Providing Identification

Abstract

An identification combination comprising a band adapted to be fitted about the wrist, leg, neck or the like of a patient or about an object and further including a tether strap attached to or adapted to be attached to an encodable identification device and to the band so that the identification device can be held away from the patient for transfer of information therefrom without removing the identification device from the patient.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to the identification of persons and objects and more particularly to a novel identification combination where an identification device is suspended upon a wrist or like band by use of a tether strap.

2. The Prior Art

The prior art of which I am aware primarily relates to the provision of wrist and like bands wherein the information-bearing portion becomes totally separated from the patient when taken off the wrist.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an identification combination comprising a band to be fastened about a subject to be identified, an information-bearing identification device and tether structure by which the identification device is joined to the band for holding remote from the band for transfer of information form the band or reading of the band.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel identification system.

It is another significant object of the present invention to provide a novel identification combination suspending an identification device from a band by tether structure.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective representation of one presently preferred identification combination according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective representation of the identification combination of FIG. 1 shown in its fastened position about the wrist of a patient with an identification device suspended from the tether, the wrist being shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective representation of another manner in which the tether strap of FIG. 1 may be associated with an identification device;

FIG. 5 is a perspective representation of a second presently preferred identification combination according to the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective representation of an identification combination according to the present invention installed upon the wrist of a person with an identification device suspended from the band upon a tether, the identification device being stored in a pocket carried by the band.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Figs. 1-3

With specific reference to FIGS. 1-3, inclusive, the identification combination, generally designated 20, will now be described. The identification combination 20 comprises band structure including a band 22 and a fastener 24, and identification structure including a tether strap 26.

While the band may be of any suitable type, that which is illustrated and identified as 22 comprises a tube 28 having top and bottom flat surface 30 and 32. The illustrated tube 28 is preferably formed of an easily elongated plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride and is reinforced by a strip 34 disposed within the tube and preferably formed of a dimensionally stable plastic such as Mylar.

Near one end, shown at the right, the flattened tube 28 and the reinforcing strip 34 are tightly secured between the flanges 37 of a rivet 38 so that the tube and strip cannot be removed from the fastener at 24 without destroying the identification combination 20.

The central cylindrical portion 40 of the rivet joins the bottom jaw 50 of a closable clamp also comprising a top jaw 52. The clamp comprising jaws 50 and 52 is conventional as are the flattened tube 28 and the reinforcement 34. The tether strap 26 is preferably also of dimensionally stable plastic such as Mylar and is secured near one end, as shown at the right in FIG. 1, to the rivet 38.

In use, the identification combination of FIGS. 1-3 is associated with an identification device 60 (FIG. 2). The association is accomplished by looping the free end 62 through a slot 64 near one transverse edge of the identification device 60, looping the band 22 about the object to be identified, as for example the wrist 66 (FIG. 2), preferably in a direction opposite to the looping of the tether strap 26. Thereafter, the tether strap 26 near its free end 62 is positioned between the jaws 50 and 52 of the clamp and the band 22 near its free end 68 is positioned between the same jaws. Next, the jaws are closed one upon the other to achieve the state illustrated in FIG. 3. In this state, the band is held tightly in its looped position as is the tether strap and the identification device 60 which contains encoded or encodable sites is suspended from the band structure but can be positioned remotely therefrom for reading and transferring information from the identification device.

Preferably, a tubular pocket 70 illustrated in FIG. 2 as being open at both ends is fitted essentially concentrically about the band 22 prior to the looping of the band. Thus, the pocket 70 will rest at a given location adjacent the subject to be identified and receives the suspended identification device 60 when it is not in use. See especially FIG. 6, which shows the compact relation of the components of the identification combination 20 about the wrist of a patient when in the nonuse period.

Fig. 4

in lieu of looping the free end 62 of the tether strap 26 through the slot 64 in the identification device 60 and attaching the tether strap 26 near the free end 62 at the fastener 24, the tether may be looped through the slot 64 and attached to itself near the free end 62 by means of suitable fasteners such as the rivet 72, illustrated in FIG. 4.

Fig. 5

reference is now made in detail to FIG. 5 which illustrates band structure identical to that previously described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-3, as well as the pocket 70. Hence, no further description need be made at this juncture concerning the band structure and the pocket.

The identification combination 80 of FIG. 5 differs from the identification combination 20 previously described in that the identification device 60 is suspended by a looped tether strap 26a. Preferably, the looped tether strap 26a is perforated near each end and secured to the body 40 of the rivet 38 prior to the crimping of the rivet to form opposed heads during initial fabrication of the combination 80. Otherwise, the tether strap 26a can be substantially identical to the previously described tether strap 26.

Thus, with the combination 80 fabricated as illustrated in FIG. 5, installation around the subject to be identified is simply accomplished by looping the band 22 upon itself through the fastener 24 following which the jaws 50 and 52 of the clamp are closed to insure an inseparable association between the subject to be identified and the identification combination 80. The combination 80, when fastened upon the subject to be identified, appears and functions as the identification combination 20.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraced therein.

Claims

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. An identification combination for a health care patient comprising:

band structure for securing the combination to the health care patient comprising a flexible nonmetallic band of synthetic resinous material comprising two free ends and a fastener unit for clamping the band to itself in a loop around the patient to be identified, said fastener unit being permanently anchored by a portion of the fastener unit to the band near one end of the band, the fastener unit principally comprising spaced jaws having a common pivot juncture therebetween, whereby the jaws can be moved between open and closed positions, each jaw terminating in a free end, the jaws being interconnectable means for holding the free ends of the jaws together when closed and said fastener unit having edges which bite into and retain the looped free end when the jaws are closed whereby the other end of the band is held in the looped position;

an identification device;

an elongated flat tether of synthetic resinous material secured to said band at the one end of the band by said portion of the fastener unit and spanning between said band and said identification device, the tether being looped through an aperture in the identification device, with both ends of the tether being permanently anchored to said portion of the fastener unit so that the device may be held away from the band while secured thereto; and

a flat receptacle slidably carried by said band for receiving and storing the identification device.