Tamper-evident sealing system for envelope & method of making same

Abstract

A tamper-evident seal for a plastic envelope with a pocket and closing flap having first adhesive sealing means for sealing the flap to the envelope and a second, tamper-evident sealing means adhering to the end of and extending beyond the end of the flap which also adheres to the envelope after the flap is closed and sealed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reference is hereby made to my related patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,817, issued on Mar. 29, 1988, and my related copending application Ser. No. 07/172,210, filed on Mar. 3, 1988, both of which are incorporated by reference herein.

This invention relates to an envelope and method of making an envelope and, more particularly, to envelopes having a tamper-evident feature to indicate when tampering has occurred after the envelope has been closed and sealed.

There is a continuous need for containers for the shipment and handling of items, especially valuable items. In addition to the use of such containers for money, such as the deposit of daily money receipts in a bank's night depository by retail establishments, other items of value must be transferred between parties. These include checks, bonds, stocks, food stamps, coupons, medical reports and samples, jewelry, confidential documents, etc. Because of the underlying value of such items, the containers used for such transport and storage should be of high integrity. The container, in addition to being capable of being handled during transfer without breaking or opening unintentionally to provide access to the contents, must be capable of indicating when its integrity has been compromised.

Containers of this type are known in the prior art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,018 discloses a container alleged to be disposable, of high integrity and tamper resistant. The container is formed of thermoplastic with an opening to insert contents. A flap with adhesive is closed over the opening and bonded to the container material. The flap has a detachable end, and both the flap and the detachable end have identical identification indicia thereon. The container also has tamper attempt indicating perforations running through the adhesive and indicia parallel to the envelope opening.

Another such security container is disclosed in European Patent Application 85308475.4, published Jun. 4, 1986. Here a single container used as a security bag has a flap and lip which unite through activation of the adhesive. By the use of this structure, the bag cannot be opened without severing the material of the bag, thus making the bag tamper-evident. Once an attempt to open the bag is made, it is difficult to realign the row of slits and pilferage becomes apparent. The bond between the flap and the lip is preferably greater than between the lip and the outer surface of the rear panel. If the flap is lifted from the surface of the rear panel, the lifting action still would not result in peeling the flap from the lip and opening the bag. When the bag is used the authorized person signs his or her signature on the stripe 26 so that the signature extends across the rows of slits. The stripe 26 is called an added security feature.

A problem has recently been uncovered regarding the use of adhesive-type materials to seal plastic envelopes. It has been found that once the seal has been activated to secure the contents in the envelope, the seal can be reopened, some or all the contents removed and the flap resealed, all without any indication that tampering with the envelope flap has occurred. This can be carried out by the application of low temperatures to the adhesive region. For instance, a spray aimed from a can of freon-like material or the application of dry ice directly to the adhesive region will cause the adhesive to separate from the plastic envelope so that the flap can be lifted off the envelope and access gained to the contents. After the removal of the low temperature for a short time (approx. 1-5 minutes), the adhesive will readily reseal the flap to the plastic envelope without any evidence of tampering.

The present invention is a new and improved approach to providing a tamper-evident seal for an envelope and method of making such an envelope.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tamper-evident sealing system such as those used with security envelopes or containers, and method of making the same.

The envelope, in one embodiment, has two sealing means for joining the flap of the envelope to the envelope body when the envelope is to be closed and sealed. A first or primary adhesive sealing means preferably provides a sufficiently strong bond between the flap and the envelope so as to act as the main seal between these elements. A second tamper-evident sealing means located over the flap and adjacent panel of the envelope, when the envelope is sealed, provides an additional, tamper-evident sealing means which must be visibly violated should the first adhesive sealing means be violated and the flap opened. The second sealing means is located so that when the flap is closed and sealed, any attempt to reopen the flap, such as by applying hot or cold temperatures to the first adhesive sealing means, to thereby at least temporarily release its adhesion, will visibly show, even if the first or primary adhesive sealing means appears to have remained intact when reopened and then again closed and sealed.

In another embodiment, the second sealing means above can also carry out the function of the primary sealing means so that a single sealing means, namely the tamper-evident sealing means, provides the primary sealing function as well as the tamper-evident sealing function. This approach is particularly useful in smaller envelopes and/or envelopes made of thinner plastics.

In an embodiment of the sealing system, the second sealing means is located at, and extends beyond, the end of the flap. The portion of the second adhesive means extending beyond the end of the flap may have one or more removable protective liners over it so that the adhesive will not prematurely stick to adjacent objects. When the envelope is to be closed and sealed, the protective liners are peeled from the first and second sealing means, the flap folded down over the envelope opening and pressure applied to the first and second adhesive sealing means to seal the envelope. The second adhesive sealing means adheres to the envelope and the flap in the region of the end of the flap thereby providing a tamper-evident seal if any attempt is made to lift the flap.

