Identification band

Abstract

An identification band to be secured to the arm or other limb of a wearer and intended to have the name or other appropriate identification of the person to which the band may be applied. The band comprises an elongated tube of nonelastic material which is preferably transparent, to allow an identification card to be inserted in the tube and to be visible through the wall thereof, bearing the name or other identification of the person. One end of the band has a clip applied thereto while the opposite end is adapted to be folded over the first-mentioned end and to be secured together by the clip. The clip is intended to be permanently closed when the band is applied to an individual and to maintain the effective overlapped relation of the ends of the tube. The card has means for indicating the extent of insertion thereof so as to locate the card in the desired position in the tube and properly spaced from the clip end.

Parent Case Text

This application is a continuation-in-part of our prior application for Identification Band, Ser. No. 240,139 filed Mar. 31, 1972 and which has since issued as U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,450.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to improvements in identification bands of the character adapted to be applied to an arm or other limb of a wearer and having means for effecting identification of the person.

Various attempts have been made heretofore to provide identification bands. Some of these have used insertion cards within a tubular structure formed by folding a strip of elastic material upon itself and enclosing a strip of inelastic material therein to prevent stretching of the band. These have been expensive to form or manufacture and are unsatisfactory in service because of the difficulties of insertion of the identification card in the seamed tubular structure.

It is customary to insert in the band a card bearing the identification of the person to whom the band is applied. No satisfactory means has been provided heretofore for the insertion and location of the card in desirable position with respect to the band and the clip thereof.

One object of this invention is to overcome these objections and to improve the construction of identification bands for the purpose described.

Another object of the invention is to simplify and improve the manufacture and construction of identification bands to enable these to be made inexpensively and of fewer parts than was required heretofore and yet to be effective in service for the purpose intended and will maintain a permanent and secure connection with the person.

Still another object of the invention is to provide for the manufacture of identification bands by automatic machinery at high speed and which may be compactly stored complete and ready for use without requiring any metal parts, but which is self-contained and effective for the purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide means on the identification card to indicate the proper extent of insertion thereof into the band and thereby to locate the card in proper and desired relation to the band.

These objects may be accomplishing according to one embodiment of the invention by using a tube of nonseamed, nonstretchable, transparent material adapted for receiving therein an identification strip or card that will be fully exposed through the wall of the transparent tube for proper identification of the person to whom the band is applied.

A clip is secured to one end of the tube in such manner that the opposite end of the tube can be folded over the said one end within the clip. The strip or card has indicia thereon so as to indicate the proper degree of insertion of the identification card and to locate it in proper and desired relation to the band and with respect to the clip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the identification band with the card in course of being inserted;

FIG. 2 is a cross section through the band and identification card on the line 2--2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of the band after application;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the identification band tube and card before insertion of the latter;

FIG. 5 is a similar view, with the card partially inserted;

FIG. 6 is a similar view with the card fully inserted; and

FIG. 7 is a similar view with the insert portion being removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The invention is illustrated and described in the form of an identification band of a size and shape adapted to encircle the wrist or other limb of a wearer as an example of the use thereof. Such bands are frequently used in hospitals for the proper identification of the patients and carry other indicia appropriate to such hospital treatment.

The identification band comprises an elongated tube 1 made of a suitable transparent plastic such, for example, as ionomer resin product. An example thereof is manufactured and sold by duPont Company under the name "Surlyn." This is a nonstretchable, nonseamed tube of transparent material, with a surrounding wall that extends uninterruptedly about the circumference thereof, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The tube should be of a sufficient length to encircle the limb or other appropriate member to which the band is to be applied. Normally the tube portion of the band is made of a standard length and the surplus free end portion may be clipped off when the desired length is determined upon application.

The tube 1 has one end portion, indicated at 2, to which a clip 10 is attached, and the opposite end portion, indicated at 3, is open and free. It may be cut off at the latter end so as to provide the appropriate and desired length. This may be done during application when the appropriate length is determined.

