GB2193155A - Offer documents - Google Patents

Abstract

Merchandise or services can be promoted, advertised and/or sold using offer documents which can be distributed to selected people eg by insertion in a periodical. The recipient can remove and return a part of the document. A base member A has a supplementary sheet B adhering along a transverse line 22 having a length less than the width of the base member. The sheet B is weakened at 24 so that it can be folded away from the member A. The document is manufactured using an on-line finishing machine. A web is slit longitudinally. The resulting strips are separated onto different levels, and brought together again to adhere. The web is then cut into individual documents. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Offer documents The invention relates to offer documents whereby merchandise or services can be promoted, advertized and/or sold to selected people, for example through loose-insertion in a magazine or delivery to the home.

Patent Specification GB 1367803 (Katz) describes envelope-containing pamphlets which can be distributed in a newspaper or magazine as an advertizing medium. The prospective customer can remove the pamphlet and envelope, which is usually self-addressed, and return the relevant part of the pamphlet to the advertizer in the envelope portion. The entire pamphlet is fabricated from a single web by a series of operations comprising applying transverse lines of adhesive, folding, slitting, and severing the web. Katz however contains no indication as to how a cross-fold effect could be introduced during the process.

The invention provides an offer document comprising a base member and a supplementary sheet, the supplementary sheet adhering to the base member along a transverse line having a length less than the width of the base member and being weakened adjacent the line so that the supplementary sheet can be folded away from the base member. The base member is preferably provided with one or more side panels which may be folded over the supplementary sheet. The side panel(s) may each cover the supplementary sheet completely or may meet in the middle of the supplementary sheet. The recipient of such a document can open the side panels as when reading a book to the left or right, and move the supplementary sheet in a transverse (up or down) direction.

An offer document according to the invention may be provided on any of its component parts such as the base member, supplementary sheet and/or side panels with one or more auxiliary features such as unique numbers or personalization for the intended recipient, spots of adhesive for securing enclosures, die cut-outs, pattern perforations, microfragrance, coin-reactive or rub-and-reveal portions. Any of the component parts, or a portion thereof, may be detachable and useable as a reply and/or envelope therefor.

The invention includes a method of manufacturing an offer document-using an on-line finishing machine. The starting material is normally a web, four-colour printed on both sides, dried, passed over chill rolls to cool to normal temperature, and remoistened. The auxiliary features mentioned above may have been applied at this stage, or in some cases at least may be applied in the line. Some such features such as a seal or label may be applied later. The conventional folder present at this stage is bypassed, and the web is generally turned through ninety degrees by an angle bar. A web-aligner is then usually provided to rectify any lateral movement which has taken place.

The method of the invention comprises slitting such a web longitudinally into strips of unequal width, passing the strips through an angle bar package to separate them onto different levels, weakening a narrow strip along a transverse line, applying adhesive along a transverse line to at least one of the strips, bringing one of the strips over another, securing the strips together along the line of adhesive adjacent the line of weakening, and cutting the web transversely into individual documents.

Drawings: Figure 1 shows the simplest form of offer document according to the invention from the front; Figures 1A, 1B and 1C respectively show the document of Fig. 1 from the bottom, from the top in a bowed state to emphasize the details of its construction, and from the bottom in an open state; Figure 2 shows a web at an early stage of conversion into a document as shown in Fig.

1; Figure 3 shows a later stage of conversion with a part raised for emphasis; and Figure 4 shows the finished document in an open state.

With reference to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows only the outside of the document, that is the backs of-two side panels 12 of a base member which are folded inward at gate folds 14 over a supplementary sheet. The supplementary sheet can be seen only through a small central gap 16 at a butt join between the edges of the panels 12. In Figs. 1A, 1B and 1C, there can be seen for the first time the base member which is designated A and the supplementary sheet B. These designations A and B have been used consistently in all the later Figures to show the derivation of the relevant components from the starting web.

Fig. 2 shows the web longitudinally slit into strips of unequal width. For ease of illustration only a length corresponding to a single document is shown. The strip intended for the base member A is shown with the gate folds 14 and adhesive applied along a transverse line 22. The adhesive may comprise a row of spots or a continuous bar of impact adhesive so that a further activation step is not required for the subsequent adhesion. The nar rower strip intended for the supplementary sheet B is shown weakened for example by perforation or scoring along the transverse line 24. The length and width of the adhesive along the line 22 corespond to the portion of the sheet B below the line 24 of weakening to which it is to be secured.

The split web is passed through an angle bar package, and thereby separated so that the strips A and B are moved respectively to right and left and then onto different levels in the machine. The adhesive is applied to the strip A, and the strip B is weakened. The strip B is then brought over the strip A, and the two are secured together with the line 22 of adhesive adjacent the line 24 of weakening.

This operation is performed in a plough tower where the base member A is at the same time folded longitudinally. The web is then passed to a rotary cutter, and cut transversely into individual documents.

Claims (3)

1. An offer document comprising a base member and a supplementary sheet, the supplementary sheet adhering to the base member along a transverse line having a length less than the width of the base member and being weakened adjacent the line so that the supplementary sheet can be folded away from the base member.

2. An offer document according to claim 1 provided with one or more side panels which may be folded over the supplementary sheet.

3. An offer document manufactured by a method according to claim 1 or claim 2.

3. A method of manufacturing an offer document which comprises slitting such a web longitudinally into strips of unequal width, passing the strips through an angle bar package to separate them onto different levels, weakening a narrow strip along a transverse line, applying adhesive along a transverse line to at least one of the strips, bringing one of the strips over another, securing the strips together along the line of adhesive adjacent the line of weakening, and cutting the web transversely into individual documents.

4. An offer document substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.

5. A method of manufacturing an offer document according to any of claims 1, 2 or 4 substantially as herein described.

CLAIMS Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect: Claims 1 to 5 above have been deleted or textually amended.

New or textually amended claims have been filed as follows:-

1. A method of manufacturing an offer document which comprises slitting a web longitudinally into strips of unequal width, passing the strips through an angle bar package to separate them onto different levels, weakening a narrow strip along a transverse line, applying adhesive along a transverse line to at least one of the strips, bringing one of the strips over another, securing the strips together along the line of adhesive adjacent the line of weakening, and cutting the web transversely into individual documents.

2. A method of manufacturing an offer document substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.