Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2 ~ 3 ~
ASSl~MBLY OF l?LAT MaRRE:R SLI :l~VES R~CE:SSED Il~
Ci~RRIER A~D RE:TAINED THE:RlEIN BY SUPPORT TAPE:
Our present invention relates to assemblies of
flattened tubular marker sleeves; more specificallyl such
assemblies that are particularly adapted to facilitate
printing of identification legends on the marker sleeves by
end users with various types of computer controlled printing
devices.
Tubular marker sleeves are typically used as an
identification device for electrical wires, such as
identifying wires in a harness or bundle of wires with a
distinctive legend such as serial number to identify a
specific wire in the harness or bundle. The marker sleeves
are often made of heatshrinkable plastic material so they
can be shrunk after being applied to a wire to tightly
conform to the periphery o the wire and thereby be retained
securely in place.
It is generally preferable to supply the marker sleeves
to an end user in the form of an assembly including a
plurality of marker sleeves. One style of ma~rker sleeve
assembly is described in U.S. Patent 3,894,731 comprising
flatt~ned sleeves carried on tines extending from a
supporting spine., More recent developments are described in
U.S. Patents 4,361,230, Downing et al., 4,363,401, Savagian,
and 4,442,939, Downing, all of which are assigned to the
assignee of the present invention. These latter patents
disclose marker sleeve assemblies made from two or more webs
joined together to define individual sleeves, and marker
t~
--2--
sleeve assemblies according to one or more of these patents
have proved to be commercially successful.
` Another ~tyle of marker sleeve assemblies is described
in U.S. Patent 4,198,451, Johnston, wherein the marker
sleeves are secured to pressure sensitive adhesive on a
surface of a traction sheet, such as a sheet of paper with a
layer of pressure sensitive adhesive on one of its surfaces,
and in which the traction sheet further includes a cover
coating of friction material on its opposite or back side in
order to facilitate feeding the assembly through a
typewriter. Our present invention relates generally to an
assembly of marker sleeves that utilizes pressure sensitiYe
adhesive to retain individual marker sleeves in the assembly
until ready to be removed therefrom for use, but provides a
novel construction that has important advantages as compared
to the construction disclosed in this patent.
Many end users of marker sleeves, particularly those
using a large number of sleeves, prefer to obtain unprinted
marker sleeves that do not carry preprinted identification
information as they can apply identification legends to the
unprinted marker sleeves in their own plants, generally with
one form or another of a computer controlled printer. One
of the main objectives of the present invention is to
provide an assembly of marker sleeves having a construction
that will enable individual sleeves in the assembly to be
printed with identification legends by any type of computer
controlled printing mechanism, including a dot matrix
printer, daisy wheel printer, ink jet printer, laser
3 2 ~ 3 2
printer, etc. In this connection, it is particularly
important to provide an assembly of marker sleeves that can
be printed with a dot matrix type of printer mechanism in
which the assembly eliminates problems arising from
interfer.ing with the pins of the dot matrix printhead as the
printhead moves across marker sleeves of the assembly.
Accordingly, a more specific object of our inYention is to
provide an assembly of marker sleeves in which the marker
sleeves are at least partially recessed within supporting
members in such fashion that the s]eeves will not interfere
with transverse movement of a dot matrix printhead across
the assembly. Another main objective is to provide an
assembly of marker sleeves recessed in a carrier that also
imparts structural integrity to the assembly. Additional
objectives and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the detailed description which follows.
Our invention provides an assembly of flattened tubular
marker sleeves comprising a carrier consisting of a one-
piece element including spaced longitudinal side members
connected by a plurality of spaced transverse bridge
members, the side members and bridge members being integral
connected portions of the carrier, the bridge members being
equally spaced to define a plurality of evenly-spaced
rectangular apertures between each adjacent pair of bridge
members that are arranged in at least one longitudinal row
along the carrier; a support tape comprising a substrate and
a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, the suppor~ tape being
combined with the carrier with the pressure sensitive
2 ~ 3 2
adhesive layer adhered to a bottom surface of the carrier
and having a portion exposed inside each aperture of the
carrier; and at least one flattened tubular marker sleeve
positioned in each aperture of the carrier and having a
bottom surface releasably adhered to the pressure sensitive
adhesive of the support tape in an aperture and also having
an exposed top surface. The marker sleeves are at least
partially recessed within the carrier-support tape
combination, thereby reducing the extent to which a sleeve
protrudes from the top surface of the carrier. This, in
turn, reduces or eliminates the likelihood that a protruding
portion of a sleeve can interfere with the operation or
movement of a printhead mechanism. Further, the carrier
structure of side members interconnected with bridge members
results in an assembly ~hat has structural integrity during
printing of the marker sleeves and after removal of sleeves
from the assembly.
