing an envelope that presents contents to a recipient in a new and exciting way. The envelope may be transparent presenting the contents upon receipt. The contents may include a personalized item such as a greeting card, postcard, letter, or gift card, and a decorative item such as confetti or other ornamental features and decorative or festive items to enhance the experience for the recipient. The envelope may be sent by courier services, ordered online and sent to the recipient or printed, packaged, and shipped to the recipient by the online company, or purchased at a brick-and-mortar retailer.

The following description of embodiments of the invention references the accompanying illustrations that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “embodiments”, “various embodiments”, “certain embodiments”, “some embodiments”, or “other embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “embodiments”, “various embodiments”, “certain embodiments”, “some embodiments”, or “other embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the current technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

In some embodiments, the envelope may present the contents to the recipient before the recipient opens the envelope. The envelope may be transparent or translucent such that the contents may be viewed without opening the envelope. In some embodiments, the envelope may be manufactured to fit standard United States Postal Service dimensions. In some embodiments, the envelope may be manufactured to fit custom specifications or manufactured to fit any other postcard or standard photograph or letter dimensions in the United States or any international country.

In some embodiments, the envelope may be configured to contain any personalized contents including: letters, cards, gift cards, or gifts that may be any shape and size. The envelope may be any shape and size to fit the contents or any other contents not mentioned here therein. In some embodiments of the invention the envelope may meet the sizes and standards as set forth by government agencies such as, for example, the United States Postal Service, or by private courier services such as, for example, Federal Express or United Postal Service. The courier services listed here are not limiting and the envelope may be sent through any national or international government or private courier service.

Embodiments of the envelope may present decorative components such as ribbon, confetti, glitter, stamps, caricatures, candy, or any other festive, or decorative, item that may be contemplated to incorporate into the envelope. The festive items may present any sort or decorative pattern or material. The festive items may be purchased with the envelope or separately. In some embodiments, the festive items may be purchased online and printed at different sizes to be included with the contents of the envelope.

FIG. 1 presents an exemplary embodiment of the size and the shape of the envelope 100. The size and shape of the envelope 100 may be standard based on post cards, letters, pictures, greeting cards, and other objects to be displayed. The size and shape of the envelope 100 may be customizable to fit any object that may be displayed for sending. The envelope 100 may be made from a polymer, for example, an acetate polymer sheet.

In some embodiments, the envelope 100 is cut into a sheet 102. The sheet 102 may be rectangular as depicted in FIG. 1 or square, oval, triangular, any polygon, circle or any abstract shape that may be imagined to fold and cut to fit any item that may be displayed and sent in the envelope 100. The sheet 102 depicted comprises a short side 104 and a long side 106. The short side 104 and the long side 106 may be any length that may be folded and cut to create an envelope 100 that may fit the contents or standards set forth by the courier services or possible envelope 100 contents as mentioned above.

In some embodiments, the short side 104, for example, is approximately 5.5 inches and the long side 106, for example, is approximately 15.75 inches. A crease 108 may divide a front panel 110 and a back panel 112 into roughly equivalent areas while leaving a flap 114 extending from one of either the front panel 110 or back panel 112 for closing the envelope 100. The crease 108 after folding may become the bottom of the envelope 100. The flap 114 may be created by a flap crease 116. The flap 114 may include an adhesive strip 118 for securing the contents inside the envelope 100. The envelope 100 may be folded at crease 108 such that the front panel 110 and the back panel 112 are adjacent. After folding, the front panel first edge 120 may be attached to the back panel first edge 122 and the front panel second edge 124 may be attached to the back panel second edge 126. Attaching the edges as described may result in a pouch, or pocket, for inserting the contents of the envelope 100. Once the contents are inserted, the flap 114 may be folded over at flap crease 116 and sealed using the adhesive strip 118.

In some embodiments, the front panel first edge 120 may be attached to the back panel first edge 122 and the front panel second edge 124 may be attached to the back panel second edge 126 by an adhesive such as tape, glue, or any other adhesive. In some embodiments, heat may be applied to bond the edges. In some embodiments, the edges may be mechanically attached by grommets, eyelets, crimping, sewn, or any other mechanical method of attaching two edges. Any combination of the above described methods for attaching the edges may be used. For example, the edges may be attached by crimping with a hot crimper such that the edges are both crimped and bonded with heat. In some embodiments, an adhesive such as double sided tape may be applied between the edges and the edges crimped such that the edges are sealed by crimping and with tape. These methods may combine attachment methods thus providing multiple layers of attachment. Any combination of the above described attachment methods may be used.

