Patent Application
20050262746
The present invention generally relates to identification bracelets for identifying persons and/or objects. More particularly, the present invention relates to identification bracelets which are designed such so as to not require a removable release liner.
The use of identification bracelets is extensive, both in traditional areas such as hospital patient admissions and other applications such as crowd control and patron identification. In addition to being suitably attachable to the person or object to be identified, one of the main requirements of such bracelets is that they must carry appropriate and/or desired information relevant to the person or object to whom the bracelet is attached. Many varieties of bracelets presently meet these two broad criteria.
Various closures are utilized to operatively affix such bracelets to the person or object to be identified. In broad terms, these closures may be described as either mechanical or adhesive. Mechanical closures can increase the cost of the bracelet and typically cannot be fed through a printer, and therefore must be assembled with a bracelet subsequent to the imprinting of information on a bracelet. The downstream assembly process can be cumbersome and inventories of the various components of the mechanical closure must typically be maintained adjacent to the output side of the printer, adding to the administrative burden and time and expense necessary to utilize such systems.
Adhesive closure bracelets can eliminate many of these problems. For example, certain adhesive closure bracelets can be fed through printers. However, the structure of the closures themselves can effect the ability of the printer to accurately print information, especially adjacent to the closure itself. In other words, the additional layers or laminates of materials that are typically utilized to fabricate the closure portion of adhesive closure bracelets, such as removable cover strips that are eventually removed to expose the adhesive prior to attaching the bracelet to a person, can effect the quality and even the feasibility of imprinting information near the closure.
Those identification bracelets which utilize a disposable, throw-away closure or shield which covers the adhesive until just prior to use, at which time the shield is removed from the adhesive and discarded, have other disadvantages. The closure or shield, sometimes referred to as a removable release liner, becomes waste which must be disposed of in some way. If the shields are not properly disposed of, the separation of the shields from the bands at the point of application can pollute the environment, especially in outdoor applications. Moreover, appropriate disposal (especially in view of the large volumes of bracelets which are frequently used) necessarily requires an increase in the labor associated with the use of the bracelet.
Accordingly, efforts have been made to eliminate the removable release liner while still presenting an adhesive-closure bracelet which is capable of being printed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,906 discloses an adhesive closure for an identification band having a shield which is adapted to partially releasably overlie an adhesive portion of the band while remaining engaged with the identification band so as not to be released and become waste. While serving generally adequately, care must be taken not to completely remove the shield when closing the band.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,426 discloses a uniform thickness adhesive closure identification bracelet which also avoids the use of removable release liners. A movable cover portion is formed as part of one of the laminates and is adapted to be moved from a covering relationship to a non-covering relationship with respect to an adhesive disposed between two or more of the laminates.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for an adhesive identification bracelet which is capable of being printed in a traditional manner while avoiding the use of removable release liners. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
The present invention resides in an adhesive wristband which is capable of being printed using a traditional printer and which does not utilize a removable release liner or shield. In accordance with the present invention, a plurality of identification bracelets are detachably connected one to another and generally comprise a first bracelet including a first end having a cover tab and a second end defining a closure tab having an adhesive portion. A second bracelet is removably attached to the first bracelet and also includes a first end having a cover tab and a second end defining a closure tab having an adhesive portion. The cover tab of the second bracelet removably overlies the adhesive portion of the adjacent first identification bracelet. Upon separating the first bracelet from the second bracelet, the adhesive portion of the first bracelet is exposed and the cover tab of the second bracelet remains with the first bracelet and the adhesive portion of the closure tab of the first bracelet is adhered onto a portion of the first bracelet as it is moved from an open position to a closed position encircling an object to be identified.
Each bracelet is comprised of first and second diametrically opposed outer sheets, which may be comprised of one or more layers of material. At least one of the layers of the first or second outer sheet is comprised of a material adapted to be printed thereon.
