US3481058A - Identifying system - Google Patents

Description

Dec; 2, i969 H. A. WANDERMAN ETAL IDENTIFYING SYSTEM Filed July 26, 1967 Fla; 6

[email protected]

INVENTORS HEIZBEQT A. WANDEQMMJ BY STANLEY l2. HAIZIZIS United States Patent 3,481,058 IDENTIFYING SYSTEM Herbert A. Wanderman, Pasadena, and Stanley R. Harris, South Pasadena, Calif., assignors to Engineering Model Associates, Los Angeles, Calif., a co-partnership composed of Herbert A. Wanderman, Walter Wanderman and Irving Wanderman Filed July 26, 1967, Ser. No. 656,288 Int. Cl. G09f 3/00, 7/00 US. Cl. 402 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to devices for visually communicating information and more particularly to an identifying system and method for making such devices for use in conjunction with engineering models and the like.

In the design and construction of various structures, it has become the accepted practice in recent years to use engineering models to a predetermined scale. Such models are also used after the construction phase has been completed for training purposes as well as to facilitate later additions/and or modifications. Perhaps the most important advantage gained by the use of engineering models is that the three-dimensional display presented clearly and immediately reveals the existence of errors which may and often do find their way unnoticed onto conventional two-dimensional drawings. More specifically, the placement of two or more objects at the same physical location is entirely avoided, and the allowance of ample space and separation between any two objects is readily achieved.

In many structures and processing plants, intricate piping configurations are frequently required. In such cases, errors of the type just mentioned occur at rates which appear to be a function of the complexity involved. The use of scaled engineering models, however, has materially reduced these errors; color coding with or without arrows indicating, for example, direction of flow has further reduced these errors.

But, the identifying systems heretofore used, nevertheless, still possess undesirable characteristics. Specifically, the prior systems utilized a flat arrow made of plastic material, one side of which had a circular grove extending longitudinally along the direction of the arrow. With such an arrow, usage is restricted to piping elements having a diameter substantially the same as that of the circular groove. If a colored plastic is used in addition to form such an arrow, its use is further restricted in two ways. One, the manufacturer or supplier imposes the first restriction in the number of different colors used in making the colored arrows. The user in turn imposes the second restriction in his choice of the number of different colors he procures. And finally, when such a color arrow is ap- "ice plicable, its removal where and when required is frequently accompanied by damage to either it, or more disastrously, to the piping assembly to which it was attached, or to both. Such removal is of necessity required in many situations, as for example, during remodeling or through expansion or as one design or construction phase is completed and its successor is begun.

Briefly, the invention centers on a novel construction for a tag element which may be readily affixed to and easily removed from a particular part of an engineering model and the like. A layer of resilient material is provided and is compressed when the tag element is pressed against the part or component it is intended to identify or communicate visually data pertaining to it. When compressed under such circumstances, the region of contact is substantially increased. This permits the use of weaker and inexpensive adhesives while still achieving substantially the same holding power. Since the permissible strength per unit area is much lower, removal of the tag element is also greatly facilitated.

With this arrangement, tag elements of any configuration may be provided in quantity on a moderate size stock having a continuous backing sheet as a carrier. The desired configuration is obtained by scoring the tag elements. The information to be displayed may be encoded or recorded onto each tag element prior to its being transferred from the backing sheet to the object accordingly to be identified or described. The arrangement leads itself to color coding either of individual tag elements or to entire sheets of them at a time. In addition, the shape of the tag elements is unrestricted and permitting each shape or configuration in turn to convey a secondary meaning.

These disadvantages are alleviated in the identifying system of the present invention.

According to the invention, there is provided an identifying sysetm for engineering models and the like, having a tag element for display data and other symbols comprising in combination display means including a planar surface for recording thereon the data and other symbols; mounting means including a layer of adhesive material for attaching the tag elements to a preselected component of the models and the like; and resilient means including a layer of resilient material disposed between the planar surface and the layer of adhesive material, the resilient means being secured to the planar surface at the other side thereof and forming a base for carrying the layer of adhesive material, the resilient material being compressed in the region the preselected component makes point or line contact with the layer of adhesive material to convert the contact into a surface area contact whereby the tag element is more removably secured thereto.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for making a removable tag element for use with engineering models and the like, comprising the steps of securing a layer of resilient material to one side of paper stock of predetermined size and thickness; coating the exposed side of the resilient material with a layer of adhesive material; covering the coating of adhesive material with a removable protective back-up sheet; and scoring the paper stock and resilient material to form a preselected geometrical configuration with the back-up sheet remaining continuous at all parts thereof.

