GB2266744A - Rotatable badge fastening. - Google Patents

Abstract

A fastener 1 has a crocodile clip 3 attached to a plate 4 mounted on the reverse side of a badge by way of a rotating boss 5. The clip 3 includes a groove 54 in the limb 50 of the clip, which limb engages the badge 2 through a slot in the boss 5 so that the position of the clips is longitudinally adjustable with respect to the boss 5, The boss 5 is able to rotate in the plate 4 so that the badge? may always be orientated to be the preferred way up. In a preferred embodiment locating means are provided to lock the boss 5 into one of the several predetermined positions so that the plate 4 or badge is always displayed at the correct angle. The boss is fitted with locking means and a recess in the plate 4 prevents the boss becoming attached to the reverse side of the badge during assembly. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO FASTENING MEANS This invention relates to fastening means and more specifically, but not exclusively, it relates to a fastening means for use with a badge.

The present invention is an improvement to that described in the Applicant's published UK Patent Application 2 240 131A. Although the invention described in the aforementioned UK Patent Application was extremely successful, it did suffer from the disadvantage that the badge was difficult to assemble. This was particularly the case when desiring to assemble the badge automatically.

Badges described in the aforementioned UK Patent Application were of the type which carried a wearer's name. They were used at, inter alia conferences. They suffered from the disadvantage that they do not always lie in the correct position or orientation intended by the wearer.

Abadge clipped onto a wearer's lapel would sometimes tip so that they were lopsided Problems with badges which had swivel fittings were, firstly: that elaborate assembly equipment was required to rivet together a lapel gripper and the badge; secondly these badges did not remain in their correct orientation, but rotated on the swivel support which held the lapel gripper. Thirdly the throat of a clip or gripper sometimes prevented the support from receiving badges having a longer than usual front display face.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a fastener comprising a plate and a boss, the boss being adapted to pass through a hole in the plate so as to provide a protrubence, the protrubence having a hole therethrough which is adapted to locate a gripper such that the gripper may rotate with respect to the plate characterised in that the position of the gripper with respect to the plate is adjustable by displacing the gripper with respect to the boss.

Preferably movement of the gripper along its longitudinal axis with respect to the boss about its axis of symmetry is possible by virtue of an elongate slot through a limb of the gripper. The limb passes through the body of the boss The boss is generally cylindrical. Preferably the longitudinal axis of the limb, passing through the boss, is substantially perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the boss.

Preferably the boss and gripper when assembled are able to rotate, about the axis of the boss, with respect to the plate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a badge for clipping to a lapel characterised in that a clip may not be removed from the badge because of a clip lock.

Means may be provided within the boss to engage a gripper. The clip be a crocodile clip.

The boss has a resiliently deformable tag, a portion of which is arranged to fit into the slot formed in the clip. The tag preferably has a bevelled edge so as to enable a clip to slide across it such that the tag may fit within the slot. The tag also has a flat buttress edge which engages with the clip at end regions within the slot. This prevents the clip from being removed once the clip has been slid into the boss.

A head portion of the boss preferably lies within a recess of the plate.

Preferably studs or pips are provided within the boss which engage in an indentation in a limb of the gripper or clip.

Locating means may be provided on the surface of the plate across which the boss rotates. The clip also rotates and the boss holds the clip in one desired orientation. Several such engaging means, or pips, may be provided around the surface of the plate so that the clip may sit in one of a variety of positions and be held in these positions. The combination of the flexibility of the clip and the boss, and the resiliently deformable locating means serve to provide sufficient friction so that the clip is held in one position only. Furthermore the fact that a variable throat length of the clip is provided for gives the device even more flexibility and versatility. The throat length of the clip may be varied toa myriad position because of the continuous slot provided in one limb of the clip and the tag which engages with the sides of the slot.

A name badge may be affixed directly to the front of the plate or alternatively a stylised name badge with grooves for transparent covers may be glued to the plate. Such a name badge permits a card carrying the wearers name or company name to be slid between the grooves so that the name is displayed behind the transparent cover. This type of badge is reusable in that the card may be removed and a new card inserted.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of an example only and, with reference to the accompanying Figures in which: Figure 1 shows an overall view of a fastner mounted on the back of a badge; Figure 2 shows a sectional view of one embodiment of figure 1 having deep throat and being mounted on a wide badge; Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of figure 1 having a shallow throat and being mounted on a narrow badge; Figure 4 shows a plan view of a fastener mounted to the back of a badge; Figure 5 shows a section along the line A-A of Figure 4 of a boss; and Figure 6 is a plan view of a clip for inserting into the boss of Figure 5.

