Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to a printable form, and more particularly, to a form having a wristband that includes a plurality of detachable labels which may be printed with information in a single pass through a printer. The form may also include an additional plurality of labels which are printed at the same time. Other parts of the form may also be printed at the same time.
It is a common practice in hospitals to identify each patent with a bracelet or band bearing the patient's name or other identification information. The band is generally secured around the wrist of the patient so that hospital personnel can properly identify the patient whether or not the patient is conscious. Although this has been an effective method of identifying patients, many hospitals have had problems correlating patient information on specimens, drug prescriptions, physician's orders, etc. Clerical errors in the handling of such routine matters can result in dispensing the wrong medicine to a patient, or otherwise producing errors in patient treatment.
Several approaches have been taken to improve the correlation of patient information to various hospital forms. 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. Weichselbaum et el U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,112, teaches a patient identification system in which an identification bracelet secured to a patient is used to dispense a series of tags which are magnetically coded with patient information. However, this requires the use of a tag reader as well as circuitry which is capable of decoding the information on the tag.
Huddleston U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,472, discloses an improvement over such systems. In the preferred embodiment of this patent, a form having a face ply adhered to a liner ply by a pressure sensitive adhesive includes both a plurality of labels bearing patient specific identification information and a wristband having patient specific identification information. The form is printed in one pass. The wristband is applied to the patient and the balance of the form is kept with the patient's chart. The labels are removed from the form and used, as required, to label various items, e.g. blood samples, as belonging to or being associated with the patient in some manner. The drawback here, however, is that the form bearing the labels may be removed from the patient's chart and may then become disassociated with the patent.
Schintz U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,048 discloses another wristband form. In the wristband disclosed in this patent, the elongate strip making up the wristband includes adhesive contact portions and one or more laterally placed adhesive winged detents. The winged detents can be folded over one or more parts of the elongate strip to provide enhanced durability. In one configuration, a multi-ply sheet is defined by an elongate strip formable into a wristband and an array of labels. The labels are die cut into a first ply adhesively removable from a second ply. The sheet can be either an individual cut sheet, part of a continuous fan-folded form or part of a larger continuous roll. The form can be fed into a conventional automated printer to facilitate the placing of printed indicia on the wristband and labels.
In Chadwick U.S. Published App. 20040237366, filed May 28, 2004, a further patient wristband and form is disclosed. In the Chadwick application, an identification bracelet for use in a hospital is made of a strip of material that is resistant to common solvents and that has adhesive on a single end of the side of the strip opposite the printed side. The bracelet may be made from material that is printable by an office laser printer or from material that is printable by an ink jet printer that uses water-soluble inks. In the latter case, the material permits high-resolution printing and renders the printing resistant to wear and to common solvents.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an identification system which includes a wristband as well as an accompanying series of labels or tags which can be efficiently provided with correlating identification information, and which can be easily dispensed and used for a variety of applications.
The present invention meets those needs by providing a form which includes one or more wristbands as well as a series of detachable labels that are carried by the wristband or wristbands. The form is printed in a single pass through a printer to provide unique patient identification information on both the wristband or wristbands and on one or more of the labels. The wristbands may be peeled away from the form and attached to the patient's wrist. The labels are removed from the wristbands as needed and applied to hospital forms, containers of medicine, and the like. The form may be printed using a variety of printers, including mechanical impact printers, direct thermal printers, thermal transfer printers, ink jet printers, and laser printers.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a form having one or more detachable labels and a wristband comprises a printable face sheet having first and second major surfaces and having a pressure sensitive adhesive on at least a portion of one surface thereof. The face sheet includes first and second adjacent portions. The first portion of the face sheet is die cut to form a detachable wristband having first and second ends and first and second sides. The wristband is die cut to form one or more labels carrying a pressure sensitive adhesive which may be removed from the balance of the wristband. The second portion of the face sheet may be die cut to form a series of detachable labels.
The form also includes a liner ply having first and second major surfaces. The liner ply includes a release coating on at least a portion of one surface and is adhered to the pressure sensitive adhesive on the first or second surface of the face ply. Preferably, the liner ply is coextensive with the face ply. The first portion of the face sheet may comprise a top ply having an upper surface and a lower surface, and a pressure sensitive adhesive on the lower surface of the top ply. A lower ply has an upper surface and a lower surface, with the upper surface of the lower ply having a release coating thereon. The first major surface of the face sheet includes printed indicia thereon. The printed indicia are patient specific, and are printed on the plurality of labels on the wristband and on the detachable labels on the second portion of the printable face sheet.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first and second portions of the face sheet are separated and may comprise different materials. For example, the first portion of the face sheet may comprise a polymer such as polyester and the second portion of the face sheet may comprise paper. In an alternative embodiment, the entire face sheet may comprise a single type of material, such as paper or a polymer.
