Recyclable single-sheet mailer

Abstract

The recyclable single-sheet mailer is a single sheet of predominantly opaque paper stock having a front face, a rear face, top and bottom edges, and a transparent and seamless addressee window area defined thereon. All printed content is applied to the rear face of the mailer. The mailer has a plurality of transverse fold lines formed parallel to the top and bottom edges, dividing the sheet into a plurality of panels configurable as either a one-way mailer or as mailer with a business or courtesy reply envelope. Furthermore, a two-dimensional barcode containing addressee specific account information may be printed on the reply envelope to facilitate handling. Finally, addressee information, including bar-coded POSTNET data, may be printed in mirror image within the transparent window area, facilitating correct barcode scanning.

1 . A recyclable single-sheet mailer, comprising: 
 an elongated sheet of substantially opaque, recyclable paper having a front face, an opposing rear face, a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposing side edges;    a plurality of transverse fold lines formed in the paper stock parallel to the top and bottom edges dividing the sheet of paper into a plurality of panels, each of the panels having a front face and a rear face;    at least one transparent and seamless window area formed in the sheet of paper by chemical treatment to render the opaque paper transparent in the window area; and    a plurality of adhesive strips disposed on at least one of the faces of the sheet of paper, including at least one strip of adhesive disposed across the rear face adjacent the top edge and defining an inside flap, whereby the sheet of paper is folded and sealed along the inside flap to form a mailer.    
   
   
       2 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 1 , further comprising indicia representing addressee information imprinted on the rear face of the transparent window area in mirror image.  
   
   
       3 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 1 , further comprising indicia imprinted on at least one of the panels representing at least one Postal Service POSTNET barcode.  
   
   
       4 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of panels includes upper and lower top panels, an upper bottom panel and a lower bottom panel, the upper bottom panel having indicia representing a return address imprinted on the rear face thereof; said plurality of adhesive strips including two adhesive strips disposed on the front face of the upper bottom panel adjacent the side edges and a strip of adhesive extending across the front face of the upper bottom panel defining a reply envelope flap, whereby the upper bottom panel and the lower bottom panel form a reply envelope when separated from the upper and lower top panels.  
   
   
       5 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 4 , further comprising indicia forming a Postal Service POSTNET barcode corresponding to the return address imprinted on the rear face of the upper bottom panel.  
   
   
       6 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 4 , further comprising indicia forming a two-dimensional account data barcode imprinted on the rear face of said lower bottom panel.  
   
   
       7 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 4 , wherein the reply envelope indicia forming a facing identification mark (FIM) disposed thereon.  
   
   
       8 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 1 , wherein the transparent window is formed by a process comprising the steps of: 
 heating the paper;    applying a chemical agent to the window area;    maintaining the chemical agent on the window area to be until the agent liquefies and thoroughly penetrates fibers of the paper; and    cooling and drying the paper.    
   
   
       9 . A recyclable single-sheet mailer, comprising: 
 an elongated sheet of substantially opaque, recyclable paper having a front face, an opposing rear face, a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposing side edges;    at least one transparent and seamless window area formed in the sheet of paper by chemical treatment to render the opaque paper transparent in the window area; and    indicia representing addressee information imprinted in mirror image on the rear face of the transparent window area.    
   
   
       10 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 9 , further comprising indicia forming a Postal Service POSTNET barcode corresponding to the addressee information imprinted in mirror image on the rear face of the transparent window area.  
   
   
       11 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 9 , wherein said elongated sheet op paper includes a reply envelope formed integrally therewith.  
   
   
       12 . The recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 11 , further comprising indicia forming a POSTNET barcode and a two-dimensional account specific barcode disposed on the reply envelope.  
   
   
       13 . A method of forming a recyclable single-sheet mailer from an opaque sheet of recyclable paper, comprising the steps of: 
 forming a fold line adjacent a top edge of the sheet, thereby forming a flap;    coating a rear face of the flap with a strip of adhesive;    forming weakened lines along opposite sides of the sheet to form tear away strips, whereby the sheet is capable of being torn along the weakened lines to open the mailer;    forming transverse fold lines across the sheet in order to define an upper top panel a lower top panel, an upper bottom panel, and a lower bottom panel;    chemically treating at least one portion of the upper top panel to form a transparent window area in the opaque sheet; and    applying strips of adhesive to the tear way strips on a rear face of a plurality of the panels.    
   
   
       14 . The method of forming a recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 13 , further comprising the steps of: 
 forming a notch in the tear away strips of the lower bottom panel; and    imprinting an addressee address on a rear face of the lower bottom panel.    
   
   
       15 . The method of forming a recyclable single-sheet mailer, according to  claim 14 , further comprising the steps of: 
 folding the sheet between the lower top panel and the upper bottom panel so that a rear face of the lower bottom panel overlays a rear face of the upper top panel and a rear face of the upper bottom panel overlays a rear face of the lower top panel, the addressee information being aligned with and visible through the transparent window;    moistening the adhesive strips on the tear away strips and sealing the overlaid panels together;    folding the sheet between the upper bottom panel and the lower bottom panel so that a front face of the upper bottom panel overlays a front face of the lower bottom panel;    moistening a portion of the adhesive strip on the tear away strip of the upper top panel exposed by the notch and adhering the upper and lower bottom panels together; and    folding the flap over the upper bottom panel, moistening the adhesive on the flap, and sealing the flap.    
   
   
       16 . The method of forming a recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 13 , further comprising the step of imprinting addressee information on a rear face of the transparent window in mirror image so that the addressee information reads from left to right when the front face of the transparent window is viewed.  
   
   
       17 . The method of forming a recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 13 , further comprising the steps of: 
 forming a fold line in the upper bottom panel adjacent the lower top panel in order to define a reply envelope flap; and    coating a rear face of the reply envelope with a strip of adhesive.    
   
   
       18 . The method of forming a recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 17 , further comprising the step of forming a line of perforations between the reply envelope flap and the lower top panel, whereby the upper and lower bottom panels may be torn away from the upper and lower top panels in order to form a return envelope.  
   
   
       19 . The method of forming a recyclable single-sheet mailer according to  claim 18 , further comprising the steps of: 
 coating the tear away strips of the front face of the upper bottom panel with strips of adhesive; and    imprinting addressee information on the rear face of the lower bottom panel.