This application is related to two other applications being filed concurrently herewith. They are “Wristband with Snap Closure and Patient ID Label” having Ser. No. 11/553,872; and “Laminate Web Wristband” having Ser. No. 11/553,891; both of even filing date herewith and the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Wristbands for use in admitting and identifying patients for both in patient and out patient care are routinely used in the medical community today. The assignee hereof owns a number of patents disclosing and claiming various inventive wristband suited to this medical field application, and which have experienced great commercial success. Examples of these include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,933,993; 6,000,160; 6,067,739; 6,438,881; 6,510,634; 6,748,687; 7,047,682; 7,017,293; and 7,017,294, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. These patented wristbands have been made and sold by the millions. Some are sized for use on adults and others are sized for use on infants and even newborns having the smallest of wrists or ankles. The wristband designs shown in these prior patents have straight edges along their length, and they have been accepted as safe and comfortable for all their intended users. Nevertheless, as demonstrated by the continuing series of patent filings, the assignee has endeavored to continuously improve its wristband designs to the continuing benefit of the consuming public.
In many wristband designs, especially in those wristbands which are thin, an edge is created along its length which, for wearers with sensitive skin such as newborn babies, or should the wristband be inadvertently applied too tightly about the wearer's wrist or ankle, could actually create an abrasion or even a fine cut (like a paper cut) in the wearer's wrist or ankle. For newborns, some of whom have wristbands placed on both ankles, the wristband on the right leg could cause an abrasion or cut on the left leg as the baby thrashes about, and vice versa. While these instances are rare, and would ordinarily be avoided by a careful and attentive medical staff, it does provide an opportunity for improvement. It is noted that for convenience the word “wrist” is intended to refer to any limb and the phrase “wristband” is intended to refer to a band worn around any limb.
As a result of the assignee's continuing efforts to improve these wristband designs, the inventor herein has succeeded in designing an improvement which increases the comfort, and reduces the risk of harm, for not only the assignee's designs but also virtually all other flexible wristbands. In simple terms, the inventor has succeeded in developing a “bending yielding feature” for softening the edge pressure exerted by the edges of the wristband to the wearer's wrist or ankle. This bending yielding feature is especially useful for wristband designs in popular use today which are made of flexible vinyl or other thin plastic laminates. These materials are quite strong which allow them to be made from especially thin or lightweight plies, thereby increasing the likelihood that they exhibit a sharp edge which when pressed against the wrist or ankle is likely to cut or abrade it.
In simple terms, a “bending yielding feature” can be understood as any design that, inter alia, essentially adds “yieldability”, adds flex, or presents a smooth surface to a wearer's skin. In essence, a non-linear edge would seem to the inventor to satisfy this requirement. Examples of this feature include a scalloped edge design, a “toothed” edge design, a “slotted” edge design, a “folded over” edge design, and other “non-straight” edges. Some of these designs extend the length of the edge to be longer than a straight line measurement. Others of these designs provide design elements that are more flexible than a simple straight edge would provide. Still others, such as a folded over edge, provide an actual cushion at the edge which comes into contact with the wearer's wrist as the wrist is flexed or ankle as it is flexed. All are enough to help prevent a sharp edge from coming into contact with the wearer's wrist or ankle as the wrist or ankle is flexed.
In some wristband designs, there is an information receiving area or panel of the wristband that is usually wider (but need not be) than a strap portion or otherwise designated to receive information. For those designs having one portion of the wristband wider than other portions, it is considered preferable that the bending yielding feature be applied along the wider portion as that portion is normally the part of the wristband that comes into contact with the wrist or ankle first. It is also considered preferable that the bending yielding feature be formed along substantially the entire length of both opposing sides of the wider panel portion. Should there be no portion wider than another, as is the case for some designs shown in the assignee's patents identified above, then it is considered preferable that the bending yielding feature be formed along substantially the entirety of at least one side of the length that ordinarily would come into contact with a wearer's wrist or ankle as the wristband is worn and the wrist or ankle is flexed. However, forming the feature in both sides is considered to also be beneficial and is intended as one embodiment of the present invention.
While the principal advantages and features of the invention have been described above, a greater understanding may be attained by referring to the drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiment that follows.