A card, shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, at 4, may be inserted in the transparent tube 1 and which will bear the appropriate identification of the person to whom the band is to be applied and any other desired indicia appropriate to the use thereof. This card can be inserted into the tube through the open end 3 and moved forward by a pusher portion 5. The pusher portion 5 can be formed of one piece with the card 4 and should have provision for removal of the pusher portion as by a perforated or weakened transverse section indicated at 6 in FIGS. 1 and 4 between this pusher portion 5 and the card 4. These parts may be made in one long narrow strip of paper or thin cardboard, sufficiently flexible to bend as needed.

A hand-hold portion 7 is provided at the outer end of the pusher portion 5 to be grasped between the thumb and forefinger for pushing the card 4 in the tube to the desired point. This hand-hold portion 7 may be colored or otherwise marked for contrast, with indicia 8 applied to the strip so as to indicate the extent to which the strip is inserted in the tube 1, thereby to locate the card in the proper relation for exposing the information thereon. Indicia is also shown at 9 to indicate the point of separation.

The clip is indicated generally at 10 and is preferably formed of a suitable plastic material sufficiently strong to hold effectively the overlapped end portions 2 and 3 of the tube 1 in encircled relation around the limb of the wearer, substantially as indicated in FIG. 3.

The clip 10 is formed of a pair of arm portions joined together at one end with the joined portion somewhat weakened to permit relative folding of the arms from the open relation illustrated in FIG. 1 to the closed relation shown in FIG. 3.

This clip 10 may be secured, as by a rivet 11, to the end 2 of the tube 1, and with the arm thereof foldable into closed and locked relation, as shown in FIG. 3. The construction and application of the clip are described and claimed more fully in our application Ser. No. 240,139, filed Mar. 31, 1972.

The clip 10 may be formed of a suitable plastic material, such as "Nylon" made by the duPont Company, which will have the properties described. As so formed, it cannot be opened without breaking the catch and thereby destroying the effectiveness of the clip.

In preparing the band for use, the strip comprising the parts 4-7, shown in FIG. 4, is inserted into the tube 1, as indicated in FIG. 5, with the hand-hold portion 7 grasped between the thumb and forefinger. This movement is continued until the hand-hold portion 7 reaches the end of the tube 1. This will dispose the card 4 at the proper position in the tube. Then by grasping the tube around the card 4 with one hand and the hand-hold portion 7 in the other, the card can be separated along the line 6, and the portion 5 pulled out, as shown in FIG. 7. Then the band can be applied to the arm, as indicated in FIG. 3.

The identification band, according to this invention, may be made of any size desired, for adults, infants, pediatrics, etc., from one initial length as manufactured. The band is simply wrapped about the arm, or other portion of the person to be identified, and drawn sufficiently tight through the clip, which is then closed. Any excess length of the band may be cut off by clipping the end portion 3 beyond the clip 10.

The overlapped end 3 of the band is securely locked in the clip 10, and the band secured on the person to be identified. This holds the end portions of the band when the clip 10 is closed, and the latter is permanently secured so that it cannot be opened without destroying the clip.

The identification band as described is made of few parts and may be manufactured at low cost. It does not require a separate nonstretchable insert strip within a seamed band nor use a metal clip. It is not required that it be made in many different sizes, but one size will fit all users with a simple expedient of cutting off the excess length at the open or free end of the tube.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in one embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention claimed.

Claims

We claim:

1. A kit for assembling an identification band, comprising an elongated transparent tube of a length to encircle a body member and to have the ends thereof folded over one another, means at one end of the tube for securing the folded over ends together, an elongated strip of material formed in one integral piece, said strip of material including a card portion at one end thereof, an intermediate pusher portion and a hand-hold portion at the opposite end of the strip from the card portion, means for separating the card portion from the pusher portion, said strip of material being of sufficient length when inserted in the tube to dispose one end of the card portion adjacent the securing means and with the opposite end of the pusher portion at the outer end of the tube and with the hand-hold portion projecting outwardly from the outer end of the tube, and indicia on the strip of material intermediate the pusher portion and the hand-hold portion for indicating the extent of insertion of the card into the tube.

2. A kit according to claim 1, wherein the strip of material is adapted to be inserted into the tube to the indicia with the hand-hold portion projecting outwardly therefrom for grasping to separate the pusher portion from the card portion at the separating means.

3. A kit according to claim 1, wherein the tube is of nonstretchable transparent plastic material and having a nonseamed surrounding wall that extends continuously and uninterruptedly.