U.S. patent application number 10/200401 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-12 for interchangeable medical identification apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to Lauren's Hope LLC. Invention is credited to Gaskill, Denise N..
Application Number | 20030106336 10/200401 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26895724 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030106336 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gaskill, Denise N. |
June 12, 2003 |
Interchangeable medical identification apparatus
Abstract
An apparatus for holding a medical identification bracelet is
shown and described herein. The apparatus comprises a medical
identification tag which is held to a person's body by a jewelry
holding means. The jewelry holding means may be a bracelet or a
necklace. The jewelry holding means is releasably fastened to the
medical identification tag so that the holding means is
interchangeable.
Inventors: |
Gaskill, Denise N.;
(Parkville, MO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HAHN LOESER & PARKS, LLP
TWIN OAKS ESTATE
1225 W. MARKET STREET
AKRON
OH
44313
US
|
Assignee: |
Lauren's Hope LLC
|
Family ID: |
26895724 |
Appl. No.: |
10/200401 |
Filed: |
July 22, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60339425 |
Dec 11, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
63/3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44C 5/0023
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
63/3 |
International
Class: |
A44C 005/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for providing medical identification information,
said apparatus comprising: a medical identification tag; means for
holding said identification tag on a person's body; and means for
releasably fastening said holding means to said medical
identification tag, comprising male connecting means positioned on
opposite ends of said medical identification tag and female
connecting means positioned on opposite ends of said holding
means.
2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for
holding said identification tag comprises a bracelet.
3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for
holding said identification tag comprises a necklace.
4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said female
connecting means is selected from the group consisting of spring
clasps, hinge clasps, hooks, spiral rings, jump rings and toggle
clasps.
5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said male connecting
means comprises apertures on opposite ends of said medical
identification tag.
6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said male connecting
means comprises rings attached to opposite ends of said medical
identification tag.
7. An apparatus for providing medical identification information,
said apparatus comprising: a medical identification tag having a
first end and a second end; means for holding said identification
tag, said holding means having a first end and a second end; and
means for releasably fastening said first end of said holding means
to said first end of said medical identification tag and said
second end of said holding means to said second end of said medical
identification tag.
8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said holding means
comprises a bracelet.
9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said holding means
comprises a necklace.
10. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said releasable
fastening means consists of one member of the group consisting of
spring clasps, hinge clasps, spiral clasps, hooks, jump rings, and
toggle clasps.
11. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said holding means
comprises a plurality of beads positioned on jewelry wire.
12. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said medical
identification tag comprises a ring attached to each end of said
medical identification tag.
13. A medical identification bracelet comprising: a medical
identification tag having apertures on opposite ends thereof; and a
bracelet, wherein said bracelet has a spring clasp positioned on
each end of said bracelet for releasably fastening said bracelet to
said medical identification tag.
14. The bracelet as recited in claim 13, wherein said bracelet
comprises a plurality of beads positioned on a length of wire.
15. A bracelet comprising: an identification tag, said
identification tag having a first end and a second end; a first
aperture proximate to said first end of said identification tag and
a second aperture proximate to said second end of said
identification tag; a bracelet portion having a first end and a
second end; a first fastener at said first end of said bracelet
portion wherein said first fastener is releaseably attached to said
first aperture of said identification tag; and a second fastener at
said second end of said bracelet portion wherein said fastener end
portion is releaseably attached to said second aperture of said
identification tag.
16. The bracelet as recited in claim 15 wherein said bracelet
portion is comprised of a plurality of beads strung on jewelry
wire.
17. The bracelet as recited in claim 15 wherein said fasteners are
selected from the group consisting of spring clasps, hinge clasps,
jump rings, spiral clasps, hooks, and toggle clasps.
18. The bracelet as recited in claim 15 wherein said identification
tag includes information regarding a medical condition of a
wearer.
19. The bracelet as recited in claim 15 wherein said identification
tag comprises rings attached to opposite ends of said
identification tag.
