Internal imprinting enclosure

Abstract

An assembly for imprinting markings onto articles that are contained within enclosures includes a pocket-type enclosure and a pressure-sensitive transfer sheet positioned within the enclosure so that when stamping pressure is applied to the outside of the enclosure, an impression is transferred from the transfer sheet to another article that disposed within the enclosure.

Claims

1. An internal imprinting enclosure comprising: a pocket; a closing mechanism for closing the pocket; and a pressure-sensitive transfer sheet disposed within the pocket, the transfer sheet for imprinting a marking(s) onto an article that is also disposed within the pocket upon pressure being applied to the pocket.

2. The internal imprinting enclosure of claim 1, wherein said closing mechanism comprises a flap extension of said pocket, and wherein the flap extension is securable over the opening of said pocket.

3. The internal imprinting enclosure of claim 1, wherein said closing mechanism comprises a fastener(s).

4. The internal imprinting enclosure of claim 1, wherein said closing mechanism comprises adhesive material disposed near the opening of said pocket.

5. The internal imprinting enclosure of claim 1, wherein said transfer sheet comprises carbon paper.

6. The internal imprinting enclosure of claim 1, wherein said transfer sheet comprises graphite paper.

7. The internal imprinting enclosure of claim 1, wherein said transfer sheet is attached to said pocket.

8. The internal imprinting enclosure of claim 1, wherein said transfer sheet is configured to imprint a timestamp or indicia.

9. The internal imprinting enclosure of claim 1, wherein said pocket is an envelope.

10. The internal imprinting enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a stamping element for applying pressure to said transfer sheet and imprinting a marking(s) onto an article that is disposed within said pocket.

11. An internal imprinting enclosure system comprising: an outer enclosure having a closing mechanism; an article that is disposable within the outer enclosure; a pressure-sensitive transfer sheet that is disposable within the outer enclosure, the transfer sheet for imprinting a marking(s) onto the article upon the article and transfer sheet being disposed within the outer enclosure and pressure being applied to the outer enclosure.

12. The internal imprinting enclosure system of claim 11, further comprising a stamping element for applying pressure to said transfer sheet and imprinting a marking(s) onto said article when said article and said transfer sheet are disposed within said pocket.

13. The internal imprinting enclosure system of claim 11, wherein said transfer sheet comprises carbon paper.

14. The internal imprinting enclosure system of claim 11, wherein said transfer sheet comprises graphite paper.

15. The internal imprinting enclosure system of claim 11, wherein said transfer sheet attached to said outer enclosure.

16. The internal imprinting enclosure system of claim 11, wherein said outer enclosure is an envelope.

17. The internal imprinting enclosure system of claim 11, wherein said article is an envelope.

18. A method of imprinting a timestamp or indicia onto an article that is enclosed within an envelope, the method comprising: disposing an article within an open envelope; substantially closing the envelope with the article disposed therewithin; and imprinting a timestamp or indicia onto the article while it is disposed within the substantially closed envelope.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a pressure-sensitive transfer sheet is also disposed within the substantially closed envelope, and further comprising the step of pressing a stamping element against the substantially closed envelope so as to imprint a timestamp or indicia onto the article disposed therewithin.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the transfer sheet is configured to imprint a timestamp or indicia.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of an envelope component of the internal imprinting enclosure of the present invention, the envelope being shown in an unassembled state;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a transfer sheet component of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the transfer sheet attached to a panel of the envelope;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the internal imprinting enclosure, the envelope component being shown in an assembled, open state;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an article being placed within the internal imprinting enclosure; and

[0017] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an article being removed from the internal imprinting enclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] This disclosure, as defined by the claims that follow, broadly relates to an assembly for stamping markings onto articles that are contained within pocket-type enclosures. A preferred embodiment of one such assembly that is useful for directly timestamping mailed-in voting ballots while they are still inside their respective mailing envelopes is described in the discussion that follows.

[0019] As can be gleaned from viewing FIGS. 1-4, the internal imprinting enclosure of the present invention is formed by a pocket enclosure 10 and a pressure-sensitive transfer sheet 20. In this preferred embodiment, the enclosure 10 is a mailing envelope, but in other embodiments, it may be another type of enclosure that has an open pocket and a mechanism for closing the pocket.

[0020] Nevertheless, as shown in FIG. 1, in an unassembled state, the envelope 10 is a single sheet of paper that has multiple creases which form a front panel 11, a back panel 12, an opposing pair of side panels 14, and a flap 15. To transform the envelope from its unassembled, planar sheet state, shown in FIG. 1, to its assembled state, shown in FIG. 4, the side panels are folded laterally inward, the back panel 12 is folded longitudinally upward, and the back panel 12 is permanently secured to the side panels, by way of adhesive 17 along the edges of the back panel 12, forming an open pocket enclosure. The flap 15 folds laterally downward and has an activatable adhesive strip 13, along its inner edges, which allows the flap 15 to be [semi-]permanently secured to the back panel 12 to close the pocket.

[0021] Although depicted as a letter envelope in this preferred embodiment, within the scope of the invention, the enclosure 10 can be other types of pocket enclosures, and the pocket-closing mechanism employed can be altogether different from the adhesive-type mechanism of the illustrated embodiment. For example, it could be defined by any number of different fasteners.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the transfer sheet 20 is a one-sided, adhesive-backed sheet of carbon paper (See FIG. 2), but it could be graphite paper or any suitable pressure-sensitive sheet material capable of transferring an ink, coating, or other marking substance onto a substrate upon stamping pressure being applied to the sheet 20.

[0023] As gleaned from FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the transfer sheet 20 is adhesively affixed to the envelope back panel 11 and, thereby, permanently secured to the inner wall of the envelope 10 in this embodiment. However, in other embodiments, the transfer sheet 20 can be unattached to the enclosure and simply rest inside of it. In any case, the transfer sheet 20 is to fit inside the enclosure 10 so that it will be adjacent another article that also fits inside the enclosure 10 and is to be pressure imprinted.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 5, a voting ballot 30 or another article of sheet material is to be inserted downward into the open envelope 10. Subsequently, the envelope 10 is to be closed (at least substantially)—trapping the ballot 30 against the transfer sheet 20 inside the envelope 10. Then, as indicated in FIG. 6, when a stamping tool 50 is pressed against a desired stamping location 40 along the closed envelope 10, that stamping pressure will cause a marking 44 to be imprinted on the ballot 30 enclosed within the envelope 10. Preferably, the composite stamping surface of the stamping tool 50 forms a timestamp or other indicia. However, the stamping tool 50 could have a planar stamping surface and the transfer sheet could have its exposed marking substance (e.g., ink) configured to impress the desired marking design on the adjacent ballot 30. In any case, the timestamp 44 or other indicia pressure imprinted on the voting ballot 30 is revealed upon the ballot 30 being lifted out of the re-opened envelope 10.