As shown in
The bending yielding feature 26 is shown as preferably being a scallop shaped design although any of the other designs shown in
As shown in
The bending yielding feature 26 is similarly shown as a scallop design although other designs could be used as well.
Although a number of arrangements and designs are explicitly shown herein for the bending yielding feature, one of skill in the art would find other arrangements and designs apparent from the teaching provided. For example, a folded edge design might also be provided which would in effect provide a “bumper” to cushion the wristband against the wearer's wrist or ankle. Other designs would also be apparent and are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is disclosed herein in terms of its preferred embodiment solely to be illustrative and not limiting in any way. Instead, the scope of the present invention should be limited solely by the legal scope of the claims and their equivalents.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
230455 | Wilcox | Jul 1880 | A |
919983 | Walsh | Apr 1909 | A |
922948 | Portmore | May 1909 | A |
1517456 | Pulliam | Dec 1924 | A |
2054227 | Nichols | Sep 1936 | A |
2073280 | Lederer | Mar 1937 | A |
2553676 | Roos | May 1951 | A |
2641074 | Richmond | Jun 1953 | A |
3197899 | Twentier | Aug 1965 | A |
3402808 | Yannuzzi | Sep 1968 | A |
3660916 | McDermott et al. | May 1972 | A |
3854229 | Morgan | Dec 1974 | A |
4004362 | Barbieri | Jan 1977 | A |
4078324 | Wiebe | Mar 1978 | A |
4179833 | Knodel | Dec 1979 | A |
4226036 | Krug | Oct 1980 | A |
4233715 | McDermott | Nov 1980 | A |
4612718 | Golub et al. | Sep 1986 | A |
4627994 | Welsch | Dec 1986 | A |
4682431 | Kowalchuk | Jul 1987 | A |
4696843 | Schmidt | Sep 1987 | A |
4783917 | Smith et al. | Nov 1988 | A |
4829604 | Allen et al. | May 1989 | A |
4854610 | Kwiatek | Aug 1989 | A |
4855277 | Walter | Aug 1989 | A |
4914843 | DeWoskin | Apr 1990 | A |
4941210 | Konucik | Jul 1990 | A |
4956931 | Selke | Sep 1990 | A |
4991337 | Solon | Feb 1991 | A |
RE33616 | Welsch | Jun 1991 | E |
5026084 | Pasfield | Jun 1991 | A |
5045426 | Maierson et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
5135789 | Schmidt | Aug 1992 | A |
5222823 | Conforti | Jun 1993 | A |
5227004 | Belger | Jul 1993 | A |
5227209 | Garland | Jul 1993 | A |
5283969 | Weiss | Feb 1994 | A |
5311689 | Lindsey | May 1994 | A |
5318326 | Garrison | Jun 1994 | A |
5351993 | Wright | Oct 1994 | A |
5370420 | Khatib et al. | Dec 1994 | A |
5383686 | Laurash | Jan 1995 | A |
5418026 | Dronzek, Jr. et al. | May 1995 | A |
5427416 | Birch | Jun 1995 | A |
5486021 | Laurash | Jan 1996 | A |
5486436 | Lakes | Jan 1996 | A |
5509693 | Kohls | Apr 1996 | A |
5509694 | Laurash et al. | Apr 1996 | A |
5518787 | Konkol | May 1996 | A |
5524934 | Schwan et al. | Jun 1996 | A |
5547227 | Laurash et al. | Aug 1996 | A |
5581924 | Peterson | Dec 1996 | A |
5586788 | Laurash | Dec 1996 | A |
5595404 | Skees | Jan 1997 | A |
5598970 | Mudry et al. | Feb 1997 | A |
5601313 | Konkol et al. | Feb 1997 | A |
5630627 | Stewart | May 1997 | A |
5637369 | Stewart | Jun 1997 | A |
5648143 | Mehta et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
5653472 | Huddleston et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5662976 | Popat et al. | Sep 1997 | A |
5687903 | Akridge et al. | Nov 1997 | A |
5765885 | Netto | Jun 1998 | A |
5842722 | Carlson | Dec 1998 | A |
5877742 | Klink | Mar 1999 | A |
5933993 | Riley | Aug 1999 | A |
5984363 | Dotson et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
6000160 | Riley | Dec 1999 | A |
6006460 | Blackmer | Dec 1999 | A |
6016618 | Attia et al. | Jan 2000 | A |
6053535 | Washburn et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
6067739 | Riley | May 2000 | A |
6071585 | Roth | Jun 2000 | A |
6092321 | Cheng et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
