Year: 1887

page_text: 1, JAMES ALBERT BONSACK, residing at Bonsack's, Roanoke County, State of Virginia,
in the United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide labels for cigarettes upon which the trade
mark, trade naine, name of manufacturer, or other matter, tending to identify the
cigarette as that of a particular manufacturer, may be printed or otherwise applied,
and which shall be so shaped as to present a neat appearance when around the cigarette,
and so that when its ends are pasted together said ends will not be liable to become
separated so as to detach the label.
In the accompanying drawings -
Figure, 1, represents a cigarette with one of my improved labels applied thereto.
Figure, 2, is a cross sectional view of the same taken on the line, x-x, figure, 1.
Figure, 3, a view of the label before its ends are fastened together.
Figure, 4, a perspective view of the label as it appears when slipped off the
cigarette.
Figure, 5, a view of a modified form of 'label.
Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.
The letter, A, represents the cigarette and, B, the label. Upon inspection of fig. 3,
it will be observed, that end, b, of the label is made pointed while the opposite end
has a V-shaped portion cut out as shown at, b¹.
By tapering the end, b, and applying the paste or mucilage to the extreme point
thereof the paste is located centrally of the paper and a proper joining of the two ends
is ensured when the label is wrapped around a cigarette, even if the wrapping is not
exactly true, there being no liability of the label being pasted and permanently attached
to the cigarette as there would be in case a square ended label were used and the paste
were applied entirely across the end thereof.
It might be said that this objection to the square ended label could be obviated by
applying the paste thereto only centrally of the end, but this would lead to the further
difficulty of leaving the two corners loose that would be liable to curl up and cause
the label to be easily detached.

page_text: By cutting the labels pointed at one end and notched at the other not only are the
two corners gotten rid of, but a better finish is given the label and they are enabled
to be applied more rapidly, because these peculiar cuts weaken both ends and naturally
it does not require that they be held together so long for the purpose of effecting their
proper union as would be the case were they stronger and stiffer.
Instead of forming the angular point at one end of the label and the angular notch
at the other end thereof as shown in figure, 3, a rounding point or notch such as
shown in figure 5 may be formed. In fact this, or any other equivalent of the point
and notch may be resorted to without departing from the principle of my invention.
In practice I propose to make these labels by machinery constructed to cut them
rapidly from a continuous ribbon of paper. They may he applied by hand or by
machinery adapted to the purpose. 1 contemplate making the labels of any suitable
colored paper and with or without a design, trade-mark, trade name or other matter
upon them. They may be printed upon, before application to cigarettes or while
in process of being applied and by slipping them off the cigarettes before the latter
are smoked the deleterious effects resulting from inhaling the fumes of printers ink
now experienced where printing is done directly upon the cigarettes, are entirely
avoided, while all the advantages of printing are secured.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described label having one end cut away or notched and the other
end formed substantially in the manner described.
2. The combination with a cigarette, of a label to which or upon which a trade
mark, trade name, or other matter may be applied or printed and having one end cut
away or notched and the other end formed substantially as shown and described and
for the purposes specified.
Dot 1ST.... 1007