US 12,722,855 B1Granted

Envelope with internal pocket

AssigneeAdmail West, Inc.

InventorKathleen Pescetti

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Abstract

A pocket is located within an inner envelope, with the pocket strategically located to keep bulky items within the pocket from being located within an automated handling region of an outer envelope that contains the inner envelope. The pocket is spaced far enough from a lower edge of the inner envelope that when the inner envelope is upright within the outer envelope, the pocket is above the automated handling region of the outer envelope at a lower portion of the outer envelope. As one option, the pocket is formed by folding an interior flap of the inner envelope against a rear panel thereof and bonding it to the rear panel. Bulky items such as medical sample vials, can be mailed out to users according to a method of this invention with automated envelope handling facilitated by the bulky items kept away from the automated handling region of the outer envelope.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A mailing envelope, comprising in combination:

a front panel of a planar and flexible form;
a rear panel of a planar and flexible form;
an interior space between said front panel and said rear panel;
a pocket comprising only a portion of said interior space;
at least one edge joining said front panel to said rear panel;
said pocket spaced from said at least one edge;
wherein said at least one edge defines a lower portion of an automated handling region of the envelope, said pocket spaced from said edge by a distance at least as great as a height of said automated handling region, such that any bulkiness associated with an item located within said pocket is located above said automated handling region of the envelope;
wherein said pocket is attached to only one of said front panel or said rear panel, with said pocket accessible from a side of said pocket opposite said at least one edge;
wherein said pocket is attached to said rear panel of the envelope, said pocket including an interior flap extending from a lateral edge of the envelope;
wherein said interior flap is bonded with an adhesive to said rear panel below said pocket and on a lateral side of said pocket opposite said lateral edge of the envelope from which said interior flap extends;
and
wherein said interior flap includes a crease line defining at least portions of a lower boundary of said pocket.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.