Identifying means

Application filed October 11, 1920.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, McKenzie Dumais, a subject of the King of Great Britain, a resident of the city of Hull, Province of Quebec, 5 Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Identifying Means, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in 10 identifying means such as checking tags or tags placed on goods for tax and revenue or other purposes, and the objects of the invention are to provide a simple and effective means for preventing fraud in the use of 15 such identifying means, and especially to provide means by which the identifying portion of the tag which is to be attached to the goods may be firmly and securely locked to the goods in such a way that it may be re20 moved without destruction.

Further objects are to provide such a means that the tags may be manufactured in large quantities at low cost, and the locking device may be of a simple and effective de25 sign and better adapted to perform the functions required of it.

It consists essentially of the improved construction hereinafter described in detail in the accompanying specification and draw30 ings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail through the ³⁵ male portion of the locking device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail through an enlarged scale of a part of the locking device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a female portion of the locking device drawn to the same scale as 40 Fig. 2.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

Referring to the drawings; A represents the tag conveniently formed in three sepa45 rable portions 10, 11 and 12, separated by lines or perforations 13 and 14 or other convenient means by which the tag is weakened along the lines of division.

Each of these portions of the tag bears ⁵⁰ corresponding numerals and my improved locking means B is attached to the portion 12.

This improved locking means includes a male member 15 and a female member 16 which are attached to opposite ends of a flexi55 ble wire 17 or similar connecting member. The wire 17 may be attached to the female

Patented June 21, 1921.

Serial No. 416,226.

. member by any convenient means, as for instance by an inwardly turned peripheral flange 26 on the female member.

The male member 15 includes an enlarged 60 locking head 18 having a locking groove 19 at its base, and a face plate 20 below the locking groove. Beneath the face plate a tubular portion 21 is provided which may be spread to form a rivet by which the device is at- 65 tached to the tag and flexible member or to the end of the flexible member.

In Fig. 1 the female member is shown attached to a free end of the wire 17 while the male member 15 is attached to the opposite 70 end of the wire and to the tag A.

In Fig. 3, I have shown the female member attached to the free end of the wire, while the male member is attached to the tag A.

It is evident that this may be arranged as 75 found convenient, although I think the preferred manner is, to attach the male member to the tag. It is evident that the constructional detail of the locking device may be varied within the scope of the claim. 80

The female member 16 includes a socket 22 to receive the male member and a locking spring 23. This locking spring being bent around the inner cylindrical surface of the female locking member and being formed 85 with a parallel spring locking the ends 24 and 25 which extend across the mouth, of the socket 22 and are designed to engage it in the locking groove 19 on the male member as shown in Fig. 3, whereby when the 90 male member is pressed into the female member, the spring ends 24 and 25 will spring the lock and prevent withdrawal of the male member without destruction of the device. ' 95

In using the device for instance as a baggage check, the wire 17 is inserted through the handle or other part of the baggage to be used and the male and female member locked together. The end portion 10 is then 100 torn off and given as a check and the inner portion 11 may be used as a counter check in the baggage office, while the portion 12 which is attached to the article cannot be removed without destruction of the fastener. 105

It is evident that a device of this character has a wide application due to the use as a baggage check which might be applied for instance to the collection of revenue or sales tax by the tagging of the goods. no

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many widely dif1,381,976

Ο ferent embodiments of my invention within the scope of the claims constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in 5 the accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.