US2838171A - Price tag dispenser - Google Patents

Description

w. A. KASPAR PRICE TAG DISPENSER June 10, 1958 25 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 15, 1956 IN V EN TOR.

. Kaspar June 10, 1958 w. A. KASPAR 2,838,171

PRICE TAG DISPENSER Filed March 15, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 e2 64 INVENTOR.

V Y. A. Kas 'ar @mbfi aria/my United States Patent C PRICE TAG DISPENSER William A. Kaspar, Omaha, Nebn, assignor to Paramount Paper Products Company, a corporation of Nebraska Application March 15, 1956, Serial-N0. 571,772

6. Claims. (Cl. 206-58) The instant invention relates to price tags, labels and the like employed primarily by retail establishments such as grocery and chain stores which employ said tags in conjunction with a sealing of packages of merchandise, the latter usually being wrapped in transparent paper. 7

It is an object of the invention to provide a device for manually dispensing said tags from a container or housing successively and intermittently and in a manner whereby an operator may write upon the tags a selected price for indicating to a purchaser of. a package the cost of the latter. tachably secured in a row at common end portions thereof to a flexible disposable backing strip by a suitable means such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive and by machinery in a manner well known to the art.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for the above-stated purpose which is so constructed that during a manual withdrawal of said strip and tags from the housing of the instant invention, the free ends of said tags are projected from said housing in one direction and the backing strip is guided in a different direction, whereby an operator may grasp a tag between his thumb and forefinger for readily detaching the adhered portions of the tags from the backing strip.

Yet another object of the. invention is to provide a device having a comparatively rigid surface over which the backing strip and tags are manually drawn for facilitating an operators manually writing selected memoranda, such as prices incents and dollars, on the tags prior to a detachment of the latter from the strip to which they are initially removably attached.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for the foregoing purposes manufactured primarily from cardboard, whereby a die blanks out said housing from thesaid material, said blank being thereby provided with indented lines of demarcation indicating where a folding of the blank along said' lines is to occur for producingsaid housing in an economical manner.

The invention contemplates a marketing. of a package which includes the flexible backing strip having the tags removably attached thereto, the backing strip being preferably in roll. form and within said package, ready for use.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of the new device.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectionthereof, the view being taken substantially on line 2--2 of Figure 1' and Figure. 4 is a top plan view of the devicedepicted in- Figure 2, certain portions thereof being broken away and others shown in section.

The minor portions of said tags are de- Figure 5 is a plan view of the housing of the instant invention blanked out from a sheet of cardboard or the like and prior to a folding of the blank for providing the finished housing shown in Figure 1. a

Figure 6 is a plan view of a support and spacing member preferably employed at the time said member is blanked out and die cut from a sheet of cardboard and prior to a folding thereof.

Figure 7 depicts the blank shown inFigure 5 in apartially folded condition for subsequently providing said housing.

Figure 8 depicts said preferred spacing member shown in Figure 6 in a partially folded condition.

Figure 9 depicts the member's shown in Figures'7 and 8 assembled together preparatory to forming the com= plete housing shown in Figures 1 through 4.

The instant invention also provides a method of manufacturing the said device economically for the dispensing of pressure-sensitive tags or labels in'conjunction with and from their continuous disposable backing strip and in such a manner that the tags are readily manually sep arable from their backing strip subsequent to a writing of memoranda on the tags, and immediately ready for attachment to a package of merchandise adhes'ively.

While one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the above-referred-to drawings, it is to be understood that they are merely for the purpose of illustration and that various changes in construction niay be restored to in the course of manufacture in order that'the inven-' tion may be utilized to the best advantage according to circumstances which may arise, without in any manner departing from the spirit and intention of the device, which is to be limited only in accordance with the ap= pended claims. And while there is stated the primary field of utility of the invention, it remains obvious that it may be employed in any other capacity wherein it may be found applicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, the same reference characters are usedto" designate the same parts and elements throughout and in which the numeral 10 refers to the invention in its entirety, and 12 indicates generally anv outer housing. The latter has therein a reinforcing support and spac ing member generally indicated at 14 which is preferably employed. The member 14 is employed at tinies when the device is made of comparatively thin cardboard, and it will be'understood that the member 14 may be dispensed with at times when the housing 12 is formed of more rigid material such as plastic, heavy cardboard or the like.