The invention also includes the manner and method by which the second sealing means is attached onto the flap. Tamper evidency, in a preferred embodiment, can be enhanced by coloring the second sealing means a different or contrasting color compared to the envelope material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the back side of an envelope incorporating the first and second sealing means before the closing means is closed over the access opening and secured to the pocket material.

FIG. 2a is the same envelope as shown in FIG. 2 but with an alternative single liner which covers both the first and second adhesive means.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the the same envelope as shown in FIG. 1 along cross-section 2--2.

FIG. 3 is the same envelope as shown in FIG. 2 after the protective liner(s) are removed from the first and second sealing means in preparation to closing and sealing the flap over the opening.

FIG. 4 is the same envelope as shown in FIG. 3 after the flap is folded over the opening and the first and second sealing means are pressed into adhering relationship with the envelope material to seal the flap thereon.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an envelope similar to that shown in FIG. 2 except that the flap is a separate component from the envelope prior to it being sealed to the envelope.

FIG. 6 is the envelope shown in FIG. 5 after the flap is sealed to the envelope over the opening.

FIG. 7 depicts serrated edges, notches edges, feather-cut edges, and kiss cut (die cut) techniques, respectively, that can be used alone or in combination on the facestock to propagate tearing.

FIGS. 7a-c illustrate how printing can be applied to the second, tamper-evident sealing means to enhance its tamper-evidency characteristics.

FIG. 8 is flow chart of a representative manner by which the second, tamper-evident sealing means can be automatically applied to the flap.

FIG. 8a is a schematic illustration of feeding second sealing means stock from a supply.

FIG. 8b is a schematic illustration of separating a portion (along the width of the stock) of the protective liner from the stock to form a gap, the stock and tool being shown in section.

FIG. 8c is a schematic illustration of moving the stock relative to the flap to place the outer transverse edge of the flap into the gap between the liner and the adhesive tape, the envelope and stock being shown in section.

FIG. 8d is a schematic illustration of applying pressure to the stock and flap to seal the stock to the flap, the flap and stock being shown in section.

FIG. 8e is a schematic illustration of cutting the stock from its supply to separate the flap from the stock supply.

FIGS. 8' and 8a'-8d' are schematic illustrations of an alternative method by which the first and second sealing means can be applied to the envelope.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of the envelope with a flap bearing the second sealing means as made according the the method described in FIG. 8 and FIGS. 8a-e, the envelope being shown in section.

FIGS. 10a and 10b are schematic illustrations of an alternative embodiment of the sealing system wherein the second, tamper-evident sealing means is attached to the envelope body rather than the flap before the envelope is sealed, FIG. 10a depicting the envelope before it is sealed and FIG. 10b depicting the envelope after it is sealed, both views being in section.

FIGS. 11a and 11b are front and sectional schematic illustrations, respectively, of the envelope system shown in FIG. 10a depicting a detachable receipt with identifying indicia on the receipt and envelope.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Although the invention is described herein in a particular environment, that of the shipment of items, particularly valuable items in a secure manner, such as in a security envelope, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited. It can be used to contain, ship, bundle, store, etc. any type of item wherein a tamper-evident means is desirable.

The figures herein are not shown to scale. The thicknesses of the envelope material and the sealing means components are exaggerated to improve clarity of disclosure. Also the proportions of the various components are not necessarily shown to actual dimensions, the proportions used showing the important features of the invention more clearly.

As shown in the Figures, the container, here an envelope having a single pocket, is a relatively flat container which can be constructed of any suitable material. The envelope material in this embodiment is in sheet form and folded upon itself to form a pocket with a base 12 and two side seams 14, 16. The side seams may be formed in any suitable manner such as by heat welds formed by impulse welding,heat sealing as commonly used in the industry, or by the application of glue such as a thermoplastic glue. The seams should be of adequate strength to prevent them from being compromised or easily opened. If desirable, double or multiple panels of such material can be used to make the envelope.

Envelope 10 has a front panel 20 and a back panel 18 with access opening 22 at the edge 19 of the back panel. The front panel has edge 21 which, in this embodiment, is substantially above edge 19 to form a closing means or flap 36. The access opening 22 provides an opening to the interior of the envelope pocket for the placement of items into the pocket. The front panel has a securing means or , in this embodiment, first adhesive sealing means or assembly 30 while the back panel has a second, tamper-evident sealing means or assembly 40. Assembly 30 includes first adhesive tape 30a adhered to flap 36 and a peelable protective covering or liner 30b thereon. Adhesive tape 30a has adhesive material on both sides of the tape. Assembly 40 includes a second adhesive tape 40a partially adhered to the other side of flap 36 and a peelable protective covering or liner 40b over the adhesive portion extending beyond transverse edge 21 of the flap. In the alternative, a single peelable protective covering or liner 31, as shown in FIG. 2a, can be used over adhesive means 30a and adhesive means 40a. Adhesive tape 40a has adhesive material on the side of the tape adjacent the flap while the other side of tape 40a is preferably without any adhesive material.