It is therefore the primary objective and purpose of the invention to provide an improved identifying system and method for making same.

It is another object of the invention to provide an identifying system of the type described that utilizes tag elements having predetermined geometric configurations onto the surface of which data and other symbols can be recorded for visual display purposes and wherein said tag elements are readily removable when once attached to the object to be identified.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an identifying system of the type described for engineering models and the like wherein the tag elements utilize a novel compressible material whereby regions of point and line contact are converted to areas of surface contact to obtain greater holding power.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide an identifying system of the type described for engineering models and the like characterized in that the tag elements thereof are removably secured in predetermined groups to a flexible backing sheet and suitable for machine and manual encoding.

Another object of the invention is to provide an identifying system of the type described in which the encoded tag elements may be formed in a plurality of geometrical configurations which in turn may communicate secondary meanings to supplement the information recorded on the tag elements.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an identifying system and method for making same that is inexpensive to manufacture, flexible in its applications, amenable to both manual and machine encoding, and relatively easy to use.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood taken in conjunction with the following specification, reference being had to the drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a piping diagram using the identifying system of the invention and shows tag elements having circular and arrow-like configurations;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front elevation view of one of the arrow-like tag elements of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the tag elements of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is representative of applications wherein the identifying system of the present invention is applied to components substantially larger than the tag elements;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view of the tag element shown in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a partial plan view showing the left half of an arrangement by which tag elements in the form of elongated arrows of predetermined size are scored from sheet stock and through which arrangement the marking of such tag elements by the user is facilitated;

FIGURE 7 is a partial plan view of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 6 with the edge support strip separated from the resulting strip of tranversely disposed tag elements;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarge-d cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 10 is another arrangement by which tag elements in circular configuration are scored from sheet stock and through which arrangement the marking thereof is facilitated;

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged cross'sectional view of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 10 taken along lines 11-11 thereof;

FIGURE 12 is a partial plan view showing another atrangement of tag elements according to the invention and serves graphically in the description thereof; and

FIGURES 13 and 14 show respectively, a second and a third configuration of the arrow-like tag elements of FIG- URES l, 2, 4 and 6.

Referring to the drawing, shown there in FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an engineering model 4 20 having tag elements 22a, 22b, 24 and 26 constructed in accordance with the invention. The engineerig model 20, for descriptive purposes, includes a branch line 28 and a main line 30 to which the branch line 28 is coupled at a junction 32.

The tag elements 22a and 22b are mounted on the branch line 28 in a back to back relationship and serve to display the same or different information in opposite directions. The tag elements 24 and 26 are mounted on the main line 30 to the left and right respectively of the junction 32 as seen in FIGURE 1.

Each of the tag elements 22a, 22b, 24 and 26 includes a planar surface 34 onto which data and other symbols may be recorded or encoded, as desired. The tag elements 22a, 22b and 24 are formed in arrow-like configuration and are mounted with their pointed ends indicating the direction of fluid flow through the lines 28 and 30 respectively. Other geometric configurations may be used such as, for example, the circular tag element 26 of FIGURES 1, 10 and 11. Variations in geometry and color may also be adopted as required to efiiciently communicate information and/ or to quickly indentify systems, subsystems and components of the model 20. The circular shape of the tag element 26 may be used to indicate at a glance the particular system or sub-system of which the main line 30 is a part.

In FIGURE 2, the tag element 24 of FIGURE 1 is shown slightly enlarged and with a right end portion 36 partially removed to reveal the area of contact made with the main line 30. A reference numeral 38 points to the area of contact shown in dotted shading on the main line 30.

