AU681548B2 - A tag device - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 o a cc a

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPI FTE SPFCIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

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I' Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: ERIC LESTER PEARSON Eric Lester Pearson

INTELLPRO

Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level D, 308 Edward Street BRISBANE, QLD, 4000 (GPO Box 1339, BRISBANE, 4001) Invention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Application(s) No(s): Australian Patent Application No. PN0325 filed 23 December 1994.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: I I 2 THIS INVENTION relates to a tag device and in particular but not limited to a tag device for use in testing and tagging electrical leads and cables.

Government regulation requires periodic testing of electrical equipment by a qualified licensed electrician to ensure continuing safety. Once equipment is tested "safe", tagging involves the application of a tag to the equipment and this is usually carried out by applying a tag to a lead or cable carrying details of the test including the date of testing.

Some equipment is usually tested at six monthly intervals while other go 10 equipment is tested annually.

One known tag employs an aluminium wrap around tag clamped 'C.o around the lead. This type of tag is not commonly used any more and has Co..

been outlawed in some jurisdictions as the tags are prone to cut leads and of course the tags being conductive present the risk of electrocution.

These tags also tend to catch on other equipment, clothing and so forth.

An alternative and now preferred tag is a rectangular plastic wrap around label carrying adhesive. This label simply wraps around the lead and 00 6 sticks to itself. The problem with this type of tag is that equipment is frequently exposed to solvents so that the adhesive can be inadvertently dissolved and the tag lost. These tags are also prone to excessive wear.

It is an object of the present invention to alleviate at least to some degree the aforementioned problems associated with the prior art.

In one aspect therefore the present invention resides in a tag having body parts securable together and preferably clipped together pdstics body

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3 parts, the body parts being clippable or otherwise securable about a lead so the lead passes through the tag when the body parts are clipped together and the tag is secured to the lead. The tag includes an external recessed surface for carrying indicia so that marking carried by the recessed surface are not prone to wear by abrasion.

The tag is typically elongate and preferably generally cylindrical although it can be of any shape. The body parts are preferably respective halves of the tag and typically cylindrical halves are employed.

The tag typically has no abrupt ends, the ends being preferably rounded.

The tag preferably includes friction enhancing means adapted to 6**6 enhance frictional engagement between the lead and the tag. Preferably the t friction enhancing means comprises lead actuating deformable portions of the IL. tag or portion of the tag causing deformation of the lead. Typically rigid S 15 projection engaging the lead are employed.

The tag typically has locking clip fasteners having a locking action to inhibit release of the clip fasteners once the body parts are clipped together.

bO6 S4 Preferably the clip fastener includes co-operating male and female connectors, the male connector and female connector preferably having engaging shoulders which ride over one another and catch as the body parts are clipped together.

The tag is preferably formed from elongate thin walled moulded plastics parts having a lead or cable sized groove defined by spaced transverse arcuate projections providing for fairly uniform distribution of plastics material through I 4 the tag body to thereby inhibit warping during manufacture.

The indicia preferably includes date of testing and so forth.

Any suitable plastic can be used although polypropylene is preferred.

In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and be put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:- Figure 1 is a pictorial view illustrating application of the present invention to tagging of a flexible electrical lead; Figure 2 is an inside plan view of one half of a tag according to the 10 present invention; Figure 3 is an opposite plan view of the tag of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is an exploded view illustrating how identical halves clip together.

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figure 1 there is illustrated a tagged electrical lead 10 having a plug 11, flexible cable 13 and a bullet 0• shaped tag 14 according to the present invention and in this case made from two identical halves 15 and 16 clipped together about the flexible lead 13. A recessed surface 17 is provided and the date of Lsting- and other important information can be written on this recessed surface 17.

As can be seen in Figure 2 each half 15 and 16 is formed from plastics material moulded with a two to three millimetre wall thickness and includes arcuate bridging portions 18, 19 and 20 which actually contact the lead 13 wasted portions 21, 22, 23 and 24 are provided so that overall each half of the tag is of fairly uniform wall thickness throughout thereby promoting uniform rYY cooling effects during the moulding process. This prevents warpage and ensures that the halves faithfully clip together when being used.

The preferred plastic is polypropylene grade M548N Hi prene grade or functional equivalent.

As can be seen in the inset of Figure 2 each projection 18, 19 and includes a deformable thin feathering at 18a, 19a and 20a respectively to improve frictional engagement between tag and lead.

The clipping action is illustrated in Figure 4 where each half includes co-operating male and female connectors with the male connectors 25 having O. b 10 enlarged free end portions 26 which lock behind shoulders 27 (shown in cutaway) of the female connector portions 28 and this "locking action" inhibits *o o removal of the tag once they are secured in position about their leads.