In the finished product the housing 12 includes oppositely disposed side walls 16 and 18, oppositely dis-' posed end walls 20 and 22, a bottom 24, and a top 26. The end wall 22 is provided, preferably with two elongated apertures 28 and 30 for purposes later described, and it will be understood that but one aperture may be employed at times when the housing is fromed of plastic material, sheet metal, or the like.

The die cut blank for the housing, said blank being best shown in Figure 5', further includes a plurality of tangs indicated at 32 and 34. The tangs are disposed in alignment with the end wall 20 and formed integral with the housing blank, being respectively separated from the top 26 and the bottom 24 by means of notches'36 whereby they may be readily folded, as later described. One end of the end wall 22 is provided with a tongue 38 which is similarly separated from the bottom 24 by means of a further like notch 36.

During a descent of the cutting die (not shown) which blanks out the sheet material to the contour shown in Figure 5, the said die punches out or incises thetop portion 26 for providing an opening 40 through said top,

and their later-described backing strip requires the same.

In the finished housing, and as best shown in Figure 2, the lip is provided with an edge 44. In instances where the lip is omitted, the said edge is provided by and at the junction of the top 26 and the end wall 22.

When formed of comparatively thin cardboard, the lip portion 42, in the finished product, protrudes outwardly beyond the end wall 22, as shown in Figure 2.

Referring to Figure 5, the blankthere shown further depicts the lip portion 42 protruding from the top 26 and spaced from the opening 40 of said top for purposes later described. The lip 42 includes a fold portion 46.

A lappet 48 is provided formed integral with the blank as shown in Figure 5. The lappet may be bent outwardly from the end wall 22 as best shown in Figure 2, said lappet being preferably employed at times when the device is made of cardboard for supporting the lip 42 and at times when the fold 46 of the lip is disposed in the position shown in Figure 2. The fold 46 and the lappet 48 are preferably secured together by any suitable means in the finished product, as by means of a suitable adhesive or by means of a thin wire staple indicated at 50, best shown in Figure 2, said staple also being represented by broken lines in Figure 1. In many instances the said securing means or staple may be dispensed with.

Further referring to Figure 5, the blank there depicted further includes a tab portion 52 joined to the top 26 and a flap 54' joined to the bottom 24. An extension 56 is provided for the apertured end wall 22 and employed for purposes later described.

The broken lines, indicated at 58, shown in Figure 5, represent spaced apart indentations provided in the sheet material for slightly weakening the latter in alignment therewith, said lines 58 facilitating a folding of the blank along' said lines for forming said housing as later described.

The portions 32, 34, 38, 52, 54 and 56 are each provided with cutaway corners or beveled portions for facilitating an assembly of the housing blank 12 in the finished housing.

Referring to Figures 6, 8, and 9 of the drawings, and first to Figure 6, the reinforcing spacing member generally indicated at 14 includes wing portions 60 and 62 which are oppositely disposed during use. Between said wings a bridge 64 is provided, said bridge having a tail portion 66 at one end thereof. During use the tail 66 is disposed outwardly away from the bridge for providing a reinforcement for the lip 42 and in instances where the lip 42 is formed of comparatively thin or weak card- 'board. The wing 62 is provided with a skirt portion 68 having a foldable end portion 70. The skirt 68 serves as a reinforcement, at times when the device is constructed of weak cardboard, for that portion of the top 26 which is indicated at 72, the latter lying between the opening 40 and the edge 44 of said top. The portion 72 is employed for purposes later described.