By removing liners 30b and 40b, or alternative liner 31, and then folding flap 36 over opening 22 and sealing adhesive tape 30a and sealing tape 40a onto the back panel, a completely sealed envelope is provided which will be tamper-evident if access to the envelope is attempted by peeling back the flap and opening the first adhesive sealing means. The adhesive is preferably of the pressure-activated type. For instance, the first adhesive sealing means can be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,018, this patent being incorporated by reference herein.

A tamper-evident envelope system can be made having multiple pockets and the pockets can be optionally detachable, such as by perforations, or non-detachable from one another, as described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,817. The pockets can be any suitable size and shape for holding the items to be contained therein. The pockets may be of varying sizes, such as a relatively small pocket and a relatively large pocket, or, in the alternative, the pockets may be the same size. The envelope system may be made of a single panel of material or of multiple panels whether there is a single pocket or multiple pockets.

Envelope system 10 is shown as being made of a single panel or sheet. The panel is folded at base 12 to form the front panel 20 and back panel 18 of the envelope system. In this embodiment fold 12 forms the bottom portion of the pocket and the side portions are formed by bonding the front and back portions together in regions 14 and 16. Bonding can be accomplished by any suitable process such as the application of pressure and heat to the envelope material where bonding is intended as is well known in the art.

The envelope may be made of any suitable material. If used for security shipments, the panel should be made of a high integrity, strong, flexible material which is resistant to tearing and puncturing and which can take high impact stresses and twisting and otherwise relatively rough handling without ill effects. Examples of suitable materials for the envelope shown in the Figures are plastic materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyolefin, etc. As an example, the envelope can be made of conventional monolayer films or, alternatively, multiple layer coextruded or laminated films or construction such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyolefin, etc. In some applications the immediately above materials may be combined with nylon, surlyn, foils, polyesters, etc. depending upon the application requirements and cost considerations.

The materials disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,880 can also be used. The thickness of the envelope material can be any suitable dimension to provide the characteristics of the envelope as desired. For example, when using polyethylene or polypropylene, it has been found that a thickness of about 0.0002 inches (2 mils) and heavier works well for a security envelope.

The envelope material may be in the form of a single layer or multiple layer laminate or extrusion. The material may be opaque, translucent, transparent or any mixture thereof. It can be in any desired color. The envelope is desirably water-resistant and preferably watertight and airtight. However, in some applications, especially in large size envelopes, it may be desirable to place strategically small holes in the pockets to enable air trapped inside the pocket to escape after it is closed. The material may also be printed upon to affix indicia, identify the sender and/or receiver and provide intended use and instructions thereon.

As described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,817, each envelope, whether it be a single pocket envelope or a multiple pocket envelope, may have identical or somewhat similar indicia on the envelope and a detachable end portion, such as end portion on the end of the flap so that when the end portion of the flap is detached from the flap's main portion, a receipt bearing identical or similar indicia as on the pocket is provided. In using a detachable end portion extending from edge 21 of the flap, the end portion should be detached from the flap before the liner 40b is removed and sealed to the back panel. The indicia can be printed on the main portion of the flap or placed on some other part of the envelope such as in the center region of the envelope. The indicia can be alphanumeric or any other suitable indicia such as graphic, bar code, colors, holographic, and so forth. Alternatively, receipt numbering and a place for the sender's signature can also be placed on the liner or on a retainable portion of the liner. The liner or such portion then can be signed and used as a receipt once the liner is removed from the envelope.

Adhesive assembly 40 may reside on the main potion of the flap or, alternatively, on a portion of the back panel over which the flap overlies when the flap closes on the envelope. In the envelope shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the contents are placed in the envelope, the liner peeled from adhesive tapes 30a and 40a and discarded, or alternatively used as a receipt, and the flap folded over the opening to close the envelope. Pressure is then applied to adhesive tapes 30a and 40a to seal the flap onto the envelope.

Many alternatives and enhancements can be made to the invention as disclosed above. In multiple pocket envelope systems, the number of pockets in an envelope system can be matched to the number of item types to be handled by a system; e.g., 8, 12, 16 or more individual pockets can be made into an envelope system. The envelope material can be made in a relatively flat configuration as viewed from the side or can be made to receive thicker materials by such means as providing expandable folds in the front and back portions of the pockets. The front and/or back portions of the envelope may have address windows and areas which are particularly adapted to receive stamps and typewritten or handwritten addresses and instructions. In addition, an envelope may have an additional envelope attached to it for mailing purposes.

As mentioned above, it is also possible to construct the pockets or envelopes without the flap attached as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In this case the flap 140 can be a separate item which would be applied over the opening 122 of the envelope 100 with means to secure the opening, such two adhesive assemblies 130 and two adhesive assemblies 140 with a fold in between so that the assemblies can be sealed to the front 120 and back 118 portions of the pocket as shown in FIG. 6 to make it completely sealed around its periphery to close the opening. In this case the flaps may be preprinted with indicia to match that of the pocket or envelope, or a particular envelope system, or may have a region thereon for the user to write in the indicia of the pocket or envelope. As shown in FIG. 2, rather than using two separate liners 130b and 140b, one single liner optionally could extend over adhesive assemblies 130a and 140a.

