NZ510473A - Tag / Label with retention means for attaching to planter's pot or for insertion into soil - Google Patents

Abstract

A self supporting tag (1) formed from a sheet material with a retention region having a cut out (2) that defines a retention edge which, by virtue of cuts extending from such a cut out or by virtue of an extension of the cut out itself, is a distal edge (9) of a flap.

Description

IriicliD^ual Property Oriic© of N.Z. 8 7 mar 2002 RECEIVED NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No: 510473 Date: 09 March 2001 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "Label" We, SOAR PRINTING COMPANY LIMITED, a company duly incorporated under the laws of New Zealand of 200 New North Road, Eden Terrace, Auckland, New Zealand do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in and/or relating to labels or tags (hereinafter "tags").

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Tags are well known in the horticulture or plant selling industry. Many tags, usually of a die cut form, have been offered into the marketplace for use either as a stake-like label for insertion into the soil or potting mix in a planter's pot or for interengagement in some location device of the planter's pots.

Examples of known tags of this kind include those of New Zealand Registered Design Nos. 15587 and 15586 and planter's pot location features include those disclosed in New Zealand Patent Specification Nos. NZ237813 andNZ234539.

Manufacturers of planter's pots with location features of the kind referred to include Norwood Industries Pty Ltd, Masrac Pty Ltd, InterWorld Plastics (NZ) Ltd, RX Plastics and Athco Industries Ltd.

Norwood Industries Pty Limited under their trade mark TAGLOK™ market both planter's pots and tags for association therewith which rely upon reverse shoulders passing through a passageway or part of a passageway and thereafter engaging under retention shoulders. Variations on this theme also exist, e.g. AU237813 One such variation not shown in such patents specifications includes the well known gretel clip engagement system.

The present invention is directed to a tag of a kind having the prospect of being used in a number of ways so as to provide versatility to a horticulturist or to a horticultural outlet whether faced with a need to label plants etc. using planter's pots of the kind typically found in the market place (in at least Australasia) or otherwise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect the present invention consists in a tag formed from a self supporting sheet material with a retention region having a cut out that defines a retention edge which, by virtue of cuts extending from such cut out or an extension of the cut out itself, is part of a flap (the "edged flap").

Preferably said flap has said edge extending substantially laterally across a region of the tag to be inserted (longitudinally) into an engagement system of a planters pot with the general plane of the tag (with respect to the sheet material from which it was formed) extending substantially vertically, the retention edge of the edged flap extending substantially horizontally.

In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in a tag formed from a self supporting sheet material and having one end region thereof adapted to be inserted into an engagement feature of a kind hereinbefore described, said region including a substantially rectangular cut out that will extend laterally across the longitudinal axis of said end region and at least two cuts that extend downwardly (when considered from the longitudinal in use insertion orientation) from said cut out so as to define a retention flap ("edged flap") with a retention edge being provided by part of the cutout perimeter.

Preferably said edged flap forms part of a narrow end of the tag, the other end forming a display region of greater lateral width.

Preferably scoring or the like of the sheet material above and/or below said cut out provides a three dimensional effect as hereinafter described.

Preferably the tag is of a form substantially as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings at least in respect of the cut out and/or edged flap.

Preferably said rectangular cut out has a minor axis dimension of at least 2 mm and preferably from 3 to 5 mm.

Preferably said cut out has the major axis of said cut out substantially 14 mm long.

Preferably the lateral width of the elongate end of said tag is about 25 mm at a region of such elongate end which includes said cut out.

Preferably said elongate end of a tag as defined previously includes supporting shoulders that face in a direction opposite said edge defined by said cut out.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a tag having an insertion end with a retention cut out and cut defined flap substantially as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in the use of a tag in accordance with the present invention in any of its modes of use substantially as hereinafter described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

In another aspect the invention is , as a stack, a plurality of tags of any of the kinds aforesaid.

Preferably the use in a retention feature of the retention region of the retention region of a tag as aforesaid.

In yet a further aspect the invention is, in combination, a tag of any of the kinds aforesaid and a planters pot with a retention feature supporting or capable of supporting the tag and to fetter ease of disassociation reliant on the retention edge of the tag.

The tags preferably are substantially as herein described with or without reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front view of the tag in the preferred in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is the rear view of the tag as in Figure 1, Figure 3 is the top view of the tag as in Figure 1, Figure 4 is the bottom view of the tag as in Figure 1, Figure 5 is a view of the tag from the right hand side, Figure 6 is a view of the tag from the left hand side, Figure 7 is a cross section of the tag in accordance with the present invention showing the preferred locking engagement of the tag with the pot, Figure 8 is a perspective view of the engagement of the tag into a pot with a simple slot receptacle, Figure 9 is a perspective view of the engagement of the tag into a pot with a 3 pronged slot receptacle of a type manufactured in one form by Masrac Pty Ltd , Figure 10 is a perspective view of the engagement of the tag into a pot with a 4 pronged slot receptacle of a type manufactured in one form by Norwood Industries Pty Ltd under the trade mark TAGLOK™, Figure 11 is a perspective view of the engagement of the tag into a pot with a single tooth curved slot receptacle of a type manufactured in one form by InterWorld Plastics (NZ) Ltd, and Figure 12 is a perspective view of the insertion of the tag into the soil or similar plant growth media.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the preferred form of the present invention the label is die cut from a preprinted card, the printing preferably film or other gloss protected media, being of either alpha numeric material or images or both. However any suitable material may be used and any suitable combination of alpha numeric material and/or images. Alternatively the label may be left blank.

