All plastic do-it-yourself name badge

Details All plastic do-it-yourself name badge All plastic do-it-yourself name badge

1995-02-28

2001-01-16

Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)

Card, picture, or sign exhibiting

Badges

Reexamination Certificate

active

06173514

ABSTRACT:

This invention relates to do-it-yourself name badges and more particularly to low cost, all plastic name badges, having a professionally, custom-made appearance.
The term “Name Badge” is used herein to cover all similar devices, such as: plaques, labels, signs, luggage tags, place cards, or the like. The term “textured strip” is used herein for convenience of expression; however, it should be understood that the textured field need not be a strip, but may have any convenient shape. The term “solid and unitary block” is intended to mean a block of plastic, such as one which might be formed by injection molding and which is free of such embellishments as surface films or the like.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,538 and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/135,675, filed Oct. 13, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,435, and assigned to the assignee of this invention, for a similar name badge. The two above-identified U.S. patents disclosed a name badge and a kit for making the name badge. The closest known prior art was cited among the references listed in those two patents.
Briefly, these two patents provide very elegant name badges which have an appearance of gold, silver, or the like. The company or person who employs the badges make them by using a small printer which prints graphics on the adhesive side of a transparent, preferably mylar, pressure adhesive tape, somewhat similar to the tape sold under the well-known trademark “SCOTCH”. One of the several printers (a “P-printer”) that is now available is, perhaps, similar to a small typewriter and is manufactured by the Brother Company. Another and similar printer may be plugged into a printer port of a personal computer. One can imagine that, with the current rate of personal computer development, such a printer may soon produce currently unimaginable graphics.
The person who makes the badge described in the two above-identified patents buys blank plastic plates with accessories similar to those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,864; 4,047,996; 4,267,224; 4,125,655; 4,459,772; and 4,497,248. Each of the purchased badges has a textured surface which prevents an entrapment of air between the transparent tape and the corresponding surface of the purchased plastic badges. The badges described in the above cited two patents have enjoyed great commercial success; however, they are relatively expensive so that they are not feasible for use by, say, attendees at a party or convention, or employees of a fast food restaurant, who often stay for only a few days, weeks, or so.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to extend the principles of the textured badges described in the two above-identified patents into such a low-cost category that they become available for almost any use of name badges. In this connection, an object is to provide the described badges at such a low cost that they may be sold in bags at neighborhood stores such as office product, grocery, drug, convenience, variety stores, and the like.
Another object of this invention is to provide new and improved do-it-yourself means for and methods of making name tags, badges, wall plaques, place cards, and the like, at a very low cost. Here an object is to provide beneficial, high-quality graphics with an almost foolproof system that almost anyone can use in order to produce near-perfect results with little or no special training.
In keeping with an aspect of the invention, blank all-plastic name badge (or the like) panels may be made with a textured strip providing air escape channels on the plastic surface. The channels are provided at very low cost by an injection molding process, where it is possible to provide very accurate surface depressions at no added costs after the molds are made. Logos or similar graphics may be made available by providing hot stamped graphic decals, or self-adhesive labels mounted on a release paper. The only thing required of the user is to have access to a printer which is able to print graphics on the adhesive side of a self-adhering transparent tape.


REFERENCES:
patent: 584770 (1897-06-01), Datz
patent: 3605300 (1971-09-01), Moore
patent: 4236331 (1980-12-01), Mattson
patent: 4509277 (1985-04-01), Bolton
patent: 5283966 (1994-02-01), Rader et al.
patent: 5305538 (1994-04-01), Kanzelberger
patent: 5406726 (1995-04-01), Fan
patent: 5410827 (1995-05-01), Smith

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