The member 14 is blanked out of sheet material by means of a suitable die and to the contour shown in Figure 6. During a descent of said die the member 14 is provided with a plurality of incisions 74 for providing spurs 76 which extend beyond the wings 60 and 6 2 at the time said wings are folded toward each other. The spurs are best shown in Figures 2 and 9, and are preferably employed for causing the outer surface of the bridge 64 to be spaced away from the end wall 22 of the housing, as best shown in Figure 2, for providing a space indicated at 78 for facilitating a threading of the end portion of the later-described backing strip for the labels through the apertures 28 and 30 of the end wall 22 of the housing, At times when the housing is manufactured of plastic material, a single aperture may be '4 provided in lieu of the two apertures 28 and 30, said single aperture being preferably provided adjacent the bottom of the housing. I

As best shown in Figure 6, the member 14 is provided with rows of indentations represented by broken lines 80. The indentations weaken the material for facilitating the folding of the several portions of the member 14 along said lines, and in alignment with said indentations.

The foldable end portion 70 of the skirt 68 has a beveled or cutaway corner portion for facilitating an assembly of the member 14 during a folding thereof.

Referring to Figure l, 82 indicates a strip of suitable flexible disposable material such as paper or the like. The strip 82 hasa row of spaced-apart price tags or labels *adhesively attached thereto, said labels being indicated at 84. The labels or tags are each provided with an adhesive on one side thereof. Oppositely disposed end portions of a label are indicated at 88 and 86. A minor portion of the end portion 86 of each of the labels is removably attached to the strip 82, said attached portions being minute with respect to other portions of the label. The portions of the labels which are free with respect to the strip 82, during use, are all disposed toward the lip of the device during a withdrawal of the strip from the housing, as later described, said portions which are loose with respect to said strip being disposed initially flat against said strip and flat with respect to the portion 82 of the top 26 of the housing.

At times when the labels are employed as price tags, a medial portion of each label is left blank with respect to other portions of the label which depict selected printed matter, whereby an operator may employ a pen and ink or the like and write in the medial portion of each tag, price indicia or the like memoranda, as may be desired.

The strip 82 preferably is in the coiled or rolled form indicated at 90, best shown in Figure 2, whereby it may be manually unrolled for causing the tags to be disposed successively on the upper surface of the portion 72 of the top 26 of the housing and between said edge 44 and the opening 40 of said top during operation. The free end portion 92 of the coil 90 is disposed through the opening 40 of the top 26 and over the edge 44 and threaded or reeved through the aperture 28 of the end wall 22 of the housing, said end portion 92 of the strip being also reeved outwardly of the housing through the aperture 30 of said end Wall 22, whereby the operator may grasp an end portion of the strip for uncoiling the roll thereof and removing tags from within the housing, said tags becoming disposed intermittently, as above described, between the edge 44 and the opening 40 of the top 26. At this time the bottom 24 of the housing is disposed upon a table or other suitable surface and a withdrawal of said strip is achieved by the operators hand while he writes memoranda on a tag with the other hand..

During a downward movement of the end portion of the strip away from the edge 44, it will be noted that the tags 84, as shown in Figure 2, are caused to project, as to the free ends of said tags, in alignment with and beyond the top 26 of the housing, as represented by the broken lines 94 in Figure 2, while at the same time that portion of the strip which was formerly disposed against the tag is guided downwardly and away from the tag through the apertures of the end wall 22, said withdrawal being continued until the free end portion 88 of the tag is disposed beyond the edge 44, thereby providing spaces at the opposite sides of the tag which may be readily grasped between the thumb and forefinger of the operator for detaching the minute endportion 86 of the tag which therefore was attached to its backing or carrying strip 82.

The convolutions 90 of the rolled backing strip are disposed between the wings 60 and 62 of the member 14 at times when the latter is employed, otherwise said convolutions are directly carried'within and between the walls of the housing generally indicated at 12.

At times when the housing is formed of cardboard, the housing is preferably rectangular in side elevation, as shown, since it may be folded to said contour economically and as distinguished from a manufacture of the device from plastic material, where the said side elevational contour would not necessarily be rectangular.

The blank shown in Figure 5 for the housing, after being made, is first folded on the lines 58 of the end wall 20 so that the sides 16 and 18 of the housing are disposedside by side and spaced from each other.

The end wall 22 of the housing is then folded so that it is disposed at a right angle with respect to the side wall 18, and the extension 56 of the end wall 22 is folded so that it is at a right angle with respect to the end wall and in parallelism with the side wall 16.

