GB2083540A - Tag Pin Fastener Assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The tag pin fastener assembly has a number of tag pins anchored in a comb-tooth shape at a connecting rod through respective anchors such that they are directed at a right angle with respect to the connecting rod. Each of the aforementioned tag pins is constructed of a head 1, a cross bar 2, and a filament 3 connecting those head and cross bar. In the tag pin assembly thus constructed, the spacing between the adjoining heads of the tag pins is preset to be smaller than the thickness of each of the heads. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tag Pin Assembly The present invention relates mainly to a tag pin assembly which is used to attach tags or labels to commodities, and more particularly, to a tag pin assembly of the type in which a number of tag pins are anchored in a comb-toothed shape at a connecting rod through respective anchors such that they are directed at a right angle with respect to the connecting rod and in which the spacing between the tag pins is made smaller than the thickness of each of the heads of the tag pins.

A tag pin has been well known in the prior art, as is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,103,666, for example, in which the tag pin is composed of a head, a cross bar, and a filament connecting the former two components and is molded as a whole of a synthetic resin such as nylon or polypropylene. Generally speaking, the tag pin thus constructed is made small, for example such that the cross bar has a diameter of 0.8 to 1.0 mm and a length of 8 to 10 mm and such that the head has a width of 8 to 10 mm, a height of 3 to 5 mm and a thickness of 0.7 to 1.0 mm. On the other hand, the filament generally has a length of about 7 to 125 mm after elongation, although the length per se is different for the commodities to be used therewith, and also has the minimum diameter of 0.3 to 0.4 mm after the elongation.

Moreover, each tag pin has a weight of about 0.04 to 0. 19. Thus, the tag pin is made remarkably thin. As for shapes of heads of tag pins, there are known a rectangular shape as shown in Fig. 1(A) and a shape having its upper edge protruding into a mountain shape as shown in Fig. 1 (B).

Since; however, the tag pins are made remarkably small, as has been described in the above, they are integrally molded as their assembly, in which a number of tag pins are anchored in a comb toothed shape at a connecting rod, as shown in Fig. 2, because of the requirements in their production and use. This will now be described in detail with reference to Fig.

2. A tag pin is constructed of a head 1, a cross bar 2, and a filament 3 connecting the two components 1 and 2. The tag pins thus constructed are anchored in multiplicity at a connecting rod 5 through respective anchors 4 such that they are directed at a right angle with respect to the connecting rod 5, thus constructing a tag pin assembly A.

Generally speaking, the number of the tag pins anchored at one connecting rod is about 25 to 50.

For the filaments 3 having a relatively short length of about 7 to 20 mm, the tag pins are regularly anchored. If the filaments 3 become longer to about 20 mm or more, they become liable to sway so that the heads 1 have their positions changed without any reluctance, whereby the filaments 3 and the heads 1 are entangled. In case, for example, the tag pins are made of a nylon resin, they have a relatively stable shape immediately after the molding and elongating processes, but their filaments 3 become softer and softer as they gradually absorb the surrounding moisture. As a result, the tag pin assemblies are entangled, when they contact each other, or the arrangement of the tag pins in each assembly become irregular. In concrete practice, after the tag pin assemblies have been molded, a number of them are usually packaged in a box for their subsequent transportation.In this meanwhile, however, since the tag pin assemblies A and A2 have their heads entangled, as shown in Fig. 2. As a result, if one tag pin assembly is to be taken out, plural assemblies are taken out together. This results in a disadvantage that any tag pin assembly cannot be used before its entanglement is released. On the other hand, similar entanglement takes place, too, when a tag pin assembly is temporarily stored, in the course of its use, in the box and is taken out for reuse. On the other hand, a tagging machine is charged with one tag pin assembly so that the tag pins may be used. The group of these tag pins will sway when the tag pins are to be implanted in the commodities.As a result, the tag pins have their heads entangled to invite a difficulty that the tag pin having been implanted in the commodity cannot be easily cut out of the tag pin assembly.

