Bedford Industries, Inc.

Brian D Larsen

Lloyd Tinklenberg

John B Linquist

Robert B Ludlow

Gary L Lowe

Stan W Drietz

Debra K Houseman

Scott L Nelson

James A Beckman

Mike P Feltman

The method of simultaneously banding and tagging merchandise involves forming a plurality of stretchable merchandise marking articles, each being formed to have an endless stretchable elastomeric band and a non-elastomeric flexible water-resistant plastic sheet material combined in a manner such that the sheet material encircles the band and presents an outwardly extending tag having an optically scannable code. The encircling of the sheet material about the band forms a channel within which the band is lodged but freely stretchable. A plurality of such marking articles are placed in condition for ready access for banding and tagging merchandise and an individual marking article of the plurality is removed by gripping the non-elastomeric tag of it. The elastomeric band is stretched and applied about an article, and the relationship of the channel length to the width of the information tag on the merchandise is such that bending forces exerted on the channel do not interfere with optical scanning of the information tag.

Banding and tagging methods and products

The marking tag for quick and easy slidable fastening on a stalk of merchandise consists essentially of a flat sheet of highly flexible and easily crushed and distorted plastic material having a thickness between 7 and 14 mils and having an information portion for printed matter and a stalk-receiving portion for affixation to a stalk of merchandise. The stalk-receiving portion has a single circular hole between 5 and 10 mm in diameter and surrounded by at least 10 radial slits equidistantly spaced about the hole and having a radial length about equal to the diameter of the hole. The long and narrow and blunt radial fingers so formed are so highly flexible as to readily curve out of the flat plane of the sheet material as the hole is slid onto merchandise, and all edges of the marking tag are incapable of causing a paper cut to a person affixing it and incapable of causing cutting or gouging action to the merchandise, regardless of how the marking tag is slid or rotated on or off the stalk.

Slidably fastenable tag

The new stretchable marking article permits simultaneous banding and tagging of merchandise and has an elastomeric band for banding about merchandise and a tag comprised of an information portion for displaying printed matter and an attachment portion for bonding to the information portion after encircling a section of the elastomeric band to form a channel for stretching movement of the band. The tag is formed of plastic sheet material and the channel for stretching movement of the band has a length less than the width of the information portion. A composite article of manufacture comprises a plurality of the stretchable marking articles on a carrier, with all information portions of the stretchable marking article in an alignment for easy hand removal of discrete marking articles from the alignment.

Stretchable marking article

The locking tag for fastening to band material on merchandise is made of sheet material having an information part and a header part united together. The information part is for printed matter, which may include a scannable product identification marking. The header part has an open mouth in its outer perimeter edge and a holding orifice inwardly spaced from the open mouth. A slit entry channel extends from the open mouth along a line terminating as a slit entrance into the orifice. Fingers on opposite sides of the entry channel extend in opposite directions. One finger is an elongated hooking finger, and the other finger is a camming finger having a camming surface and a terminal hook lock at the entrance of the entry channel into the orifice. A band material in the holding orifice is substantially irreversibly locked in the orifice. The elongated hooking finger is easily latched over a section of band material to cause movement of the band material along the camming surface into the holding orifice with one sweeping hand movement.

Locking tag for banded merchandise

The slotted orifice locking tag for fastening to a band material about merchandise is made of sheet material having an information part and a header part united together. The information part is for printed matter, which may include a scannable product identification marking. The header part has an open mouth in its outer perimeter edge and a slotted holding orifice inwardly spaced from the open mouth. A slit entry channel extends from the open mouth along a line terminating as a slit entrance into the slotted orifice. An elongated hooking finger is on one side of the entry channel and a camming surface on the other. The elongated hooking finger is easily latched over a section of a band material about merchandise to cause movement of the band material along the camming surface into the slot of the slotted holding orifice with one sweeping hand movement. A band material in the slot is resistant to escape therefrom.

Slotted orifice locking tag for banded merchandise

An apparatus for applying a twist-tie to a multiple serving, recloseable, flexible packaging container including a payout mechanism for holding a supply of twist-tie material. An extracting and cutting mechanism is configured to extract a continuous length of twist-tie material from the supply of twist-tie material and cut a twist-tie of a desired length. A magnetic application mechanism produces a magnetic force sufficient to remove the twist-tie (at least a portion of which is metallic) from the extracting and cutting mechanism. A dispensing mechanism dispenses a hot melt adhesive material on the twist-tie held by the magnetic application mechanism. The magnetic application mechanism then applies the twist-tie to a surface of a container. The adhesive material acts to secure the twist-tie to the container.

Apparatus and method for applying a twist-tie to a packaging container

The deadfold reclosure sticker for hand pressure application to a bag has a flexible backing liner with a low adhesion surface. On the liner is a flexible deadfold reclosure sticker having a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer forming a base surface releasably adhered to the low adhesion surface of the liner. The sticker comprises a laminate of pliable layers and at least two deadfold wires having a thickness at least twice as great as the laminate. The wires are in spaced parallel alignment and are embedded along their length in the laminate with the ends of said wires exposed to view. The flexible backing liner has a structural feature for easy removal of it for hand application of it onto a flexible bag to form a deadfold reclosable bag easily reclosed by simple folding steps.

Deadfold reclosure sticker method

The new dispensing roll of deadfold stickers comprises a length of flexible carrier tape having a low adhesion surface and a multiplicity of flexible deadfold stickers releasably adhered to the low adhesion surface for easy removal therefrom. Each deadfold sticker comprises a laminate of pliable layers and at least two deadfold wires in spaced parallel alignment embedded in the laminate in a direction transverse to the length of the carrier tape. The carrier tape with releasably adhered deadfold stickers is wound upon itself in the dispensing roll. The dispensing roll is used in automatic machinery to form mouth-foldable deadfold reclosable bags; and the preferred reclosures are those having three creases of fold line formed by two folding steps.

Growing community of inventors

Worthington, MN, United States of America

Brian D Larsen