US2794279A

US2794279A - Price tag molding

Info

Publication number: US2794279A
Application number: US553820A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert J Slavsky; John R Slavsky
Original assignee: Shaw and Slavsky Inc
Current assignee: Shaw and Slavsky Inc
Priority date: 1955-12-19
Filing date: 1955-12-19
Publication date: 1957-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 1974-06-04

Description

June 4, 1957 R. J. SLAVSKY ET AL- 2,794;279

PRICE TAG MOLDING I Filed Dec. 19, 1955 INVENTORS. JOl/fl/ R. u s Y ROBERT J. SLAVSKI ArToR/YE) United States PRICE TAG MOLDING Robert J. Slavsky and John R. Slavsky, Detroit, Mich, assignors to Shaw and Slavsky, Inc., Detroit, Mich a corporation of Michigan Substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 4895265, February 23, 1955. This application December 19, v 1955, Serial No. 553,320

1 Claim. or. 40-10 This application is a substitute for our co-pending application, Serial No. 489,908, filed February 23, 1955.

The present invention pertains to a novel price tag molding for use especially in supermarkets and also useful in stores of various kinds.

Such moldings are designed to receive replaceable price tags made of a suitable sheet material. One of the serious problems in this field is to maintain the tag in such a manner that it cannot easily be slid by mischievous persons to positions adjacent to merchandise of a difierent price than indicated by a given tag. Such dislocation of the price tags leads to great annoyance and confusion in supermarkets.

Various shapes of moldings to meet this problem have been devised. Heretofore none has been practicable and satisfactory, for one reason or another.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a molding that holds the tag against forced sliding, while preserving the benefits of a concave face and without undue distortion. Another object is to provide a molding that performs in the stated manner notwithstanding variations that cannot practicably be avoided in the height and thickness of the tag. The tag is actually pinched along one edge, and in this connection another object of the invention is to prevent tearing of the tag on removal.

In the accomplishment of these objects, the metal molding is formed along one edge with a bead that merely seats the corresponding edge of the tag loosely. The other edge is formed with a bead that pinches the tag in the manner indicated. This bead is rolled or formed in a manner to bring the free edge of the metal into close proximity with the attached edge of the bead, that is, the line at which the bead proceeds from the face of the molding. This free edge or lip is spaced slightly from the body of metal, or at a distance equal to or minutely smaller than the thickness of the inserted tag so that the tag is pinched therein, at a very short distance from its edge. By reason of this short distance, the tag may readily be pried out with a tool, without tearing the tag, whereas tearing would more likely occur if the tag were pinched at a substantial distance from its edge.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the following description and in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the molding with a tag therein;

Figure 2 is an end view of the molding on a shelf, showing the manner of inserting a tag;

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the tag fully inserted;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a similar detail showing the first operation in removing the tag, and

Figure 6 is a similar detail showing the tag in its final position during removal.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of 2,794,279 ?atented June 4, 195

like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

The molding is made of metal and may be assumed to be formed by rolling a strip of sheet metal. The body of the molding forms a concave face 1 extending the entire length of the molding. Along one edge, preferably the upper edge, is formed a seat by bending the metalforwardly at 2 returning it rearwardly at 3 beyond the face 1, bending it back at 4 to the concave-convex body and finally shaping a flange 5 lying close to the convex side. A groove 6 is formed in the longitudinal center of the face 1 for a purpose to be described, and smaller grooves 7 are formed at opposite sides thereof for stiffening. By forming the grooves rearward from the face 1, the inserted price tag may take a curvature corresponding to the face 1 when in engagement therewith.

The lower marginal portion of the metal or other stock is rolled to form a head 8 terminating in a lip 9 directed downward and presenting the free edge 10 of the metal at a short distance 12 from the body of the metal or the line where the bead joins the face 1. The lower edge of the tag 15 is inserted between the free edge 10 of the lip 9 and the face 1. The upper edge is set in the relatively wide seat 16 formed by the portion 2, whereby the tag assumes an outwardly bulged condition as shown in Figure 2. The

tag is then pressed into contact with the face 1 to assume full concavity on its printed surface, whereupon the lower marginal portion of the tag is projected farther through the narrow space 12 as shown in Figure 3. This space is so narrow that the tag is actually forced and pinched therein, at a short distance below its lower edge. This distance permits the use of tags that are somewhat less than standard height, while tags of greater than standard height also accommodated by merely projecting farther into the bead. The free edge if! is also spaced materially at 11 from the body or crown of the bead to permit variation in the exent of projection of the tag into the bead, corresponding to various heights of tags.

T he Celluloid tags which are in common use are known to become set to the shape of the molding. This difliculty is overcome by maintaining the tag in surface contact with a concave face as here shown and by reversing the curvahire from time to time, since the tags are printed on both sides.

The tag is removed by use of a prying tool 20 forced behind it at the groove 6, as known in the art. Since the tag is held under tension against the face 1, it would ordinarily spring or fly out of the molding on being pried, as is the case with other molding constructions. In the present construction, however, the upper edge withdraws freely from the loose seat 16 while the lower edge is retained in the tight space 12 until pulled out by hand, as shown in Figure 6.

If the bead 8-10 were duplicated at the opposite edge, such prying force would tear the tag at one or both edges. The loose seat 16 is therefore preferable. The oblique angle of the lip 9 to the face 1 is also advantageous. If it were more nearly perpendicular to the face, it would pinch the tag at a greater distance from its edge. On being pulled out, the greater width thereof would be pulled along the pinching edge 10, with the result that tearing would be more probable. The shorter distance between the pinch line and the edge of the tag, as herein, permits the corresponding width of the tag to snap or pull out of the pinch more readily.

The terms upper and lower are merely relative, since the disclosed molding may be inverted to bring the bead 8-10 upward and the seat 16 downward.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various alterations in the details of construction will be of the strip for frictionally made without departing from the scope of the invention as indicated by the appended claim.

What we claim is:

In a price tag molding arranged for frictionally grasping and holding a price tag'card and formed of an elongated, narrow strip of thin gauge sheet'metal material with the strip being concave in cross-section and having a beading extending the length of the strip and formed on the up per edge of the strip and arranged for abutting and bounding the upper edge of a price tag card which is formed of a relatively stiff, but somewhat resilient thin gauge sheet material and with the card being of sufficient length to lie flat upon the concave molding surface with the upper edge incontact with the upper beading and with its lower edge extending to the lower edge of the molding strip, the improvement consisting of means'formed on the lower edge grasping the extreme lower edge of the card,- said means-comprising a beading formed integral'with the lower edge of the strip and bent upwards and away from the strip into the form of a roll which is bent back at an acute angle towards the strip to form a funnel shaped cross-section with the strip and terminating in agrasping edge arranged adjacent the extreme lower edge of the strip near the point Where the beading roll be gins and with the grasping edge being parallel to and extending the length of the strip and being spaced from the strip a distance slightly less than the thickness of a price tag card, so that a price tag card may be inserted into the strip with the upper edge thereof abutting against the upper heading and with the lower edge thereof guided by the funnel shaped cross-section to the point where the grasping edge is spaced'from the strip and with the card thus being bowed outwardly relative to the strip, wherein pressure upon the card directed towards the strip causes the card lower edge to resiliently spring the'grasping edge slightly away from the strip to permit the card extreme lower edge to pass into the rolled bead and be held between the grasping edge and the strip at its extreme lower edge and with the card then being in full contact with the strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS