Patent Application
20160098624
This invention relates to 2D bar code information bearing plastic tabs that mount on notators that can carry wires & cables used primarily in small and large computer systems, as well as larger items such as bush stems, tree trunks, prostheses and medical instruments.
Our computer systems at both home and at the office are getting more complex with more and more components including a multiplicity of printers for the same or plural users, and large numbers of work stations attached to a single or several servers, and multi-office phone systems, the need to follow and identify each component and each user's components becomes more complex. In industry the problems of user and component identification is even greater, with wires and cable everywhere, for work stations, phone systems, facsimiles, and networking, the modern large office and industrial IT setting is a sea of cables of all dimensions and colors, everyone of which needs to be identified now and in the future.
While oft times, all of the cables to be identified are located in one room, just as often, cables may extend to various floors of a building and even to several buildings. Thus one may not be able to follow to identify a cable coming from down the hall to the IT room, when all cables are either black or brown, and most of the same size.
In a multi-room home theater/sound setup it is next to impossible to determine which are the leads to the living-room speakers, and which go to the master bedroom. This is another of the plethora of instances, where wire and cable tracing is either not practical or is difficult to employ.
Indeed, there are of course other situations that arise in our daily lives outside of the Information Technology world wherein it would be helpful to have indicia notations pertaining to wires and cables for the purpose of giving warnings, limitations on use; directions and other information. For example wiring of differing voltages, such as 110 Volt AC versus 12 Volt DC; power lines versus speaker “cables” among others.
Many IT rooms have racks and racks of component wiring, with stacks and stacks of cables, all of which look alike. But none of which are self-identifying. Thus rack organizers have come to be to segregate cables for future easy identification. Such rack organizers are made by A “N D Cable Products, Inc. among others. While rack organizers are helpful to provide neatness, to render identification easier of any one cable, organizers organize they do not identify cables and wires. That is the job of this invention for use in large industrial and commercial settings as well as in the homes of the affluent. That is because there is a real need for a means to notate specific wires and cables with information as to their location or function.
But it is not just cables and wiring that need easy identification. Everyday products such as medical instruments, and prosthetic members need quick and easy identification modes. The invention of this application fills that need. Quick foolproof identification of laboratory samples without the need to handwrite labels that may not be readable is yet another example of the potential use of this invention.
A use in a lower technology industry for this invention is for the identification of tree specimens or bushes such as roses at horticultural nurseries, such that varieties could be separated not just by specie, but also by watering need, time to plant, depth in the ground and type of pesticide to use with the particular tree, or bush.
Whereas regular shaped such as cube or rectangular solid items, such as rail cars benefit more from the use of RFID identification schemes, irregular items of any type will more likely benefit from the use of the notators of this invention for the gathering of identification information.
A notator adapted to be mounted directly onto individual wires and cables for the display of information pertaining to the wire or cable itself or the wires within the cable as the case may be. The notator can also be made in a larger format or size to fit around the trunk of a nursery sized tree or to fit at a defined location on an artificial arm or leg or for that matter on any irregular shaped item. The device includes a first indicia bearing engaging portion and a second receiving portion for mounting the device on a wire or cable or other article. QR code/micro QR/data matrix code indicia is added to the indicia receiving surface by placement of a self adhesive code containing tab thereon. Optionally, a protective layer over the code containing label may be added.
It is a first object of this invention to provide a device having two primary portions, one of which is for the reception of data and the other of which is for disposition on the item to be identified.
It is another object to provide an information notator that is integrated into a device that is directly mountable on a cable or wire.
It is a third object is to provide an identification notator for disposition upon generally cylindrical and tubular items.
It is a fourth object to provide an indicia notator whose first portion can be made in various sizes to receive both standard and micro-QR code information, as well as Data Matrix coded information.
It is a fifth object to provide a cable/wire/or other article substrate notator that can receive indicia by the application of pre-printed self adhesive tabs.
It is a sixth object to provide a notator for use in the medical and horticultural fields as well for the placement of identifying information thereon.
These and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the device possessing the features, properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Device 10 in its first embodiment, includes a first information carrying portion 12, designated as the engaging portion, and a second receiving portion 11 that matingly engages the first portion and which second portion also receives the cable/wire or other item to be identified therein. The receiving portion 11 is fixedly attached to the first or indicia carrying portion 12 by a junction member, 60 which itself has several elements which will be described supra. For ease and convenience of the reader, all parts of the engaging portion 12 are even numbers, while all parts of the receiving portion 11 are odd numbered.