In some embodiments, the creases are cuts and the front panel 110 and back panel 112 are separate. In this case all edges described as creases above may be attached using any of the attachment methods described in regard to the edges above. In some embodiments, the flap 114 is not creased and is a separate panel as described in regard to the front panel 110 and the back panel 112 above.

In some embodiments there is no flap 114 and the front panel 110 and the back panel 112 are attached using an attachment method provided on the interior or the exterior of the panels. For example, the adhesive strip 118 may be disposed on an interior of the front panel 110. The adhesive strip 118 may have a removable cover such as a piece of the paper or plastic that covers the adhesive surface preventing the adhesive strip 118 from sticking to the back panel 112. Once the removable cover is removed exposing the adhesive surface of the adhesive strip 118 the back panel 112 may be attached to the front panel 110 by contacting the surface of the back panel 112 to the adhesive surface of the adhesive strip 118 that is attached to the front panel 110. In this way, the front panel 110 and the back panel 112 may be attached using the adhesive strip 118. Similarly, the adhesive strip 118 may be attached to the back panel 112 for contacting and attaching the front panel 110. In some embodiments, the adhesive strip 118 is attached to the front panel 110 or the back panel 112 and the flap 114 is folded over to contact the adhesive surface of the adhesive strip 118 to close the envelope 100.

In some embodiments, the size and shape of the envelope 100 after manufacture may meet international post card standards such as, for example, a height of between 3.54 and 4.72 inches and a length of between 5.51 and 9.25 inches. Typically, international postcard sizes are A6 or 5.8 by 4.1 inches. In some embodiments, the envelope 100, for example, may meet United States postcard standards of a height of 3.5 to 4.25 inches and a length of 5.0 to 6.0 inches. The envelope 100 may also allow a postcard thickness of 0.007 and 0.016 inches for example. Where the length is defined as parallel to the address as read and the width is perpendicular to the height.

The envelope 100 may also be used to send personal letters. These letters may meet the standards of the United States Postal Service for commercial letters. For example, the letters may be a height between 3.5 and 6.125 inches and a length between 5 and 11.5 inches with a thickness between 0.007 and 0.25 inches.

The letter dimensions listed above are for standard commercial letters as defined by the United States Postal Service and are exemplary only. The envelope 100 may be manufactured to a size to easily fit letters and postcards of these typical dimensions but may also be altered to fit different dimensions. For example, the envelope 100 size may be increased or decreased on any side to fit, for example, stored value cards, gift cards, greeting cards of any shape and size, or any other gifts, photographs, compact disks, or data storage devices.

In some embodiments, the maximum size and weight of the envelope 100 and contents combined may meet the requirements of, for example, First-Class Mail automation letters, Periodicals, USPS, and Marketing Mail of 3.5 ounces or heavy letter mail of 3.0 ounces. Further, the shape may be rectangular with an aspect ratio of 1.3 to 2.5, as defined by length divided by height, where the length is a dimension defined parallel to the address as read and the height perpendicular to the length.

In some embodiments, the envelope 100 may be manufactured to the meet the sizes of other standard mailing letters such as, for example, first class and commercial envelopes in the categories of machinable, nonmachinable, automation; marketable mail in the categories of machinable, nonmachinable, automation, carrier route; and periodicals in the categories of barcoded (automation) and nonbarcoded letters. Further, the envelope 100 may be manufactured to meet any customized specifications provided by any customers for sending any gift as described above.

FIG. 2 presents an exemplary embodiment of the envelope 100 with added content 128, a photograph, and a decorative item or festive item 130 which in this case is confetti. The content 128 may be enclosed within the envelope with the flap 114 and adhesive strip 118 as described above. The photograph may be any standard size such as 4 by 6, 5 by 7, 8 by 10, 8.5 by 11, 11 by 14 or any other size. The envelope 100 may be manufactured to fit other larger, smaller, or in-between sizes of photographs. The confetti in the envelope may be purchased with the envelope 100 or separately, and may be free to move within the envelope 100 or may be attached with an adhesive to the interior or the exterior of the envelope 100.

In some embodiments, the envelope 100 may be purchased online from the manufacturer or a third-party retailer website. In some embodiments, the envelope 100 may be sent to the customer based on the specifications listed by the customer. The customer may then place, for example, the festive item 130 and the content 128 such as a grift which may be the photograph, letter, or any other content 128 as described herein. Also placed in or attached to the envelope 100 may be an address label and postage and the envelope 100 may then be sent to the recipient. In some embodiments, the festive item 130, content 128, address labels, and/or postage may be applied to the envelope 100 or assembled by the manufacture prior to delivery of the envelope 100 to the customer or recipient. Any combination of the above described embodiments may be completed by the manufacturer prior to delivery to the customer or recipient or may be completed by the customer before sending to the recipient.

In some embodiments, the address labels may be included on the content 128. The content 128, for example, may be a postcard and the customer may apply the recipient information and customer return information directly to an address label on the postcard. In other embodiments, the address label may be applied to the content online at an online website. The online customer may select content 128 such as a personalized item to include in the envelope 100 that may be a greeting card with the customer and the recipients picture that has been uploaded by the customer. On a side of the content 128 opposite the picture, the customer may fill out contact information that is printed directly on the greeting card and visible through the envelope 100. The envelope 100 may also include a customer selected festive item 130 and the online retailer may assemble the envelope system and send directly to the recipient. In some embodiments the postage and address label is also included on the content 128, festive item 130, interior, or exterior of the envelope 100.

The content 128 may include the festive item 130 such as the confetti. The content 128, the festive item 130, and the envelope may be advertised and sold together such that the customer may input recipient information such as name address and any contact information and the envelope 100 and the content 128 along with the festive item 130 may be sent directly to the recipient. The customer may select the envelope 100 content 128 such as, for example, the postcard and the festive 130 item such as, for example, the confetti. The customer may have all items delivered to the customer such that the customer assembles and sends the envelope 100 including the content 128 and festive items 130. This may be helpful if, for example, the customer is sending multiple items to multiple people or if the customer is ordering in bulk to send for different occasions such as birthdays or seasonal gifts throughout the year.

In some embodiments, the envelope 100 may be purchased at a brick-and-mortar retailer. The envelope 100 and the content 128 such as, for example, the postcard and the festive item 130 may be sold separately or already sealed within the envelope 100. The envelope 100 may be sold alone such that the content 128 may be purchased separately and added to the envelope 100. In this way, the customer may have many options and combinations from which to choose.

The envelope 100, in some embodiments, may be used to send the content 128, which may be a postcard as depicted in FIG. 2. Since the envelope 100 may be transparent the postcard may be purchased in the envelope 100. In this case, a separate envelope would not need to be purchased and the postcard and the envelope 100 may be purchased together. In some embodiments, the envelope 100 may be opened such that festive item 130 may be added to the interior of the envelope 100 to increase excitement for the recipient and add a customizable feature for the sender.

In some embodiments, the festive item 130 and content 128 may be purchased separately from the envelope 100 and added. The confetti are exemplary festive items 130 and show how the content 128 display may be enhanced for the recipient. The confetti may be gold, blue, green, or any color and may be any other item that may enhance the experience for the recipient as described above. The added content 128 may be candy, puzzle pieces, photographs, plastic, paper, electronic devices such as a compact disk or other data storage devices or any other item that may be specific to or may have personal meaning to the customer or the recipient.

The confetti is an exemplary festive item 130 and may be any number of festive items 130 such as stickers, caricatures, images, glitter, or any other item that a sender may place in the envelope 100. The addition of the festive item 130 is a feature that the sender may use as a personalization piece and may be customizable and purchased with the envelope 100 or separately.

The festive item 130 may be free to move within the envelope 100 or may be attached or manufactured with the envelope 100. For example, the festive item 130 may be attached to the interior of the envelope with an adhesive such that when the envelope 100 is open the festive item 130 may not fall out and be lost. This may prevent the festive item 130, in the case of, for example, glitter, from falling out of the envelope 100 and making a mess. The festive item 130 may be attached with a spray adhesive or may be attached with a liquid or solid glue or the festive item 130 may contain an adhesive such as a peel and place sticker.

In some embodiments, the festive item 130 may be added to the envelope 100 during manufacturing. A sheet of material from which the envelope 100 is cut may be covered with an adhesive and the festive item 130 may be added. Once the adhesive dries with the festive item 130 attached, the envelope 100 may be cut and folded into shape. Similarly, the festive item 130 may be laid on a sheet of the material and a separate sheet may be attached to the first sheet thus sealing the festive item between the two sheets. The sheets may then be folded and cut to the size and shape of the envelope 100 with the festive item 130 contained within the walls of the envelope 100.

