US1066832A - Tag. - Google Patents

Description

A. MOCALLUM.

TAG.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 24, 1909.

1,066,832, Patented Jul 8, 1913.

WITNESSES; [N VENTOR.

I I ATTORNEXS,

ALEXANDER MCCALLUM, OF NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TAG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July8, 1913.

Application filed December 24, 1909. Serial No. 534,807.

To all who m, '1' I may comm 1w Be it known that I, Annxaunnu Moo/Ar.- LUM, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Northampton, in the 5 county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Tag, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices adapted to be attached to fabrics of various kinds for the purpose of denoting character or quality,-size, style, price, etc., and consists of a body having a fabric index, marking-surface, or surface or face that can be printed or written on, and a tongue generally and preferably narrower than such body to which it is attached at the top, said body and tongue being provided with interior lugs arranged to grip the fabric, when ithe body and tongue are closed together, to hold the tag to said fabric, all as hereinafter set forth.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and reliable tag, which combines in one device the characteristics both of a tag and a clip or fastener therefor, and which can be easily and quickly applied to an article of fabric which it is desired to mark, and with equal facility can be removed therefrom without injuring the same in any way. This tag is particularly well adapted for use in connection with hosiery, handkerchiefs,gloves, veilings, cloth in the piece, and the like. I attain this object by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tag which embodies my invention in a practical form; Fig. 2, a side elevation of such tag;

Fig. 3, a rear elevation of the same; Fig. 4,

a front elevation of said. tag showing it attached to a fragment of fabric, and, Fig. 5,

a side elevation of the tag so attached with the fabric in section.

In the first three views the tag is represented as being open, that is, with the body and tongue widely separated at their bases and in oblique relationship to each other, in readiness to be applied to the goods, while in the next two Views said tag is represented as being closed, that is, with the body and tongue brought into approxin'iately parallel relationship, as is necessary in attaching it to the goods.

Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

This tag is made of metal aiid fabric, the latter being permanently and intimately united with the body and constituting the face of the tag. The union between the metal and fabric is brought about during the process of manufacture, and is of such a nature that to all intents and purposes the two materials are as one, in spite of the fact, that such materials are so inherently unlike .tlCll other. The fabric face of the tag partakes more of the nature of veneer, although the two materials of which the tag consists are not analogous as in the case of wood veneering, than of a coating as of paint, lacquer, celluloid, and the like. And herein is an important distinction, because this fabric face or this facing, although somewhat of the nature of a veneer as just stated, is not a veneer in the sense in which that term is generally understood, and it is for an entirely dillerent purpose, neither is it a true coating within the meaning of the word as used in connection with metal. The facing is not for the purpose of giving the tag a better finish or for ornamental purposes, but solely for utilitarian purposes.

The metal which enters into the construction of the tag should be ductile as well as flexible, so that the tag will have suliicient tenacity to enable it to keep its shape, or, in other words, to remain open or closed without yielding .in the absence of a reasonably superior force. A suitable grade of aluminum is one of the best metals to use for the tag.

The fabric for the face of the tag should have a surface finish that will enable the same to be readily printed or written on, although it conceivable that such fabric might be of a distiinltive character, color, shade or tint which alone could be depended upon to impart the information, for which the tag is designed, without any printing or writing whatever.

Referring to the drawings. it will be observed that the tag therein illustrated consists of a metal body 1 and tailpiece or tongue 2, the former being wider than the latter and both having inwardly-directml ribs or lugs, as described. below, and of a fabric face or index on the front of said body. The body 1. and tongue 9 are bent into angular relationship, as best shown in Fig. 9, before being applied to the goods, and into substantially parallel relationship, as best shown in the last view, when applied to the goods. The aforesaid lugs are represented at 4 and 5, the former extending across the body 1 on the inside and the latter across the tongue 2 also on the inside. These lugs are both located above the free ends of the body and tongue, in this case, and they are offset relative to each other so as to enable them to shut by each other when the tag is closed and thus grip into the fabricthat may be interposed and securely hold the tag on such fabric.

The tags are punched or stamped from metal strips to which the fabric for the indices has been previously afiixed, and during the punching or stamping operations the lugs are formed by bends in the metal, the bends which produce the body lugs be ing made in the fabric also, as will be-clearly seen upon referring to Figs. 2 and The fabric index or marking-surface 3 may be printed all over or only in part, the drawings showing printing on the upper part of this surface and none on the lower part which is left blank. This is an unimportant matter, however, and so far as the present invention is concerned it is immaterial whether or not the printing be done at the time the tag is made, or whether or not writing be substituted partly or wholly for printing. These are matters which will be governed very largely if not entirely by the use to be made of the tag, soalso in regard to the character or nature of the printing or writing.

Paper is the fabric that I generally employ for the index or marking-surface 3, although some kind of woven fabric, as cloth, and possibly other fabrics which could not properly be classed as either cloth or paper, might be used in the place of paper.

W hile it is intended that the adhesive material employed in attaching thefabric to the body of the tag shall be of a character to permanently cause perfect adhesion, yet it is found in practice that poor adhesive material may inadvertently 'be employed and that the same may be affected in a different manner in different climates, and that in a damp climate for instance the fabric might become detached from the tag, thus leaving the goods without any markings. I provide a means for permanently attaching the fabric and the body so that if the adhesive material should be affected and lose its adhesive properties the fabric would still remain attached to the body so that the marking of the goods would remain. 1 accomplish this result by folding the fabric in between one or more folds of the body and in the present instance I employ the reference to the employment of an adhesive material.

All that is necessary to do in applying the tag to an article 'is to insert one edge of such article between the body 1 and the tongue 2 and then press together said lastmentioned members, either by hand or by means of a suitable machine or implement. In thus closing the tag on the article and clasping the latter between the body and tongue, the lugs 4L and 5 are pressed into the goods from both sides and firmly grasp the same between them, and the tag is se curely held in place. 1

The article bearing the tag is adequately marked thereby, as per example shown in the last view wherein is represented a piece of fabric 6 having the tag attachedthereto.

The tag is removed from the article by simply separating the body 1 and tongue 2- until the lugs t and 5 are free from the fabric and then taking 0H said tag.

From the foregoing it is plainly to be seen that this is a self-attaching tag as contradistinguished from a tag of the ordinary variety that has to be fastened to the goods by some separate, independentor extraneous means, as thread, wire, or a clip.

As has been explained, the ductility of the metal part of the tag causes the tag to remain open or closed, as the case maybe, until the particular condition is forcibly changed.

The shape of the tag may vary more or less from that illustrated, and said tag may be made of different sizes.

I am aware that metal tags with fabric marking-surfaces have been produced before, and do not, therefore, seek to cover such a tag broadly.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A tag comprising a flat body member to carry the marking face and having an intermediate inward-extending transverse fold therein, a rear tongue portion to cooperate with said fold behind to secure the tag in place, and a marking face of fabric secured to the front of the body and held fro-1n danger of detachment therefrom by being itself intermediately and transversely folded and grasped in the fold of the body, substantially as shown. I

ALEXANDER l IOCALLU'M.

Vitnesses JOHN VILLIAM ALPIN, JAMES W. FISKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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