As means for eliminating the disadvantage thus far described, there has been proposed a method, in which the heads of the adjoining tag pins are connected by means of a connecting string. However, this connecting string is elongated and torn otf, when the single tag pin having been implanted in the commodity is to be cut out of the tag pin assembly, to leave a "whisker-shaped" projection on the surface of the head of the tag pin thus cut. In the case of the tag pin made of nylon, for example, if the aforementioned connecting string is elongated until it is torn off, the connecting filament is also elongated to have a length of about four to five times as its original length so that a considerably long "whisker" is formed to project from the surface of the head of the tap pin.There are a variety of commodities, to which the price tags are attached by means of the tag pins. Of those, the knitted or woven fabric using fine fibers have their fibers caught by the aforementioned "whisker" thereby to cause a defect such as a cut or fray. On the contrary, it is remarkably difficult to make the connecting string thinner thereby to eiiminate the defect which is caused in the commodity by that "whisker". This is because the connecting string has its diameter limited at 0.1 to 0.15 mm by the mold fabricating technique at the present stage. On the other hand, if the connecting string is made excessively thin, it is liable to be cut during transportation or during handling of the assembly.And, the tag pin assembly having its connecting string partially cut is involved in a more complex entanglement than the prior art tag pin assembly having no connecting string so that its handling becomes more difficult. On the other hand, the formation of that thin connecting string requires a fine treatment in the fabrication of its mold so that this mold becomes expensive while having a shortened lifetime. Thus, the connection of the heads of the tag pins by means of the connecting string is encountered by a variety of the aforementioned problems irrespective of the thickness of the connecting string so that it is judged undesirable.

The present invention has been conceived to eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages concomitant with the prior art.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a tag pin assembly which is kept free from any intertwist and entanglement without forming the heads of the tag pins with a connecting string.

A secondary object of the present invention is to provide a dense type tag pin assembly, in which an increased number of tag pins per unit length of a connecting rod can be fabricated by means of a small-sized mold.

A tertiary object of the present invention is to provide a tag pin assembly which has little sway in the filaments of the tag pins, which is made compact while having an excellent appearance and which is easy to handle.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a tag pin assembly which has a low production cost per tag pin and which can a!!ow a number of tag pins to be continuously used.

According to the present invention, the aforementioned objects of the present invention can be achieved by the construction, in which a multiplicity of tag pins are anchored in a combtoothed shape at a connecting rod through respective anchors such that they are directed at a right angle with respect to the connecting rod, in which each of the tag pins is constructed of a head, a cross bar, and a filament connecting the head and the cross bar, and in which the spacing between the adjoining heads of the tag pins is preset to be smaller than the thickness of each of the heads.

Figs. 1(A) and 1(B) are front elevations showing the shapes of the heads of conventional tag pins, respectively; Fig 2 is a perspective view showing a conventional tag pin assembly; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the condition, under which the heads and filaments of the conventional tag pin assembly are entangled; Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation showing a portion of a tag pin assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the same; Figs. 6(A) and 6(B) are respectively a front elevation, showing tag pins of the first embodiment in their condition yet to be processed for elongation or stretching; Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are top plan views showing the shape of the heads of the tag pins according to second, third and fourth embodiments, respectively;; Fig. 10 is a front elevation showing a tag pin according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 11 is a front elevation showing a tag pin according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention; Figs.. 12(A), 12(B), 12(C), 12(D), 12(E), 12(F) and 12(G) are front elevations showing the heads of tag pins according to seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth embodiments of the present invention, respectively; Fig. 1 3 is a front elevation showing the shape of the head of a tag pin according to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 14 is a front elevation showing a tag pin having its filament elongated over its whole length.

The present invention will now be described in detail in conjunction with the embodiments thereof. Figs. 4 and 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention, and three tag pins Pr, P2 and P3 are shown in Fig. 4 for convenience of illustration. Here, the tag pin P1 is constructed of a head 1, a cross bar 2, and a filament 3 connecting the former two. The tag pin P, thus constructed is anchored through an anchor 4 at a connecting rod 5 such that it is directed at a right angle with respect to the connecting rod 5. The tag pin P1 constructs a tag pin assembly P together with the tag pins P2, P3 and so on which are similarly anchored.The single tag pin assembly P is composed of twenty five to fifty tag pins PX, P2, P3 and so on, for example, and of 100 tag pins in the case of the tag pin assembly having the longest connecting rod 5.

The tag pin assembly thus constructed is integrally molded of a synthetic resin such as nylon or polypropylene. The filament immediately after the molding process has substantially the same diameter as that of the cross bar and is relatively rigid so that it is liable to be broken by bending. Especially when the tag pin is attached to a desired commodity by means of a tagging machine, the cross bar 2 is inserted into the commodity under the condition in which the filament is deformed substantially in parallel with the cross bar 2. After the cross bar 2 has been implanted in the commodity, the filament 3 is reluctant to be recovered from its deformed shape or is folded by the deformation. With this in mind, therefore, the filament 3 is elongated after the molding process so that it is gifted by the orientation of the polymer molecules with such a property as is flexible but can take a firm stand so that it is hardly folded.

