Label tag dispenser

Abstract

A label tag dispenser has a housing and a separator. The housing has a top, four sidewalls and four bases. The top has at least one opening. The sidewalls are folded perpendicular to the top. The bases are folded parallel to face the top and are held in place. A cavity is formed inside the housing to hold label tags. When the label tag dispenser is used, the label tag can be drawn from the opening. When the label tags are all used, the label tag dispenser can be refilled and used again.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a label tag dispenser, especially to a label tag dispenser that can be folded from cardboard and discarded after use.

2. Description of the Related Art

With reference to FIG. 7, a conventional label tag dispenser (50) comprises a housing (51) and a base (60). The housing (51) is bonded to the base (60) and has a top surface, a side edge, a cavity, a lip (52) and an opening (53). The cavity in the housing (51) faces the base (60), holds label tags (40) and has an open bottom and four bottom edges. The lip (52) is formed on and extends out from the bottom edge of the cavity. The opening (53) is defined in the top surface of the housing (51).

The conventional label tag dispenser has the following disadvantages. First, because the housing (51) is bonded to the base (60), the conventional label tag dispenser must be discarded after the label tags (40) are dispensed. The label tag dispenser cannot be refilled and reused. Second, also because the housing (51) is bonded to the base (60), the procedure to fabricate the conventional label tag dispenser is inconvenient and increases fabrication costs. Third, the housing (51) is often made of plastic material that increases the cost of the label tag dispenser.

The label tag dispenser in accordance with the present invention obviates or mitigates the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a label tag dispenser that is folded from cardboard.

To achieve the objective, the label tag dispenser in accordance with the present invention has a housing and an optional separator. The housing has a top, four sidewalls and four bases. The top has at least one opening. The sidewalls are folded perpendicular to the top. The bases are folded parallel to the top and are held in place. A cavity is formed inside the housing to hold label tags.

When the label tag dispenser is used, a label tag can be drawn from the opening. When the label tags are all used, the label tag dispenser can be refilled and used again.

Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded bottom perspective view of a first embodiment of a label tag dispenser in accordance with the present invention before the label tag dispenser is folded;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the label tag dispenser in FIG. 1 when the label tag dispenser is partially folded;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the label tag dispenser in FIG. 1 folded and assembled;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the label tag dispenser in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a label tag dispenser in accordance with the present invention before the label tag dispenser is folded;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the label tag dispenser in FIG. 5 folded and assembled; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional label tag dispenser in accordance with the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 5, a label tag dispenser in accordance with the present invention has a housing (10A, 10B) and an optional separator (30).

The housing (10A, 10B) is made of cardboard and has a top (11A, 11B), four sidewalls, four bases and four optional stiffeners (13A). In preferred embodiments of the label tag dispenser, the housing (10A, 10B) has two long sidewalls (123A, 124A, 123B, 124B) and two short sidewalls (121A, 122A, 121B, 122B). In the preferred embodiments of the label tag dispenser, the housing (10A, 10B) has a first elongated base (141A, 141B), a second elongated base (143A, 143B), a first wide base (145A, 145B) and a second wide base (147A).

The top (11A, 11B) has four edges and at least one opening (111A, 111B). In preferred embodiments of the tag label dispenser, the top (11A, 11B) has two long edges and two short edges. In a first embodiment of the label tag dispenser in accordance with the present invention, two openings (111A) are defined in line in the top (11A) between and parallel to the long edges. In a second embodiment of the label tag dispenser in accordance with the present invention, one opening (111B) is defined in the top (11B) between and parallel to the short edges.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the four sidewalls are integrally formed respectively with the four edges of the top (11A, 11B). The short sidewalls (121A, 122A, 121B, 122B) are integrally formed respectively with the short edges of the top (11A, 11B), and each short sidewalls (121A, 122A, 121B, 122B) has two ends. The long sidewalls (123A, 124A, 123B, 124B) are integrally formed respectively with the long edges of the top (11A, 11B). During assembly, the sidewalls (121A, 122A, 123A, 124A, 121B, 122B, 123B, 124B) are folded perpendicular to the top (11A, 11B).