The cover tab and the adhesive portion formed in the opposed outer sheets of each bracelet, are typically substantially equal in area. Preferably, the configurations of the closure tab and the adhesive portion of each bracelet are complimentary.
In one embodiment, the plurality of bracelets are detachably connected end-to-end to form an elongated strip. In such embodiment, the first sheet has a portion extending beyond a first end of the second sheet and defining the cover tab. Typically, the first outer sheet is comprised of a plastic material. The second sheet extends beyond an end of the first sheet, generally opposite the cover tab, and defines the closure tab. The first and second outer sheets are bonded together, such as by an adhesive layer disposed between the first and second outer sheets. The adhesive layer may extend beyond the first sheet towards the end of the second sheet to comprise the adhesive portion of the closure tab.
A score line formed in the first outer sheet defines the cover tab of the bracelet, and a score line formed in the second outer sheet defines the end of the bracelet. Typically, the score lines comprise a plurality of perforations to facilitate the removal of the identification bracelets from one another. When the identification bracelets are detachably connected end-to-end to form the elongated strip, the score line formed in the first outer sheet is offset from the score line formed in the second outer sheet.
In another embodiment, the bracelets comprise a plurality of bracelets detachably connected along elongated side edges thereof to form a sheet of identification bracelets. In such embodiment, the cover tab of the first bracelet extends generally transverse to an elongated axis of the bracelet to overlie the adhesive portion of the closure tab of the adjacent second bracelet.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:
As shown in the accompanying drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention resides in identification bracelets which, as will be explained more fully herein, are detachably connected to one another in elongated strips or sheets and which are designed such that they do not have removable release liners and the attendant disadvantages thereof.
With reference to
A particularly unique benefit of the present invention is that the bracelets 10 are attached to one another in such a fashion that the need for a disposable release liner or cover tab is eliminated. With particular reference to
With reference to
Typically, at least one of the layers of the sheet 28 or 30 will be capable of receiving imprinted information thereon. In the illustrated embodiment, sheet 30 would be comprised of a printable material, such as synthetic thermal label stock, which could be fed through a printer 14 and have information printed thereon for identification purposes and the like.
Score lines 34 and 36 are formed in each sheet 28 and 30 where the identification bracelets 10 and 10′ overlap in end-to-end fashion. The score lines 34 and 36 are sufficiently deep so as to render the identification bracelets 10 and 10′ detachably connected to one another. Such score lines 34 and 36 may be comprised of a plurality of perforations, as is well known in the art. One score line 36 defines the end of the cover tab 22′. The other score line 34, formed in the opposite layer 30, is offset from the first score line 34, as illustrated in
When the bracelets 10 and 10′ are separated from one another along the score lines 34 and 36, a flap of outer sheet 28, typically comprised of a plastic material such as polystyrene, extends from the end of identification bracelet 10 and defines the cover tab 22. Once bracelet 10 is separated from the adjoining bracelet 10′, the adhesive portion 24 of the closure tab 26 of identification bracelet 10 is exposed.
As the adhesive portion 24 of the detached identification bracelet 10 is exposed, the identification bracelet 10 can be encircled about an object to be identified, such as a user's wrist, and the adhesive portion 24 of the closure tab 26 adhered onto a portion of the identification bracelet to close the identification bracelet about the object to be identified, as illustrated in
The bracelet 10 thereby remains a unitary article, generating no separate refuse to be disposed of at the time the bracelet is applied to the object. The bracelet 10 of the present invention also eliminates the need for somewhat complicated partial removal of a closure member or release liner from an adhesive area to enclose the band bottom object. The bracelet 10 of the present invention also eliminates the possibility of the separate sheets 28 and 30 becoming completely separated from one another when creating the band to encircle the object, as described above with prior identification bracelets.
With reference now to
Upon separating the first identification bracelet 38 from the second adjoining identification bracelet 38′, the bracelet is encircled about an object and the exposed adhesive portion 42 of closure member 44 is adhered onto an outer surface of the identification bracelet 38, as illustrated in
Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.