As seen in
The second portion 11 of this device is seen to comprise a cup-like portion having a disc base 25 and two upstanding spaced side wall segments, 17 and 19 each of which has a semi-circular base 27,29 which side wall bases, 27,29 are attached to the disc base 25 along their respective diameters. The inner surface of the wall segments are designated 19-I And 17-I respectively, while the outer surfaces as seen in
If one looks carefully at lip 23, it is seen that in the middle thereof there is a slight recess 35, which is also seen in
There are dual aligned vertical interruptions 31,33 which separate the wall segments 17,19 and which extend the full height of the wall segments, even past the base 25. These two interruptions together form a slot 31-33 for the reception of wires or cable or other items, depending upon the size of this slot. The underside of the two semi-circular bases and the underside of the disk are all in the same plane and the same elevation. By adjusting the distance between the two wall segments, 17, 19, that is adjusting the width of the interruptions 31 and 33, larger or smaller items can be carried within the notator. These spaces can be adjusted closely to fit on a single 16 gauge wire, or made larger to fit on a branch of a rose bush, or even larger to carry a prosthetic arm therein.
Let us now turn to
Here in
In
All of the discussion above has been about the device 10 when in open position prior to the disposition of wire(s) or a cable or other identified item therein.
Tabs bearing 2D Data Matrix code can be printed on QR code generator or similar printers available in the marketplace. Data matrix printers are also readily available. But the concept of using tiny self adhesive tabs as strata for the printing of QR and data matrix code sand applying these coded labels to substrates other than the item itself to be identified, IE to the tags employed in this invention for the identification of items on which a flat large label will not fit, is new to this invention.
The discussion now moves to the second embodiment as seen in
The discussion now moves to
However in the label receiving portion of the second embodiment, 212 as seen in
The discussion now moves to the third embodiment as seen in
For embodiment 310B it is also to be understood that all details set forth for the receiving portion are the same as discussed for the second embodiment 210 and accordingly the discussion concerning the odd numbered three digit parts in the 200 series are incorporated herein by reference and are shown as such in the right side of the
The difference between the third embodiment versions, and those of the first two embodiments is the fact that there is NO JUNCTION MEMBER 61.—emphasis added—. The wire(s), cable, bush branch, prosthetic, or other odd shaped item is inserted into the receiving portion and the two portions are snapped together without having to worry about the junction member 61. See the appropriate FIGURE. It is believed that the elimination of the junction member will work better for units of this invention which are sized for relatively larger items, such as a nursery trees, elongated cylindrical containers, arms of medical instruments such as hemostats and scalpels for both human and large animal surgeries.
QR code is the abbreviation for Quick Response Code. It is a type of matrix bar code first designed by Toyota Motor Car Company in Japan Bar codes are optical machine readable labels or labeling attached to items that record information pertaining to the item. QR codes have become widely adopted due to fast readability and greater storage capacity as compared to standard UPC bar codes which are just a series of numbers and sometimes letters interspersed therein. The information encoded can relate to almost any type of data, such that the coded elements of black square dots arranged in a square grid on a white background can be ready an imaging device such as a camera, smart phone, using readily available low cost software, QR code both standard and micro can be read as well by QR code readers, which can be ordered from companies on the internet such as at www.mobile-barcoes.com among others.
Data matrix code is also a two dimensional matrix bar code which consists of a series of black and white cells or modules which are arranged in either square or rectangular shaped patterns. Both text and numerical information can be encoded. The length of the encoded data depends upon the number of cells or modules in the matrix. One data matrix symbol can store up to about 3000 alphanumeric characters. If the average letter contains 80 characters per line, one can see how much information can be squeezed into a tiny space. The data matrix symbol consists of data regions which contain the above noted modules set out in an array An error correction mode can also be built into the symbol.