The tag element 24, as best seen in FIGURE 3, comprises a displaying layer 40, a resilient layer 42 and an adhesive layer 44. The displaying layer 40 may be formed from paper stock and preferably is of a thickness sufficient to maintain the planar surface 34 substantially fiat. The resilient layer 42 may be formed from a rubber or plastic foam of any of the types commercially available. The thickness of the residient layer 42 may be less than, equal to, or greater than the thickness of the layer 40. The displaying layer 40 and the resilient layer 42 are suitably bonded together as dicted by a line 46.

It is well known that contact between a plane and a cylinder or sphere is a line or a point respectively. To convert such a line or point contact to a more desirable region or area of contact, for reasons to be described, is the function of the resilient layer 42. This function is fulfilled during installation when, for example, the tag element 24- is removably mounted to the main line 30. After the tag element 24 has been aligned as desired, relative to the main line 30, pressure is firmly applied and causes the resilient layer 42 to be compressed and to conform to the shape of the object, here the main line 30, to Which the tag element 24 is being mounted.

T his is clearly shown in FIGURE 3 where the curved line having points common to both the main line 30 and the tag element 24 represents the actual width of the surface contact area 38. The width of the contact area 38 can be increased up to a point and at a decreasing rate by merely increasing the thickness of the resilient layer 42. The relationship applies only in cases where the actual size of the component part of the model 20 is substantially smaller than the tag element used.

It is informative to note that the resilient layer 42 is compressed to a maximum at the point of initial contact, namely at the point of tangency with the main line 30.

Since, in FIGURE 3, what otherwise would have been a line contact has now been converted to a band or strip of surface area contact 38, this permits the use of a hesive materials having a smaller holding power per unit area than otherwise would be required. With the use of adhesive materials of reduced strength, it was found that tag elements, such as the tag element 24, can easily be removed if and when necessary Without destroying or damaging the tag element itself or the system to which the tag element is associated.

In FIGURE 4, a tag element 48 is shown mounted to a vessel 50 which may comprise a component of the model 20 and one which in actual size is substantially larger than the tag element 48. As best seen in FIGURE 5, the tag element 48 includes the display layer 40, the resilient layer 42 suitably bonded to the layer 40 at the line 46, and the coating or layer of adhesive material 44 disposed over the resilient layer 42 which, in this example, is in contact at all points with the vessel 50'. The resilient layer 42, in this event, serves to make allowances for any surface irregularities of the vessel 50 an at the same time to retain the substantial flatness of the planar surface 34. In addition, the use of adhesive materials of relatively low strength per unit area still permits easy removal of the tag element 48 at any time.

A method for making and using the tag elements of the instant identifying system is hereinafter described in conjunction with FIGURES 6, 7, 8 and 9. With reference first to FIGURE 6, shown there is a plan view Of a plurality of arrow-like tag elements 52 arranged side by side and forming the left half of a sheet 54. Each of the tag elements 52 includes a pointed end 56 and a squaredoff tail end 58. The right half of the sheet 54 comprises a mirror image of the left half with the reference numeral 58 being representative of the centerline of the sheet 54.

At the top of the sheet 54 there is provided a top margin strip 60; the bottom of the sheet 54 is also provided with a bottom margin strip 62. Adjacent to the pointed ends 56 and integrally connected to the margin strips 60 and 62 there is provided a left side margin strip 64. A right side margin strip, not shown, may also be provided and serves along with the strips 60, 62 and 64 to impart stiffness to the sheet 54.

Referring to FIGURE 8, the sheet 54 comprises an upper layer 66 of predetermined thickness, a backing sheet 68, and a layer of resilient material 70 permanently bonded to the upper layer 66 at their surface junction depicted by a line 72. The backing sheet 68 is removably secured to the resilient layer 70 by a layer of adhesive material 74. On removal of the backing sheet 68 prior to installation, it should be clear that the then exposed resilient layer 70 remains coated with the adhesive layer 74. It is this adhesive layer 74 that engages and adheres to the surface of the object to be identified or described. In FIGURE 8, the lines 76 represent the soring along the pointed ends 56 adjoining the left side margin strip 64, which scoring may intermittently extend through the backing sheet 68.

