Reusable mailers and methods

Abstract

Reusable mailers and method of use.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to reusable mailers and related methods of making and using such mailers.

BACKGROUND

Combination envelopes that can carry an item from a sender to a recipient, and back to the sender, are used in several business contexts. For example, in the context of invoicing and payment, envelopes in which an invoice is affixed by a perforation to a reply envelope are used. The invoice is folded over and sealed to form a closed sending envelope, and an adhesive strip is provided adjacent to the reply envelope. When the customer receives such an envelope, the customer opens the envelope, detaches the invoice, inserts a check for payment in the reply envelope, affixes the adhesive strip, and dispatches the sealed reply envelope in the mail. The use of this known approach, however, is generally limited to use with paper enclosures such as invoices and the like.

The development of storage discs, such as those for use as a medium for carrying digital data and video information has led to new rental business models that use postal mail for media transport. Such storage discs are often referred to as media discs and include DVD and CD discs, for example. The storage discs are typically used for media such as movies, video games, and music. At least one video rental company offers a DVD rental service in which a customer establishes an online pick list of DVD movies that the subscriber desires to rent. When a selected DVD movie on the pick list becomes available in inventory, the video rental company mails the selected DVD movie to the customer. The customer can then view the DVD and return the DVD to the video rental company by mail at their convenience. When the DVD is received by the video rental company the customer is typically entitled to receive another available DVD from the pick list depending on the particular subscription plan.

There can be problems associated with mailing a DVD as the DVD passes through the postal delivery system. The packaging used to convey the DVD from a sender to the customer passes through high-speed automatic sorting equipment at postal facilities. Further, the packaging used to convey the DVD from the customer and back to the sender passes through high-speed automatic cancellation equipment at postal facilities, during which a postal cancellation mark is typically applied to the packaging. Because DVDs are manufactured from relatively brittle plastic material, and because the cancellation marks are often applied with considerable force, a percentage of DVDs passing through the postal system in this manner are potentially subject to one or more of damage, breakage, and mutilation. This problem is particularly troublesome with high definition DVDs.

SUMMARY

The present invention thus provides reusable mailers that can be used to efficiently and protectively mail items such as media discs, for example, from a sender to a customer and back to the sender. Present disclosure describes mailers for media discs, however, the mailers of the present invention can be used with any desired contents. Advantageously, the mailers of the present invention can be reused in several manners. First, in the above-described exemplary business context, mailers can be reused when a mailer including a media disc is sent by a customer back to the video rental company. Secondly, and advantageously, mailers can be reused by the video rental company one or more times to mail contents such as media discs, for example, to an additional customer. Such reuse is accomplished in an exemplary embodiment by providing a removable or otherwise releasable portion such as a tape strip or the like that is carried by the mailer during the trip from the sender to the recipient and removed by the recipient to reclose the mailer for the trip back to the sender.

In an aspect of the present invention a reusable mailer useable for providing one or more round trips of an item, such as a media disc, for example, between a sender and a recipient is provided. The reusable mailer comprises a flapless pouch having an interior space, a front face, rear face opposite the front face, top edge, bottom edge, left and right side edges, and opening for accessing the interior space, the opening provided in the rear face and spaced apart from the bottom edge; a first address related to the sender provided on the front face; a first removable portion releasably attached to the front face, substantially covering the first address, and having a second address related to a recipient provided thereon; a second removable portion releasably attached to the rear face and substantially closing the opening of the pouch for the trip from the sender to the recipient; and a third removable portion releasably attached to one of the front and rear face and capable of being removed and reattached to substantially close the opening of the pouch for the trip from the recipient back to the sender.

In another aspect of the present invention, a reusable mailer useable for providing one or more round trips of an item, such as a media disc, for example, between a sender and a recipient is provided. The reusable mailer comprises a first releasable tape strip for sealing the mailer during the trip from the sender to the recipient and a second releasable tape strip for sealing the mailer during the trip from the recipient back to the sender.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method of sending an item, such as media disc, for example, from a sender to a recipient and back to the sender one or more times is provided. The method comprises providing a mailer such as those described and illustrated herein; sending the mailer to a recipient; opening the mailer by removing the second removable portion; removing the first removable portion and thereby exposing the first address; removing the third removable portion; using the third removable portion to close the mailer; and sending the mailer back to the sender.