Referring to Figure 1, a fastener 1 is mounted on the hidden side of a badge 2. Fastener 1 comprises a crocodile clip 3 attached to a plate 4 by way of a rotating boss 5. The crocodile clip 3 is connected to the rotating boss 5 by passing one of the limbs 3a of the crocodile clip through a slot in the boss 5. A raised portion, known as a pip 6, engages with an aperture (not shown) in the limb 3a of crocodile clip 3. This raised portion is resiliently deformable so that once the aperture has engaged the pip 6 the crocodile clip is locked in position. Because the boss 5 is rotationally symmetrical it can rotate within the opening in the plate 4 thereby enabling the badge to be worn either on a left or on a right lapel.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, which show how the crocodile clip 3 may be positioned at different axial positions with respect its length, so as to provide either a deep or shallow throated clip. In wider or narrower badges respectively.

In Figure 2 the aperture is provided towards the tip of the crocodile clip 3 so that a deep throated clip is provided.

In Figure 3 the aperture is provided closer to the bend in the crocodile clip, so that when inserted the crocodile clip has a relatively shallow throat. The Figures 2 and 3 also show how the boss 5 is provided with a head 5a which sits in a recessed portion of the plate so as to hold the boss in position within the plate. This may of course be achieved by tapering the boss 5 and fitting it within a countersunk hole in the plate 4. The boss 5 itself lies within the recess so that when the plate 4 is adhered to the badge 7 any adhesive which may spill over does not bond the boss 5 to the badge and in doing so prevent it from rotating. This slight recessing also allows for the use of double sided adhesive tape in the assembly of the badge and fastening plate.

Figure 4 which is a plan view of the plate as mounted on the badge, shows a sprung tag 9, on the other side of which is disposed the pip 6, crocodile clip 3 is not shown. Four protrusions 11 are shown on the back of the plate 4. These are resiliently deformable and are integrally formed at the moulding stage of the plate 4. These protrusions 11 serve to lock the crocodile clip in one direction or another once the wearer has decided if he is wearing the badge on the left or the right lapel.

Figures 5 and 6 show an important aspect of the improvement to the clip 50 and boss 51 in greaterdetail. Boss 51 has a tag 9 arranged to engage with a groove 54 of the clip 50. The groove 54 is in one limb of the clip 50. This is the limb which engages with the boss 51. The tag 9 has a ramp face 52 which permits the insertion of the clip 50. The clip 50 slides. through the boss 51, past the tag 9 and urges it upwards. The tag 9 is formed from a resiliently deformable material and is dimensioned and arranged to spring into the groove 54. Flat edge 56 of the tag prevents removal of the clip.

The plate 4 may be moulded from a plastics material such as ABS (Acrylonitril Butadiene Styrene) or polystyrene. These materials may be fixed to a badge by a solvent such as dichloromethane. Because the boss 5 is formed from nylon it is unaffected by such solvents.

It will of course be appreciated that variations may be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention; for example, the materials used may be different to those described above.

Claims (16)

1. A fastener comprising a plate and a boss, the boss being adapted to pass through a hole in the plate so as to provide a protrubence, the protrubence having a hole therethrough which is adapted to locate a gripper such that the gripper may rotate with respect to the plate characterised in that the position of the gripper with respect to the plate is adjustable by displacing the gripper with respect to the boss.

2. A fastener according to claim 1 wherein the movement of the gripper along its longitudinal axis with respect to the boss is possible by virtue of an elongate slot through a limb of the gripper.

3. A fastener according to claim 2 wherein the limb passes through the body of the boss.

4. A fastener according to any of the preceding claims wherein the boss is generally cylindrical.

5. A fastener according to any of the preceding claims wherein the longitudinal axis of the limb, passing through the boss, is substantially perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the boss.

6. A fastener according to claims 1 to 5 wherein the boss and gripper when assembled are able to rotate, about the axis of the boss, with respect to the plate.

7. A fastener according to any of the preceding claims wherein means are provided within the boss to engage a gripper.

8. A fastener according to any of the preceding claims wherein the gripper is a crocodile clip.

9. A fastener according to any of the preceding claims wherein the head portion of the boss lies within a recess of the plate.

10. A fastener according to any of the preceding claims wherein studs or clips are provided within the boss which engage in indentations in a limb of the gripper or clip.

11. A fastener according to any of the preceding claims wherein a plurality of engaging means, or clips, are provided around the surface of the plate so that the clip may sit in one of a variety of positions and be held in these positions.

12. A fastener according to any of the preceding claims wherein the boss is provided with a head which sits in a recessed portion of the plate so as to hold the boss in position within the plate.

13. A fastener according to claim 12 wherein the boss lies within the recess in such a manner that when the plate is adhered to the badge any adhesive which may spill over into the recess does not bond the boss to the badge and in so doing prevent it from rotating.

14. A badge for clipping to a lapel characterised in that a clip may not be removed from the badge because of a clip lock.

15. A badge comprising a fastener according to any of the preceding claims.

16. A fastener substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.