The ensuing detailed description is made by reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly of marker
sleeves of the invention wound into roll-form;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the assembly of
Fig. 1, with part of one marker sleeve broken away;
; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the assembly taken along the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 2;
Fig. 3a is a sectional view along the same plane as
Fig. 3 of an alternate structure for the assembly;
2 ~ 2
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the assembly taken along
the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a plan view of an initial step in the
application of a marker sleeve from the assembly
; 5 illustrating the removal of a marker sleeve from ~he
assembly using a sleeve remo~al tool;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an
intermediate step in the application of a marker sleeve from
the assembly;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a marker sleeve
from the assembly applied onto a wire;
Fig. 8 is a plan view of a second assembly of marker
sleeves of the invention;
Fig. 9 is a plan view of a third assembly of marker
sleeves of the invention;
Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the third assembly along
the plane of line 10-10 of Fig. 9;
Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the third assembly along
the plane of line 11-11 of Fig. 9;
Fig. 12 is a plan view of an alternate construction of
the assembly of Fig. 1;
Fig. 13 is a plan view of a first prior art assembly of
sleeve markers;
Fig. 14 is a sectional view along the plane of line 14-
14 of Fig. 13;
Fig. 15 is a plan view of a second prior art assembly
of sleeve markers;
2~4632
--6--
Fig. 16 is a sec~ional view along the plane of line 16-
16 of Fig. 15;
Fig. 17 is a plan view of a third prior art assembly of
sleeve markers; and
Fig. 18 is a sectional view along the plane of line 18-
18 of Fig. 17.
De~cription of Preferred EmbodLments
(a) Fir~t ~mbodiment, Figs. 1-7
An assembly 10 of marker sleeves constructed in
accordance with our present invention is shown in
perspective, plan and sectional views in Figs. 1-3
respectively. The as~embly 10 is illustrated as wound in
the form of a roll on a core 9 of suitable diameter.
The assembly 10 comprises three principal elements: a
carrier 11, a support tape 12 and marker sleeves 13.
The carrier 11, see especially Fig. 2, is a continuous
web of material in this first e~bodiment having a plurality
of evenly-spaced rectangular windows or apertures 15 that
have ~een cut out of the web so as to provide a carrier
structure consisting of spaced opposed longitudinal side
members 16 and 17 connected by a plurality of spaced
transverse bridge members 18. The carrier ll is a one-piece
element and the side members 16 and 17 and bridge members 18
comprise integral connected portions of the carrier. Bridge
members 18 are evenly-spaced longitudinally of the carrier,
to define the apertures 15 between each neighboring pair of
bridg~ members. The carrier 11 can be made of any suitable
material such as plastic, paper, card stock material. etc.
--7--
The carrier can be of any selected length and widkh,
depending upon the number and size of the marker sleeves to
be included in a specific assembly.
Support tape 12, see especially the sectional views of
Figs. 3 and 3a, comprises a substrate 20, which preferably
is a web of plastic film or paper, and a pressure sensitive
adhesive layer 21 over one surface of thP substrate.
Adhesive layer 21 of the support tape 12 is adhered to the
bottom surface lla of the carrier 11. Support tape 12 is
wider than the bridge members 18 and apertures 15 of the
carrier 11 and is shown as sligh~ly narrower than the
carrier; the tape extends longitudinally along the carrier
under all the apertures formed in the carrier, so that the
tape 12 undexlies the apertures 15, bridge members 18 and
side members 16 and 17 of the carrier. Also, support
tape 12 can be of ~he same width as carrier ll, if so
desired. With this arrangement of these two elements, a
portion of the adhesive layer 21 of support tape 12 is
exposed within each aperture 15 of the carrier, preferably
extending entirely across an aperture which is illustrated
~ in Fig. 2 by the cut-away portion of sleeve 13'.