FIG. 3. presents an exemplary embodiment of a reverse side of the embodiment of FIG. 2. In general, the envelope 100 may come with attached address labels 132 or the address labels 132 may be attached by the customer. The address labels 132 may be sold with the envelope 100 or may be sold separately. The address labels 132 may be attached to the interior or the exterior of the envelope 100 and may be attached during manufacturing such that the address labels 132 are attached to the envelope 100 upon purchase at a brick-and-mortar retailer or upon receipt when purchased online.

As depicted in FIG. 3 the envelope 100 has two address labels 132 attached; a sender address label 134 and a recipient address label 136. The envelope 100 may be selected and may be mailed by attaching the sender address label 134 and the recipient address label 136 to the envelope 100 and placing postage 138 on the envelope 100 or filling in address and postage information in predefined regions of the envelope 100 or the contents 128.

In some embodiments, the address labels 132 are predefined regions and manufactured with the envelope 100 such that the customer can write directly on the envelope 100. The envelope 100, address labels 132, and postage 138 may meet the requirements of any courier service.

In some embodiments, the address labels 132 and shipping postage 138 may be attached to the reverse side of the envelope 100 from the side of the envelope displaying the content 128 as depicted in FIG. 2. Attaching the postage 138 and address labels 132 to the reverse side enables the recipient to have an unobstructed view of the content 128 as presented in FIG. 2. The address labels 132 may be added to any part of the envelope 100. The address labels 132 may be small, medium, or large in size and may partially cover or not cover the content 128. The size of the address labels 132 may be standard according to the United States Postal Service or any international or privately owned courier service.

In some embodiments, the address labels 132 may be transparent and only the writing presenting the name, address, and any other instructional language visible. The transparent address label may only provide opaque or translucent writing such as, for example, “name” and “address” to clearly mark the location of the sender and/or recipient's information. The customer may add the sender information to the sender address label 134 and the recipient information to the recipient address label 136 with a pen, marker, or any writing utensil.

In some embodiments, postage may be added to the envelope 100. The postage 138 may be standard paper stamp attached with water or adhesive or may be an ink stamp. In some embodiments, the postage 138 is purchased with the envelope 100 and the envelope 100 is stamped at a post office or by the manufacturer or by a third-party retailer. In some embodiments, the postage is printed with the contents 128 and is included in the customer fee. The contents 128, festive item 130, address labels 132, and postage 138 may be included in the interior of the envelope 100 and visible from the exterior of the envelope 100. Any postage 138 may be added to or printed on the envelope 100 or any contents of the envelope 100 for any items that may be delivered through the United States Postal Service, or any other courier as described herein.

Once the content 128 and the festive item 130 of the envelope 100 has been added the envelope 100 may be closed using the adhesive strip 118. In some embodiments, the adhesive strip 118, as described above, may be sealed with an adhesive or water activated adhesive. The adhesive strip 118 may be provided on the flap 114 folded over from either the back panel 112 or the front panel 110. In some embodiments, there may be no flap 114 and the adhesive strip 118 is disposed between the front panel 110 and the back panel 112 close to the edge of the opening. The adhesive strip 118 may be combined with the envelope 100 or may be a regular household adhesive and the envelope 100 is not purchased with the adhesive strip 114.

The exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 4 presents a front side 140 of a winter greeting card 142 enclosed in the envelope 100. The greeting card 142 presents pictures and writing visible through the transparent envelope 100. The festive item 130 is disposed inside the envelope 100 and is also visible through the envelope 100. The envelope 100 may be sealed displaying the greeting card 142 as shown and the shipping label 132 may be on the reverse side hidden from the recipient on the front side but visible from the reverse side. The greeting card 142 may be presented in the envelope 100 in any embodiment with any of the added contents as described above. An address label is visible on the back side of the envelope 100 such that all contents of the envelope are clearly visible and not obstructed by any required delivery information.

In some embodiments, the transparent envelope 100 may be translucent or may have decals or illustrations on the envelope 100. The illustrations may be printed on the envelope 100 and may be templates provided by the manufacturer or may be custom and provided by the customer. For example, the festive items 130 may be printed on the envelope such that the recipient may see the festive item 130 and may see through, or around, in that the festive item 130 may be translucent or opaque. The envelope 100 may present scenic illustrations such as snow or animals on the interior or the exterior of the envelope. The illustrations may be transparent, translucent, or opaque and may be printed on the envelope 100 to add another layer of excitement and customization. The illustrations may be added in combination with the content 128 and the festive item 130. In some embodiments presented above, the illustrations may be the festive item 130.

