This invention relates to a printable form. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-part form having a detachable wristband accompanied by a plurality of detachable labels, cards, tags or the like, which may be printed with information in a single pass through a printer.
The use of identification bracelets in hospital settings to identify individual patients is a common practice. The identification bracelet, which may include the patient's name and room number, is generally secured around the wrist of the patient during his or her stay at the hospital. While this has been useful to identify patients, some hospitals and medical clinics have experienced problems correlating patients with information relating to their lab results, specimens, prescriptions, billing, newborn babies, etc. Clerical errors in the handling of such routine matters can result in the dispensing of the wrong medicine or a newborn baby going home with the wrong mother.
Attempts have been made to improve the correlation of patient information to lab results, specimens, prescriptions, etc. For example, Falla, U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,947, teaches a pre-packaged patient identification kit which includes a wristband, a specimen container, and a label for attachment to a patient's record, all of which have been provided with identical patient information. However, more than one specimen container or label may be required and adding pre-identified specimen containers to the identification kit can increase the cost of such a kit. In another example, Huddleston et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,472, teaches a form having a detachable wristband and labels. While methods such as those described above may provide means of identifying a patient for various purposes, such methods either lack more than two different types of identification elements and/or limit the end users' flexibility in using multi-part printable forms to create various patient indicia of one or more materials.
Accordingly, there is a need for a low-cost identification media that can provide multiple identification elements containing identical and/or overlapping information and which is capable of being produced in any desired quantity and/or as the needs arises. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
The present invention resides in a printable multi-part form having labels, assorted tags and a wristband that can be separated via perforations in the form. A multi-part form embodying the invention comprises, generally, a printable face ply having at least three distinct portions, and a liner ply which underlies the printable face ply. A pressure sensitive adhesive is provided on at least a portion of a major surface of the face ply and, similarly, a release coating is provided on at least a portion of a major surface of the liner ply, whereby the liner ply is adhered to the pressure sensitive adhesive of the face ply.
In one illustrated embodiment, the printable face ply includes a first major surface, a second major surface, and a pressure sensitive adhesive on at least a portion of one of the first and second major surfaces. A first portion of the face ply forms a detachable wristband having first and second ends and first and second sides. A second portion of the face ply forms a series of detachable labels, and an intermediate portion forming one or more removable cards is disposed between the first and second portions of the face ply. The face ply may be comprised of different types of materials, such as a polymer and paper. Further, the first surface of the face ply is intended to include printed indicia thereon.
A liner ply underlies the face ply and includes first and second major surfaces. A release coating on at least a portion of one of the first and second major surfaces of the liner ply is provided, whereby the liner ply is adhered to the pressure sensitive adhesive of the face ply.
The first, second and intermediate portions of the face ply are separable from one another. In this regard, the liner ply comprises first, second and intermediate portions, the first portion of the liner ply adhering to the first portion of the face ply, the second portion of the liner ply adhering to the second portion of the face ply, and wherein the intermediate portion of the liner ply adheres to the intermediate portion of the face ply. The liner ply is typically coextensive with the face ply.
The first potion of the face ply is die cut to form the detachable wristband. Similarly, the second portion of the face ply is die cut to form the series of detachable labels, and the intermediate portion of the face ply is also die cut to form one or more removable cards.
The second surface of the first portion of the face ply includes the pressure sensitive adhesive around the periphery of the wristband and on at least one end and of the wristband. The second surface of the first portion of the face ply includes a pressure sensitive adhesive in an area containing the series of labels. At least a portion of the pressure sensitive adhesive adheres the intermediate portion of the face ply directly to the liner ply in one embodiment.