- The marker sleeves 13 are in the form of flattened
tubular sleeves of any selected size. A marker sleeve 13 is
positioned inside each aperture 15 of the carrier 11 with
its bottom surface 13a releasably adhered to the portion of
adhesive layer 21 of the support tape extending across an
aperture. Each marker sleeve 13 is thereby held in place in
the assemhly 10 in an aperture 15 by means of the adhesive
20~ ~632
layer 21 of the support tape 12. The apertures 15 are sized
slightly larger than the marker sleeves so that an aperture
can accommodate a marker sleeve in this fashion.
Referring specifically to Figs. 3 and 3a, it will be
noted that a marker sleeve 13 is partially recessed in an
aperture 15 of the carrier. The assembly of the invention
thus provides for reducing the height of the top sur~ace 13b
of a marker sleeve above the kop surface llb of the carrier
strip by the thickness of the carrier strip relative to the
thickness of a marker sleeve. In Fig. 3, the top
surface 13b of marker sleeve 13 projects for only about 1/2
the thickness of the sleeve above top surface llb of the
carrier. In Fig. 3a, marker sleeve 13' is thinner than
sleeve 13 of Fig. 3 so that its top surface 13b protrudes
above top surface llb of the carrier by only approximately
0.001 to 0.003 inches. The recessed arrangement of the
marker sleeves in the assembly of the invention has
important advantages as explained in detail later in this
description.
It should be noted at this point, that a bridge member
18 of the carrier 11 is adjacent each marker sleeve 13 of
the assembly. As shown in the sectional view of Fig. 4,
side members 16 and 17 are connected together between each
marker sleeve by a bridge member 18, so that these three
members are integral structural components of the carrier
that remain intact when marker sleeves are releasably
adhered to the support tape and also when marker sleeves are
removed from the support tape. This construction provides a
2 ~ 3 2
carrier 11 having a ladder-like structure that has a high
degree of structural integrity. The carrier 11 is
dimensionally stable in that one side member is accurately
positioned relative to the other and held in such position
by the bridge members.
Returning to Figs. l and 2, a row of pin feed holes 22
is formed along longitudinal side member 16 of the carrier
and a similar row of pinfeed holes 22 is formed alon~ the
opposite longitudinal side member 17 of the carrier. The
pinfeed holes 22 are evenly spaced from one another and are
included in the assembly lO when it is intended for use with
a pinfeed or tractor type of printer drive mechanism. An
assembly 10 is normally furnished to an end user in the form
illustrated in Figs. 1-3 wherein the marker sleeves are
blank, and not pre-printed. This enables the end user to
print selected alphanumeric identification data on each
marker sleeve, most generally with a computer and printer,
particularly by those who may employ a larger number of
marker sleeves. Therefore, it is ~ital, to be useful, that
an assembly of marker sleeves can be fed through a computer
controlled printer with little or no likelihood of problems
arising duriny the printing operation.
Fig. 5 shows identification legends 25 printed on each
marker sleeve 13, depicted as serial numbers "ABCDE 1" -
"ABCDE 4" for purposes of illustration. As noted above,printing the legends 25 on the marker sleeves is most often
accomplished with a computer controlled printer.
20~ ~32
--10--
After the marker sleeves have been printed with the
selected legends, a specific sleeve can be removed from the
assembly 10 by peeling it off the adhesive layer 21 of the
support tape within an aperture 15. A person can do this
manually by grasping a sleeve with their fingers and lifting
it from the assembly for application to an article.
Figs. 5-7 illustrate another way to remove sleeves 13
from assembly 10. Fig. 5 shows an initial step in removing
a marker sleeve from the assembly using a sleeve removal
tool 30 that has a flat blade 31 which is inserted through
an open end of a flattened marker sleeve 13. After blade 31
is inserted through all or most of the length of a sleeve,
-the sleeve is lifted off the adhesive layer 21 of support
tape 12. As described above, the sleeve 13 is releasably
adhered to the adhesive layer 21 o the support tape so that
a sleeve 13 can be readily removed from the adhesive layer
and in such fashion that the adhesive does not transfer onto
a sleeve. Next, referring now to Fig. 6, sleeve removal
tool 30 is rotated 90 so that its blade 31 is perpendicular
to the walls of the sleeve 13 which cause~ the flattened
sleeve to become partially or completely open, thereby
facilitating inserting the sleeve onto a wire to be marked.
