US3225478A - Key marker - Google Patents

Description

KEY MARKER Filed Feb. 19, 1962 INVENTOR, MQHAQ HEATH HMER,

ATTOR United States Patent 3,225,478 KEY MARKER Richard Heath Rohmer, 728 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed Feb. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 173,948 1 Claim. (Cl. 411-330) This invention relates to a key tag and in particular to a key head cover which can be readily applied to the key head.

The object of the invention is to provide a key head cover which can be easily applied to the key head without the use of any special tools, the key head cover being provided with a space for writing the identification of the key thereon and a protective covering which protects the writing from becoming obliterated, blurred, etc., during use.

The key head cover of the present invention carried out the foregoing object and comprises a pair of tabs joined together by a bendable hinge, said tabs having inner and outer faces, a portion of the outer faces having a legend receiving surface, a pressure sensitive adhesive coating on the inner faces for securing said tabs toopposite faces of the key head, a transparent cover on the outer face of one of the tabs, said cover having a portion overlying and foldable away from the legend receiving surface, a pressure sensitive adhesive coating on the surface of the cover which faces the outer face of the tab with which it is associated and a removable protective sheet covering the adhesive coating on the inner and on the portion overlying the legend receiving surface.

For an understanding of the invention, its construction and use, reference is to be had to the following disclosure supplemented by the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the key head cover constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the key head cover shown in FIGURE 1 with the transparent cover folded back for the purpose hereinafter described.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the key head cover with the protective sheet removed from each of the adhesive coatings and ready to be attached to the key head and;

FIGURE 4 illustrates the key head cover attached to the key head.

The key head cover of the present invention comprises a pair of substantially flat tabs 10, 11, joined together by a bendable hinge 13, a transparent cover 14 applied to at least 1 of the tabs. The diameter of the tabs is preferably slightly less than the diameter of head 21 so that the tabs will be entirely within the limits of the head. In manufacturing it is more convenient to apply the transparent cover completely over the outer faces of the tabs and the hinge and permanently attach the cover thereto except for a hinged section 15 which section will overlie the portion of the outer face of one of the tabs on which will be inscribed the key identification and which portion is shown in FIGURE 2 has been indicated by the numeral 16 and is herein referred to as the legend or writing bearing surface 16. The inner faces of the tabs has applied thereto a pressure sensitive non-drying adhesive but the adhesive on the hinged section 15 is kept out of contact with the section 16 by a protective sheet 17 which is removed as hereinafter described.

The opposite faces of the tabs are coated with a pres :sure sensitive adhesive coating similar to the coating on the inner face of the tab 15 and temporarily protected against adhesion to objects by a removable protective sheet 18. Each of the tabs, in the course of manufacture, are formed with holes 19, 20 which will register with the standard key hole ring formed in the key head.

When it is desired to use the key head cover for identification of a particular key, the owner of the key writes his key identification code on the surface 16, peels off the protective sheet 17 and presses the protective covering 15 and the tab 10 together. The key head cover is then attached to the key head by peeling off the protective sheet 18 and applied to the key head 21 of the key 22 as shown in FIGURE 4 with the key holes 19, 20 registering with the key ring hole in the key head.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In combination, a fiat key having a head with an aperture therein extending from the opposite faces of said head and having an outer edge between said opposite faces thereof, and a key covering for said key, said key head covering comprising a pair of substantially flat tabs of substantially the same shape as the opposite faces of said key head each having an aperture therein and joined together by a bendable hinge piece having a narrower width than said tabs, said tabs and hinge piece having inner and outer faces, said tabs and hinge piece having a normally tacky adhesive coating of the pressure sensitive non-drying type on the inner faces thereof, the outer face of at least one of said tabs having a section for receiving writing, a transparent cover adhesively secured to the outer faces of said tabs and hinge piece by a pressure sensitive non-drying type adhesive and having apertures therein corresponding to said apertures in said tabs, a removable protective sheet normally overlying and temporarily separating the part of said transparent cover overlying said writing and hingedly secured to said transparent cover, with said tabs and hinge piece being adhesively attached to the opposite faces and outer edge of said key head, respectively, and with said apertures of said tabs, and said transparent cover being in axial alignment with said aperture in said key head, whereby after writing on said section of said one tab and stripping ofr' said removable protective sheet from said transparent cover, said transparent cover overlying said writ ing is adhesively attached in place to said section of said one tab having said writing thereon so that said writing is visible.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 857,778 6/ 1907 Wittstein 40-21 1,837,114 12/1931 Cicourel 40-330 2,173,752 9/ 1939 Carrington 40-330 2,704,409 3/ 1955 Randall 40-129 2,767,495 10/1956 Harris 40-2 2,953,865 9/1960 Heuser 40-2 2,979,840 4/ 1961 Eastman 40-2 3,077,683 2/1963 Jone 40-2 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD V. BENHAM, JEROME SCHNALL,

Examiners.

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