In another embodiment of the invention, the form includes a printable face sheet having first and second major surfaces and having a pressure sensitive adhesive on at least a portion of one surface thereof. The face sheet is die cut to form a detachable wristband having first and second ends and first and second sides. The wristband includes a plurality of labels carrying a pressure sensitive adhesive which may be removed from the balance of the wristband. The form further includes a liner ply having first and second major surfaces. The liner ply includes a release coating on at least a portion of one surface thereof and is adhered to the pressure sensitive adhesive on the first and second portions of the face sheet.
In another embodiment of the invention, the form includes a face sheet which is die cut to form a plurality of detachable wristbands, with at least one of the wristbands being die cut to form one or more labels carrying a pressure sensitive adhesive, and with at least one or more of the wristbands having no labels. The face sheet may be die cut to provide an additional series of detachable labels.
In yet another embodiment, a form has a plurality of detachable wristbands. The form includes a printable face sheet which is die cut to form the wristbands. At least one of the wristbands is die cut to form a plurality of labels carrying a pressure sensitive adhesive. At least one of the wristbands has no labels. A liner ply includes a release coating on at least a portion of one surface.
In yet another embodiment, a printable face sheet is die cut to form a detachable wristband. The wristband is die cut to form one or more labels carrying a pressure sensitive adhesive. A liner ply includes a release coating on at least a portion of one surface thereof. The liner ply is adhered to the pressure sensitive adhesive on the face sheet. The liner ply is die cut to form a portion of the detachable wristband beneath the labels.
Accordingly, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a form having detachable labels and a wristband that may be easily provided with information by printing in a single pass through a printer. This and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
Referring now to
The first and second portions 16 and 18 of the form 10 are printed with correlating printed indicia 40, indicated as patient information. By correlating indicia, it is meant that information printed on the first portion 16 is the same as, or in some way is related to, the information printed on the second portion 18. For example, the first and second portions may be printed with various information relating to a specific patient, or with the same information. In either event, however, all of the information relates to the same patient.
As shown in
As shown in
As will be noted, the face sheet 22 includes printed indicia 40 thereon, the printed indicia being patient specific and printed on the plurality of labels 39 on the wristband 12 and on the detachable labels 14 on the second portion 18 of the printable face sheet. 22. The printed indicia may also appear on the wristband 12, as at 41, and on the top sheet 22, as at 43, in areas that are not part of the labels 14 and 39. Further, if desired, the printed indicia may also appear on other parts of the face form 10. Other printed matter, unrelated to the patient information, may also appear on the form 10.
In addition to the arrangement shown, it should be appreciated that the pressure sensitive adhesive may be included in a number of other arrangements and patterns on the second surface of the face sheet 22, as required by the application. It should also be appreciated that the arrangement of the labels and the wristband or wristbands on the form may be varied. For example, the form may contain labels of different sizes, it may contain more than one wristband, and it may contain a different number of labels. In the event that the form includes multiple wristbands, some of those wristbands may carry labels, while others do not. All of the wristbands have patient information, however, that relate to the specific patient.
The form of the present invention may be produced as a continuous web product, or as a sheet product (as shown in
In use, the wristband is peeled away from the liner ply and secured around the patient's wrist by the pressure sensitive adhesive on the ends of the wristband 10. The balance of the form 10 is attached to the patient's chart and accompanies the patient. The labels 14 on the form may be removed, as needed, and adhered to containers of medicine, doctor's orders, patient specimens, or other forms by means of the pressure sensitive adhesive on the second surface of the face sheet. Further, in the event that the form 10 is unavailable, one of the labels 39 may be removed from the wristband 12, and applied to the sample bottle, medicine bottle, specific patient form, or used in some other fashion.
Reference is made to
Reference is made to
In use, after the wristband is printed in a single pass through a laser printer, ink jet printer, impact printer, thermal printer, or other known printer. The form, which is illustrated as a continuous form although it may also be used as a sheet form, is then separated at perforation lines 74 and 76. The liner portion 80 is then removed, revealing adhesive 70 therebeneath. The wristband may then be wrapped around the patient's wrist and be secured in place as the exposed adhesive 70 is brought into contact with the top surface 52 of the wristband at end 66. As described previously with respect to the other embodiments, the labels 68 may then be peeled from the wristband and attached to forms and specimen containers, as needed, to identify them as associated with the patient wearing the wristband.
While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the methods and apparatus disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.