As leads come in different sizes it is preferable to provide deformable feathering as described above adjacent the bridging portions 18, 19 and 20 to enhance frictional engagement between the lead 13 and the tag 14 when the tag halves are clipped together. Of course a number of different sized °~i connectors can be made to suit different ranges of lead thickness.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention provides a tag that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art. It will also be appreciated that whilst the above preferred form has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as herein set forth.

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Claims (18)

1. A tag for tagging an electric lead, the tag comprises body parts which are securable about the lead so that the lead passes through the tag, one of the body parts including an external recessed surface for carrying indicia so that markings carried by the recessed surface are not prone to wear by abrasion.

2. The tag according to claim 1 wherein the indicia includes information relevant to testing of an item of electrical equipment.

3. The tag according to one of claims 1 and 2 wherein the indicia includes date of testing of the item of electrical equipment.

4. The tag according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the body parts are clipped together body parts, and the body parts being clipable about the Se lead so the lead passes through the tag when the body parts are clipped together and the tag is secured to the lead. The tag according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the tag is 15 generally elongate or generally cylindrical in shape and the recessed surface is an elongate recessed surface.

6. The tag according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the body parts o ;are respective halves of the tag.

7. The tag according to claim 6 wherein the body parts are cylindrical halves.

8. The tag according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the tag has no abrupt ends.

9. The tag according to claim 8 wherein the ends are rounded. ~LI 7 The tag according to any one of claims 1 to 9 further comprising friction enhancing means adapted to enhance friction engagement between the lead and the tag.

11. The tag according to claim 10 wherein the friction enhancing means comprising lead actuating deformable portions of the tag.

12. The tag according to any one of claims 10 and 11 wherein the friction enhancing means comprises one or more portions of the tag causing deformation of the lead to enhance friction.

13. The tag according to any one of claims 10 to 12 wherein the friction enhancing means being one or more rigid projections engaging the lead.

14. The tag according to any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein the tag further comprises locking clip fasteners having a locking action to inhibit release of the clip fastener once the body parts are clipped together. OVO The tag according to claim 14 wherein the clip fastener includes co- 6 operating male and female connectors.

16. The tag according to claim 13 wherein each of the male connectors and each of the female connectors have engaging shoulders which ride over one •i i :o,:another and catch as the body parts are clipped together. Si0 00

17. The tag according to any one of claims 1 to 16 wherein the tag is formed from elongate thin walled plastics parts.

18. The tag according to claim 17 wherein the plastics parts have an electrical lead or cable sized groove defined by spaced transverse arcuate projections providing for fairly uniform distribution of plastics material through the tag body to thereby inhibit warping of the tag body during moulding. -IL 8

19. The tag according to any one of claims 17 or 18 wherein the wall thickness is about 2mm to 3mm. The tag according to any one of claims 1 to 19 wherein the tag is made from polypropylene plastics material.

21. A tag according to claim 1 for tagging an electric lead, the tag comprising elongated body parts which are securable about the lead so that the lead passes through the tag, the tag having friction enhancing means operable to be deformed and/or deform the lead in order to inhibit sliding of the tag along the lead, the tags forming a barrel shaped projection with rounded ends and the recessed surface comprises an elongate recess extending along the barrel shaped projection. "22. A tag according to claim 21 wherein the friction enhancing means ao.,. or. comprises longitudinally spaced internal projections, the projections having a rigid base and relatively flexible peripheral edge portions that deform when the 15 tag is applied to a lead. S. 23. A tag according to claim 21 or 22 wherein the tag is generally bullet a 0a 6 shaped having opposed rounded ends. S.

24. A tag according to claim 21 wherein the body parts include co- S.. operating clip together locking fasteners biasing the friction enhancing means in deforming engagement with the lead when the body parts are clipped together. A tag substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. V DATED THIS Twenty-second day of May 1997 ERIC LESTER PEARSON 0 nABy his Patent Attorneys INTELLPRO I c' ABSTRACT A tag is provided for tagging an eclectic lead. The tag has two body pails which are securable about the lead by being clipped together. One of the body parts has an external recessed surface for carrying indicia thereon. The indicia may include the date of testing and other relevant information. Preferably, friction enhancing means are provided to cause deformation of the lead when the body parts are clipped together. Locking clip fasteners may be included for inhibiting release of the clip fasteners once the body parts are clipped together. Preferably, the fasteners are male and female connectors on the body parts. S. C *pe o foe oo o*