In FIGURE 7, the left side margin strip 64 is shown removed from the sheet 54 in preparation for inserting it into a typewriter for recording information on the individual tag elements 52. The right side margin strip, not shown, may be similarly removed, or if desired, the sheet 54 may be divided in half along the centerline 58. When removing the left marginstrip 64, the sheet 54 is out along lines 78 and 80 to separate the top and bottom margin strips 60 and 62 respectively from the side margin strip 64. With the side margin strips 64 removed, the scored center portion of the sheet 54, as a result of the horizontally scored lines 82, becomes pliable and insertable into a typewriter. For manual marking purposes, the margin strip 64 is retained to provide sufficient stiffness for ease of recording.

The horizontally scored lines 82 of FIGURES 6 and 7 can be seen in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG- URE 9 as spaced apart openings 84 between adjacent tag elements 52. It should be noted that the scored lines 82 extend only to the backing sheet 68 in the preferred embodiment. In some cases, which may depend upon the geometrical configuration used for the tag element, scoring intermittently through the backing sheet 68 may be desired. One such application may be the arrangement shown in FIGURE in which the circular tag elements 6 26 of FIGURE 1 are shown in a single column or strip arrangement 86.

The arrangement 86 may include a plurality of such columns, if desired, with each tag element 26 being formed by scoring as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIGURE 11 by the spaced apart openings 88 between adjacent tag elements 26.

Shown in FIGURE 12 is an alternative arrangement 90 for providing tag elements 92 and 94 of the type illustrated in FIGURES 13 and 14 respectively. A portion 54a of the sheet 54, reference FIGURE 6, is shown in FIGURE 12 and includes the left side margin strip 64 and tag elements 92a and 94a similar to the tag elements 92 and 94 respectively of the corresponding FIGURES 13 and 14. By scoring the portion 54a in the manner shown by a solid sawtooth line 96, tag elements 92a may be obtained. By displacing the solid sawtooth line 96 upwardly or downwardly as seen in FIGURE 12 a distance equal to one half that between adjacent horizontal scored lines 82, as shown by a dashed sawtooth line 98, tag elements 94a may be obtained. It should be noted however, that scoring along the solid sawtooth line 96 provides, in cases where the sheet 54a comprises two columns of tag elements as discussed in conjunction with FIGURE 6, both the tag elements 92a on the left half of the sheet 54a and the tag elements 94a on the right half of the sheet 54a but in a position inverted left to right as shown in FIGURE 14.

It should be clear that other configurations for tag elements can be provided as desired by, for example, scoring the sheet 54, reference 'FIGURE 6, accordingly. The supporting side margin strips 64 may be used for the larger sheets and especially where machine recording is contemplated.

We have therefore shown and described an identifying system using tag elements of various configurations and adapted for displaying data and other symbols and colors to an observer and wherein each tag element is provided with a resilient layer' having a coating of adhesive whereby the tag elements can be removably attached to an engineering model or the like. Such a system is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use and can be removed at any later time without damaging the tag element or the model supporting it.

While we have herein shown and described our invention in what we have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of our invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and methods.

We claim: 1. In an identifying system for engineering models and the like, a tag element for display data and other symbols comprising in combination display means including a planar surface for recording thereon said data and other symbols; mounting means including a layer of adhesive material for attaching said tag element to a preselected component of said models and the like; and resilient means including a layer of resilient material disposed between said planar surface and said layer of adhesive material, said resilient means being secured to said planar surface at the other side thereof and forming a base for carrying said layer of adhesive material, said resilient material being compressed in the region said preselected component makes point or line contact with said layer of adhesive material to convert said contact into a surface area contact whereby said tag element is more removably secured thereto. 2. The identifying system according to claim 1 further characterized in that said resilient means comprises a 7 8 compressible plastic foam having a substantially uniform FOREIGN PATENTS thickness.

3. The identifying system according to claim 2 further 576,839 5/1958 Italycharacterized in that said display means is formed from paper stock of predetermined thickness and color. 5 EUGENE CAPOZIO, Primary Exammel' References Cited W. J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examlner UNITED STATES PATENTS U,S CL X R 2,591,779 4/1952 Buck. 40135 2,622,356 12/1952 Valente. 10

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