A suitable adhesive may then be applied to the extension 56 and betweeen it and the adjacent portion of the end wall 16 for maintaining said parts together at that time providing a configuration which is rectangular in plan, and open at the top and bottom.

The tang 32 of the end wall 20 is then folded inwardly of said rectangular configuration and the lappet 4,8 moved outwardly away from the end wall 22.

The tab portion 52 of the top 26 is now folded at a right angle with respect to said top, and the latter folded toward the adjacent edge of the side 18 for disposing said tab inwardly and against the inner surface of the side Wall 18. i

The fold portion 46 of the lip 42 is now folded over the lappet 48 and secured to the latter if desired.

In instances where the member 14 is employed, the wings 60and 62 are now disposed side by side by folding them along the lines 80 of the bridge 64.

The foldable portion 70 of the skirt 68 is now bent at a right angle with respect to the latter, and said skirt bent so that it is disposed at a right angle with respect to the wing 62 for causing the foldable portion 70 of the wing to be disposed against the inner surface of the wing 60.

The coil 90 is then placed between the wings 60 and 62, and the end portion 92 of the coil drawn through the opening 40 of the housing after the member 40 has been placed inwardly of the housing 12.

The tang 34 and the tongue 38 are then folded at a right angle respectively of the end walls 20 and 22.

The flap 54 of the housing is then folded at a right angle with respect to the bottom 24 and the latter folded so that the flap 54 disposed within the housing and against the inner surface of the side wall 16. In instances where the member 14 is employed, the tail portion 66 of the bridge 64 is disposed against the lip as shown in Figure 2. The package is then ready for distribution to the ultimate user.

As best shown in Figure 2, the opening 40 through the top 26 is comparatively small in transverse width, which aids a stretching of the backing strip flat upon the portion 72 of the top during a movement of the backing strip and the labels over said portion for maintaining the labels fiat and in conjunction with the aperture 28 against the walls of which the backing strip engages during a withdrawal of the latter through the aperture 28.

After a removal of a desired number of labels from the backing strip, as above described, the free end of the latter is torn off and discarded.

From the foregoing specification, it will become apparent that the invention disclosed will adequately accomplish the functions for which it has been designed and in an economical manner, and that its simplicity, accuracy, and ease of operation are such as to provide a relatively inexpensive device, considering what it will accomplish, and what it will find an important place in *6 the art to which it appertains when once placed on the market.

It is, thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

. Changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details and parts such as come within the purview of the invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

I claim:

1. A device for dispensing. price tags or labels detachably attached in a row to a strip of flexible material, said attachment being at like end portions of said tags comprising a housing for said strip having side walls, a top, a bottom and end walls, said housing being provided with an edge adjacent the junction of one of said end walls and the top thereof, together with an opening disposed through said top; said strip being adapted to be withdrawn from said housing through said opening toward and over said edge; said opening and said edge being spaced apart to define therebetween a platform portion of the top wall for supporting the strip with a tag thereon during manual writing of intelligencebearing indicia on said tag; and said end wall of said housing being provided with two apertures through which said strip is adapted to be received for guiding said strip at an approximate right angle away from said edge causing the free end portions of said tags to be successively moved outwardly beyond said edge facilitating a manual detachment of the other ends of said tags from said strip during operation; the tags being on the exposed side of the strip when said strip is on said platform portion of the top wall.

2. A device for dispensing price tags or labels detachably attached in a row to a strip of flexible material, said attachment being at like end portions of said tags comprising a housing for said strip having side walls, a top, a bottom, and end walls, said housing being provided with an opening through its top; a lip protruding beyond the junction of said top with one of said end walls; said strip being adapted to be withdrawn from said housing through said opening and over said lip; said opening and said lip being spaced apart at least the length of one of said tags to define therebetween a platform portion of the top wall for supporting the strip with a tag thereon during manual writing of intelligence-bearing indicia on said tag; and the said one end wall being provided with two apertures for receiving said strip threadedly therethrough, whereby at times when an end portion of said strip is manually drawn through said apertures away from said lip the free end portions of said tags are caused to extend outwardly beyond said lip for facilitating a manual detachment of the other ends of said tags from said strip; the tags being on the exposed side of the strip when said strip is on said platform portion of the top wall.

