GB2240963A

GB2240963A - Badges

Info

Publication number: GB2240963A
Application number: GB9003678A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip Rolls
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-02-17
Filing date: 1990-02-17
Publication date: 1991-08-21
Also published as: GB9003678D0

Abstract

A badge has a body which defines a recess into which a circular label 5, which includes a design, as desired, is stuck. On a lower surface 11 of the badge, there are provided projections 12, 13 which are adapted to snap-engage with a shaft 31 of a safety pin 30. As a consequence of its design, the badge is easily assembled. Additionally, since much of the badge is made out of plastics, the badge is substantially free of potentially dangerous sharp edges. <IMAGE>

Description

BADGES This invention relates to badges, and is concerned particularly, although not exclusively, with badges suitable for attachment to a lapel of a wearer and methods of making such badges.

Lapel badges are well-known items which may be used, for example, to display a wearer's allegiance to a football team or pop group, to display an amusing slogan or as a means of promoting a person's business or a particular product.

A number of different types of badges are known: Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings are an underneath plan view of a badge and a cross-section along line A-A (excluding pin 5) respectively.

The badge 1 has a cup-shaped body 2 upon which a circular paper disc 3 is disposed. The disc 3 is secured in position on the body 2 by means of a ring 4. A semicircular pin arrangement 5 may be secured under the ring 4, the pin arrangement 5 having a resilient member 6 which co-operates with a retainer 7 to allow the badge 1 to be releasably secured to a person's clothing.

Such a badge 1 is made by causing the paper disc 3 to wrap around a skirt 8 of.the body 2. The ring 4 is then forced into opening 9 so as to sandwich the paper disc 3 between the ring 4 and skirt 8. The pin arrangement 5 may then be inserted in position underneath the ring 4, as a resilient snap-engaging fit.

The above steps require the use of a machine to apply the necessary force to sandwich the paper disc 3 in position. The pin arrangement 5 may be inserted by hand.

All of the components of the badge 1, except the paper disc 3, are made of metal. This may result in the badge having sharp edges, in particular, at edge 10 on the inside of the ring 4. It will be appreciated that such sharp edges may be dangerous, particularly to young children to whom badges are often supplied.

Another known badge 20, shown in underneath plan view in Figure 3, incorporates a plastics disc-shaped base 21 in place of the ring 4, along with a metal cupshaped body, as before. The disc-shaped base 21 of the badge 20 has apertures 22, 23 provided therein. A safety pin (not shown) is secured through the apertures, to retain the pin in the base 21. However, it may not be easy for a person assembling a badge 20 to easily and correctly position the safety pin, as the apertures 22, 23 are by necessity relatively small. In addition, the safety pin can only be inserted when it is open, baring its pointed end. These features may make it both hazardous and time consuming for the person assembling the badge to secure the safety pin in position.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention aim to alleviate these problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a badge comprising a body which has an upper surface and a lower surface, attachment means for attaching the badge to a separate article, and a label fixed directly to said upper surface.

Preferably, said label carries a motif.

Preferably, said upper surface of the body includes a recess in which said label is entirely disposed.

Preferably, the recess is defined by a wall which is substantially continuous. The wall may be disposed substantially perpendicular to said upper surface.

Preferably, the label is substantially the same shape as and slightly smaller in size than said recess.

Preferably, the size of the label and the recess are such that it is substantially impossible to remove the label from the recess by hand without using a pointed object.

A gap in the range 0.5 mm and 5.0 mm may be provided between the edges of the label and said recess.

The label may cover substantially the entire surface area of said upper surface. The label may cover between 85% and 100% of the surface area of the upper surface.

The recess may be substantially circular, oval, square or rectangular, in shape.

Preferably, the label is a self-adhesive label.

Preferably, the label comprises a porous material upon which a motif is provided. Said porous material may be paper. Preferably, the label is coated with a waterimpervious coating which may be a clear varnish.

Preferably, the body is made substantially of plastics material. Preferably, the plastics material is or is adapted to be substantially non-toxic. The plastics material may be selected from the group comprising polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride or ABS plastics.

Preferably, the attachment means is provided on the lower surface of the body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a badge comprising a body which has an upper surface and a lower surface, and attachment means for attaching the badge to a separate article, the attachment means comprising a securing device adapted to be releasably attached to a separate article, and a retainer member is provided on the lower surface of the body and snap-engages with the securing device.

