IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR ATTACHING LABELS TO GOODS AND TO VARIOUS ARTICLES OF MERCHANDIZE
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
I RICHARD HUGH HUGHES of 96 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex,
Brass Founder do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS FOR ATTACHING LABELS TO GOODS AND TO VARIOUS ARTICLES OF
MERCHANDIZE to be as follows:-
The invention has for its object the prevention of mistakes and fraud by the
accidental or wilful substitution of one articlo, sack, bale or other package of
goods for another.
This I effect by securely connecting a label to a needle or pointed wire provided
with wings, barbs or other projections which can readily enter an article, sack, bale
or other package to which it is desired to attach the label but which cannot bo
drawn backwards out of the same without injury to such article, sack, bale or other
package.
This attachment will be found especially useful for persons when marketing; for
instance on the purchase of a fowl or a joint of meat, it frequently occurs that the
same is retained in the shop for some time after the purchase has been effected, and
on delivery it is found that the said article has been either accidentally or wilfully
changed for an inferior one, but if on a purchase being effected a label is attached
to the article in the manner above described all mistakes and fraud will be
prevented.

page_text: shown by the full lines, then in the event of any attemp being made to withdraw
the needle, the wings or barbs 6' will open out to the position shown by dotted
lines in Figure 1 thereby preventing the withdrawal of the needle except with
the result of injuring the article in which it has been inserted.
In the arrangement shown at Figures 3 and 4 the wings or barbs b' are not
hinged as in the previous arrangement but are cut out of the arms or branches of
the needle b, the clip c in this case when holding the arms or branches of the
needle 6 together rests against the projections is shown by the dotted lines in
Figure 4. In the arrangement shown at Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 the needles b are
forined of sheet metal whilst in the arrangements shown at Figures 5, 6, and 7
they are formed of wire. The needles shown at Figures 5 and 7 being formed with
single stems whilst that shown at Figure 6 is formed with two arms or branches
and is provided with a clip c for the purpose before explained.
The labels a in all the arrangements are so fixed to the needle b as to prevent
removal thereof when attached to any article except by injury to the saine or to
the needle and thereby affording a telltale against the substitution of one article
for another. I would here reinark that in the drawings I have shown some forms
of any Invention as examples only and do not limit myself to the shape, proportions
or constructions shown as such may be varied without departing from the peculiar
character of my Invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
Attaching a label a to a barbed needle b in manner substantially as herein shown
and described and for the purpose stated.