In another aspect of the present invention a method of sending an item such as a media disc, for example, between a sender and a recipient one or more times is provided. The method comprises providing a mailer having a portion that is removable from the mailer and capable of reclosing the mailer for the trip from the recipient back to the sender. Mailers in accordance with the present invention can be used with any desired contents and such use is not limited to media discs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate several aspects of the invention and together with description of the embodiments serve to explain the principles of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an exemplary reusable mailer in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the exemplary reusable mailer shown in FIG. 1. The exemplary reusable mailer shown in FIG. 2 is inverted with respect to the front view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the exemplary reusable mailer shown in FIG. 1 and showing in particular partial removal of a removable portion to reveal an opening of the reusable mailer.

FIG. 4 is another view of the exemplary reusable mailer shown in FIG. 3 and showing in particular complete removal of the removable portion.

FIG. 5 is another view of the exemplary reusable mailer shown in FIG. 4 and showing in particular a media disc in an optional sleeve and positioned partially within the removable mailer.

FIG. 6 is another view of the exemplary reusable mailer shown in FIG. 4 and showing in particular partial removal of an additional removable portion.

FIG. 7 is another view of the exemplary reusable mailer shown in FIG. 6 and showing in particular the additional removable portion positioned over the opening of the reusable mailer.

FIG. 8 is another view of the exemplary reusable mailer shown in FIG. 1 and showing in particular partial removal of an additional removable portion to reveal a return address.

FIG. 9 is another view of the exemplary reusable mailer shown in FIG. 8 and showing in particular complete removal of the additional removable portion to reveal the return address.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments of the present invention described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present invention.

Reusable mailers and method of use are illustrated in FIGS. 1-9. The invention is illustrated in the context of use with media discs such as DVDs and CDs but any desired item(s) can be mailed in accordance with the mailers and methods of the present invention. Additionally, the invention is illustrated in the form of an envelope but the concepts of the present invention can be applied to any desired packaging, container, pouches, and the like.

In an aspect of the present invention a reusable mailer 10 useable for providing one or more round trips of an item, such as a media disc 12, for example, between a sender and a recipient is provided. The reusable mailer 10 comprises a flapless pouch 14 having an interior space 16, a front face 18, rear face 20 opposite the front face 18, top edge 22, bottom edge 24, left and right side edges, 26 and 28, respectively, and an opening 30 for accessing the interior space 16. The opening 30 is preferably provided in the rear face 20 and is spaced apart from the bottom edge 24. A first address 32 (return address) related to the sender is provided on the front face 18. A first removable portion 34 is releasably attached to the front face 18. The first removable portion 34 preferably substantially covers the first address 32 and preferably comprises a second address 36 (outgoing address) related to a recipient provided on the first removable portion 34. A second removable portion 38 is preferably releasably attached to the rear face 20 and substantially closes the opening 30 of the pouch 14 for the trip from the sender to the recipient. A third removable portion 40 is preferably releasably attached to the rear face 20 and is preferably capable of being removed and reattached to the rear face 20 to substantially close the opening 30 of the pouch 14 for the trip from the recipient back to the sender.

In one exemplary embodiment, the reusable mailer 10 is preferably formed from a single sheet folded accordingly or from plural panels glued, welded, molded, or otherwise attached together. The material for the reusable mailer 10 is preferably selected to be strong enough to endure inserting and mailing a media disc several times through mail processing equipment. That is, the mailer 10 is preferably designed for plural round trips, wherein for the purposes of this disclosure round trip means a trip from a sender to a recipient and back to the sender. In an exemplary embodiment, the mailer 10 is securely welded or glued on three sides and the fourth side preferably comprises a fold. The mailer 10 can be formed from plural pieces including a front panel and back panel securely welded or glued or otherwise appropriately attached or otherwise connected.