6155476 | Fabel | Dec 2000 | A |
6155603 | Fox | Dec 2000 | A |
6159570 | Ulrich et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
6303539 | Kosarew | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6331018 | Roth et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
6343819 | Shiozaki | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6361078 | Chess | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6409871 | Washburn et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6438881 | Riley | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6510634 | Riley | Jan 2003 | B1 |
6517921 | Ulrich et al. | Feb 2003 | B2 |
6611962 | Redwood et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6685228 | Riley | Feb 2004 | B2 |
6748687 | Riley | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6807680 | Sloot | Oct 2004 | B2 |
6836215 | Laurash et al. | Dec 2004 | B1 |
6863311 | Riley | Mar 2005 | B2 |
7017293 | Riley | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7017294 | Riley | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7047682 | Riley | May 2006 | B2 |
7222448 | Riley | May 2007 | B2 |
7240446 | Bekker | Jul 2007 | B2 |
20020176973 | Keiser | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20030011190 | Ryan | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20040068906 | Riley | Apr 2004 | A1 |
20040244251 | Riley | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20050108912 | Bekker | May 2005 | A1 |
20050279001 | Riley | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20050281989 | Finger | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20060230661 | Bekker | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20060236578 | Saint et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20070089342 | Jain et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1039431 | Sep 2000 | EP |
2806594 | Sep 2001 | FR |
960859 | Jun 1964 | GB |
2045718 | Nov 1980 | GB |
2160492 | Dec 1985 | GB |
2228915 | Sep 1990 | GB |
2002351321 | Dec 2002 | JP |
2003066849 | Mar 2003 | JP |
2003157010 | May 2003 | JP |
2003164307 | Jun 2003 | JP |
2006039209 | Feb 2006 | JP |
WO 9612618 | May 1996 | WO |
WO 9823081 | May 1998 | WO |
WO 9918817 | Apr 1999 | WO |
WO 02039412 | May 2002 | WO |
WO 03000331 | Jan 2003 | WO |
WO 2004028826 | Apr 2004 | WO |
WO 2006007356 | Jun 2005 | WO |
WO 2005064574 | Jul 2005 | WO |
2007021375 | Feb 2007 | WO |
2007133906 | Nov 2007 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Avery Dennison DuraCard™. |
Avery® Laminated Identification Cards #5361. |
Brochure entitled: “Color-Bar® Click Strip™” Label System; Smead Manufacturing Company; Date Unknown; Form No. SSS-CS-00. |
Brochure entitled: “Color-Bar® Folders”; Smead Manufacturing Company; Date Unknown. |
Brochure entitled: “Integrated Document Management Software”; Smead Manufacturing Company; Date Unknown; Form No. SLI-95. |
Catalog entitled: “Reseller Catalog Number One”; Smead Software Solutions™; Date Unknown; Form No. SSS-RC1-00. |
Sample of Standard Register Labels. |
Standard Register, P.S. Magazine, Fall 1998, Dayton, Ohio. |
Gretchen Berry, “Wrist Watch,” Advance for Healthcare Information Professionals, Feb. 15, 1999. |
Sample of Standard Register Label. |
“Yes, Sir, That's My Baby!,” Material Management in Health Care, Feb. 1999, vol. 8, No. 2, Health Forum, Inc. |
Disaster Management Systems, Inc., Triage Tag, Copyright 1996, Pomona, California. |
Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Emergency Medical Services, Triage Tag, Copyright MIEMMS 1999, Maryland. |
Posey Movable I.D. Bracelet; downloaded from http.:/www.posey.com/products/4648.html on Aug. 18, 2004. |
ID Warehouse (http://web.archive.org/web/20050131235601/http://idwarehouse.com/) Jan. 31, 2005. p. 1: WB1908, Stock Vinyl Wristband. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20080109937 A1 | May 2008 | US |