Before it is stretched, the filament 3 may have a tapered shape as shown in Fig 6(A) or a shape devoid of tapering as shown in Fig. 6(B).

The thickness t of the head 1 generally has a value of 0.7 to 1.0 mm, which is substantially equivalent to the diameter of the cross bar 2.

Incidentally, the cross bar 2 has a diameter of about 1.0 mm, for example, so that it may not be deformed into a shape of letter "V" when the tag pin is implanted in the commodity. The spacing I between the head 1 and an adjoining head 1' is usually sufficient to be from 0.2 mm to less than 0.7 mm, preferably, 0.2 to 0.5 mm, or more preferably, 0.2 to 0.3 mm. If the spacing I falls within one of the above-specified ranges, the strength of the walls defining the cavity of the mold between the heads 1 and 1' can be maintained at such a sufficient level as to raise no problem in the molding process.Moreover, if the spacing is from 0.2 mm to less than 0.7 mm, this means that the spacing between the adjoining heads is smaller than the thickness t of the heads so that, even if the tag pin assemblies mutually contact, the head of one tag pin assembly hardly steals into the clearance between the adjoining heads of the other tag pin assembly until they are entangled. In one assembly, moreover, even if one tag pin is about to shift in the transverse direction, the adjoining tag pin simultaneously takes its position change in accordance with the shift of the former tag pin, if the spacing I is from 0.2 mm to less than 0.7 mm, so that the assembly as a whole behaves as it were a gang, whereby the shift of only one tag pin and the irregularity in the arrangement can be eliminated. This in turn is effective in preventing the entanglement between the assemblies.Especially if the spacing is 0.2 to 0.5 mm, preferably, 0.2 to 0.3 mm, the heads of the respective tag pins constituting the tag pin assembly take a state, at which they are held as if they were adhered to each other and integrated, so that the respective tag pins cannot exhibit independent behaviors any more, thus futher reducing the entanglement and intertwist between the assemblies.

If the tagging machine is charged with a tag pin assembly and has its lever actuated, its gear is brought into meshing engagement with the anchor 4 thereby to feed the tag pins one by one and to cut off the anchors 4 one by one so that the tag pin is implanted in a commodity. In other words, the anchor 4 has a function to feed the tag pins one by one and to act as a passage when a molten resin is injected into a mold. With these in mind, therefore, the anchor 4 has to be such a diameter as raises no difficulty in the resin injection and as can be cut without any difficulty.

The connecting rod 5 also forms the guide passage for the resin when this resin is injected into the cavity of the mold for molding the tag pins. Thus, the connecting rod 5 to be used has a desired shape such as a round, square, semi-oval or hexagonal shape.

In the embodiment 1 shown in Figs. 4 and 5, thus, since the spacing I between the heads of the tag pins Pa, P2, P3 and soon constructing the tag pin assembly P is made smaller than the thickness t of the heads, it is possible to prevent the heads of the tag pins of one tag pin assembly from stealing into the clearances between the heads of the tag pins of the other pin assembly, even if a number of the tag pin assemblies are held under their mutually contactable condition, thereby to prevent the head and/or the filaments from being entangled. Moreover, the narrowness of the spacing I between the heads is also effective to prevent the irregularity of the arrangements of the heads in the assembly.

Fig. 7 is a stop plan view showing the shape of the heads of the tag pins according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this second embodiment, specifically, the thickness t of the heads is made larger than the spacing I between the adjacent heads similarly to the case of the aforementioned first embodiment, and the heads indicated here at numeral 1a are deformed from their center portions to have a boomerang shape. As seen in a top plan view from Fig. 7, therefore a clearance also having a boomerang shape is formed between the adjacent heads 1 a and 1 a'. As viewed from the side, however, the head 1 a' has its leading end z covered with the leading end y of the adjoining head 1 a so that it cannot be seen from the side. As a result, the heads are arranged as if they had no clearance inbetween in a side view.

According to the second embodiment thus constructed, since the thickness t of the heads of the tag pins is made larger than the spacing I between the heads of the adjoining tag pins, and since the heads are arranged as if they had no clearance inbetween in a side view, the heads and/or the filaments become more reluctant to be entangled even if the plural tag pin assemblies are held under their mutually contactable condition.

Especially, since the heads are deformed at their centers while changing their extending direction, as shown in Fig. 7, the heads of one assembly cannot proceed as far as the center portions of the heads of the other assembly, even if the heads of the two assemblies are entangled. As a result, it is possible to further prevent the entanglement and to easily release the entanglement, if any.