Fig. 7 illustrates a marker sleeve 13 after it has been
applied to an insulated electrical wire 35. When the sleeve
is of heatshrinkable material, appropriate heating is
employed so that the sleeve will fit tightly about the
periphery of the insulation of the wire.
3 2
-11~
Example
Three assemblies 10 of marker sleeves as illustrated in
Figs. 1-3 were produced as follows. The carrier ll was made
from flexible plastic cardstock material about 0.013"
(O.33mm) thick and 3.5" (89mm) wide. Pinfeed holes 22 were
5/32~l (4mm) in diameter spaced about 0.50" tl3mm) on center
were diecut along the opposed longitudinal side members of
the carriers located O.25~l (6mm) in from each edge thereof.
Rectangular apertures 15 of varying sizes were diecut in the
lO carri.ers as follows:
Assembly Carrier_ Apertures 15
lOa lla 0.215~ wide x 2.04ll long
(5.5mm wide x 52mrn long)
lOb llb 0.376~ wide x 2.04ll long
(9.5mm wide x 52mm long)
lOc llc 0.922" wide x 2.04" long
(23.4mm wide x 52mrn long)
A support tape 12 that was 2.5" (63.5mm) wide
consisting of polyester film O.001" (O.025mm) thick with a
layer of pressure sensitive adhesive Q.002" ~O.05mm) thick
on one surface was adhered to the bottom surface of each
carrier.
The apertures 15 of the carriers for assemblies lOa-lOc
were of different sizes in order to acco~nodate marker
sleeves 13 of different sizes, as shown below:
A~semblv llar}er SIGeV ~S 1~
lOa 0.207" wide x 2.0" long
(5.25n~ wide x 51mm long)
lOb 0.364" wide x 2.0l' long
(9.2mm wide x 51mm long)
2 ~ 3 2
-12-
lOc 0.892" wide x 2.0`' long
(22.6mm x 51mm lon~)
Carrier lla of assembly lOa was 1,250~ (31.75m) long
and the assembly held 2,500 marker sleeves. Assembly lOb
included 1,000 marker sleeves on a carrier llb that was 625"
(15.9m long). Assembly lOc had a carrier 1,250~' ~31.75m)
long and included 1,000 marker sleeves.
The marker sleeves were combined with the carrier by
adhering their bottom surface to the pressure sensitive
adhesive in each aperture of the respective carriers; there
was about 0.004" (O.lmm) clearance between the top and
bottom edges of each sleeve and the adjacent top and bottom
edges of each aperture 15, and about 0.02" (0.5mm) clearance
between the ends of each sleeve and the adjacent ends of
each aperture 15. Each assembly was wound into a roll on a
3" (76mm) diameter core. The marker sleeves were made of
flattened heat shrinkable polyolefin tubing, and were 0.026"
(0.66mm) thick; thus, the sleeves protruded from the top
surface of the carriers for only 1/2 of their thickness.
Testing demonstrated that each assembly lOa-lOc can be
readily fed past dot matrix, ink jet and daisy wheel
compu~er controlled printers having tractor feed drives and
that the marker sleeves can be printed with identification
legends without smearing of ink or interference with
movement of the printer mechanism. Further, the sleeves
were easily removed from each assembly and applied to wires
as described above.
Additional embodiments of the invention are described
in sections (b)~(d) and illus-trated in Flgs. 8-12;
2 ~ 3 ~
-13-
structural elements whi~h are the same as corresponding
elements in the first embocliment of Figs. 1-7 are identified
with the same reference numeral in these additional
embodiments.
(b) Second Embodiment, Fig. 8
The concepts of this invention also can be embodied in
an assembly of marker sleeves that does not include pin feed
holes along the carrier.
In assembly lOa illustrated in Fig. 8, side members 16
and 17 of carrier 11 do not ha~e the pin feed holes 22 of
assembly 10 of Figs. 1-7. Carrier 11 has notches 36 evenly
spaced along side member 16 and is of the type covered by
U.S. Patent 4,844,629 assigned to the assignee of this
invention. ~his provides a carrier with two different width
dimensions for use in a microprocessor controlled printing
apparatus of the type also covered by the above patent
4,844,629 wherein detection of the two different width
dimensions is utilized to register a sleeve with a printing
station of the apparatus.