An exemplary method of manufacture and assembly of the envelope 100 is presented in FIG. 5. The flow chart has two parts; manufacture 502 and assembly 504. Any steps of the manufacture and assembly may be substituted, deleted, or added. Any steps presented in the manufacture section may be performed in the assembly section and vice versa. For example, when the envelope 100 is assembled with the festive contents 130 at the manufacturer or at a third-party retailer, some assembly, such as adding content 128 and festive items 130, may occur at the manufacturing level.

In a Step 506, a material is cut into an initial shape for creating the envelope 100. In some embodiments, the material is a transparent or translucent polymer. In some embodiments, the material is an acetate sheet. In some embodiments, the acetate is cut into a rectangular sheet for creating a rectangular envelope for sending items by mail or through an independent courier service. The material may be cut into any shape to create any size and shape for the envelope 100.

In a Step 508, the material is folded to create a front panel 110 and a back panel 112. In some embodiments the front panel 110 and back panel 112 are not the same size. The material may be perforated along the folding edges. In some embodiments, the material may be cut instead of folded to create the separate back panel 112 and front panel 110.

In a Step 510, the free edges of the front panel 110 are attached to the free edges of the back panel 112. In some embodiments, the edges are attached with an adhesive, heat, or mechanical attachments such as grommets or hook and loop or zipper style attachments. In some embodiments the edges are attached by crimping and any combination of attachments may be used. The edges of the front panel 110 are attached to the edges in the back panel 112 creating a pocket where the folded edge is the bottom of the pocket.

In a Step 512, a fold is created from the longer of the front panel 110 or back panel 112 to create a flap 114 for closing the top of the envelope 100. In some embodiments, the fold is perforated, heated, or cut as described in the front panel 110 and back panel 112 folds above. The flap 114 may be folded into the interior of the pocket or may be folded onto the exterior of the envelope 100. The fold may be created from either the front panel 110 or the back panel 112.

In a Step 514 the adhesive strip 118 is added to the flap 114. The flap 114 is configured with the adhesive strip 118 on a side that comes into contact with either the interior of the opposing panel or the exterior of the opposing panel. For example, if the flap 114 is made from the back panel 112 then the flap 114 could come into contact with front panel 110 to close the envelope 100. The adhesive strip 118 may be added to the flap 114 such that the flap 114 attaches to the exterior of the front panel 110 or the interior of the front panel 110. In some embodiments, the adhesive strip 118 is added to the front panel 110 such that the flap 114 may adhere to the front panel 110 in a similar way as described above. In some embodiments, there is no flap 114 and either the front panel 110 or the back panel 112 comprises the adhesive strip 118 for attaching to the adjacent panel.

In a Step 516, optional contents such as festive items 130 may be added to the envelope 100. In some embodiments, the festive items 130 may be added loosely by the manufacturer or the sender. In some embodiments, the festive items 130 may be added with adhesive such that the festive items 130 stick to the side of the envelope 100. This method may prevent the festive items 130 from falling out of the envelope 100. The festive items 130 may also be added during manufacturing and laid between sheets of material such that they are contained within the panels, or walls, of the envelope 100.

At Step 518, the content 128 is added to the envelope 100. The content 128 may be a letter, a greeting card, a postcard, a data storage device, or any other gift or item that a person may send and wish to be viewed through the envelope 100.

At Step 520, the flap 114 is folded over and sealed closing the envelope 100 and enclosing the content 128 and festive items 130 within the envelope 100. The flap 114 may be attached, closing the envelope, with the adhesive strip 118 as described above or by any mechanical attaching method also described above.

At Step 522 address labels 132 and postage 138 are added to the envelope 100. In some embodiments, the address labels 32 are transparent and allow the recipient to see through the address labels 132 to the envelope 100 content 128 and only the writing on the address labels 132 are visible. In some embodiments, the address labels 132 are translucent or opaque and may be purchased in combination with envelope 100 or attached to the envelope 100 during manufacturing as described above. In some embodiments, where the address labels 132 are attached to the envelope 100 by the manufacturer or the third-party retailer, Step 522 may be moved into the manufacturing portion of the flow chart method 500. In some embodiments, the address labels and/or postage is including on the interior of the envelope 100 and in some embodiments is printed directly on the contents 128.

The steps of the exemplary method 500 are interchangeable and in some embodiments the steps may be performed in any number of alternative orders. Further, as described above, the attached postage 138 may be a conventional stamp from a post office or any other attached or printed symbol representing that some method of payment for courier service has been conducted.