Moreover, even if the head of one tag pin of one tag pin assembly, e.g., the head 1 at shifts sideway to come out of the remaining heads, its leading end z comes into contact with the leading end y of the other head 1 a so that the irregularity in the arrangement of the heads can be futher prevented.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view showing the heads according to a third embodiment. As shown, a head 1 b has both its front and rear sides formed with such inclined surfaces c and d as slope down from the extension of the filament to the side edges of the head symmetrically with respect to the extension of the filament. In the third embodiment, the thickness t of the heads is also made larger than the spacing I between the adjoining heads, and the heads have a section of parallelogram shape. As a result, a head cannot advance as far as a half distance of the clearance between heads, if the former steals into the latter, so that they can be prevented from completely overlapping, whereby the heads, if entangled, can be separated without any difficulty.

According to this third embodiment, moreover, if the original thickness of the heads is denoted at the letter t, the heads can be thinned to have a thickness (that,) by reducing the original thickness to a value t, at the side edges. Then, the walls defining the cavities of the mold for forming the heads can be thickened to correspond to that thickness reduction so that the mechanical strength of the mold can be accordingly improved.

In accordance with the third embodiment, still moreover, it is possible to remove the mold with ease after the resin has been injected into the mold and molded.

Fig. 9 shows a fourth embodiment, in which each of the heads has its right and left halves inclined from the vicinity of its center portion in the same direction during the molding process thereby to have a shape of widened letter "V" in a top plan view. As a result, the heads are arranged as if they had no clearance, as seen from the side, similarly to the second embodiment shown in Fig.

7, so that the heads can be further prevented from being entangled. At the same time, since the clearances between the heads change their directions in the direction courses, one head cannot advance as far as the midway of the clearance between the other heads, even if the entanglement takes place, so that the heads entangled can be easily separated. In the tag pin assembly shown in Fig. 9, moreover, even if one tag pin transversely shifts to come out, its head 1 c contacts at its point of inflection e with the leading end fof another head 1 d so that the irregularity in the arrangement of the tag pins can be prevented to maintain the stable arrangement at all times.

In the foregoing first to fourth embodiments, the description of the arrangement of the tag pins in a tag pin assembly has been made in view of the side and top plan. However, the shape of each tag pin, as viewed in a front elevation, also plays an important role to prevent the intertwist and can be made to have a variety of shapes, as follows. In Fig. 5 showing the aforementioned first embodiment, specifically, the head 1 is made to have lower edges g and h formed such that they gradually retract apart from the cross bar 2 as they go apart from the filament 3. As a result, in case the heads 1 are intertwisted, the intertwist can be automatically released by the slopes of the lower edges g and h.

Fig. 10 shows a fifth embodiment, in which the head 1 is formed into a shape of a Braun tube having its lower edges g and h curved. As a result, the intertwist preventing effect of the fifth embodiment is more prominent than that in case the lower edges g and h are formed straight as in Fig. 5.

Fig. 11 shows a sixth embodiment, in which the head 1 is molded such that it is tilted to the left from its axis. As a result, the righthand lower edge g is steeply inclined. In case the tag pins thus constructed are intertwisted, for instance, in case the head of another tag pin is caught by the lower edge g, the entanglement can be easily released because the slope of the lower edge g is made steep. On the contrary, in case the head of another tag pin is caught by the other lower edge h, the head 1 is set up rightwardly to the position indicated by broken lines so that the heads can be released from their intertwisted conditions. Thus, the release of the intertwist can be facilitated by tilting the head either to the right or left.

Figs. 12(A) to 12(G) show seventh to thirteenth embodiments, respectively. In the seventh embodiment shown in Fig. 12(A), the head of the tag pin is molded into an inverted triangular shape. In the eighth to tenth embodiments shown in Figs. 12(B) to 12(D), the head of the tag pin is molded into sector, semicircular and heart shapes, respectively. In the eleventh to thirteenth embodiments shown in Figs 12(E) to 12(G), the head had its lower edges g and h narrowed in the extending direction of the filament 3, as shown in Fig. 12(E), for example.

The head having the shape shown in any of Figs.

12(A) to 12(G) can be molded either symmetrically with respect to the center line of the filament, as shown in Fig. 10, or with a tilt to the right or left with respect to the center line of the filament, as shown in Fig. 11. For example, the case in which the head having the shape shown in Fig. 12(D) is tilted leftwardly with respect to the center line of the filament, is shown in Fig. 13. In this example, the lower edge g of the head 1 is formed to lie substantially on the extension of the filament 3. As a result, the head intertwist releasing effect can be more prominent.