As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,018, high integrity, tamper-evident containers or envelopes made of plastic with pressure sensitive closing means applied on opposite mateable surfaces have been disclosed in the past. In this type of envelope it has been found that the adhesive will unseal itself from the plastic with the application of low temperatures to the adhesive strip area after the envelope has been sealed. The flap can then be opened, the contents or at least some of the contents removed, and the flap resealed after the low temperature has dissipated from the adhesive region. This can be carried out in such a manner that there is no evidence, visual or otherwise, that unauthorized entry of the envelope has occurred. Furthermore, this opening procedure can be carried out quickly with the application of dry ice or the spray of "Component Cooler" catalog number 64-2321 sold by Radio Shack under the brand name "Realistic", for example. This material instantly reduces the temperature of the first adhesive sealing means to approximately -50 degrees F. Other chemicals in the chlorofluorocarbon or nitrogen families can, upon application, bring the temperatures to <200 degrees F. and lower.

As described in the aforementioned patent, perforation lines can be placed on the flap within the adhesive region and indicia disposed across the perforations. It is the intent of this system that any material distortion of the flap, such as during tampering, will disrupt the specific relationship of the indicia and visibly show the tampering attempt. This is not believed to be a reliable method of detecting tampering attempts, especially in the instance where low temperature is applied to the adhesive region, because most of the materials used in the manufacture of disposable plastic envelopes are primarily polyolefins and are non-porous. Consequently, the adhesive does not penetrate into the plastic material, due to close molecular structure, but rather only adheres to the outer surface of the plastic. Under extraordinary conditions, such as upon application of low or high temperatures, the adhesion dissipates or releases the bond as it temporarily crystalizes and the flap can be opened and then resealed as the adhesive relatively quickly regains its properties as it returns to normal temperature.

A main feature of the invention herein is the use of first adhesive sealing means, such as adhesive tape 30a between flap 36 and the plastic envelope panel to strongly and securely hold the flap closed under ordinary conditions together with second, tamper-evident sealing means over the flap and plastic envelope which is tamper-evident. When extreme cold is placed against the first adhesive sealing means, such as by the application of dry ice, to open the first seal, remove all or part of the contents and then reseal the first sealing means without any visible indication that the first sealing means has been opened, the second sealing means prevents the flap from being lifted without applying force to the second sealing means. When this is done and an attempt to lift the flap and/or the second sealing means is made, the second sealing means will visibly distort or break apart. This will happen even if extreme hot or cold temperatures are applied to the second sealing means because of their destructible characteristic. Thus, the second sealing means need not be necessarily as strong as the first sealing means, but only need to visibly show that tampering has occurred. This is its main function in the sealing system.

Any type of suitable destructible material can be used. Layers 30a and 40a can optionally be hot melt adhesive applied directly to the envelope or an adhesive tape, for instance. As an example, layer 40a can be an adhesive tape such as a product made by 3M corporation, Minneapolis, Minn. which is described in their product brochure "ScotchMark Brand Identification Systems" and called "Y-812 Red Tamper Resistant Tape" and "Y-813 Transparent Tamper Resistant Tape". These are described as tapes which combine a fragile transparent acetate film with an aggressive adhesive to form a highly destructible tamper resistant tape. When the edges are serrated, tamper resistance on packages is significantly increased. Tape 40a preferably is provided in a different or contrasting color compared to the envelope material or has printing such as on the adhesive side to enhance tamper-evidency. Also a colored dye such as red can be used with the adhesive to stain substrates if solvents are used to remove the tape. The product specifications are as follows:

______________________________________ PRODUCT APPROXIMATE DESCRIPTION THICKNESS______________________________________Facestock Matte Transparent 0.0016 in. Acetate Film (0.0406 mm)Adhesive #300 "Hi-Strength" 0.0018 in. (Y-812 has red dye (0.0457 mm) in adhesive) Total Thickness 0.0034 in. (0.0863 mm)______________________________________

When the facestock is serrated, notched, or feather-cut, as depicted in FIG. 7, the edge tear resistance is reduced sharply. All of the above mentioned types of edge treatments propagate tearing of acetate, paper, vinyl, or other facestock materials. Especially when adhesive tapes are provided in contrasting colors to the envelope material or are printed such as in one or more colors, the facestock, as it is lifted off the envelope, will break into small pieces, distort, and or become of disrupted continuity. As such it will become impossible to reconstruct the tape to its original state and tampering will be easily recognized. Consequently, when the tape is applied as a security seal and allowed a short period of dwell(15 minutes), attempts to remove the tape in most cases will result in a tearing of the film. Attempts to separate the adhesive from a smooth or porous surface may leave a thin layer of adhesive. Solvents capable of removing the adhesive may activate the red dye in the Y-812 model and may cause it to stain a paper or film surface. The adhesive develops an excellent bond to smooth and porous papers, polyethylene, polyester and many other smooth plastic surface plastics. This product, when the edges are serrated, is suggested by the manufacturer for tamper resistance on packages in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and law enforcement industries.

