Recyclable single-sheet mailer

Abstract

The recyclable single-sheet mailer is a single sheet of predominantly opaque paper stock having a front face, a rear face, top and bottom edges, and a transparent and seamless addressee window area defined thereon. All printed content is applied to the rear face of the mailer. The mailer has a plurality of transverse fold lines formed parallel to the top and bottom edges, dividing the sheet into a plurality of panels configurable as either a one-way mailer or as mailer with a business or courtesy reply envelope. Furthermore, a two-dimensional barcode containing addressee specific account information may be printed on the reply envelope to facilitate handling. Finally, addressee information, including bar-coded POSTNET data, may be printed in mirror image within the transparent window area, facilitating correct barcode scanning.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to mailers and envelopes, and particularly to single-sheet mailers that may serve both as a billing statement and a built-in reply envelope. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Single-sheet mailers are popular with businesses because they offer companies a convenient means of transmitting statements to customers. Mailers include both one-way mailers and mailers with built in pre-addressed envelopes, which have been developed for the situations where the customer needs to respond back or send back a check to the original business concern. [0005] It is desirable to produce mailers that comprise a single sheet of paper, thereby making the production and printing of the mailer simple and economical. While such mailers have been for the most part successful, most varieties have suffered from the requirement of two-sided printing or the necessity of having a window opening or tran...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] The recyclable single-sheet mailer of the present invention is a single sheet of predominantly opaque paper stock having a front face, a rear face, first and second opposite end edges, and a plurality of transverse fold lines formed perpendicular to the parallel longitudinal edges, dividing the sheet into a plurality of panels configurable as either a one-way mailer or as a mailer with a business or courtesy reply envelope. Transparent addressee and return address window areas are defined in one or more panels, permitting the underlying addressee information to be viewable from outside of the envelope.

[0012] The present invention has been designed to simplify the manufacturing process of single-sheet mailers. One means by which this is accomplished is by having all printed indicia applied to the rear face of the mailer. Furthermore, the transparent window areas are neither cutouts nor transparent patches attached to the face of the mailer. Composed of paper stock that forms the opaque portion of the mailer, the window areas have been made transparent by the application of a chemical agent, thereby providing a seamless transition between the opaque portion of the envelope and the transparent window portion. The transparent windows have sufficient clarity that Postal Service automated equipment may properly process the mailer.

[0015] Finally, window viewable indicia, including addressee information and bar-coded POSTNET data. may, as an alternative to being printed on an underlying panel, be printed in mirror image on the rear surface of the transparent window area to improve reliability when scanned by U.S. Postal service BCS equipment.

Problems solved by technology

While such mailers have been for the most part successful, most varieties have suffered from the requirement of two-sided printing or the necessity of having a window opening or transparent patch exposing the mailing address.

Furthermore, transparent patches such as those composed of cellophane, glassine, and polystyrene render the mailer non-recyclable, and entertain possible registration issues with the addressee indicia disposed on the underlying panel.

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