Further, however, carrier 11 can be made with neither
pin feed holes nor notches 36 in or along either of the side
members, which will be appropriate for some ~ypes of printer
feed mechanisms. Also, one or both side members of the
carriers may include printed registration marks that can be
read optically to register the carrier relative to the
printing station; other types of registration symbols or
elements can be applied to or defined in one or both of the
side members of the carrier.
6 ~ 2
-14-
(c) Third Embodiment, Figs. 9-11
The foregoing assemblies 10 and 10a are of a
construction in which one surface of a marker sleeve is
exposed for printing with identification indicia, the top
surface 13b of sleeves 13 being accessible for this purpose
in the first two embodiments. There are instances, however,
in which an end user desires to print legends on both the
top and bottom surfaces of a flattened marker sleeve, and
assembly 10b illustrated in Figs. 9-11 meets this
re~uirement.
Carrier 11 of assembly 10b is of the same structure as
the carrier of assembly 10 first described above. However,
assembly 10b has tWQ support tapes 12-1 and 12-2, both of
which are narrow webs of tapes such as about 3/16 inch to
3t8 inch ~4 to 10mm) wide. Adhesive layer 21 of support
tape 12-1 is adhered to bottom surface lla of the carrier
along a longitudinal portion of side member 16 and portions
of bridge members 18; support tape 12-1 also extends across
the end portions of the apertures 15 of the carrier. One
end of sleeve 13-1 is cut away in Fig. 9 to illustrate the
manner in which part of the adhesive layer 21 of tape 12-1
is exposed within the apertures 15. Support tape 12~2 is
arxanged in the same fashion along side member 17 and bridge
members 18. One end portion of sleeve 13-2 is cut away in
Fig. 9 to illustra~e the manner in which part of the
adhesive layer 21 of tape 12-2 is exposed within the
apertures 15.
2 ~ 3 2
-15-
Turning now to the sectional view of E'ig. 10, the two
end portions of a sleeve 13 are releasably adhered to the
adhesive layer of tapes 12-1 and 12-2 within an aperture 15
to thereby hold the marker sleeves on the assembly. Top
surface 13b of the sleeve is exposed for printing as in the
previous embodiments. In addition, however, bottom
surface 13a of the sleeve is exposed between the spaced
support tapes 12-1 and 12-2 and is thereby also accessible
for printing.
As can be seen from the sectional view of Fig. 11,
which is taken across a bridge member 18, side portions 16
and 17 and bridge members 18 are integral members of the
carrier 11 as in the prior embodimentsO
(d) Fourth Embodiment, Fig. 12
- 15 Fig. 12 illustrates an alternate construction for
assembly 10, which is identified as assembly 10~ in the
drawing. When short marker sleeves are required by the end
usert such as marker sleeves in the range of about 1/2" to
1" (about 12.5 - 25mm) long, a plurality of marker sleeves
13 can be carried within each aperture 15 of the carrier 11.
Fig. 12 is an example of this type of construction wherein
four marker sleeves 13 are positioned within each aperture
15 of assembly 10'. This construction can be made
conveniently by first applying a single piece of flattened
tubing within each aperture and then subdividing it into the
requisite number of individual marker sleeves by means of
slits 40 so that individual marker sleeves can be separated
from the assembly for application. Slits 40 can be formed,
201~63~
-16-
for example, by die cutting a piece of flattened tubing and
controlling the depth of cuts so that a slit 40 extends only
through the tubing and does not sever the support tape 12
along the bottom of the carrier 11. Assembly lOa of Fig. 8
also can be manufactured in a construction similar to that
of Fig. 12.
(e) Manufacture; Materials
An advantage of the marker sleeve assemblies of our
invention is that they can be manufactured easily with known
techniques and at an economical cost. The carrier 11 to be
used in the assemblies may be manufactured by die cutting
rectangular apertures in a web of suitable material to
thereby form a carrier having integral side members and
spaced transverse bridge members connecting the side
members, with at least one column of evenly spaced
rectangular apertures. The support tape or tapes used in
the assembly can be of plastic film such as a polyester
film, vinyl film, etc.~ coated on one surface with a layer
of pressure sensitive adhesive having release properties
selected to enable easy removal of a marker sleeve from the
adhesive layer without the adhesive transferring to the
marker sleeve. The support tape or tapes can be joined to
the carrier by standard laminating manufacturing techniques.