An alternative type of destructible tape for use as the second, tamper-evident sealing assembly 40 is one generally available in the marketplace with a backing material made of acetate, vinyl, paper, etc. with a lighter concentration of adhesive thereon. This provides an adhesive that will adhere more quickly to the envelope (and liner when used), is relatively strong in the longitudinal direction, (which is important when considering the automatic application of the tape to the envelope), and relatively weak in the transverse (width) direction for adequate destructibility. An example of this tape is catalog #S-730 or S-730B adhesive on 1.5 matte acetate, marketed by Fasson of Painesville, Ohio. This type of tape is very desirable for the second sealing means in that it generally is sold with a liner such as paper which can be peeled back selectively to enable the tape to be applied automatically to the envelope.

The tape may be printed either on its top or face side or on its backing and/or on the adhesive to further enhance its tamper-evidency. Various patterns of such printing and various methods of application of the printing are possible. For instance, as depicted in FIGS. 7a-c, a multiple printing scheme is shown. As shown in FIG. 7a, the word "SECUR-PAK" is printed in a first direction, such as on clear material, and in a suitable color such red. Then, as shown in FIG. 7b, the word is printed again, here in slightly different letter style, in a second direction with alternate stripes of a suitable color such as black in the area of the wording and between the wording. The red stripe can be printed on top of the tape between the wording and/or on the bottom of the tape in the area of the wording. FIG. 7c shows the final product of the above steps. The design and printing techniques along with the use of colors as described above further impedes any possibility of a faithful reconstruction of the second adhesive means once it is lifted and breaks apart.

It is preferred to place a protective covering or liner over that portion of the second, tamper-evident sealing means that extends beyond the flap. As described beforehand, one liner can be used to cover both the first and second adhesive means. This liner enables the envelope to be packed, stored, handled, etc. before closing the flap without the adhesive on tape 40a prematurely sticking to an adjacent object. If tape such as the 3M Y-812 or Y-813 is used, the liner will have to be applied to the portion of the tape extending beyond the transverse edge of the flap either before, during or after the tape is placed on the flap. However, if the Fasson acetate with S-730B label stock is used which already has a liner thereon, the portion of the liner to adhere to the flap will have to be separated from the tape before the tape is pressed onto the end of the flap. In any event the placement of the second, tamper-evident sealing means onto the envelope, whether it has a liner pre-attached or not, can be accomplished by an automatic process.

A process for quickly assembling the second sealing means to the envelope flap is now described in conjunction with FIG. 8 and FIGS. 8a-e. In this case, the second sealing means assembly 200 is provided from a supply, such as a reel, roll, or spool and it is of the variety that already has the liner thereon. As shown in the chart of FIG. 8, the first step is to provide assembly stock 200 including the adhesive tape 200a with liner 200b. This can be done in any suitable manner such as by feeding the stock from reel 201 towards a liner separator tool 202.

The next step is to selectively separate the portion of the liner 200b from the adhesive tape that will adhere to the flap. This is shown in FIG. 8b wherein tool 202 and stock 200 are moved relative to one another with the tip of the tool inserted between the liner 200b and tape 200a to the extent that tape 200b will overlap the flap when assembled thereto. The tool creates a gap between the liner and tape into which the end of the flap will be placed. After the tool has separated the preselected portion on the liner, the tool is removed from the stock.

Next, the end of the flap 236 and gap between liner 200b and 200a are moved relative to one another so that the second sealing means 200 can be applied to the flap or bottom side of the liner. Although first adhesive sealing means 230 is shown already on the flap, it could be applied during or after the second sealing means. Then pressure is applied to the stock and flap, depicted as arrows "F" to seal the tape 200a onto the end of the flap as shown in FIG. 8d. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8e, the portion of the stock adhering to the flap is severed from the supply of stock, such as by a movable knife 220, or a hot wire, so that the envelope just having has its second, tamper-evident sealing means applied can be removed and the process repeated for the next envelope.

FIG. 9 shows the completed envelope having first adhesive sealing means 230 and second tamper-evident sealing means 200. To use the envelope, contents are placed into the envelope, liners 200b and 230b are removed from the adhesive tapes, the flap folded over and pressure applied, such as manually, over adhesive tapes 200a and 230a to seal the flap.

An alternative process for assembling the seals onto the envelope is shown in FIG. 8' and FIGS. 8a'-8d'. Here the second adhesive means 200 is fed from supply roll 201 to separator 202 which completely separates the liner 200b from the adhesive tape 200a. The adhesive tape is then placed on the flap of the envelope, a hot melt adhesive 230a placed on the other side of the flap or on the liner for the first adhesive means, and then a single liner 200b placed over the first adhesive means 230a and second adhesive means 200a. The separator tool 202 is used as a guide to assure that both the liner and adhesive tape 200a come back together properly. The adhesive means and liner are then trimmed along the envelope edge. To seal this envelope, liner 200b is removed, the flap folded over, and pressure applied over adhesive means 200a and 230a to seal the flap to the envelope.