The multi-part form may also be fashioned to comprise a continuous web of forms which may or may not include a plurality of tractor feed pinholes.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, an electromagnetic chip for carrying information is imbedded into the face ply. The electromagnetic chip may take the form of a computer chip or radio frequency identification (RFID) chip to afford a higher degree of identification capability to the multi-part form. Of course, such a chip may be embedded within the labels or other elements of the multi-part form as well.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following 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 illustrated in
The wristband 24, the labels 36, and the cards 40 may be printed with indicia which is identical in each portion 22, 34, 38 (i.e., indicia printed on the first portion 22 corresponds to the indicia printed on the second portion 34 and/or the indicia printed on the intermediate portion 38). This identical information may include ‘nonvariable’ information (i.e., information which does not change from label-to-label or patient-to-patient) such as the name of the hospital, hospital department (e.g., maternity, oncology, etc.). The identical information may also include ‘variable’ information (i.e., information which is unique to an individual and which changes from label to label) such as the patient's name, blood-type, patient number assigned by the hospital (in numeric or bar code form), etc. Alternatively, the wristband 24, the labels 36, and the cards 40 may be printed with indicia which differs from portion-to-portion. For example, the first, second and intermediate portions 22, 34, 38 may each be printed with a different set or subset of patient information but with at least one common piece of identifying patient information. In this example, the wristband 24 may contain the patient's name, blood-type and patient identification number in bar code form) while the detachable labels 36 or cards 40 may only contain the bar code corresponding to the patient identification number. Hospital personnel would be able to access all of the patient's information by scanning the bar code with a bar code reader attached to a stand-alone computer in which patient records are stored, or a workstation, wireless device, cellular phone or other similar device in communication with the hospital's mainframe in which the patient's information is stored. In another alternative, the wristband 24, the labels 36, and the cards 40 may be printed with completely different patient identification information (e.g., the wristband 24 includes the patient's name only, the labels 36 include only the patient's patient number in barcode form, and the cards 40 include only the patient's patient number in numeric form). The patient identification information printed on the wristband 24, the labels 36, and the cards 40 may be adjusted to meet the individual needs of a particular patient.
As illustrated in
The face ply 42 is adhered to the liner ply 44 by a pressure sensitive adhesive 46 included on a portion of the second surface 42b of the face ply 42. The liner ply 44 generally includes a release coating 48 on the first surface 44a which faces the second surface 42b of the face play 42. The release coating 48 allows the face ply 42 to be readily peeled away from the liner ply 44. The release coating 48 may be in the form of a silicone coating. However, as seen in
The form 20 may be configured as a single sheet that may be printed in a single pass through a printer to provide the elements of the form 20 with correlating printed indicia, including but not limited to bar codes. The face ply 42 may be printed using a number of different automated printing devices including impact printers, ion deposition printers, ink jet printers, laser printers, direct thermal printers, and thermal transfer printers. If direct thermal printing is used, an imaging coating must be provided on the face ply 42 of the form 20. In the alternative, the form 20 may be printed as one sheet of a plurality of co-planar sheets being printed concurrently.
The wristband 24 is detachable from the form 20 and
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The wristband 54, the labels 66, and the cards 70 may be printed with indicia which is identical in each portion 52, 64, 68 (i.e., indicia printed on the first portion 52 corresponds to the indicia printed on the second portion 64 and/or the indicia printed on the intermediate portion 68). As outlined above, this identical information may include ‘variable’ and ‘nonvariable’ information. Likewise, the indicia printed on the form 50 may differ from portion-to-portion, as outlined above.
As illustrated in
The face ply 72 is adhered to the liner ply 74 by a pressure sensitive adhesive 76 included on a portion of the second surface 72b of the face ply 72. The liner ply 74 generally includes a release coating 78 on the first surface 74a which faces the second surface 72b of the face play 72. The release coating 78 allows the face ply 72 to be readily peeled away from the liner ply 74. The release coating 78 may be in the form of a silicone coating. However, as seen in
The form 50 may be configured as a single sheet that may be printed in a single pass through a printer to provide the elements of the form 50 with correlating printed indicia, including but not limited to bar codes. The face ply 72 may be printed using a number of different automated printing devices including impact printers, ion deposition printers, ink jet printers, laser printers, direct thermal printers, and thermal transfer printers. If direct thermal printing is used, an imaging coating must be provided on the face ply 72 of the form 50. In the alternative, the form 50 may be printed as one sheet of a plurality of co-planar sheets being printed concurrently.
As illustrated in
In the alternative, the arrangement of the wristband 24, 54, cards 40, 70 and labels 36, 66 on the form 11, 50 may be varied in size, shape, number, color, etc. For example, the form may include additional wristbands, a greater number of labels, tags and/or cards, or a fewer number of labels, tags and/or cards.
