Click here for picture and text from Google as of 10/03/2017 or look up patent number 2,392,351
Plastic Ribbons are as described in the patent,
this does not mean the ones that had a
plastic/nitrate
flim over the Ribbon that yellowed with age and which also cracked
easily.
The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in the method of-constructing laminated ribbon campaign bars and to provide for their iriterchangeability of position on mounting bars when necessity requires their removal 6 from one mounting bar to another, or when a change of position on the same bar is necessary to maintain their order of precedence.
Both the Army and the Navy use service ribbons for their decorations and medals during war- Iq time. The Army decoration service ribbons are worn in one or more lines in the sequence of their importance starting on the top row toward the center of the body and reading leftward, followed by medal service ribbons in the sequence earned, is When more than one line of ribbons are worn, such lines will overlap.
Since the most distinguishing decorations for valor are sometimes awarded subsequently to those of a less distinguishing character, it becomes necessary to adjust the arrangement from left to right in order to conform to the Army and Navy requirements of wearing decorations, service medals and badges in the prescribed order of precedence. . 25
The primary object of my invention is to provide a service ribbon or campaign bar that is protected against wear and soil and at the same time may be removably attached either as a single unit or in multiple units to a mounting bar without 30 supplemental fasteners.
Another object of my invention is to provide a laminated service ribbon or campaign bar resulting in-a single unitary article provided with means for interchangeably mounting the same on 35 a supporting bar without additional fastening elements.
Still other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.
Referring to the accompanying drawing which 40 illustrates further improved embodiments of the invention over that shown in said copending application,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a triple emblem bar in which one bar has been removed. 43
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a parent bar from which individual bars are cut, a portion of said bar being broken out in order to contract the length of the view.
Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3—3 of Fig. 1. 50
Figs. 4, 5, are sections of modifications.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinally extending transverse section of a single emblem bar on an increased scale showing one form of means whereby the bar may be fastened to the garment. •*
Referring in detail to the drawing, therein is shown in Fig. 2 a laminated parent unit I, comprising parts 2, 3 and 4, of any desirable length from which the individual emblem bars of the character shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5 are cut.
The plates or laminae 2 and 4 are constructed of clear transparent plastic material, such as cellulose acetate or Lucite, and of a size coextensive in area with that of the ribbon 3 interposed between them.
The manner of sealing the ribbon 3 between the plastic plates 2 and 4 to construct the unitary article I is well known in the art and the expired patents to Goodsell et al. 1,071,226, August 26, 1913, and Segal 1,322,631, November 25, 1919, disclose representative sealing means. For the purpose of this application, various other means may be employed to seal the ribbon in the plastic, it being merely necessary that the ribbon be protected by sealing or embedding the same in the plastic plates :to form the unitary article I having substantial rigidity.and thickness.
After _the laminated strips 5 shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5 and .6 have been cut to the .desired length from the parent strip to form emblem bars of the required facial area therein shown, such strips are placed in suitable heated dies to form the particular beaded bar shown in Figs. 1 and 3 or the alternate type of bars shown in Figs. 4 and 5.
Bars of the type shown in Figs. 1, 3, may be constructed of much thinner laminations 2 and 4 since the added strength is to be derived from curving the material.
In Figs. 1 and 3, the bead 6 resulting from curling in the longitudinally extending edges is clearly shown. These curled beads 6 provide for yieldably holding the emblem bar in place, when once adjusted to their proper positions on the mounting bar 7, and their yieldability provides for slipping the laminated emblem bar over the mounting bar from either end or snapping it over the edges of the supporting bar in a flatwise manner by yieldably spreading the beads apart sufficiently to override the beveled edges 8 or 9 of the supporting bar with which they cooperate.
Within the province of the invention as hereinafter claimed, if
found
expedient, instead of forming the curled beads 6 on the laminated bar,
this construction may be modified in conformity with the showings in
Figs.
4 and 5 where, instead of a bead the longitudinally extending edge
portions
10 are roundedly bent as shown in Fig. 4 to slidably embrace the
rectangularly
shaped supporting bar 11 or are squarely shaped, as indi
[blocks in formation]
cated by the numeral 12 in Fig. 5, to slidably embrace a similar mounting bar 13.
In Pig. 6 is shown, for attaching the device to the jacket of the wearer, an attaching element comprising the pin attaching element 14 and securing clip 15 for the point portion of the pin 16, ^imilar to that set forth in said co-pending application, may be provided for attaching the assembly of emblem bar and mounting bar, whether it be a single, double or triple unit.
The steps taken in the manufacture of the device, which are in addition to those set forth in the already referred to co-pending application, may be briefly summarized as follows:
After the parent strip has been completed and rightangularly subdivided" into strips of the proper size for the individual emblem bars, then their edges where thus cut are processed by subjecting them to a buffing operation to remove any projecting ribbon fibers and to smooth off the plastic. This buffing operation is not so important;when the_ edges of the strip are curled as shown in Fig. 3; because the curls cause the edges of the ribbon to be nearly concealed, but it is important in the remaining embodiments of the invention.
In constructing the emblem bar, after the individual sections have been severed from the parent strip they are put into a heated die, constructed to deform the bar to the shape shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, after which they are ready to be applied to the mounting bar in the manner already stated.
This invention is intended to cover broadly any single pair or plurality of ribbon-protected bars utilizing a medal' decoration service ribbon bestowed for valor and service achieved in any campaign, whether it .be in the Army, Navy or any other branch of the armed or other government service. Although the decorative service bars are shown as being interchangeably mounted in an end-to-end relation to each other, yet it is considered to be within the province of the invention, as hereinafter claimed, to apply them detachably to the supporting bar in any manner required to obtain this end-to-end relation.
The emblem bars or service ribbons thus formed are sheathed in transparent plastic which protects them against wear and soiling in use. The sheath thus formed is deformable as described to form on the back of each bar a trackway created by the turned edges 6, 10 or 12. This trackway is substantially rigid and is mounted on the supporting bars 1, II or 13, as shown, so the bars may be positioned thereon without supplemental fasteners.
The portions of the formed ribbons that engage the mounting bars have a normal f rictional binding contact and longitudinal push-pull slidable contact with the engaged face, top and bottorn edges, and adjacent portions of the opposite face of the supporting bars which permits the formed ribbons to be interchangeably mounted by sliding contact yet securely held by frictional contact when in position.
20 What is claimed is:
The combination with an appropriately decorated normally flexible ribbon adapted to be. personally worn to designate a theater of military service or award, of a single protecting and interchangeable securing means for the flexible ribbon comprising relatively thick plates of transparent plastic between which the ribbon is sealed to form a unitary article of substantial rigidity and thickness, a flat bar adapted to be personally worn, against one side of which the sealed ribbon is adapted to be mounted, and the top and bottom edges of the sealed ribbon being bent upon themselves in such a manner with respect to,the bar that the formed article has a normal frictional binding contact and longitudinal push-pull slidable contact with the engaged face, top and bottom edges, and adjacent portions of the opposite face of the flat bar to permit the sealed ribbon to be removably positioned on said bar and securely held by the frictional contact when in position.
JOSEPH WOLF. 43