3. A device for dispensing price tags or labels detachably attached in a row to a strip of flexible material, said attachment being at like end portions of said tags comprising a housing for said strip having at least a top and an end wall disposed at an approximate right angle to said top, said housing being provided with an opening through said top, said end wall being provided with at least one aperture; and a lip protruding from said top beyond the junction of said top and said end wall, said strip being adapted to be manually withdrawn from said housing through said opening over said lip and through said aperture away from said lip for causing the free end potrions of said tags to successively extend beyond said lip for facilitating detachment of the other ends of said tags from said strip during operation; said opening and said lip being spaced apart at least the length of one of said tags to define therebetween a platform portion of the top wall for supporting the strip with a tag thereon during manual writing of intelligence-bearing indicia on said tag; the tags being on the exposed side of the strip when said strip is on said flat wall portion of the top wall. a

4. A method of making packages having housings of sheet material for use in dispensing tags or labels detach- =ably secured in a row to one side of a strip of flexible material comprising the blanking of a portion from a sheet of material for side walls, end Walls, a top portion attached to one of said side walls and a bottom portion attached to the other side wall, an extension for one of said end walls, a flap portion for said bottom, a tab portion for said top, a tongue for the said end wall having the said extension, tangs for the other one of said end walls; simultaneously providing an opening through an intermediate portion of said top and spaced apertures through the end wall to which said extension is attached of a housing; folding the side wall portions into parallelism with respect to each other; folding said extension at a right angle with respect to its end wall and disposing said extension against the inner surface of the side wall having said top; folding said tab portion at a right angle with respect to said top, folding the latter to dispose said tab toward and against the adjacent side wall, to dispose said opening of said top transversely of said top between said side walls; placing a coil of said flexible material having said tags thereon within said housing; placing a free end of said coil through the opening of said top; folding said tangs and tongue inwardly of said housing; folding said flap at a right angle with respect to said bottom; folding the latter to cause its flap to be disposed inwardly of the package and between the inner surface of the adjacent side wall of the package and edges of said tangs.

5. In a method of making housings for use in dispensing tags or labels detachably secured in a row to one side of a strip of flexible material comprising the blanking of a portion from a sheet of material for side walls, end walls, a top portion attached to one of said side walls and a bottom portion attached to the other side wall; forming an extension for one of said end walls, a flap portion for said bottom, a tab portion for said top and a lip portion protruding from said top; simultaneously providing an opening through said top spaced from said lip portion and spaced apertures through the end wall to which said extension is attached of a housing; folding said side wall portions into approximate parallelism with respect to each other; folding said extension at a right angle with respect to its end wall and disposing said extension against the inner surface of the side wall having said top; folding said tab at a right angle with respect to said top and the latter toward and against the adjacent side wall to dispose said lip outwardly beyond the adjacent end wall and said opening of said top transversely of the latter between said side walls; folding said flap at a right angle with respect to said bottom, and the latter to cause its flap to be disposed inwardly and against the inner surface of the adjacent side wall of the housing.

6. A device for dispensing price tags or labels detachably attached in a row to a strip of flexible material, said attachment being at like end portions of each of said tags, comprising a housing for said strip with tags attached thereto provided with an edge exteriorly thereof and an opening through which the strip may be withdrawn from said housing toward and over said edge; said opening and said edge being spaced apart to define therebetween a flat wall portion of said housing for supporting the strip with a tag thereon during manual writing of intelligence-bearing indicia on said tag; and said strip being manually graspable for guiding said strip away from said edge to cause the free end portions of said tags to be successively moved outwardly beyond said edge facilitating a manual detachment of the tags from said strip during operation; the tags being on the exposed side of the strip when said strip is on said fiat wall portion of said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,090,612 Goldsmith Mar. 17, 1914 2,276,296 Flood Mar. 17, 1942 2,341,368 Flood Feb. 8, 1944 2,394,991 Flood Feb. 19, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 17,882 France Oct. 8, 1913 607,883 France Apr. 9, 1926

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