At present, we prefer a flexible plastic material for the
carrier, such as films or webs of flexible polystyrene,
nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, rigid vinyl,
gapton~, Tyvek~, and Nomex~; also, however, a moisture
resistant or stabilized paper can be used for the carrier.
2 ~ 3 2
-17-
The carrier is to form a relatively rigid ~tructure that is
substantially dimensionally stable. Pin feed holes and
notches or other forms of registration structures can be
defined in the side members of the carrier by means of
typical die cutting techniques. Flattened marker sleeves
can then be fed over the apertures of the carrier and
releasably adhered to the adhesive layer of support tape
exposed within an aperture to thereby complete the
manufacture of an assembly of the invention. The flattened
marker sleeves can be made of various materials appropriate
to their expected end use; plastic tubing is most useful for
typical marker sleeve identification end uses, and the
tubing is flattened before being joined in an assembly. If
the marker sleeves are not to be heatshrinkable, various
types of plastic tubing can be used, such as vinyl tubingr
polyolefin tubing, nylon tubing, etc. Marker sleeves that
are to be heatshrinkable are made by cross-linking selected
plastic tubing, such as by irradiation, prior to flattening;
various types of irradiated heat shrinkable vinyl tubing and
polyolefin tubing are commercially available for this
purpose. The marker sleeves can be printed or unprinted, as
desired, and they can be in various colors where some form
of color coding identification is required. Flattened
tubular marker sleeves can, for example, be in the range of
about 0.015 to 0.040 inches (0.38 to 1 mm) thick, and the
carrier of the assemblies can be in the range of about
O.0075 to 0.020 inches (0.19 to 0.5 mm) thick so that at
least one half the thickness of a marker sleeve will be
2~4~32
-18
recessed within the carrier, whereby a marker sleeve will
project from the top surface of the carrier by only one half
or less of its thickness.
(f) Prior Art Sl~eve As~emblies, Figs. 13-18
Three prior art assemblies of flattened marker sleeves
are illustrated in Figs. 13-18.
Figs. 13 and 14 show an assembly 50 said to be made
under U.S. Patent 4,198,451 described in the background
section of this specification, which is sold in the V.S. by
Critchley Inc.
Assembly 50 comprises a traction sheet 51, generally a
sheet of paper, and a plurality of flattened tubular marker
sleeves 52 that are adhered to the front surface of sheet 51
by means of a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive 53, which
is best visible in the sectional view of Fig. 14. Th~re is
a separate localized pressure sensitive adhesi~e layer 53
under each row of marker sleeves. Pin feed holes 54 are
formed along opposed side margins of sheet 51 50 that the
assembly can be fed through a printing apparatus with a
tractor or sprocket type of drive mechanism. Patent
4,198,451 further requires a coating of a friction material
on the back side of the assembly disclosed in the patent,
such as the coating strip 55 sh~wn in dashed line in
Fig. 14; strips of friction coating are found on assemblies
similar to assembly 50 that do not include the pin feed
holes 54, but are not included as part of the assembly 50
illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14 that has pin feed holes. As
indicated in Fig. 13, the marker sleeves 52 are formed of a
2 ~ 3 2
long piece of flattened tubing having spaced slits 56 to
define three marker sleeves in each row of the assembly.
The assemblies of marker sleeves of the present
invention, such as described in parts ~a)-(d) above have a
number of important and useful advantages in comparison to
prior art assembly 50. In the prior art assembly 50, the
traction sheet 51 functions as a carrier for the sleeves and
it can be noted from ~igs. 13 and 14 that the rnarker
sleeves 52 are on top of a surface of the carrier 51 so that
they project from the carrier for their full thickness.