The exemplary mailer 10 illustrated in the Figures includes welds 42, 44, and 46 that seal the periphery of the mailer 10. Exemplary mailer 10 also preferably includes weld lines 52, 54, and 56 that are positioned to hold the media disc 12 in a desired position with respect to the mailer 10. Additionally, edge 22 of mailer 10 preferably comprises a fold line.

Exemplary mailer 10, as illustrated, preferably includes first address 32 and postage region 50 on the front face 18 and comprises rear face 20 having opening 30 or mouth for inserting a media disc such as a CD or DVD and that can be sealed and resealed with one or more of plural (two as illustrated) adhesive strips, an adhesive flap (not shown), and other means to reseal the opening 30 securely for mailing. In accordance with the present invention, second removable portion 38 may comprise an adhesive strip and can be used for sealing the reusable mailer 10 for the outgoing trip from the sender to the recipient and third removable portion 40 may comprise an adhesive strip that can be used for sealing the reusable mailer 10 to send the reusable mailer 10 again for the return trip to the sender.

The reusable mailer 10 can be made out of plastic, tear resistant paper, cloth, or other material that is both durable and can form a enclosure for carrying a media disc through the mail one or more times.

Provided on the front face 18 of exemplary reusable mailer 10 in accordance with the present invention is the postage region 50 which preferably comprises outgoing and return postage in the form of marks or indicia or the like. As illustrated, postage region 50 is preferably provided in the upper right corner with the first and second addresses, 32 and 36, respectively, preferably in the middle center according to conventional mail formatting. The postage region 50 preferably comprises a two-way indicia with both the outgoing postage and return postage in one postage indicia. Any desired postage mark can be used, however. The first address 32 preferably comprises the return address of the sender or originator or a remittance center. The second address 36 preferably comprises the address of the recipient. In one exemplary embodiment, both the postage and first address 32 for returning the media disc 12 are permanently printed on the front face 18 allowing the reusable mailer 10 to be reused many times without having to reprint this information. To mail the media disc 12, first removable portion 34, in the form of a removable address label, is preferably placed over the first address 32 obscuring the first address 32 when originally mailed by the sender. For the outgoing mailing, the address of the recipient of the media disc 12 is printed on the first removable portion 34 and is later removed to reveal the second address 36 when the media disc 12 is sent back to the sender.

On the rear face 20 preferably spaced from the bottom edge 24 is opening 30 for inserting the media disc 12. Once the media disc 12 is inserted opening 30 is preferably covered with second removable portion 38. The second removable portion 30 is used to seal the opening 30 keeping the media disc 12 securely housed inside and held up from the bottom edge 24. Spaced apart from the second removable portion 30 used for sending the media disc 12 is third removable portion 40 that is used to reseal the opening 30 when the media disc 12 is returned.

When a recipient such as a customer receives the media disc 12 the recipient can open the reusable mailer 10 by removing the second removable portion 38 covering the opening 30 in the back panel and remove the media disc 12. To return the media disc 12, the media disc 12 is re-inserted into the reusable mailer 10 through the opening 30 on the back and the provided third removable portion 40 is used to seal the reusable mailer 10 for the return trip to the sender. The third removable portion 40 is sent along with the reusable mailer 10 when the reusable mailer 10 is sent from the sender to the recipient so the third removable portion 40 is already provided and ready to be used. The adhesive of the third removable portion 40 is preferably capable of releasing from the reusable mailer 10 and resealing to the reusable mailer 10 to close the reusable mailer 10 for the return trip from the recipient to the sender. On the front the first removable portion 34 is removed revealing the preprinted first return address 32. Postage is preferably prepaid for the return trip like the outgoing postage preprinted in the upper right corner.

Upon arrival of the reusable mailer 10 at the sender such as a remittance location, the third removable portion 40 that has been used to reseal the reusable mailer 10 for the return part of the trip is removed, the media disc 12 is removed, typically cataloged, and the reusable mailer 10 is preferably saved to be reused another time. This process can continue for plural round trips of the reusable mailer 10. It is desirable to create new products that have longer useful lives to help reduce the need for generating new products that use energy and natural resources.