Thus, in case the head 1 is intertwisted upon the lower edge h, it is tilted rightwardly to the position indicated by broken lines so that it is released from its intertwisted condition.

Reverting to the first embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5, an unelongated portion 3' is left between the head 1 and the filament 3. The unelongated portion 3', if left, acts as a buffer thereby to invite an advantage that it is possible to provide a variety of tag pins, the filaments 3 of which have different lengths in accordance with their different elongations from the corresponding unelongated tag pins. Moreover, since the unelongated portion 3' acts as the buffer, no abnormal tension is applied to the corresponding filament 3 so that this filament can be prevented from being cut off due to the elongation.

Turning now to Fig. 14 showing the case in which the unelongated portion 3' is completely elongated, the filament 3 has a uniform diameter from the cross bar 2 to the head 1. By elongating the filament 3 over its whole length in that way, the filament 3 can have its strength and flexibility increased although it is thinned so that the attachment of the tag pin by the tagging machine can be performed with ease. At the same time, the price tag can be neatly implanted in a commodity although the head 1 has such a shape as is liable to sway relative to the filament.

As has been described hereinbefore, the present invention is characterized in that the spacing I between the heads 1 of the tag pins is made smaller than the thickness t of the heads such that it is usually from 0.2 mm to less than 0.7 mm, preferably, 0.2 to 0.5 mm, and more preferably 0.2 to 0.3 mm. By making the inequality of t > l hold, it is possible to prevent the head of the tag pin constituting one tag pin assembly from stealing into the clearance between the heads of the tag pin constituting the another tag pin assembly so that they are intertwisted.

Now, one hundred tag pin assemblies having the spacing of 1=0.6 mm, as has been disclosed in the first embodiment, and one hundred tag pin assemblies have the relationship of t < l according to the prior art (however, the respective tag pin assemblies of the two types have the same number of tag pins anchored) were put at random into different boxes and were gently shaped for a predetermined time period by means of a reciprocating shaking machine. Then, the average values of the numbers of the assemblies to be taken out of the respective boxes while being entangled with another assembly when this assembly was taken out were counted.The results of these countings are tabulated in the following Table:

Present Invention | Prior Art 0.4 2.6 From this Table, it will be understood that the entanglement can be remarkably prevented according to the present invention in comparison with the tag pin assemblies according to the prior art and can be easily released. According to the present invention, moreover, since the inequality t > l holds, as has been described hereinbefore, a dense type tag pin assembly is fabricated to have an increased number of tag pins per connecting rod so that a number of tag pins can be continuously used. Still moreover, since the tag pins are densely anchored at the connecting rod, as has also been described hereinbefore, the assembly can be made neat as a whole thereby to make it possible to fabricate tag pins which are free from irregularity in their arrangement, which have excellent appearance and which are easy to handle. According to the present invention, furthermore, since the assembly obtained has its tag pins densely anchored, the productivity of the tag pins can be improved, and the production cost for each tag pin can be reduced.

Claims (9)

Claims

1. A tag pin assembly comprising a multiplicity of tag pins anchored in a comb-tooth shape at a connecting rod through respective anchors such that they are directed at a right angle with respect to said connecting rod, each of said tag pins being constructed of a head, a cross bar, and a filament connecting said head and said cross bar, the spacing between the adjoining heads of said tag pins being preset to be smaller than the thickness of each of said heads.

2. A tag pin assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spacing between said adjoining heads is from 0.2 mm to less than 0.7 mm.

3. A tag pin assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spacing between said adjoining heads is 0.2 to 0.5 mm.

4. A tag pin assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spacing between said adjoining heads is 0.2 to 0.3 mm.

5. A tag pin assembly as set forth in any of the preceding claims 1 to 4, wherein the heads of said tag pins have a boomerang shape in a top plan view.

6. A tag pin assembly as set forth in any of the preceding claims 1 to 4, wherein each of the heads of said tag pins has both its front and rear sides formed with such inclined surfaces as slope down from the extension of said filament to the side edges of said head symmetrically with respect to the extension of said filament.

7. A tag pin assembly as set forth in any of the preceding claims 1 to 4, wherein the heads of said tag pins have a V-letter shape in top plan view.

8. A tag pin assembly as set forth in any of the preceding claims 1 to 7, wherein those edge portions of each of the heads of said tag pins, which face said cross bar, are formed to retract apart from said cross bar as they go apart from said filament.

9. A tag pin assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.