Said securing device is preferably a safety pin.

The attachment means may include a pair of resilient jaws which snap-engage the securing device. Preferably, the jaws project substantially perpendicularly from said lower surface.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a badge according to the first and second aspects.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a badge according to the first or third aspects, the method including the steps of making the body and fixing said label to the upper surface of the body.

According to fifth aspect, there is provided a method of making a badge according to any of the first, second and third aspects, the method including the steps of making the body and snap-engaging the securing device with the retainer member.

Preferably, said label is fixed to said body prior to snap-engaging the retainer member and the securing device.

According to another aspect, there is provided a method according to the fourth and fifth aspects.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 4 is a top plan view of a badge; Figure 5 is side elevation of part of the badge; Figure 6 is a side elevation of the part of the badge including a label; Figure 7 is a side elevation showing a part of an alternative badge; Figure 8 is a side elevation of the part of the badge shown in Figure 5 rotated through 900 about the main plane thereof relative to Figure 5; and Figure 9 is an underneath plan view of the badge.

The badge 1 has a plastics body 2 which has a wall 3 which defines a circular recess 4 in its upper surface 10.

A self-adhesive circular label 5 (Figure 6) is stuck into the recess 4 so that an upper surface 6 of the label does not protrude above an upper surface 7 of the wall 3. It is preferable that the surface 6 is below the upper surface 7, so that it may then not be easy for the label to be removed without, for example, forcing a knife between the label 5 and the wall 3 in order to lever the label out.

The badge 1 also includes, on a lower surface 11 thereof, four cylindrical projections 12, 13, 14 and 15.

Each of the projections 12 to 15 has an indentation, such as 20, 21. Indentations (not shown) in projections 15, 13 are opposite indentations 20, 21 provided in projections 14, 12 respectively. The indentations 20, 21 define a gap 32, and indentations (not shown) in projections 15, 13 similarly define a gap (not shown).

The projections 12 to 15 have a small amount of resilience which allows ends of the projections to be moved apart relative to one another. For example, the resilience of projections 14, 12 may be such that respective ends 25, 26 thereof may be urged slightly apart. Similarly, ends (not shown) of projections 15, 13 may be urged slightly apart.

A standard safety pin 30 may snap-engage the projections 12 to 15, as follows. The safety pin 30 is pushed between the projections, so that a shaft 31 of the pin 30 passes into the gaps, such as 32, defined between the indentations, such as 20, 21. The pin is thereby retained within the gaps. It will be appreciated that initially projections 12 to 15 will be urged apart slightly to allow entry of the pin 30 between the projections. When the pin 30 is present within the gaps defined between the indentations, the projections relax and thereby return to their original position so that the pin is effectively locked in position.

The body 2 and the projections 12 to 15 may be formed as a one-piece unit. Alternatively, the projections may be formed as separate components on a base plate which may then;be attached to the body.

Any plastics material may be of utility, such as polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride or ABS plastics. It is preferable that the plastics used is substantially non-toxic.

A plurality of labels, such as label 5, may be provided on paper sheets. Such sheets (and therefore the labels) may be coated with a clear, preferably non-toxic, waterproof varnish. In this case, the label may be substantially waterproof so that it does not readily become detached from the body 2 or become sodden with water during normal use.

Any other types of labels may be provided, for example, gummed labels. In addition self-adhesive plastic labels may be of utility either varnished or unvarnished.

The badge 1 may be assembled as follows.

A label 5, having a desired motif thereon, is peeled from its backing sheet by hand and positioned by hand into the recess 4 where it is stuck down. It is preferable that the label is symmetrically disposed within the recess.

A shaft 31 of a safety pin 30 is then pushed, by hand, between the projections 12 to 15 until it snapengages into position within the gaps. This completes the badge.

As an alternative to positioning the label 5 by hand within the recess, it may be positioned by using tweezers.

It will be appreciated that when body 2 and projections 12 to 15 are a one piece unit, the badge 1 comprises only three separate components to be assembled - that is a body, a label and a safety pin. This may contribute to reducing costs in terms of both raw materials and the labour involved in assembling a complete badge by an outworker, and, therefore, overall costs per complete badge.

Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the only metal component of the badge is the safety pin. This may result in safer badges.