In an exemplary embodiment, reusable mailer 10 is formed from front face 18 and rear face 20 and is formed when the front face 18 is attached to the rear face 20 along the top, bottom, and both sides. In an exemplary embodiment, in the top the reusable mailer 10 is sealed about ¾″ inch from the top edge. On both sides the reusable mailer 10 is formed from the front and rear faces glued approximately 1″ from the side edges. Opening 30 is formed in the rear face 20 approximately ¾″ from the bottom edge 24. This forms the opening 30 to the reusable mailer 10. The length of the opening 30 allows a media disc 12 to be put inside the reusable mailer 10 for mailing. In an exemplary embodiment, media disc 12 is provided in optional sleeve 58 and can provide a protective function. The described construction is only exemplary and other structures for the reusable mailer 10 are contemplated.

To seal the reusable mailer 10, second removable portion 38 in the form of an adhesive strip is placed over the opening 30 on the rear face 20. The adhesive strip serves one or more of at least three purposes 1) to seal the envelope 2) to remove a fluorescent barcode that the PO occasionally provides on the back of a mailpiece, and 3) to help hold the contents in a specific position to facilitate improved postal processing especially when mailing media discs such as CDs and DVDs.

The United States Post Office and other Posts such as the Canadian Post occasionally will spray barcodes on the front face 18 and rear face 20 when an address is not readable. It is important that these barcodes be removed or obscured from the mail piece to prevent the mail piece from looping back to the recipient. When a barcode is sprayed on the front in the US it is sprayed in the lower right corner of the front face 18. The area reserved for the barcode is ½″ inch from the right side, ⅝″ from the bottom, and extending 4½″ from the right side. The first removable portion 34 (removable address label) in accordance with the present invention preferably includes at least a portion 58 thereof positioned within this reserved area. As shown, portion 58 comprises an extension from first removable portion 34. If a barcode is sprayed on the reusable mailer 10, the barcode can then be removed when the address label on the front is removed. When the address for sending the reusable mailer 10 contains an IMB or POSTNET barcode, less than 1% of the mail will have a barcode sprayed on the mail.

Similarly, a fluorescent barcode can be sprayed on the back in the lower left corner of the mail piece if the address shown on the front is not readable. If the USPS sprays a fluorescent or other routing code in this designated area on the rear face 20 of the reusable mailer 10 the second removable portion 38 (removable adhesive seal strip) used to seal the reusable mailer 10 from the sender to the recipient will advantageously remove the barcode when the reusable mailer 10 is opened. Envelopes and related methods of managing removal and/or obscuring of such barcodes are also described in Applicant's copending non-provisional patent application publication no. 2008/0041928, having Ser. No. 11/893,562, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Both the first removable portion 34 (front address label) and the second removable portion 38 (adhesive seal strip) have one or more of at least 3 functions each. The functions for the address label include: 1) The address label has the outgoing address printed on the label for sending, 2) removes the barcode when the label is removed and 3) obscures the return address until the label is removed. The second removable portion 38 (adhesive sealing strip) functions include: 1) sealing the reusable mailer 10 for the outgoing trip securing the media disc 12 in the correct position, 2) removes the fluorescent barcode (if present) from the lower left corner when the seal strip is removed, and 3) opens the envelope to remove the contents.