At Step 524, the envelope 100 with content 128 and festive item 130 enclosed and attached address label 132 and postage 138 is sent to the recipient. In some embodiments, the envelope 100 is assembled and sent by the customer and in some embodiments, the envelope 100 is assembled and sent to the recipient by the manufacturer or the third-party retailer as described above.

The transparent envelope 100 and the content 128 may be selected online and printed, packaged, and sent by the online company. Digital media including photographs may be uploaded and added to templates and edited online by the purchaser and sent to the recipient.

In some embodiments of the method described above, any embodiments described within the method may be rearranged, omitted, or any embodiments described above may be added as needed to other embodiments.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

Claims

1. An envelope system for sending and displaying envelope contents, comprising:

an envelope, comprising: a front panel formed of a transparent material; a back panel formed of the transparent material, wherein an opening is disposed between the front panel and the back panel creating a pocket for items to be inserted therein; and a flap disposed on either the front panel or the back panel for folding over and attaching to the other of said front or back panels enclosing the pocket and the contents therein;

a personalized item disposed within the pocket; and

a decorative item disposed within the pocket,

wherein the personalized item and the decorative item are visible when the envelope is sealed.

2. The envelope system of claim 1, wherein the transparent material is a polymer.

3. The envelope system of claim 1, wherein the decorative item is at least one of confetti, rice, candy, photographs, plastic, or paper.

4. The envelope system of claim 1, wherein the personalized item is at least one of a stored value card, a greeting card, a letter, a photograph, or a data storage device.

5. The envelope system of claim 1,

wherein the back panel comprises the flap; and

wherein the flap includes an adhesive that attaches to the front panel adjacent the back panel.

6. The envelope system of claim 5, wherein the back panel and the front panel are formed by folding and attaching front panel edges to back panel edges to form the pocket.

7. The envelope system of claim 1,

wherein the personalized item, the decorative item, an address label, and postage is visible from an exterior of the envelope when the envelope is sealed, and

wherein the address label is disposed within the envelope.

8. The envelope system of claim 1, wherein the personalized item is purchased separately and added to the pocket after purchase.

9. The envelope system of claim 1, wherein the envelope system is purchased online and is sent directly to a recipient with the personalized item and the decorative item included.

10. The envelope system of claim 9, wherein the personalized item is personalized online and a size and a shape of the envelope is customizable and purchased from a third-party website.

11. The envelope system of claim 9, wherein an address label is included in the personalization and printed directly on a back side of the personalized item.

12. The envelope system of claim 1, wherein a height of the envelope is between 3.5 and 5 inches and a length of the envelope is between 4.5 and 6 inches.

13. The envelope system of claim 1, wherein the envelope system further comprises at least one address label visible from either an interior or an exterior of the envelope.

14. The envelope system of claim 13, wherein postage and the at least one address label is disposed on the interior of the envelope and visible through the envelope.

15. An envelope system for sending and displaying contents, comprising:

an envelope formed of a polymer comprising an opening for the contents to be inserted;

an address label included either at an interior or an exterior of the envelope and visible from the exterior of the envelope;

a personalized item disposed within the envelope; and

a decorative item disposed within the envelope;

wherein the address label, the personalized item, and the decorative item are visible from the exterior of the envelope when the envelope is sealed.

16. The envelope system of claim 15, wherein the decorative item is adhered to the interior of the envelope.

17. The envelope system of claim 15, wherein the envelope is sealed with the decorative item and the personalized item enclosed and sent directly to a recipient by a third-party retailer.

18. The envelope system of claim 17, wherein the personalized item is at least one of a stored value card, a greeting card, a letter, a photograph, or a data storage device.

19. The envelope system of claim 18, wherein the decorative item and the personalized item are selected by an online customer and the third-party retailer is an online retailer.

20. A method for creating an envelope system for displaying contents of an envelope comprising the steps of:

cutting a transparent polymer into a rectangle;

folding the rectangle along a first crease creating a first panel and a second panel,

wherein a face of the first panel and a face of the second panel are adjacent,

wherein the first panel is larger than the second panel;

binding a first panel edge to a second panel edge;

wherein the bound edges, the first crease, and the first panel and the second panel create a pocket for receiving the contents;

inserting at least one decorative item into the pocket for display through the transparent polymer; and

folding the first panel along a second crease creating a flap for enclosing the pocket and the contents,

wherein the flap is configured with an adhesive to secure the flap to the second panel and enclose the contents in the pocket of the envelope,

wherein the contents are visible from an exterior of the envelope when the contents are enclosed in the pocket.