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

Claim 2

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.

Claim 3

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

Claim 4

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

Claim 5

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

Claim 6

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.

Claim 7

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.

Claim 8

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

Claim 9

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

Claim 10

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

Claim 11

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.

Claim 12

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

Claim 13

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.

Claim 14

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

Claim 15

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.

Claim 16

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

Claim 17

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.

Claim 18

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

Claim 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 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.

Claim 20

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.

Claim 21

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.

Claim 22

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.

Claim 23

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.

Claim 24

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

Claim 25

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.

Claim 26

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.

Claim 27

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

Claim 28

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.

Claim 29

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

Claim 30

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.

Claim 31

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.

Claim 32

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

Claim 33

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

Claim 34

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.

Claim 35

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

Claim 36

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

Claim 37

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.

Claim 38

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

Claim 39

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.

Claim 40

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.

Claim 41

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.

Claim 42

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

Claim 43

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.

Claim 44

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

Claim 45

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

Claim 46

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.

Claim 47

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

Claim 48

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.

Claim 49

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.

Claim 50

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

Claim 51

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

Claim 52

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

Claim 53

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.

Claim 54

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.