Other methods may be used to place the second sealing means onto the flap. For instance, when the 3M tape is used, which is not generally provided with a liner, the tape can be placed on the end of the flap with a portion of the adhesive side of the tape extending beyond the end of the flap to form an exposed portion of the adhesive side of the tape. Then a liner material can be fed onto the exposed adhesive to avoid having it prematurely stick to an object before intended use. In the case of applying a second sealing assembly to the flap that has a liner already attached, the portion of the liner described as separated from the tape in FIG. 8 and FIGS. 8a-e could be, instead, cut and totally removed from the remainder of the stock so that the remaining undisturbed liner portion would be the only place having liner material thereon.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 10a and b. Here the second, tamper-evident sealing assembly 440 is applied to the back panel of the envelope before the flap is closed and sealed as opposed to being applied to the flap itself. The flap still has first sealing assembly 430 on it in this embodiment. FIG. 10a shows the envelope before it is sealed. Second seal assembly 440 has a liner 440b which extends only over a portion of the adhesive tape 440a and is located between the envelope material and adhesive tape. When using this envelope, the liners 430b and 440b are peeled from the assemblies 430 and 440, respectively, the flap folded over and the end of it placed between the envelope and adhesive tape 440a, and pressure applied to adhesive tapes 430a and 440a to seal the envelope.

The second, tamper-evident sealing means provides evidence of tampering with the sealed flap when such occurs even by the application of low temperatures to the seal, because the forces used to try to lift the flap to give access to the contents of the envelope always breaks apart, distorts, and disrupts the continuity of the tamper-evident means. Such distortion and breakage cannot be put back together if an attempt is made to reseal the flap. The forces act in this fashion on the the tamper-evident means regardless of how the flap is actually separated after the application of low temperature to the seal system. It is believed that such breaking apart and distortion always occurs in the tamper-evident means upon an attempt to lift the flap because the fragile nature of the second sealing means.

The tamper-evident layer provides tamper evidence even when low temperatures are placed in the regions of the first sealing means in stark contrast to the prior art systems. When low temperatures are applied to envelopes having only the type of sealing systems described herein as the first sealing means, the adhesive strip can be readily pulled off and resealed without any visible evidence of tampering occurring on the plastic envelope or flap or adhesive strip.

Still another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 11a and 11b. These figures are a small variation on the envelope system shown in FIG. 10a, FIG. 11a being the front view of the envelope and FIG. 11b being a sectional view of the envelope taken through section 11b-11b of FIG. 11a. There is added in this embodiment an identifying indicia "267012" on the envelope, reference number 502, and a detachable end portion 501 on the end of the flap, which when detached, can be used as a receipt. The end portion 501 is joined to the flap by perforations 502 for easy removal and also bears the same identifying indicia as the envelope.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A tamper-evident sealing system for use with an envelope made at least partially of plastic material comprising:

envelope pocket having an opening therein through which contents can be placed into the pocket;

plastic closing means which when placed over and secured to the plastic envelope material forms a closed pocket, the closing means having at least one transverse edge;

first, pressure-activated, adhesive, sealing means, located on the closing means or, alternatively, on the envelope where the closing means overlies the envelope when forming a closed pocket, for sealing the closing means to the plastic envelope material; and

second, tamper-evident, sealing means, having adhesive, located on the closing means extending along substantially the length of the transverse edge and extending beyond the transverse edge of the closing means which enables the closing means to be sealed to the envelope when the closing means is secured to the envelope to form a closed pocket, the second, tamper-evident, sealing means, once being sealed to the envelope, becoming visibly distorted, broken apart, or of disrupted continuity if attempts are made to reopen the second, tamper-evident, sealing means whereby tamper-evidency is provided even if the first, adhesive, sealing means can be reopened and reclosed without visual detection thereof.

2. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the second sealing means contains indicia.

3. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the closing means is a flap means integral with the pocket.

4. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the closing means is a separate member from the pocket.

5. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the first or second sealing means material is one which is activated by placing the closing means onto the envelope over the opening and applying pressure to the sealing means.

6. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the the envelope is constructed of a single panel of material wherein the pocket has a bottom portion opposite the opening means which is formed by a folded portion of the material, the fold forming the front and back of the pocket and side portions between the opening and bottom portion formed by the bonding of the front and back portions of the pocket.

7. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the envelope material includes a monolayer film.

8. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the envelope material includes a multiple layer coextruded film.

9. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the envelope material includes a laminated film.

10. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the portion of the second sealing means extending beyond the transverse edge of the closing means has a removable liner thereon to prevent the adhesive on the second sealing means from prematurely sticking to an adjacent object.