This means that the thickness of the carrier is added to the
thickness of the marker sleeves in assembly 50. Nany
printing mechanisms have a limited amount of gap available
between a printhead and a pla~en or other device over which
the assembly is advanced for printing, which thereby imposes
a limit on the thickness of the material that can be used
for carrier 51 in prior art assembly 50. The effect of this
is that the carrier 51 of the assembly must be made of
relatively thin material in order to run through a printer;
commercial types of assemblies 50 have generally used a thin
0.004 inch (O.lmm) thick sheet of paper as the carrier, and
the carrier is of uniform thickness across the assembly,
including underneath ~he marker sleeves. The carrier 11 of
the assemblies of this invention was developed to be
relatively thick outside of the marker sleeves but thin
under the marker sleeves; in the assemblies of the
invention, therefore, the carrier 11 can be made as a rigid,
dimensionally stable element. Secondly, prior art
2 ~ 3 2
-20-
assembly 50 cannot be made in a form in which the marker
sleeves can be printed on both surfaces. Again, by
contrast, the present invention as shown by the embodiment
of Figs. 9-11 can be of a constructi.on that permits printing
on both the top and bottom surfaces of the sleeves. Another
disadvantage brought about by the construction of
assembly 50 wherein the marker sleeves project from a
surface of the carrier 51 for their full thickness is that
the assembly 50 will not properly feed through some types of
printing mechanism and, for example, the sleeves will often
be smeared with ink such as from a ribbon; also, the ends of
the exposed projecting marker sleeves present a hazard in
that the pi.ns of a dot matrix printer can sometimes catch on
an end of a sleeve as the printer moves transversely across
the assembly at high speeds. ~his is not a problem with the
assemblies of the present invention because the marker
sleeves 13 in our new assemblies are at least partially
recessed within a carrier 11 so that they ex-tend above the
surface of the carrier by only a portion, preferably at
least only one-half or less, of their thickness. A further
disadvantage of assembly 50 is that its commercial versions
require pressure sensitive adhesive 53 to be laid down in a
pattern on a surface of the carrier 51, with a zone of
adhesive under each marker sleeve. Depositing a patterned
layer of pressure sensitive adhesive can present
manufacturing difficulties and also generally restricts the
manufacturer to the use of hot melt adhesives, which may not
~ have the desired release properties. Manufacture of the
:
2~S32
-21-
assemblies of marker sleeves of the present invention,
however, does not require this type of patterned coating of
pressure sensitive adhesive and our new constructions thus
eliminate problems that arise by reason of the adhesive
structure of assembly 50. Alternatively, the assembly 50
may be produced by coating the marker sleeves with transfer
adhesive prior to joining the sleeves to the carrier. For
reasons we do not know, commercial versions of an assembly
50 are sold in a fan-fold arrangement in which alternating
sheets of the carrier are blank and do not hold marker
sleeves; perhaps there have been problems having exposed
adhesive in the assemblies that causes blocking of overlying
layers of the assembly. Whatever the reason, however, the
assemblies of our invention carry marker sleeves on each
sheet of the carrier when sold in fan-folded form, and also
can be wound into roll form with marker sleeves continuously
along a web of the carrier, so that there is no need to
alternate blank sheets with carrier sheets having marker
sleeves and there are no problems of the ~ype caused by
exposed adhesive.
Figs. 15 and 16 illustrate prior art assembly 60 that
is sold by Thomas & Betts Corporation. Assembly 60 includes
a carrier 61 that is made of a sheet of transparent plastic
in the commercial product. Carrier 61 includes a plurality
of cut-outs 62, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 15, that
define tabs 63 in the carrier; there are two tabs for each
sleeve of the assembly. Flattened tubular marker sleeves 64
are attached to the carrier 61 by inserting a tab 63 into
2 ~ 3 2
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the opposed open ends of each sleeve, which arrangement is
shown by the sleeves illustrated in assembly 61 in Fig. 15.
Pin feed holes 65 are formed along the opposed longitudinal
edge portions of carrier 61.
Assembly 60 is illustrated in sectional view in Fig. 16
that shows one of ~he marker sleeves 64 and the manner in
which it is secured ~o carrier 61. The tabs 63 formed by
cutouts 62 of the carrier extend into the opposed open ends
of marker sleeves 64.
Returning to Fig. 15, carrier 61 of assembly 60 is
formed to include parallel spaced rows of corrugations 67,
there being a row of corrugations between each column of
marker sleeves and between each outboard column of sleeves
and its adjacent side edge portion of the assembly.
The new marker sleeve assemblies of our present
invention also have useful advantages in comparison to prior
art assembly Ç0. Removal of a marker sleeve 64 from the
- carrier 61 of an assembly 60 is a particularly clumsy
operation since a person must remove each end of a sleeve
from a tab 63. This involves significant time and
manipulation of the sleeves. However, removal of a marker
: sleeve 13 from an assembly of the present invention is a
simple operation requiring merely lifting a sleeve from the
support tape attached to the carrier. Moreover, inserting
marker sleeves 64 between tabs 63 in the assembly 60 adds
: complications and expense to the process for manufacturing
the assemblies; our new assemblies are easier to manufacture
because there is no need to insert tabs into opposed ends of
;'''
,
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the sleeves with our conskructions. It appears the
corrugations 67 are included in the carrier 61 of assembly
60 in order to impart a measure of structural rigidity.
