GB2293589A

GB2293589A - Fish produce identification tag

Info

Publication number: GB2293589A
Application number: GB9519704A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael David Mclaren
Original assignee: DOUGLAS PLASTICS Ltd
Current assignee: DOUGLAS PLASTICS Ltd
Priority date: 1994-09-30
Filing date: 1995-09-27
Publication date: 1996-04-03
Anticipated expiration: 2015-09-27
Also published as: GB9519704D0; GB2293589B; GB9419740D0

Abstract

A tag (1) for marking whole fish with both constant and variable information comprises first and second arms (2, 4 respectively), each arm having a respective first end at which the arms are joined together and a respective second end at which the arms are separated by an opening (10) and in which a prong (12) depending form one of the arms projects from a position spaced from the perimeter of that arm towards the other arm and towards the first end. The tag (1) may be made of a plastics material by a moulding process, its arms (2, 4) being joined resiliently at 7, each arm having several prongs (12). <IMAGE>

Description

"Identification Tap" The present invention relates to tags which are adapted to be attached to an article. Such tags are commonly used to identify an article or to display information relating, for example, to its price, origin, quality, sell by date, or associated Trade Mark.

The Scottish Salmon Industry, having originated from a small industry, is now worth over 200 million per year and this is expected to rise to 260 million by July 1996. The extent of this growth can be gauged by the fact that production has increased from 28,000 tonnes in 1989 to 64,000 tonnes in 1994, and in 1995 the prediction is for 75,000 tonnes to be harvested.

Export and UK sales are equally divided at around 32,000 tonnes each year, but of total exports 60% goes to France, 8% to the US and Japan, with the remainder mainly divided between Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Germany. From these figures it can be seen that the French market is of hugh importance to the Scottish Industry.

The French set standards for cuisine renowned throughout the world. Over 20 years ago they established the Label Rouge Quality Mark as the ultimate standard for food quality. This branding quality mark was first awarded for premium chickens and later awarded to other food sectors from dairy produce to cereals. Until recently the French have only awarded Label Rouge status to their own products.

Scottish Salmon have become the first product outside France to be granted the Label Rouge Award.

In order to comply with legislation attached to the Label Rouge scheme, individual whole salmon must be marked. Any method of marking has to: 1. Carry a TQM logo mark (showing country of origin).

2. Carry the Label Rouge logo.

3. Carry a unique sequential number to provide total traceability.

4. Show a "consume by" date.

5. Clearly indicate storage conditions.

For further products i.e., pre-packed fillets or steaks, or smoked salmon, the above requirements could be easily met by the use of sequentially numbered labels being applied directly to the packaging.

However, it is more of a problem to mark a whole fresh salmon with information, some of which is constant and some variable.

A known form of plastic tag comprises a pair of spaced arms joined at one end to form a clip which may be slid onto an article. A single prong projects perpendicularly from one of the arms and is adapted to pass through a part of the article to which the tag is to be secured and be received as a snap fit in an associated opening provided in the other arm. One problem associated with this type of clip is a tendency for the prong to be unintentionally released from its associated opening. This often leads to clips becoming unintentionally detached from the article. Increasing the interference fit between the prong and its associated opening results in the clips being difficult to fasten.Furthermore, in some circumstances, for example when the tag is frozen along with an article of food to which it is attached, a previously well secured prong is often released and the tag separated from the article.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved tag.

It is a further aim of the present invention to produce a method of marking whole fish with both constant and variable information.

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a tag comprising spaced first and second arms, each arm having a respective first side at which the arms are joined together and a respective second side at which the arms are separated by an opening and in which a prong depending from one of the arms projects from a position spaced from the perimeter of that arm towards the other arm and towards the first side.

The tag is intended to be attached to an article by means of a part of the article being positioned between the arms; the prong discourages unintentional detachment of the tag from the article to which it has been attached.

The article may be an article of food. The tag may be attached to a fish; in this case, one of the arms may pass through the gills into the interior of the fish.

In one embodiment, the tag may be attached to a salmon.

The tag is preferably made partially or wholly of a plastics material; this may be particularly desirable when the tag is intended for use with articles of food.

In this case, a material suitable for contact with food may be used. The tag may be produced by means of a moulding process. The tag may be made by moulding poly oxy methylene.

Spacing the prong from the perimeter of the arm from which it depends reduces the risk of it causing injury to a person handling the tag. If the prong is positioned at an edge of the tag there is a tendency for a person to inadvertently catch his or her fingers on the prong.

The prong may take the form of a tooth. In one preferred embodiment, the prong is of substantially pyramid shape being attached to one of the arms at its base; the tip of the pyramid is positioned rearwardly of the centre of the base such that the prong projects towards the first side at which the arms are joined.

A plurality of prongs may be provided. Each prong may be attached to either the first arm or the second arm or alternatively each arm may have one or more prongs depending from it. Where a plurality of prongs depend from a single arm, these prongs may be collinear. The tag may have prongs of different sizes, shapes or forms; a prong provided adjacent to the first side at which the arms of the tag are joined may be larger than a prong position further away from that first side.

The arms of the tag are preferably joined together resiliently. The arms may be expandable to increase the distance between them in order to facilitate positioning of a tag on an article; they may be resiliently biased together.

The distance between the arms need not be constant; there may be a greater distance separating the arms at a position adjacent to the first side at which they are joined compared with a position further away from the first side. One or each of the arms may be flared or may have a flared portion to facilitate insertion of an article between the arms. The arms may extend different distances from the first side at which they are joined such that one or more of their other sides do not coincide.