A preferred sheet material is that of about 400 micron thick polypropylene [eg; matt finish both sides, gloss finish one side and matt finish the other side, etc.].

Preferably the tag is typified by that shown in enclosed Figures 1 through 12. It has a main display region and a region adapted to provide the substantially vertical support of the display region in use.

In the preferred form of the present invention the support region is multi modal as far as its means of supporting the display region is concerned. Such use in a preferred form preferably also includes its simple insertion into the soil or potting mix as, for example, shown in Figure 12. For this purpose a simple pointed or arrow end is sufficient.

Preferably however the support region includes a flap having an upper edge in the supporting condition capable of being hingedly or deformably moved when required from what was once the plane of the sheet material from which the tag was formed. This reference to what was once the plane becomes necessary when one realises that in the preferred form of the present invention preferably there is scoring so as to provide not only rigidity of the tag over at least part of the supporting region thereof but also into a least lower part of the display region.

An important aspect of the present invention which leads to its multi modal usage in planter's pots of the kind hitherto described is the provision of a space for other material of the sheet material from which the tag has been die cut. Such a space is a cut out which in conjunction with substantially vertically extending cut lines provides the flap that defines the aforementioned retention edge.

Figure 1 shows the tag 1 in its preferred form, the rectangular cut out 2 and the score line 3. The score line 3 provides a three dimensional effect whereby the edges 4 and substantially the lower part of the tag become out of plane with the display area 5 such as in the side view in Figures 5 and 6.

The effect of the score line 3 creates out of plane deformation of the lower support region which has the effect of reinforcing that region 6.

As can be seen the substantially rectangular cut out 2 is held in a condition as shown in Figures 7, 9,10,11 and 12 in a fixed relationship with the engagement feature 7 of a receptacle needing identification. This arrangement is held in position by association of the rectangular cut out 2 with its bottom surface 9 abutting against the lower face of the retention feature of the receptacle 11, and its top surface 10 is abutting against the upper face 12 of the receptacle's retention feature.

As can further be seen in Figures 1 and 10 the shoulders 13 prevent ultimately the downward insertion of the tag by firmly coming to rest on the upper surface of the engagement receptacle 14.

From the foregoing it could be seen that a single tag or label form as aforesaid should find wide spread acceptance in the marketplace as it enables a single stock provided to a horticulturalist or to a plant shop to be utilised with a variety of different pots including those without any tag supporting feature as well as those with a tag support feature.

Claims (17)

51 0473 WHAT WE CLAIM:

1. A self supporting tag formed from a sheet material with a retention region having a cut out that defines a retention edge which, by virtue of cuts extending from such cut out and/or by virtue of an extension of the cut out itself, is a distal edge of a flap (the "edged flap").

2. A tag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flap has said edge extending substantially laterally across a region of the tag to be inserted (ie; longitudinally) into an engagement system of a planters pot with the general plane of the tag (with respect to the sheet material from which it was formed) extend substantially vertically, the retention edge of the edged flap extending substantially horizontally.

3. A self supporting tag formed from a sheet material and having one end region thereof adapted to be inserted into an engagement feature of a kind hereinbefore described, said region ("retention region") including a substantially rectangular cut out that will extend laterally across the longitudinal axis of said end region and at least two cuts that extend downwardly (when considered from the longitudinal in use insertion orientation) from said cut out so as to define a retention flap ("edged flap") with a retention edge being provided by part of the cutout perimeter.

4. A tag as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein said edged flap forms part of a narrow end of the tag, the other end forming a display region of greater lateral width.

5. A tag as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein scoring or the like of the sheet material above and/or below said cut out provides a three dimensional effect as herein described.

6. A tag as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the tag is of a form substantially as hereinafter described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings at least in respect of the cut out and/or edged flap.

7. A tag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said cut out is rectangular with a minor axis dimension of at least 2 mm.

8. A tag of claim 7 where the minor axis dimension is from 3 to 5 mm.

9. A tag of claims 7 or 8, wherein said cut out has its major axis substantially 14 mm long.

10. A tag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the lateral width of the retention region of said tag through said cut out is about 25 mm.

11. A tag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said retention region in use is below supporting shoulders that face in a direction opposite said retention edge defined by said cut out. 12. A tag having an insertion end with a retention cut out and cut defined retention flap INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 3 o may 2003 bci* biup n -8- 510473

12. A tag having an insertion end with a retention cut out and cut defined retention flap substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

13. A tag in any label shape but otherwise being substantially as herein described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

14. As a stack, a plurality of tags of any one or more of the preceding claims.

15. The use in a retention feature of the retention region of the retention region of a tag of any one of claims 1 to 13.

16. In combination, a tag of any one of claims 1 to 13 and a planters pot with a retention feature supporting or capable of supporting the tag and to fetter ease of disassociation reliant on the retention edge of the tag.

17. A combination of claim 16 substantially as hereinbefore described with or without reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings. h:\library\patents\djj\specs\440205capwpd