US2310968A - Indicator - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 16, T943. M. LIGHTER 2,310,968

INDICATOR Filed Jan. 20, 1940 BY @M v ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 16, 1943 INDICATOR Malvin Lichter, New York, N. Y., assignor to The Stickless Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 20, 1940, Serial No. 314,825

Claims.

This invention relates to indicators, and more particularly to home memoranda suitable for use by the housewife or other person in control of the household as a convenient mnemonic mechanism.

The invention herein resides in a construction primarily of paper board or other relatively stiff fibrous material which, by reason of its inexpensiveness and simplicity may be used as a novel type of advertising device to be given to customers or prospective customers or to be sold at a very low price.

Heretofore in the construction of home indicators wherein memoranda as to many items are to be provided, it has been necessary to provide a base board upon which the various indicia are inscribed and then to provide various indicating means. Thus, for instance, in the prior art, a series of movable pointers have been use-d, or a series of pegsprovided for insertion into appropriate perforations, or various movable parts of different types utilized; all of which are relatively inconvenient in use and expensive to construct.

Further, where movable indicators of different types are used, the home indicator may readily be Vmade useless by the loss or misplacement of one or more of the indicators or by the detachment thereof from the board. I have found that by suitably shaping and slitting an ordinary sheet of paper board to provide doubled tabs therefor, separated from each other by the slits and separated from the main body of the sheet by a fold line that I .can thus produce a simple and economical home indicator. The doubled portions of each of the tabs extends back beneath the tab beyond the fold line Which separates the tab from the main body portion of the sheet. A backing board is adhesively bound to the central portion of the sheet so that it extends on either side thereof beyond the fold lines Connecting the tabs to the sheets. The portion of the doubled tab which extends beyond the fold line, thus, in cooperation with the backing sheet, forms a supporting wedge type member which will, as hereinafter more specifically described, maintain the tab in the raised or memorandum position.

Objects of my invention, therefore, are to provide a simple home memorandum indicator formed primarily of fibrous board material.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a simple home indicator wherein the indicating means are integral with the main body portion of the indicator.

Another and principal object of my invention'is to provide a simple and inexpensivehorne in# dicator which may be used in connection with and for advertising.

Further objects and uses of my invention will become apparent in the following description taken in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure l is a front view of my home indicator.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line `2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 corresponds to Figure 2 and is an enlarged detail view showing some of the tabs of the indicator in the turned or indicating position.

Figure 4 is a development of the blank for forming the facing or tab sheet of my home memoranda indicator.

Referring now to Figure 1, the indicator I0 comprises a main body portion I! and a series of tabs I2 hingedly connected to the main body portion II along fold lines I3-I3. Each of the tabs I2 is suitably marked as shown in Figure 1 to indicate various items of merchandise which may be required by the housewife or other person in charge of the household. Each of the tabs is separated from the adjacent tab by a slit I4, I4, each of the said slits extending beyond the fold line I3 into the main body portion II of the home indicator up to the terminal lines I8.

The extent of the slits beyond the fold lines I3 is determined by the length required for the supporting wedge hereinafter described. It will, of course, be noted that While the indicator as shown herein is marked in a manner suitable for home use, and while only a series of different items is marked thereon, an indicator of this type may be readily adapted to any other type of mnemonic use wherein, for instance, certain tabs may be marked with items of various types and adjacent tabs or tabs on the opposite side of the sheet may be marked with various quantities; or Where certain dates or time periods may be marked upon the sheet.

Other mnemonic uses of an indicator of this type will be obvious. As seen more clearly in Figure 2, the main body portion Il of the facing sheet of the home indicator is mounted upon a backing I5 being attached thereto along the central longitudinal portion IB by adhesive or any other suitable fastening means. The tabs I2, I2 extend beyond the lateral edges I'I, II of the backing sheet I5. Each of the tabs, as is clearly seen in Figure 2, comprises an outer portion I9 separated by the fold line I3 from the sheet I I and an inner doubled portion 2) bound to the outer por'- tion i9 adhesively or in any other suitable manner and extending back beyond the fold line I3 upl to the -terminal I8 of the slits I4. It will thus be noted that while the outer layer I of the tab I 2 is thus formed by the folding of the sheet along the fold line I3, the inner doubled portion 20 has no fold line Whatever.

The two sheets II and I5 are in the first instance, plane, flat sheets. The slight curvature shown in Figure 2 is produced by the fact that the sheet I5 is bound to the sheet II only along the central longitudinal portion I6 and by the further fact that the doubled portion 20 of the tab I2 produces an added thickness at the outer ends of the sheet II. Since the sheets II and I5 are formed from relatively stiff paper board which is sufficiently flexible to resist a bending out of the plane portion, the backing sheet I5 exerts pressure against the ends 2I of the doubled portion 20 of the tab I2. When now the tab I2 is bent up along the fold line I3 to the position shown in Figure 3, the yielding nature of the fibrous board of the backing sheet I5 permits the under layer 20 of the tab I2 .and .its integral extension 2I to rotate about the `fold line I3 beyond said fold line to the position shown in Figure 3 where the pressure of the backing sheet I5 upon the end 2| of the under sheet 20 of the tab i2 serves to maintain the tab I2 in the raised or mnemonic position, When, as is clearly seen from the blank of Figure 4, both the surface I9 and the surface Eil of the tab I2 is printed with similar indicia as, for instance, when both surfaces of the tab contain the Word Ice then the user can readily identify from the lsurface I9 of the tab I2 which tab should be turned up; and after the said tab has been thus raised, the surface 2li will give a reading item.

It will thus be seen that the user of the indicator need merely, whenever it is brought to his attention that a. certain item is required, turn the tab I2 from the positio-n shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 3. Thereafter, when the opportunity arrives to perform the .necessary marketing, a mere glance at the indicator will show what items are required since the items required are shown by the turned tabs.

While the mere rotation of the 'tab to the indicating position is obviously Va sufficient mnemonic device, it will be apparent that a, different coloring of the layers I9 and 2U of 'the tab I2, each layer being colored preferably like the similar layer of other tabs I2, will 'be of further assistance.

The difficulties which might be anticipated in an indicator which utilizes the folding of the tabs upon a sheet is obviated by the specific construction of my invention. Thus, Where ordinary paper board is to be folded, there is no way of insuring that the folded portion will remain in place without any other supporting means. The extension 2l of the under surface 20 of the tab I2 provides such a means. 'Where .a sheet is to lbe folded along a. fold line, the continuous folding along such fold line will necessarily produce a weakening and a consequent tearing along the fold line. This is so where the folded portion of the sheet may be bent in any direction. 'Where as is shown in Figures 2 and 3, the fold may be made in one direction only, and resistance is furnished by the backing sheet I5 to a fold in any other direction, then the life of the home indicator is lengthened to such a degree that it may well compare in utility and service with any other type of home indicator.

As will be clear, the area I I of the face of .the sheet may be utilized for any suitable .purpose of the proper as, for instance, advertising, calendars or the like. It should be noted that the essential elements which permit the operation of this device are the fold lines in .the layer IS of the tab I2 and the extension 2I of the under layer 2D, said extension projecting up to the terminal point I8 of the slit I4. The combination of these two elements together with .the backing sheet I5 permits the continued operation of my device. As seen from the blank of Figure 4, my device may be readily manufactured by a series of exceedingly simple operations.

The sheet 30 may be imprinted as required, the layers lila and 20a of the tabs as well as the main body portion IIa of the sheet being simultaneously imprinted. Thereafter the sheet may be slit along the lines Illa up to the terminal line I8a defining the ends of the slit. Then the fold line I3a may be placed in the main body portion of the sheet IIa defining the layers ISa.

Thereafter the layers 20a, may be folded back along the lines 3I against the layer ISJa and adhesively or otherwise secured thereto. The final operation is the attachment of the backing portion I5 (Figure 2) to the back of the sheet I Ia securing it thereto centrally along a longitudinal line. By the means herein described, a simple, inexpensive home indicator may be manufactured, the utility of which will permit it to compete advantageously with more complicated indicators. The indicator, by reason of its economical formation, may be readily used as an advertising device to be given away for the increase of good will.

Having described my invention, I prefer to be limited not by the specific disclosure but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An indicator comprising a main body portion and a plurality of tabs; each of said tabs carrying indicia; said tabs being hingedly connected to said main body portion whereby said tabs may be selectively turned to indicating or non-indicating position; and means for maintaining said tabs in .a selected position, said means comprising a rigid extension .of a portion of said tab extending inwardly beyond said hinged connection and a backing member secured to said main body portion and engaging said extension in said selected position.

2. An indicator comprising a main body portion, a plurality of indica bearing tabs integrally connected thereto `and defined by bend lines, each of 4said tabs having a rigid extension extending inwardly beyond said bend line, and a backing sheet secured to said main body portion and comprising means engaging said rigid extension for holding said tabs in selected indicating or non-indicating position.

3. An indicator comprising a main body portion and a plurality of .indicia bearing tabs integrally connected thereto along predetermining bend lines about which said tabs may be rotated to indicating or non-indicating position; and means for maintaining said tabs in a selected position, said means ycomprising a rigid extension of a portion of said tab extending inwardly beyond said vhinged connection and a backing member secured to said main body :portion and engaging said extension in said selected position.

4. An indicator comprising a main body portion and a plurality of indicia :bearing tabs integrally connected .thereto along Vpredetermining bend lines about which said tabs may be rotated to indicating or nonindicating position; means for maintaining said tabs in a selected position, said means comprising a rigid extension on each of said tabs extending inwardiy beyond said hinged connection; and a backing member secured to said main body portion arranged to resist the movement of said rigid extension out of said selected position.

5. A tab hingedly connected to a body portion of sheet material and comprising a principal `lamination, one end of which is thus hingedly connected and the opposite end of which is free to rotate about said hinged connection; an additional lamination secured in face to face relation to said principal lamination and comprising a rigid member extending inwardly beyond the hinged connection of the principal lamination to the body portion; and a backing sheet mounted upon said main body portion and engageable with said rigid member for maintain- 10 ing rsaid tab in selected position.

MALVIN LIGHTER.

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