Envelope with pouch and method of manufacture thereof

Abstract

A method of producing an envelope having an integrally formed external pouch on one side for accommodating a despatch note, waybill or the like, comprises the steps of longitudinally folding a sheet of plastics material from a first reel and transporting the folded plastics sheet to a downstream sealing station while simultaneously feeding a strip of sheet plastics to overlie the folded plastics of the first reel to be transported therewith, and sealing folded plastics to form the envelope while simultaneously applying the same process to the strip plastics, to form the pouch on one wall of the envelope.

We claim: 
     
       1. A method of producing a courier pack envelope incorporating an external pouch, characterized by the steps of: progressively folding a continuous sheet of plastics material to provide juxtaposed sheet portions interconnected at one of their longitudinal edges by the bight of said fold;   transporting said folded sheet in a longitudinal direction;   progressively feeding a continuous strip of plastics material of a determined width-longitudinally into face engagement with an outwardly presented face of one of said sheet portions;   .Iadd.providing a supply of a continuous peelable adhesive-carrying tape having a peel strip, and applying said tape to said strip of plastics material adjacent one edge of said strip of plastics material with the peel strip facing said plastics material;   progressively attaching one edge of said strip .Iadd.of plastics material .Iaddend.continuously to said face during the feeding of said strip .Iadd.of plastics material.Iaddend.; and,   sealing each of said folded sheet portions and said attached strip .Iadd.of plastics material .Iaddend.to each other at positions spaced longitudinally of said folded sheet, and along lines extending transversely of said folded sheet and said strip .Iadd.of plastics material.Iaddend.;   whereby said strip .Iadd.of plastics material .Iaddend.is attached to said outwardly presented face of one of said sheet portions along three of its edges and defines an open-sided pouch in conjunction with said outwardly presented face of said one sheet portion;   .Iadd.said tape being applied to the edge of said strip of plastics material adjacent the open end of said open-sided pouch whereby the open side of said pouch is sealable by peeling said peel strip away securing the upper edge of said strip of plastics material to said one sheet portion.   
     
     
       2. A method of producing an envelope as claimed in claim 1, including the step of forming individual envelopes by making sequential cross-wise cuts through the sequential transverse lines of securement of said folded sheet and said strip. 
     
     
       3. The method of producing a courrier pack envelope according to claim 1, wherein said step of progressively feeding includes: aligning said one edge of said strip with said fold of said folded sheet.