US3530543A - Luggage tag string - Google Patents

Description

Sept 29 1970 G. DESMARAIS ETAL 3,530,5

LUGGAGE TAG STRING Filed Nov. 4. 1968 IN TORS Gerard D ARM 5 Claude DESMARAI ATTORNEY,

United States Patent 3,530,543 LUGGAGE TAG STRING Gerard Desmarais, 175 Giroux, Laval des Rapides, Quebee, Canada, and Claude Desmarais, 10630 Hogue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed Nov. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 773,181 Int. Cl. G091? 3/14 US. Cl. 24-16 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Tag strings of plastic material having an enlarged portion at one end and a keyhole slot at the other for fastening together the ends of the string without knots are known. A problem which is commonly encountered with strings of this type of conventional construction is that if the string receiving hole clamps tightly around the string wear occurs and eventual breakage of either end of the string results. Even before breakage, wear and permanent deformation through use causes in time a loosening of the tight clamping effect. If the string is only loosely held within the slot opening, whether on account of wear or if such was the original construction, the string has a tendency to travel longitudinally within the opening thereby further increasing the wearing effect through abrasion and also affecting the security of the fastening since the loose projecting end of the string can easily get caught during handling of the luggage causing the string to be bent and forced out of the key hole slot opening.

It is the main object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of conventional constructions by providing a luggage tag string of flexible material such as plastic, comprising at one end inner and outer knobs with a string portion therebetween, the outer knob being smaller than the inner knob, and at the other end a tag with a keyhole slot comprising a round inner opening of slightly smaller diameter than theouter knob and a round outer opening of substantially the same diameter as the string, with a passageway between the openings, the passageway being of smaller width at its narrowest point than the diameter of the string. The provision of the inner knob of larger diameter prevents longitudinal travel of the string within the slot and allows the outer keyhole slot opening to be made as aforementioned of substantially the same diameter as the string. The result is a more durable and more secure luggage tag string.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a luggage tag string according to the invention shown with a luggage tag attached thereto and secured around the handle of a piece of luggage;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the luggage tag string shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan of the keyhole slot and of the string.

Referring to the drawings, the string 10 is a length of flexible material such as plastic of substantially round cross-section. One end of the string 10 has an outer knob 11 and an inner knob 12 with a portion 13 of string therebetween. At the other end of the string 10 has a fiat tap 14 with a keyhole slot comprising a round inner opening 15, around outer opening 16 and a passageway 17 between the openings.

In accordance with the invention the following dimensional relationship are provided.

The outer knob 11 is substantially smaller than the inner knob 12 and is slightly larger than the opening 15. The length of string portion 13 between knobs 11 and 12 is slightly larger than the thickness of the tab 14 and the diameter of string section 13 is substantially the same as that of opening 16. The passageway 17 at its narrowest point is of smaller width than the diameter of string section 13.

The string is used as follows:

First the knobs 11 and 12 are inserted through a hole 18 of an identification tag 19. The hole 18 is preferably somewhat smaller than the inner knob 12 so that the latter has to be forced through the hole 18, to prevent the tag 19 from falling off the string even if the string is not fastened together at its ends.

The string 10 is then passed around a handle A of a piece of luggage and its ends are fastened together by pushing the knob 11 into the opening 15 through the passageway 17 and into the opening 16. The enlarged diameter of the inner knob 12 prevents it from passing through the opening 15 during the fastening operation so that the string portion 13 is the one that will be contained within the opening 16. It will be noted that the slot 17 has its narrowest point adjacent the openings 16 and its widest point adjacent the opening 15.

The knob 11 is preferably of hemispherical configuration with its flat portion disposed internally, thereby further improving the security of the fastening of the string.

We claim:

1. A string for luggage tags or the like, said string being of flexible material and comprising at one end inner and outer knobs with a string portion therebetween, said outer knob being smaller than said inner knob, and at the other end a tab with a keyhole slot comprising a round inner opening of slightly smaller diameter than said outer knob, around outer opening of substantially the same diameter as said string portion and a passageway between said openings, said passageway at its narrowest point being of smaller width than the diameter of said string, said string portion being of slightly greater length than the thickness of said tab.

2. A string according to claim 1, wherein said passageway has its narrowest point adjacent said outer keyhole slot opening and its widest point adjacent said inner keyhole slot opening.

3. A string according to claim 1, wherein said outer 3,352,040 11/1967 Javkin 40-21 knob is of hemispherical configuration with its flat por- 3,402,435 9/1968 Merser 40-20- XR tion disposed internally.

4. A string according to claim 2, wherein said outer FOREIGN PATENTS knob is of hemispherical configuration with its flat portion r disposed internally.

1,002,796 1965 Great Britain.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,974,499 9/1934 Luce. 10 40-20 3,072,986 I/1963 Lefnaer.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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