However, the carrier construction employed in assemblies of
this invention do not require corrugations or other forms of
reinforcemen~s in order to provide a dimensionally stable
carrier.
A third prior art assembly of marker sleeves is
illustrated in Figs. 17 and 18. Assembly 70 of these two
drawings is of a construction sold commercially by Raychem
Corporation. Assembly 70 includes a pair of spaced
longitudinal strips 71 and 72 that are separate rom one
another. Flattened marker sleeves 73 are secured in place
between the strips 71 and 72. As seen in the sectional view
of Fig. 18, each end of a sleeve 73 is secured to its
adjacent strip 71 or 72 by maans of a pair of pressure
sensitive adhesive tapes. One end of sleeve 73 is attached
to strip 71 by tape 74 between the upper surface of
sleeve 73 and the upper surface of strip 71, and also by
tape 75 between the bottom surface of sleeve 73 and bottom
surface of strip 71. In similar fashion, the opposite end
of each sleeve 73 is joined to strip 72 by tape 76 extending
between the top of sleeve 73 and the top of strip 72 and by
tape 77 ext~nding between the bottom of sleeve 73 and the
bottom of strip 72. Tapes 74-77 each have a layex 78 of
pressure sensitive adhesive along one surface of the tapes
that is used to join the sleeves to strips 71 and 72 in this
2~14~32
-24-
manner. Pin feed holes 79 are formed in strips 71 and 72 as
shown in Fig. 17.
The prior art assembly 70 is a very flimsy assembly
because there is no fixed rigid connection between the
strips 71 and 72. The strips are easily moved
longitudinally relative to one another. Marker sleeves are
not generally very rigid articles, so that the strips 71 and
72 can easily be moved towards one another upon bending of
the sleeves. ~hus, assembly 70 has little dimensional
stability. In sharp contrast, the assemblies of marker
sleeves of our present invention have dimensionally stable
carriers as a result o-f the construction incorporating
longitudinal side portions and connecting transverse bridge
elements that are integral elements of the carrier. It is
expected that manufacture of an assembly 70 will be
particularly cumbersome and ~xpensive because of a need to
correctly register a number of parts relative to one
another. That is, two independent strips 71 and 72 must be
registered with one another, tapes 74-77 must be properly
registered relative to each strip, and sleeves 73 must be
properly regis~ered between the tapes and the strips. It is
apparent that manufacture of the assemblies of our invention
does not require any of these ~ime consuming and additional
registration steps. Thirdly, there is a significant
possibility of a strip 71 or 72 moving longitudinally
relative to the other strip as the sleeves are ~eing printed
in a printer mechanism, and improper registration of the
sleeves relative to the printer mechanism is a potential
2~4~32
-25-
disadvantage of the assembly 70. However, there is no such
disadvantage found with the assemblies of our invention
since the construction of the carrier 11 as described above
assure proper and accurate registration between opposite
sides of the assembly as it is being fed through a printing
mechanism. Lastly, removing a printed sleeve from the
assembly 70 for application to a wire is especially
cumbersome. A person must, for example, first remove
pressure sensitive tape 74 from one end of a marker sleeve
and then remove tape 76 from the opposite end of the marker
sleeve; next, the person must remove the sleeve from the
tapes 75 and 77 or remove the tapes from the marker sleeves.
Removing a printed sleeve 13 from the assemblies of this
invention does not require any of these types of
manipulations, inasmuch as ~he sleeve 13 can simply be
lifted from the support tape of the assembly.
The foregoing enabling description presents several
specific embodiments of new marker sleeve assemblies
incorporating the concepts of our present invention that
e~hibit significant new advantages to both the end users of
marker sleeves as identification devices and the
manufacturer of marker sleeve assemblies. The several
embodiments described herein are presently-preferred
exemplary constructions according to our invention and it is
anticipated that those of ordinary skill in the art will be
able to devise alternatives to them that will remain within
the true spirit and scope of this invention and are intended
to be encompassed within the claims of this patent.