As illustrated in
An electromagnetic chip for carrying information 96, in the form of a computer chip or RFID inlet 96 may be imbedded in the wristband 24, 54, labels 36, 66 and other elements 40, 70 to afford a higher degree of identification capability. A reader (not shown) is used to ‘read’ the chip. Any commercially available chip may be used, including, for example, Hitachi Corporation's meu-chip which is wireless accessible at 2.45 GHz, can store up to 128 bits of data, and at 0.4 mm square is thin enough to be embedded in paper.
In use, a patient will check into a hospital and provide the hospital with standard information, such as the patient's name, health insurance provider, blood type, age, etc. This information will be used to create a hospital chart for the patient as well as a computerized record of the information. The hospital may then use a multi-part form to create a wristband 24, labels 36 and cards 40 that will be attached to and/or accompany the patient and/or the patient's chart or specimens. The wristband 24, the labels 36, and the cards 40 may be printed with the name of the hospital and the hospital department the patient is checked into. For example, a woman giving birth will usually be checked into a hospital's maternity ward. The patient will then be provided a wristband 24 that may include her name, blood type, and patient identification number, in addition to the information described above. A label 36 may be adhered to the hospital chart prepared by the hospital staff. The label may include the patient's identification number in numeric or barcode form so that a doctor or nurse at the patient's bedside or nurse's station can scan the barcode and pull up the patient's records from the hospital's computer database. While waiting to give birth, blood samples may be taken from the patient and analyzed. Labels 36 with the patient's identification number (in numeric and/or barcode form) may be attached to the samples so that lab technicians will be able to identify which patient the sample was taken from and/or pull up the patient's records so that additional entries can be made by the lab technician with respect to the test results on the sample. Once the patient has given birth, a label 36 or card 40 with the mother's information may be attached to a wristband provided to the infant and/or attached to the infant's chart. The infant may also be provided with its own identification number. The mother's and infant's information may then be coordinated so that babies are not accidentally switched by the hospital and the right infant goes home with the right mother.
While the form 20, 50, 90 of the present invention has been described in a hospital or medical setting, applications are possible in other settings. For example, the present invention is also applicable in business settings, recreational settings, or security settings where identification security is combined with the need to match two or more elements such as matching an airline passenger with his/her luggage where the baggage identification label issued to the passenger is compared to the baggage identification label attached to the luggage.
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are illustrative only and not limiting. It will thus be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the appended claims encompass all such changes and modifications as falling within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2641074 | Richmond | Jun 1953 | A |
3153869 | Twentier | Oct 1964 | A |
3197899 | Twentier | Aug 1965 | A |
3279107 | Baumgartner | Oct 1966 | A |
3848112 | Weichselbaum et al. | Nov 1974 | A |
3983604 | Phillips | Oct 1976 | A |
4078324 | Wiebe | Mar 1978 | A |
4122947 | Falla | Oct 1978 | A |
4221063 | Charles et al. | Sep 1980 | A |
4314415 | De Woskin | Feb 1982 | A |
4317964 | Biggs et al. | Mar 1982 | A |
4612718 | Golub et al. | Sep 1986 | A |
4682431 | Kowalchuk | Jul 1987 | A |
4914843 | DeWoskin | Apr 1990 | A |
4916841 | Dawson | Apr 1990 | A |
4951971 | Whited | Aug 1990 | A |
4991337 | Solon | Feb 1991 | A |
5026084 | Pasfield | Jun 1991 | A |
5048870 | Mangini et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
5242326 | Dexter | Sep 1993 | A |
5364133 | Hofer et al. | Nov 1994 | A |
5615504 | Peterson | Apr 1997 | A |
5653472 | Huddleston et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5933993 | Riley | Aug 1999 | A |
5979941 | Mosher et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
6000160 | Riley | Dec 1999 | A |
6067739 | Riley | May 2000 | A |
6179337 | Zumberge | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6212808 | Rubel | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6438881 | Riley | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6510634 | Riley | Jan 2003 | B1 |
6641048 | Schintz et al. | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6656555 | McKillip | Dec 2003 | B1 |
6971200 | Valenti | Dec 2005 | B2 |
20010015553 | Herreros Rodriguez et al. | Aug 2001 | A1 |
20040164544 | Thall et al. | Aug 2004 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20040113421 A1 | Jun 2004 | US |