A badge may be of any required size. Typically, it may be between 2 cm and 8 cm in diameter, preferably 4 cm to 6 cm. The badge may be of any desired shape. The label may also be of any desired shape. It is preferable that the recess and label are the same shape.

The recess may typically be 1.5 cm to 7.5 cm in diameter. It is preferable that the label is slightly smaller that the diameter of the recess. The label preferably substantially fills the recess. Typically, the label may have a diameter of between 0.1 cm to 0.5 cm less than that of the recess. The recess may extend to a depth of between 0.1 cm and 0.3 cm below the upper surface of the body.

The diameter of the recess, the diameter of the label and/or the depth of the recess may be chosen so that it is substantially impossible to access the edges of the label to remove it, without damaging the badge.

A badge 100 (Figure 7) has a recess 101, the wall 102 thereof having a lip 103. The provision of such a recess may make it more difficult to remove a label disposed within the recess.

Any suitable type of fixing means for fixing the badge to a wearer, other than projections 12 to 15 and/or safety pin 30, may be provided.

The projections 12 to 15 may be modified. For example, ends of the projections may be chamferred so as to aid the insertion of the safety pin.

The badge may be made in plastic of any desirable colour or combination of colours.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed in one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process disclosed.

Claims

1. A badge comprising a body which has an upper surface and a lower surface, attachment means for attaching the badge to a separate article, and a label fixed directly to said upper surface.

2. A badge according to Claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the body includes a recess in which said label is entirely disposed.

3. A badge according to Claim 2, wherein the recess is defined by a wall which is substantially continuous.

4. A badge according to Claim 3, wherein said wall is disposed substantially perpendicularly to said upper surface.

5. A badge according to Claim 2, Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the label is substantially the same shape as and slightly smaller in size than said recess.

6. A badge according to any of Claims 2 to 5, wherein the size of the label and the recess are such that it is substantially impossible to remove the label from the recess by hand without using a pointed object.

7. A badge according to any of Claims 2 to 6, wherein a gap in the range 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm is provided between the edges of the label and said recess.

8. A badge according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the label covers substantially the entire surface area of said upper surface.

9. A badge according to any of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the label covers between 85% and 100% of the surface area of the upper surface.

10. A badge according to any of Claims 2 to 9, wherein the recess is substantially circular in shape.

11. A badge according to any of Claims 2 to 9, wherein the recess is substantially oval shaped.

12. A badge according to any of Claims 2 to 9, wherein the recess is substantially square shaped.

13. A badge according to any of Claims 2 to 9, wherein the recess is substantially rectangular shaped.

14. A badge according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the label is a self-adhesive label.

15. A badge according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the label comprises a porous material on which a motif is provided.

16. A badge according to Claim 15, wherein said porous material comprises paper.

17. A badge according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the label is coated with a water-impervious coating.

18. A badge according to Claim 17, wherein said coating comprises a clear varnish.

19. A badge according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the body is made substantially of plastics material.

20. A badge according to Claim 19, wherein the plastics material is or is adapted to be substantially non-toxic.

21. A badge according to Claim 19 or Claim 20, wherein the plastics material is selected from the group comprising polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride or ABS plastics.

22. A badge according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the attachment means is provided on the lower surface of the body.

23. A badge comprising a body which has an upper surface and a lower surface, and attachment means for attaching the badge to a separate article, the attachment means comprising a securing device adapted to be releasably attached to a separate article, and a retainer member is provided on the lower surface of the body and snap-engages with the securing device.

24. A badge according to Claim 23, wherein the securing device comprises a safety pin.

25. A badge according to Claim 23 or 24, wherein the attachment means comprises a pair of resilient jaws which snap-engage the securing device.

26. A badge according to Claim 25, wherein the jaws project substantially perpendicularly from said lower surface.

27. A badge according to any of Claims 1 to 22 and according to any of Claims 23 to 26.

28. A method of manufacturing a badge according to any of Claims 1 to 22 and Claim 27, the method including the steps of making the body and fixing said label to the upper surface of the body.

29. A method of manufacturing a badge according to any of Claims 23 to 27, the method including the steps of making the body and snap-engaging the securing device with the retainer member.

30. A method according to Claim 28 and according to Claim 29.

31. A method according to Claim 30, wherein said label is fixed to said body prior to snap-engaging the retainer member and the securing device.

32. A badge substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 4 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.

33. A method of manufacturing a badge substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 4 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.