Display means may be attached to the tag, preferably to one of the arms. The display means may be provided as an integral part of the tag and may comprise a plate or panel upon which information may be presented or displayed.

Two or more tags may be joined together to form a row of tags. This may be desirable to facilitate automated printing on the tag or attachment of information, for example, in the form of a sticker. Each tag may be frangibly connected to the other tags in the row to facilitate easy removal for use. Tags provided in a row may be folded over one another to facilitate storage and subsequent use; they may be rolled into a reel or rolled on a spool.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of labelling an article using a tag in accordance with the first aspect of the invention in which the tag is positioned on an article, part of the article being positioned between the first and second arms of the tag with the prong projecting towards the part of the article between the arms to discourage unintentional separation.

During the process of attaching the tag to the article, the arms may be moved apart. The arms may subsequently be moved together and/or the resilience of the joint between the two arms may cause the arms to move together once positioned on the article.

The prong may contact a surface of the article; the prong may penetrate a surface of the article and the action of moving the arms together once the tag has been attached may cause this penetration. Where the article has a rough or uneven surface or has a projection, the prong may co-operate with the surface or projection to facilitate retention of the tag to the article.

The tag may be slipped into position with the maximum of effort, whilst the closing effect in the hinge and the ample of interlocking teeth prevent the tag being easily displaced or removed.

Salmon farmed in the West Coast of Scotland compared with salmon farmed in the Shetland Isles have vastly differing thicknesses of gills. The tag of the present invention can accommodate different weights and sizes of fish and can also take into account different gill thicknesses.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig 1 shows a plan view of a tag in accordance with the invention; Fig 2 shows a side view of the tag; Fig 3 shows an end view of the tag; Fig 4 shows an underneath plan view of the tag; Fig 5 shows a sectional end view of the tag along section 5 5 of Fig 2; Fig 6 shows a tag attached to a salmon.

The tag 1 illustrated in the accompanying drawings is intended for attachment to a fish and, particularly, a salmon. The tag is made as a unitary moulding of a plastics material selected for its compatibility for food use.

The tag comprises a first arm 2 spaced from a second arm 4. The arms are joined at respective first sides 6 by a resilient web 7. At respective second sides 8 the first and second arms 2, 4 are separated by an opening 10 into which an object to which the tag is to be attached may be inserted. The resilience of the web 7 biases the arms together; it allows the arms to move apart as part of an article is inserted into the opening 10 and to subsequently move back towards each other to facilitate grip of the tag upon the article.

A series of prongs in the form of teeth 12 are provided on each of the first and second arms 2, 4. Each tooth 12 projects from the respective arm from which it depends towards the other arm and towards the first side 6 at which the arms are joined by the web 7. As can be seen from Fig 3, each tooth 12 is spaced from the edge of the respective arm to which it is attached.

The teeth 12 are spaced apart along their respective arms such that together they form a line of intermeshing teeth; the spaces between adjacent teeth attached to the first arm contain the tip of a tooth attached to the second arm and vice versa. Each tooth 12 projects from its arm towards the other arm beyond the half way point separating the respective arms at that point. This facilitates positive gripping of the article to which the clip is to be attached.

A reinforcing strip 18 is provided along the inside surface of each arm. This strip provides the teeth 12 with greater strength and resilience with respect to their attachment to their respective arms and, additionally, may be used to increase the strength and resilience of the web 7.

Display means in the form of a display panel 16 is provided as an integral part of the first arm 2. The display panel 16 provides a substantially flat surface adapted to receive and display information.

As shown in Fig 6, the tag 1 may be attached to a fish, in this case salmon. Part of the fish's gills is positioned in the opening between the first and second arms 2,4 by sliding the tag 1 onto the gills. In this example, information relating to the origin, quality, and sell-by date is provided on a sticky label which is attached to the display panel 2.

Modifications and variations of the above described embodiment can be adopted without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A tag comprising first and second arms, each arm having a respective first side at which the arms are joined together and a respective second side at which the arms are separated by an opening and in which a prong depending from one of the arms projects from a position spaced from the perimeter of that arm towards the other arm and towards the first side.

2. A tag as claimed in claim 1 which is at least partially made of a plastics material.

3. A tag as claimed in claim 2 which is produced by a moulding process.

4. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the prong is in the form of a tooth.

5. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the prong is of substantially pyramid shape being attached to one of the arms at its base.

6. A tag as claimed in claim 5 wherein the pyramid is positioned rearwardly at the centre of the base.

7. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims comprising a plurality of prongs.

8. A tag as claimed in claim 7 wherein each prong is attached to the first or second arm.

9. A tag as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the plurality of prongs depend from a single arm and the prongs are collinear.

10. A tag as claimed in any of claims 7 to 9 wherein the prongs have different sizes, shapes or forms.

11. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the arms are joined together resiliently.

12. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the arms are expandable to increase the distance between them.

13. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the arms are resiliently biased together.

14. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding Claims wherein the distance between the arms is not constant.

15. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein at least one of the arms is flared.

16. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein display means is attachable to the tag.

17. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein display means is an integral part of the tag.

18. A tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims which is connected to other tags in a row.

19. A method of labelling an article using a tag as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the tag is positioned on an article, part of the article being positioned between the first and second arms of the tag with the prong projecting towards the part of the article between the arms.