20. A method of making a medical identification bracelet, said
method comprising: providing a medical identification tag;
providing a bracelet portion; and releasably attaching opposite
ends of said bracelet to opposite ends of said medical
identification tag.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
application No. 60/339,425 filed Dec. 11, 2001. Application serial
No. 60/339,245 is hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus for
identifying a person who is afflicted with a medical condition. In
particular, the present invention relates to jewelry which provides
personal and medical information about the wearer.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Medical identification bracelets are potentially life-saving
devices. Such bracelets usually include a tag or charm indicating
that the wearer has one or more of a variety of medical conditions.
Such conditions may include diabetes, heart conditions, allergies,
epilepsy or any number of other medical conditions. For people with
such conditions, making their medical condition known to health
care professionals or others is critical to ensure that they
receive the correct kind of medical treatment, because receiving
the wrong treatment can be fatal. If the person loses consciousness
or suffers from a seizure, it is important that caretakers know
about the pre-existing medical condition so that they may provide
proper assistance.
[0004] The problem with prior art medical identification bracelets
is that they are not aesthetically pleasing. Women and children,
especially teenage girls, do not like to wear their potentially
life-saving medical identification bracelets because they are
large, cumbersome and/or not fashionable. Furthermore, many people
like to wear jewelry to match a particular article of clothing or
just enjoy wearing different jewelry for different occasions. Prior
art medical identification bracelets do not provide this desired
flexibility in fashion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In order to address the limitations in the prior art, the
present invention provides a unique means for holding a medical
identification tag on a person's body. The present invention
comprises a medical identification tag including means for
connecting a jewelry item such as a bracelet or necklace thereto.
The jewelry portion of the apparatus is interchangeable such that
multiple jewelry items can be utilized alternately with a single
medical identification tag. The jewelry item may be provided in
various styles and colors and attached to a tag or charm which
identifies a medical condition, making a variety of styles and
colors available to the wearer of the bracelet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of a medical
identification apparatus in accordance with the present
invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the medical identification
apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a first embodiment of a medical identification tag
or charm in accordance with the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a second embodiment of a medical identification
tag in accordance with the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 5 is an alternative fastening means that may be used in
accordance with the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a third embodiment of a medical identification tag
in accordance with the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 7 is a fastening means that may be used in connection
with the medical identification tag shown in FIG. 7; and
[0013] FIG. 8 is a second embodiment of a holding means in
accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] In this detailed description of the invention, reference is
made to the attached drawings illustrating a medical identification
apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the present invention comprises a
means for holding a medical identification tag or charm, generally
designated 2. The medical identification tag 2 contains information
about one or more medical conditions afflicting the wearer of the
apparatus. The tag 2 may also contain personal information about
the wearer, such as name, address, phone number, emergency contact
information and physician's name. It is contemplated that other
information may also be included on the medical identification tag
2 as needed. The information may be placed on the tag by a number
of means as well. The information may be engraved on one or more
surfaces of the tag. The information may also be placed on the tag
by means of an adhesive label on which the information is printed.
Symbols or emblems representing particular conditions or diseases
may also be placed on the tag.
[0016] The medical identification tags 2 may be comprised of metal,
plastic, or other known materials. Although the figures herein show
the tags in a rectangular shape, tags of any other regular or
irregular shapes are contemplated by the present invention.
[0017] Other types of tags or charms are also contemplated by the
present invention. Tags or charms including only identification
information would be within the scope of the present invention.
Additionally, any type of tags or charms that would be adapted to
be attached to the bracelet portion of the present invention are
also within the scope of the present invention, regardless of
whether they contain any medical or identifying information. For
instance, tags or charms in various colors or having various
designs may be included in the scope of the present invention. The
bracelet of the present invention may also be used to hold watches,
compasses, microcomputer devices or any other small electronic
device.
[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
medical identification tag 2 comprises one or more symbols or
emblems 6 to distinguish the tag from other, ordinary jewelry. The
indicator symbol alerts medical professionals or others to look at
the bracelet for information about potential medical
conditions.
