AU638052B2 - Tags - Google Patents

Description

638052 S F Ref: 106696 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: PJ6147 4 September 1989 Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art: Name and Address of Applicant: Brian Kenneth Burke 381 The Chase Road Turramurra New South

AUSTRALIA

Wales 2074

I.

Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Brian Kenneth Burke Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys, Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: r4i-s The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us 8 0 7047 040990 5835/2 -1-

ABSTRACT

A sheet of plastics material to pass through a computer printer so that information is applied to the sheet. The sheet is provided with lines of weakness to divide the sheet up into sub-sheets, with the sub-sheets being adapted to form tags. The lines of weakness are provided by fine perforations and the plastics material is generally rigid.

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STA/0486t 2 TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing tags.

BACKGROUND ART Computer printers are increasingly using sheet-feed paper, rather than folded paper. Identification tags for industrial or retail purposes cannot be fed through printers employing a sheet-feed system.

It is also an advantage in instances to have a tag formed of a plastics material instead of paper or paperboard. Known tags of plastics construction are individually formed and therefore cannot be used in computer printers using a sheet-feed system.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There is disclosed herein a sheet of plastics material to pass through a printer so that information can be printed on the sheet, said sheet being 75 to 175 microns thick and perforated so as to have at least one line of weakness dividing the sheet into tags, and wherein said plastics material is an opacified polyester generally rigid and having a 20 melting point of approximately 245 0 C, the perforations numbering more than 15 per centimetre.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a sheet of plastics material to be employed in a computer printer; and Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of a portion of a plastic sheet, also to be employed in a computer for a printer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a sheet 10 of plastics material. The sheet 10 could be of a STA/LMM/486t 3 standard size typically used for office stationery and dimensioned to pass through a computer printer. The sheet 10 is formed of plastics material and is preferably 75-175 microns thick. The sheet 10 is also formed of an opacified polyester and accordingly is generally rigid. The melting point of this plastics material is approximately 245 0 C. Thus the sheet 10 is stable at high temperatures as can be experienced by sheet material in photocopiers and printers.

The sheet 10 is provided with lines of weakness 11 and 12, with the lines 11 extending transverse of the sheet 10 while the line 12 extends longitudinally of the sheet 10. The lines 11 and 12 divide the sheet 10 up into a plurality of tags or sub-sheets 13. To form individual tags, the sheet 10 is torn along the lines 11 and 12 to separate the tags 13. It has been found that by providing fine perforations and a relatively stiff sheet

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10, the tags 13 maintain their dimensions while being removed from the sheet Preferably the perforations would number more than 15 per centimeter and preferably about 20 per centimeter. Preferably each perforation is elongated in the direction of extension of the line of weakness 11 or 12.

The tag 13 may be pre-punched so as to provide attachment holes 14, or the sheet 10 may be punched to have apertures 15 to provide the tags formed with a typical tag shape. If so required further apertures 16 may be formed again to give the tag a typical tag appearance.

0 In Fig. 12 there is schematically depicted a sheet 20 of plastics material as discussed above. In this particular embodiment the sheet 20 is punched so as to have perforations 21 forming a tag 22. The tag 22 can be removed from the sheet 20 by tearing along the perforations. The tag 22 can form a loop about an object by the leading portion 23 being inserted through an aperture 24.

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Claims (4)

1. A sheet of plastics material to pass through a printer so that information can be printed on the sheet, sad sheet being 75 to 175 microns thick and perforated so as to have at least one line of weakness dividing the sheet into tags, and wherein said plastics material is an opacified polyester generally rigid and having a melting point of approximately 245*C, the perforations numbering more than 15 per centimetre.

2. The sheet of claim 1, wherein said perforations number approximately 20 perforations per centimetre.

3. The sheet of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said perforations are elongated In the direction of the line of weakness.

4. The sheet of claim 1, wherein the line of weakness follows a path to define a tag having an aperture so that a portion of the tag to be formed from the sheet can form a loop by passing back through the aperture. A sheet of plastics material to pass through a printer, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this SECOND day of SEPTEMBER 1992 Brian Kenneth Burke Patent Attorneys fur the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON