Fabric identification tag

A device is provided to assist not only persons having normal color perception, but also the blind and the color blind for sorting fabrics, especially pairs of articles, such as socks. This device is also contemplated for use in distinguishing different characteristics of fabrics such as weave, texture, dye run or lot and the like. The device is comprised of a tab connected by hinge springs at an acute angle to a rectangular frame. The rectangular frame has a central aperture which is substantially wider and slightly shorter than the tab. In use, a fabric is slipped between the tab and the frame. The tab is then pushed through the aperture in the frame forcing the fabric through the aperture before it. The tab is then biased by the hinge springs against the frame, securing the tag to the article of clothing.

This invention pertains to a device for marking fabrics or articles of 
clothing and more particularly to a tag which can be easily attached to 
paired articles of clothing such as socks for permanent identification. 
Specifically, this invention pertains to a fabric sorting tag to assist in 
identifying difficult to identify fabric mates. More specifically, the 
invention pertains to a fabric color sorting tag which may be used with 
ease and confidence by the blind and color blind. 
Marking tags and clip fasteners heretofore have been formed from die lanced 
sheet material. The lanced portion forms a tab free on three sides and 
hinged to the parent sheet material on its fourth side. The tag can be 
secured to a fabric by inserting a fabric between the tab and parent sheet 
material and then pushing the tab and the fabric through the aperture 
lanced in the parent sheet material. Because of the fabric's thickness, an 
interference fit is sometimes created. The degree of this interference fit 
will depend upon the actual thickness of the fabric as compared to the 
thickness of material the tag is designed to accommodate. Further, in 
order to mount a device die lanced from planar material the user must 
first separate the tab from the surrounding material and insert the fabric 
therebetween. If the tag is made from material which has the strength to 
provide some rigidity this spreading and insertion operation will present 
difficulties due to the stiffness and inelasticity of the material. 
Attempts have been made in the past to meet these objections. U.S. Pat. No. 
3,139,662 to Barton describes a fastener using a tab and aperture to 
engage fabric. The device is molded of plastic in a flat configuration. An 
interference fit is obtained between the tab and the aperture by profiling 
the edges of the tab and the aperture into interfering shapes. 
While this design improves the interference fit in some respects it leaves 
many problems unresolved. First, the natural position of the device is 
flat. Thus, when the tab is on either side of the aperture very little 
spring force is exerted to hold the tab in contact with the aperture 
edges. Second, the profiled edges work to improve the interferences fit 
only when the edges are in alignment. Because of this, the range of 
thicknesses of fabrics which can be engaged by the device is limited. For 
instance, a device designed to engage silk fabrics cannot be secured to a 
thick woolen fabric. Third, the tab must be separated from the aperture 
and the fabric inserted into the separation when engaging the device. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,714 to Finkel et al supplies a positive interference 
fit in another manner. The Finkel device is molded of plastic. Again, the 
device is generally flat. In use the Finkel device is doubled over along a 
special groove. This results in a tab which is longer than the aperture 
into which it fits. The tab is also wider than the aperture in the Finkel 
device. Thus, positive interference is provided on three sides. Because 
interference is provided on three sides the Finkel device must have a 
narrow range of acceptable fabric thickness. A fabric which is too thick 
for the device will be difficult, if not impossible, to force through the 
aperture. In order for this device to be doubled over, a groove is formed 
across the breadth of the clip. This groove results in the device being 
substantially thinner at its point of highest deformation. The clip is 
also slotted along this groove to allow passage of a strap. The groove 
portion which acts as a hinge exists only on the two outward edges of the 
device. Thus, the edge where the device is doubled over is not only the 
thinnest portion of the device but is also slotted, wherein failure is 
likely to occur. 
The present invention contemplates a new and improved device which 
overcomes these problems and others and provides a tag which is simple to 
use and economical to manufacture. 
In accordance with the present invention a tag frame is provided to which a 
tab is secured at an acute angle thereto. This angulation of the tab 
permits it to be made longer than the tag frame aperture into which it 
will fit while at the same time pre-setting the precise amount of spring 
force desired to be exerted by the tab against the tag frame when abutting 
there against. 