By putting QR code, micro QR and data matrix code information on cable organizers, and other items of a non flat nature, space can be saved by not having to attach large labels for the receipt of information on wires and cables. What previously may have required a cable tie and a placard about 1.5 inches long by ¾ inch wide, is now replaced by a small round surface of just over ½ inch in diameter. The label size for stick-on QR labels is about 15 mm×15 mm and can be of such materials as paper, polyester or Mylar® among others. Blank labels are available pre-cut on 8.5×11 inch sheets of paper for printing on an office inkjet printers Indeed even hand held QR code printers are also available. See for example the Brother® International QL line of printers among others that retail for as low as $60.00. Other vendors of QR code label printers include Zebra™ and Datamax for higher priced units. The QR or other coded tab 30 may be applied to the flat surface of the engaging portion of the notator, either prior to or subsequent to the placement of wire/cable in the device and the engagement of the two portions.
As mentioned above,
It is seen that applicant has uncluttered locations where a plethora of cable and wires are located by allowing each such cable or wire to carry its own small identifying information badge of honor for quick easy machine reading. In addition to cables, odd shaped parts for machinery, and the medical instrument industry as well as prostheses can be readily identified as to size shape, intended use and more by the encircling of such items with a tag of this invention carrying a 2D bar code symbol.
The notator devices of this invention may be provided in various materials, and in various colors which themselves can be used as an identifier such as of voltage, room in a building etc. as a secondary source of information over and above the QR or data matrix code message. Typical materials useful for these devices includes, nylon, polypropylene and polyethylene among other resins.
While the size shown and the bulk of the discussion has been on the use of micro-QR code labels of about 0.5 inch×0.5 inch, standard QR labels can also be attached to larger sized devices of the invention. In the alternative the receiving portion 11 can be maintained as shown, but the diameter of the base 22 of the engaging portion can be increased to accommodate the receipt of larger printed tabs of standard QR size. Data matrix symbols can be made in both QR size and in micro Qr size for attachment to the notators.
It is to be understood, that if a cable is rerouted, or changes made to one or more wires in the slot 31-33 of the notator, that the device of this invention can be removed by urging the two portions apart. One can accomplish this by use of the finger nail, or optional screwdriver or other pressure applying device. In such instance either a new device with an updated 2D bar code marking code symbol can be attached to the cable or with slight difficulty the tab removed and replaced by a new coded tab being applied to the notator. However due to a low cost factor, and to avoid errors as to whether the old tab was removed and the new one placed on the notator, “throw away and replace” is the preferred modus operandi.
As mentioned supra, the QR or data matrix code tab of this invention will recite information about the cable or wires or other item to which it is attached. Such information can include both near end (proximal) and far end (distal) information. Typically such information for cables and wires would be the building or building # if within a complex, floor, cubicle or closet, cabinet, and down to shelf and port. Other information can also be encoded such as circuit description, or functionality, such as Human resources Dept, or Accounting, or anything else desired by the users.
For larger items, such as automobile components, gears, prostheses and other irregular shaped items, the notator bearing the codes information can be encircled on the item to be identified to indicate, car model, location of attachment such as left or right; for prostheses, the size of the unit the weight carrying capacity, the gender for whom intended and other information can be placed in the symbol placed on the notator.
While QR code generators exist in the marketplace, there may be an initial learning curve to be able to code the tabs used on this device for the information desired by the user of these devices. It may be easier for the end user to utilize a cable or wire specific code generator from applicant with a pointer to a specific database managed by applicant or the end user that will allow for quick and easy generation of the tabs needed for the specific use of the customer. Applicant's assignee will complete a frame or shell of code such that an application for specific wire and cable information can be generated by the customer, as opposed to a computer program relating to the contents of a box of men's shirts. The same is true for all other items to be identified by tab carrying notators. That is, a partial computer program will be offered by applicant's assignee, into which the specific data of the customer is to be entered for ultimate tab make up.
While the discussion above has dealt with tabs that carry a self adhesive layer thereon, and clearly the use of such tabs is preferred, no reason is seen why a cloth or paper or plastic film tab to which adhesive is added separately can not be utilized to carry the indicia of the 2D bar code information.
It is to be seen that there are advantages in certain situations for using the device with the junction member and certain advantages to using the device embodiments without the junction member. In crowded IT areas, where space is at a premium, the lack of junction members can be very advantageous in close quarters in the identification of various wires and cables. On the other hand, for consumers the presence of the junction member is beneficial since it helps prevents loss of parts and thus waste of an entire device if one half gets lost or misplaced, and the junction member is beneficial for those with arthritis and Parkinson's disease, and non-nimble fingers.
Since certain changes may be made in the above devices without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 13/987,399, filed Jul. 23, 2013