11. The sealing system as in claim 10 wherein the liner is approximately the same width as the second sealing means.

12. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the second, tamper-evident, sealing means has more than one edge and one or more is notched or scored.

13. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein one or more edges of the second sealing means is notched or scored.

14. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the second, tamper-evident sealing means is a different or contrasting color from the envelope material and closing means.

15. The sealing system as in claim 1 wherein the envelope has envelope-identifying indicia thereon.

16. The sealing system as in claim 15 wherein the closing means has two portions, a main portion and a detachable end portion which can be removed from the main portion as a receipt, the transverse edge being formed on the main portion when the detachable portion is removed from the main portion.

17. The sealing system as in claim 16 wherein the detachable end portion has at least a portion of the envelope-identifying indicia thereon.

18. A tamper-evident sealing system for use with an envelope made at least partially of plastic material comprising:

envelope pocket having an opening therein through which contents can be placed into the pocket;

plastic closing means which when placed over and secured to the plastic envelope material forms a closed pocket, the closing means having at least one transverse edge;

first, pressure-activated, adhesive, sealing means, located on the closing means or on the envelope where the closing means overlies the envelope when forming a closed pocket, for sealing the closing means to the plastic envelope material; and

second, tamper-evident, sealing means located on the closing means extending along substantially the length of the transverse edge and extending beyond the transverse edge of the closing means which enables the closing means to be sealed to the envelope when the closing means is secured to the envelope to form a closed pocket, the second, tamper-evident, sealing means, once being sealed to the envelope, becoming visibly distorted, broken apart, or of disrupted continuity if attempts are made to reopen the second, tamper-evident, sealing means whereby tamper-evidency is provided even if the first, adhesive, sealing means can be reopened and reclosed without visual detection thereof;

the portion of the second sealing means extending beyond the transverse edge of the closing means having a removable liner thereon to prevent the adhesive on the second sealing means from prematurely sticking to an adjacent object; and

the liner contains envelope identifying indicia thereon.

19. A tamper-evident sealing system for use with an envelope made at least partially of plastic material comprising:

envelope pocket having an opening therein through which contents can be placed into the pocket;

plastic closing means which when placed over and secured onto the envelope forms a closed pocket, the closing means having at least one transverse edge;

first, pressure-activated, adhesive, sealing means on the plastic envelope material for sealing the first surface of the closing means to the envelope; and

second, tamper-evident, sealing means located on the closing means extending along substantially the length of the transverse edge and extending beyond the transverse edge of the closing means which enables the closing means to be sealed to the envelope when the closing means is secured to the envelope to form a closed pocket, the second, tamper-evident, sealing means, once being sealed to the envelope, becoming visibly distorted, broken apart, or of disrupted continuity if attempts are made to reopen the second, tamper-evident, sealing means whereby tamper-evidency is provided even if the first, adhesive, sealing means can be reopened and reclosed without visual detection thereof.

20. The sealing system as in claim 19 wherein the portion of the second, tamper-evident, sealing means extending beyond the transverse edge of the closing means has a removable liner thereon to prevent the adhesive on the second, tamper-evident, sealing means from prematurely sticking to an adjacent object.

21. The sealing system as in claim 20 wherein the liner is approximately the same width as the second sealing means.

22. The sealing system as in claim 19 wherein the second, tamper-evident, sealing means has more than one edge and one or more of the edges is serrated.

23. The sealing system as in claim 19 wherein the second, tamper-evident, sealing means has more than one edge and one or more of the edges is notched or scored.

24. The sealing system as in claim 19 wherein the envelope has envelope-identifying indicia thereon.

25. The sealing system as in claim 24 wherein the closing means has two portions, a main portion and a detachable end portion which can be removed from the main portion as a receipt.

26. The sealing system as in claim 25 wherein the detachable end portion has at least a portion of the envelope-identifying indicia thereon.

27. A tamper-evident sealing system for an envelope made at least partially of plastic material comprising:

envelope pocket having an opening therein through which contents can be placed into the pocket before the opening is closed;

plastic envelope closing means secured to the plastic envelope material to close the opening and to form a closed pocket, the closing means having at least one transverse edge;

first, adhesive, sealing means between the closing means and plastic envelope material for sealing the closing means to the plastic envelope material; and

second, tamper-evident, sealing means secured to both the closing means and the envelope extending substantially along the length of and over the transverse edge which becomes visibly distorted, broken apart, or of disrupted continuity if attempts are made to reopen the second, tamper-evident, sealing means whereby tamper-evidency is provided even if the first, adhesive, sealing means can be reopened and reclosed without visual detection thereof.

28. The sealing system as in claim 27 wherein the closing means is a flap means initially having one end thereof integral with the pocket.

29. The sealing system as in claim 27 wherein the closing means is initially a separate member from the pocket.

30. The sealing system as in claim 27 wherein the the first or second sealing means is one which is activated by placing the closing means onto the envelope over the opening and applying pressure to the sealing means.