The principle object of the invention is to provide a tag device which is 
inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use and capable of carrying easily 
readable and/or touch detectable markings. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a permanent identification 
device or marker that can be easily attached and firmly affixed to a 
fabric, with no deleterious effect to the wearer or the fabric and which 
will withstand the wear and tear of repeated washing and drying. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus 
for manufacturing and distributing groups of easily useable tags for 
marking fabrics in general and socks in particular.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, and in particular to FIGS. 
1 and 2, the tag 10 is formed of a plastic, preferably by injection 
molding. A tab 11 is molded at an acute angle to a tag frame 12. The tag 
frame 12, which defines a rectangular aperture 13, is formed of torsional 
spring members 12a and 12b, side members 12c and 12d and an engagement 
cross member 12e. One end of the tab 11 is attached to the torsional 
spring members 12a and 12b which act as hinges allowing the tab 11 to 
pivot from its molded position, through the aperture 13 into its spring 
biased engaged position against cross member 12e, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 
4. 
The width of rectangular tab 11 is substantially less than the width of 
aperture 13 formed by the frame 12. This provides for two ample spaces 
through which a fabric F can pass when the tab 11 is in the engaged 
position with cross member 12e. Torsional spring members 12a and 12Lb will 
twist to provide a spring force which will hold the tab 11 in pressure 
contact against the fabric in contact with cross member 12e. As best shown 
in FIG. 4, the lower end 11a of tab 11 overlaps the top edge 12f of cross 
member 12e. 
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the tab end 11a is beveled to 
assist in shifting tab 11 through aperture 13. Cross member 12e is formed 
to present a sharp corner 17 at the line of engagement with tab 11 to 
minimize slippage between the fabric F and cross member 12e. All other 
edges of the frame 12 are rounded to prevent snagging of fabrics by the 
tag. 
In order to minimize the cost of injection molding tags 10, it is desirable 
to form a number of tags at the same time. This may be accomplished by 
forming the tags in clusters such as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Moreover, 
these clusters make these small tags easier to handle and to merchandise. 
Each cluster of tags may be injection molded with colored plastic material 
to provide sets of tags of like color for visual identification. 
As can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tags may also be marked in pairs. As 
shown in FIG. 5 each cluster contains eight pairs of tags interconnected 
on a spider 16 having breakaway legs 18. The tags 10 have raised numbers 
molded on the tabs 11. This provides a means of marking eight separate 
pairs of socks or the like with tags of the same color but with different 
numbers. After washing socks, for instance, they can first be sorted by 
the color of the tag and then sorted again by tag numbers. To assist the 
color blind in identifying cluster groups of tags, group symbols 15 may be 
molded on the frames 12 of tags 10 to correspond with a particular colored 
plastic. 
Difficult as it is for persons with normal color perception to identify 
subtle differences in colored fabrics, it is, of course, impossible for 
the blind or the color blind to make such colored fabric distinctions. To 
assist the blind, in particular, FIG. 6 shows a cluster of tags of a 
different configuration and a second method of differentiating the tags 
for use by the blind. The tags 10 are interconnected at their corners 20. 
The interconnection is easily broken apart by flexing the tags. The tab 11 
on each tag is marked with raised, braille-like symbols 14 for touch 
identification. Touch identification group tag symbols 15 may also be 
molded on the frame of each tag. The number, shape and size of these 
raised group tag symbols 15 may be varied from cluster to cluster as an 
indicia of groups for those who cannot see or identify tag colors. By 
placing the raised symbols on the tabs 11 and on the top of frames 12, the 
symbols are in exposed detectable positions when the tags are fastened on 
fabrics. Obviously, the blind will be able to color sort fabrics 
identified with the tags 10 of either FIG. 5 or 6 by touch, whereas those 
of normal vision and the color blind will be able to color sort fabrics by 
visual inspection of these same color matching symbols. 
The invention has been described with reference to the preferred 
embodiments. Obviously modifications and alterations will occur to those 
skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this 
specification. It is my intention to include all such modifications and 
alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims 
or the equivalent thereof.