Vote by mail envelope that protects privacy of voter's signature
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsBertrand Haas, Douglas B. Quine, Clare E. Woodman, Valentino Guyett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vote-by-mail return envelope includes a pouch for receiving a ballot. The pouch is formed from a front sheet and a rear sheet. A signature space is provided to be signed by the voter. The envelope also includes an adhesion region at which the front sheet is adhered to the rear sheet to define a boundary of the pouch. The adhesion region separates the signature space from the pouch. Further, the envelope includes a flap to be attached to at least one of the rear sheet and the front sheet to cover the signature space. The signature space may be on the flap, the rear sheet or front sheet.
Claims25
A vote-by-mail return envelope comprising:
- a pouch for receiving a ballot, the pouch formed from a front sheet and a rear sheet;
- a signature space for a voter's signature on one of said front sheet and said rear sheet;
- an adhesion region at which said front sheet is adhered to said rear sheet to define a boundary of said pouch, said adhesion region separating said signature space from said pouch;
- and
- a flap to be attached to at least one of said rear sheet and said front sheet to cover said signature space.
A method of processing a vote-by-mail return envelope comprising a pouch formed from a front sheet and a rear sheet, said pouch containing a ballot, said envelope also comprising a flap covering a voter's signature on said envelope, said envelope carrying a barcode or machine-readable textual/numerical information, the method comprising:
- reading the barcode or machine-readable textual/numerical information on the envelope to identify the voter whose signature is on the envelope;
- shining light through the flap and through at least one of said front and rear sheets to form an image of said signature;
- and
- using the image to compare the signature with a sample signature that is on record for the identified voter.
A method of creating a vote-by-mail package to be mailed to a voter, the method comprising:
- providing an outbound envelope, the outbound envelope having at least one window formed therein;
- inserting a ballot in the outbound envelope;
- inserting a return envelope in the outbound envelope;
- and
- printing at least one of a barcode and the name of the voter on the return envelope while the return envelope is in the outbound envelope, the printing being done through the at least one window in the outbound envelope.
A vote-by-mail return envelope comprising:
- a pouch for receiving a ballot, the pouch formed from a front sheet and a rear sheet, at least one of said front and rear sheets extending beyond said pouch to form an extension portion;
- an adhesion region at which said front sheet is adhered to said rear sheet to define a boundary of said pouch, said adhesion portion separating said extension portion from said pouch;
- and
- a flap attached on and/or over said extension portion, said flap having a surface which faces said extension portion, said surface of said flap carrying a voter's signature, said voter's signature covered by said extension portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.