The four bases are integrally formed respectively with the sidewalls (121A, 122A, 123A, 124A, 121B, 122B, 123B, 124B). In the preferred embodiments of the tag label dispenser, the first elongated base (141A, 141B) is integrally formed with either of the short sidewalls (121A, 122A, 121B, 122B) and has a holding tag (142A, 142B). The second elongated base (143A) is integrally formed with the opposite short sidewall (121A, 122A) and has a holding opening (144A). The holding tag (142A) on the first elongated base is opposite the holding opening (144A) on the second elongated base. The first wide base (145A) is integrally formed with one of the long sidewalls (123A, 124A). The second wide base (147A) is integrally formed with one of the long sidewalls (123A, 124A). In a preferred embodiment, each base is not equal to each other. The bases can be folded parallel to the top (11A) in turn. First, the holding tag (142A) on the first elongated base (141A) inserts into the holding opening (144A) in the second elongated base (143A). Second, the first wide base (145A) is folded parallel to the top (11A), and the second wide base (147A) is folded parallel to the top (11A). Third, the first wide base (145A) is bonded to the second wide base (147A).

After folding the bases, a cavity (20) is formed inside the housing (11A).

The stiffeners (13A) are integrally formed with the short ends of each short sidewalls (121A, 122A). The stiffeners (13A) may be folded perpendicular to the short sidewalls (121A, 122A).

The separator (30) is mounted in the cavity (20) in the housing (10A) and has a base plate (32) and a longitudinal bar (31). The base plate (32) has a middle. The longitudinal bar (31) is formed in the middle of the base plate (32). The separator (30) separates the cavity (20) in the housing (111A) into two parts corresponding respectively to the openings (111A).

Further with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6, the label tags (40) are stored respectively inside the two parts of the cavity (20) in the housing (10A). The label tags (40) are drawn sequentially out of the opening (111A).

The label tag dispenser has the following advantages.

The label tag dispenser in accordance with the present invention is simply folded from cardboard, the procedure of forming the label tag dispenser is easier than the conventional one and reduces the cost. Further, because the label tag dispenser is made of cardboard, the label tag dispenser can be refilled and reused.

The invention may be varied in many ways by a person skilled in the art. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A label tag dispenser having

a housing made of cardboard and having a top having four edges, and at least one opening, four sidewall integrally formed respectively with the side edges of the top and folded perpendicular to the top, four bases integrally formed respectively with the sidewalls and folded parallel to the top, and one of the bases having a holding tag formed on the base, and the base opposite the base with the holding tag having a holding opening in which the holding tag is mounted, and a cavity formed inside the housing.

2. The label tag dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein one opening is defined in the top.

3. The label tag dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises

a separator mounted in the cavity and having a base plate having a middle, and a longitudinal bar formed in the middle of the base plate and separating the cavity in the housing into two parts, and

the top has two openings defined in the top,

wherein each part of the cavity corresponds to one of the openings.

4. The label tag dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the edges of the top comprise two long edges, and two short edges, and

the sidewalls comprise two long sidewalls integrally formed respectively with the long edges of the top, and two short sidewalls integrally formed respectively with the short edges of the top,

the bases comprise a first elongated base integrally formed with one of the short sidewalls and having the holding tag, a second elongated base integrally formed with the short sidewall opposite to the first elongated base and having the holding opening, a first wide base integrally formed with one of the long side walls, a second wide base integrally formed with the long side wall opposite to the first wide base, and four stiffeners formed respectively with the short ends of each short sidewall and folded perpendicular to the two short sidewalls.

5. The label tag dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the top has

two long edges, and

two short edges, and

the sidewalls comprise two long sidewalls integrally formed respectively with the long edges of the top, and two short sidewalls integrally formed respectively with the short edges of the top,

the bases comprise a first elongated base integrally formed with one of the short sidewalls and having the holding tag, a second elongated base integrally formed with the short sidewall opposite to the first elongated base and having the holding opening, a first wide base integrally formed with one of the long side walls, a second wide base integrally formed with the long side wall opposite to the first wide base, and

four stiffeners formed respectively with the short ends of each short sidewall and folded perpendicular to the two short sidewalls.

6. The label tag dispenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein the top has

two long edges, and

two short edges, and

the sidewall comprise two long sidewalls integrally formed respectively with the long edges of the top, and two short sidewalls integrally formed respectively with the short edges of the top,

the bases comprise a first elongated base integrally formed with one of the short sidewalls and having the holding tag, a second elongated base integrally formed with the short sidewall opposite to the first elongated base and having the holding opening, a first wide base integrally formed with one of the long side walls, a second wide base integrally formed with the long side wall opposite to the first wide base, and

four stiffeners formed respectively with the short ends of each short sidewall and folded perpendicular to the two short sidewalls.