31. The sealing system as in claim 27 wherein the second, tamper-evident, sealing means has longitudinal edges which are serrated.

32. The sealing system as in claim 27 wherein the envelope has envelope-identifying indicia thereon.

33. The sealing system as in claim 22 wherein the closing means has two portions, a main portion and a detachable end portion which can be removed from the main portion as a receipt, the transverse edge being formed on the main portion when the detachable portion is removed from the main portion.

34. The sealing system as in claim 33 wherein the detachable end portion has at least a portion of the envelope-identifying indicia thereon.

35. A tamper-evident sealing system for use with an envelope made at least partially of plastic material comprising:

envelope pocket having an opening therein through which contents can be placed into the pocket;

plastic closing means which when placed over and secured to the plastic envelope material forms a closed pocket, the closing means having at least one transverse edge;

first, pressure-activated, adhesive, sealing means, located on the closing means or, alternatively, on the envelope where the closing means overlies the envelope when forming a closed pocket, for sealing the closing means to the plastic envelope material; and

second, tamper-evident, sealing means, located on the closing means and extending beyond the transverse edge of the closing means, or, alternatively, on the envelope adjacent to where the transverse edge of the closing means overlies the envelope when forming a closed pocket in which case a portion of the second, tamper-evident, sealing means does not adhere to the envelope, which enables the closing means and envelope to be sealed to one another along substantially the length of the transverse edge, the second, tamper-evident, sealing means upon sealing the envelope and closing means together, becoming visibly distorted, broken apart, or of disrupted continuity if attempts are made to reopen the second, tamper-evident, sealing means whereby tamper-evidency is provided to the envelope system even if the first, adhesive, sealing means can be reopened and reclosed without visual detection thereof.

36. The sealing system as in claim 35 wherein second, tamper-evident, sealing means comprises a fragile material with an adhesive that forms a highly destructible sealing means.

37. The sealing system as in claim 35 wherein the second, tamper-evident, closing means has at least one edge which is serrated.

38. The sealing system as in claim 35 wherein the second, tamper-evident, sealing means is a different or contrasting color from the envelope material or closing means.

39. The sealing system as in claim 35 wherein the second, tamper-evident, sealing means has printing thereon to enhance its tamper-evidency.

40. The sealing system as in claim 35 wherein the envelope has envelope-identifying indicia thereon.

41. The sealing system as in claim 40 wherein the closing means has two portions, a main portion and a detachable portion which can be removed from the main portion as a receipt, the transverse edge being formed on the main portion when the detachable portion is removed from the main portion.

42. The sealing system as in claim 39 wherein the detachable end portion has at least a portion of the envelope-identifying indicia thereon.

43. A tamper-evident sealing system for use with an envelope made at least partially of plastic material comprising:

envelope pocket having an opening therein through which contents can be placed into the pocket;

plastic closing means which when placed over and secured to the plastic envelope material forms a closed pocket, the closing means having at least one transverse edge;

first, pressure-activated, adhesive sealing means, located on the closing means or, alternatively, on the envelope where the closing means overlies the envelope when forming a closed pocket, for sealing the closing means to the plastic envelope material;

second, tamper-evident sealing means located on the closing means and extending beyond the transverse edge of the closing means, or on the envelope adjacent to where the transverse edge of the closing means overlies the envelope when forming a closed pocket in which case a portion of the second, tamper-evident sealing means does not adhere to the envelope, which enables the closing means and the envelope to be sealed to one another, the second, tamper-evident sealing means , upon sealing the envelope and closing means together, becoming visibly distorted, broken apart or of disrupted continuity if attempts are made to reopen the second, tamper-evident sealing means whereby tamper-evidency is provided to the envelope system even if the first sealing means can be reopened and reclosed without visual detection thereof; and

the second, tamper-evident, sealing means comprising paperstock with an adhesive thereon.

44. The sealing system in claim 43 wherein the paperstock is relatively thin.

45. The sealing system as in claim 43 wherein the paperstock has serrated edges.

46. The sealing system as in claim 43 wherein the paperstock has printing thereon.

47. An envelope having a tamper-evident sealing system, the envelope made at least partially of plastic material and comprising:

envelope pocket having an opening therein through which contents can be placed into the pocket;

plastic envelope closing means which, when placed over and secured to the plastic material of the envelope, forms a closed pocket, the closing means having at least one transverse edge;

first adhesive sealing means for sealing the closing means to the plastic material of the envelope inwardly of the transverse edge of the closing means; and

second, tamper-evident sealing means for sealing the closing means of the plastic material of the envelope to overlie the transverse edge of the closing means which enables the transverse edge to be sealed to the envelope when the closing means is secured to the envelope to form a closed pocket, the second sealing means, once being sealed to the envelope, becoming visibly distorted, broken apart, or of disrupted continuity if attempts are made to reopen it whereby tamper-evidency is provided even if the first sealing means can be reopened and reclosed without visual detection thereof.