[0019] The identification tag 2 of the present invention comprises
apertures or holes 4 on opposite ends of the tag 2. The holding
means may be attached to the tag at these openings.
[0020] In a second embodiment of the present invention as shown in
FIG. 4, the medical identification tag has connecting rings 12
positioned in the apertures. Such connecting rings 12 can be used
to facilitate connecting the tag 2 to a jewelry holding means
8.
[0021] The means for holding the medical identification tag
("holding means") 8 or bracelet portion of the present invention
may be comprised of any number of designs. The jewelry holding
means may be comprised of one or more beads strung on a line of
jewelry wire, string, plastic floss, or other similar material. As
shown in FIGS. 1-2, beads of any known type and may include crystal
beads, precious stones, mineral stones, fossil stones, metals,
precious metals, or beads having letters, numbers or symbols
thereon may be used in the present invention. Other types of beads
capable of being strung on wire or string are contemplated as being
within the scope of the present invention. The jewelry may also be
made of metal links or chains such as the links shown in FIG.
8.
[0022] On each end of the holding means, is a releasable fastener
10. The fastener 10 is a fastener of any known type used in
jewelry. In one preferred embodiment, the tag 2 has a male
connector type while the holding means has a female connector type.
For instance, the fastener may be a spring clasp as shown in FIG.
1. Alternatively, the fastener may be a spiral type fastener such
as the one shown in FIG. 5 which are commonly used in key rings.
Fasteners of the type shown in FIG. 5 will be referred to as spiral
clasps herein. Another fastener is a hinge type clasp as shown in
FIGS. 6-7. In such an embodiment, the apertures 4' in the medical
identification tag 2 are rectangular and positioned very close to
the edge of the tag. The hinge clasp shown in FIG. 7 engages this
aperture. The hinge clasp has a rolled end 20 at its lower portion.
This end is positioned in the aperture 4' of the tag 2. The hinge
clasp also comprises recesses 22 to receive the outer edge of the
tag. The upper section of the clasp is connected to the lower
section by a hinge. The upper section has one or more spring
fingers 24 which frictionally engage the rolled edge portion 20.
The hinge clasp may further comprise a tab 26 to facilitate the
opening of the clasp. Other fasteners that are generally known in
the jewelry art and which are also within the scope of the present
invention include but are not limited to jump rings and hooks.
[0023] As stated above, in a preferred embodiment (e.g. as shown in
FIGS. 1, 2, and 8), two female fastening means as described above
are positioned on opposite sides of the holding means. In this
arrangement, the opposite ends of the holding means can be
connected to the apertures in opposite ends of the tag 2. In
another embodiment, the female connectors are positioned on
opposite ends of the medical identification tag while the holding
means has male connectors attached to each end thereof (not shown).
Another alternative would be to have one female fastening means on
one end of the holding means and a male connector on the other (not
shown). The medical identification tag would have a similar
arrangement so that the female fastening means of the holding means
could be attached to the male connector of the bracelet and vice
versa.
[0024] Each holding means 8 is releasably fastened to the openings
4 in each end of the medical identification tag. The holding means
are simple to be removed from the tag so that the holding means is
interchangeable. As a result, a wearer will be able to match a
medical identification apparatus to other jewelry, an outfit or
their mood on a particular day.
[0025] It is contemplated by the present invention that the
interchangeable holding means may be sold as a unit with a medical
identification tag. It should also be understood that holding means
can be obtained to be used with an existing medical identification
tag. Holding means may also be provided as a kit including at least
one medical identification tag and a plurality of interchangeable
bracelets. These options will allow a wearer of the bracelet to
select various colors and styles of the bracelets to wear on
various occasions.
[0026] A medical identification apparatus in accordance with the
present invention may also be sold in combination with other types
of jewelry that match or compliment the holding means. For
instance, the holding means may be provided in conjunction with a
matching ring, other bracelet or necklace, watches, or
earrings.
[0027] The invention has been described with reference to several
embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to
others upon the reading and understanding of the specification. It
is intended to include all such modifications and alterations
insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the
equivalents thereof.
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