The construction of the reusable mailer 10 preferably keeps the media disc 12 in a specific position that reduces breakage in mail processing. Preferably, the edge of the media disc 12 is positioned about ½ inch up from the bottom edge 24 of the reusable mailer 10 and centered in the reusable mailer 10 from left to right when in the mailing position shown in FIG. 1. In this position, the roller belts of processing equipment put less pressure on the more fragile hub of the media disc 12. A media disc 12 is constructed by gluing two pieces of plastic together. The glue migrates to all areas of the media disc 12 except approximately ¼ inch in the center where the hub or hole in the center is located. Because the hub area of a media disc 12 is not glued like the rest of the media disc 12 this area is more fragile than the rest of the media disc 12. Media discs 12 being more rigid than paper correspondence need to bend in mail processing as the media disc 12 travels through various scanners used by the USPS to read address and sort the mail. The readers and sorters run at very high speeds and are not designed for plastic media discs 12 but rather are designed for more flexible paper mail. Through this process the media discs 12 are stressed and can break. Fractures or breaks generally happen in mail processing. A fracture generally comes before a break. If fractures start they generally start in the hub area of the media disc 12.

When the media disc 12 sits on the bottom edge 24 of a reusable mailer 10 the hub is preferably in line with the roller belts. In the exemplary embodiments described herein, the bottom ½ inch of the reusable mailer 10 is preferably glued or welded together to form a double thickness. When the media disc 12 is inserted the media disc 12 is held about ½ inch from the bottom edge 24 because of this welded section, thus keeping the hub about ½ inch above the roller belts while moving through the mail sorting machines at the USPS mail centers. Although fractures and breakage can occur for many reasons this method can reduce the breakage rate by 30% or more.

Envelopes and related methods of providing removable panels are also described in Applicant's copending non-provisional patent application publication no. 2007/050918, having Ser. No. 10/632,489, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

The entire disclosure of any patent or patent application identified herein is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

Other embodiments of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of this specification or from practice of the invention disclosed herein. Various omissions, modifications, and changes to the principles and embodiments described herein may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention which is indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A reusable mailer useable for providing one or more round trips of a media disc between a sender and a recipient, the reusable mailer comprising: a flapless pouch having an interior space, a front face, rear face opposite the front face, top edge, bottom edge, left and right side edges, and opening for accessing the interior space, the opening provided in the rear face and spaced apart from the bottom edge;a first address related to the sender provided on the front face;a first removable portion releasably attached to the front face, substantially covering the first address, and having a second address related to a recipient provided thereon;a second removable portion releasably attached to the rear face and substantially closing the opening of the pouch for the trip from the sender to the recipient; anda third removable portion releasably attached to one of the front and rear face and capable of being removed and reattached to substantially close the opening of the pouch for the trip from the recipient back to the sender.

2. The reusable mailer of claim 1, wherein the opening in the flapless pouch is closer to the bottom edge than the top edge.

3. The reusable mailer of claim 1, one or more of the first, second, and third removable portions comprise a low tack adhesive.

4. The reusable mailer of claim 1, comprising a two-way postage mark on the front face.

5. The reusable mailer of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the mailer is made from one or more of plastic, tear resistant cloth, tear resistant paper, or the like.

6. A reusable mailer useable for providing one or more round trips of a media disc between a sender and a recipient, the reusable mailer comprising a first releasable tape strip for sealing the mailer during the trip from the sender to the recipient and a second releasable tape strip for sealing the mailer during the trip from the recipient back to the sender.

7. The reusable mailer of claim 6, comprising a flapless pouch.

8. The reusable mailer of claim 6, comprising removable address region.

9. The reusable mailer of claim 6, comprising a two-way postage mark on the front face.

10. The reusable mailer of claim 6, wherein the at least a portion of the mailer is made from one or more of plastic, tear resistant cloth, tear resistant paper, or the like.

11. A reusable mailer useable for providing one or more round trips between a sender and a recipient, the reusable mailer comprising: a flapless pouch having an interior space, a front face, rear face opposite the front face, top edge, bottom edge, left and right side edges, and opening for accessing the interior space, the opening provided in the rear face and spaced apart from the bottom edge;a first address related to the sender provided on the front face;a first removable portion releasably attached to the front face, substantially covering the first address, and having a second address related to a recipient provided thereon;a second removable portion releasably attached to the rear face and substantially closing the opening of the pouch for the trip from the sender to the recipient; anda third removable portion releasably attached to one of the front and rear face and capable of being removed and reattached to substantially close the opening of the pouch for the trip from the recipient back to the sender.