JP2006106455A - Label with bar code - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label with a bar code, which is suitably stuck to a vessel where a clinical specimen is stored, and have characters and symbols under the bar code made visible to effectively prevent a mistake of sticking a wrong label with a bar code. <P>SOLUTION: The label with a bar code includes at least an area having the bar code printed therein, on a translucent area. "Translucent" means that characters, symbols, etc. under the bar code are visible and the bar code can be accurately read by an ordinary bar code reader regardless of entry of the characters or the like under the bar code. A white ink layer which has the density proper adjusted and printed in white or a translucent film is available as the translucent area, and the bar code can be printed in normal black ink. With respect to the semiconductor film, a translucent film obtained by mixing inorganic particles of calcium carbonate or the like into an originally transparent film made of polyethylene terephthalate or the like to make the film translucent, a translucent film obtained by making the surface of the film translucent by matting treatment, etc. are available, and translucent films on the market are available. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a label on which a barcode is printed, and particularly to a label with a barcode suitable for being attached to a container such as a test tube in which a clinical specimen such as blood is stored.

  Clinical specimens such as blood are sent to clinical laboratory centers specializing in clinical trials from hospitals, health check centers, medical checkups (hereinafter referred to as “hospitals”, etc.). The clinical laboratory center conducts clinical tests on these specimens and reports the test results to hospitals and the like. About 100,000 specimens are sent to large clinical laboratories from hospitals and other facilities nationwide. Clinical specimens are usually stored in containers such as test tubes. In hospitals or the like, in general, in order to identify each sample, a label that describes a patient name, a sample collection date, a medical department name in the hospital, an identification number, and the like is attached. On the other hand, clinical laboratories also attach barcodes that encode information for specimen identification and unique labels that contain other information, read the barcodes with a barcode reader, and computer-process the test results. ing. Since the labeling of the clinical laboratory center is performed manually, there is a possibility that the label is mistakenly applied. If the label is applied incorrectly, the test results of other patients' specimens may be reported, which should not be.

  Conventionally, as a sample label to be affixed to a container containing a clinical sample, a label provided with a transparent window (Patent Document 1) is known so that the state of the sample inside the container can be seen. Yes. However, in these specimen labels, when printing a barcode, the barcode is printed on an opaque substrate such as paper. Therefore, at least under the barcode is hidden by the substrate on which the barcode is printed, and the inside of the container cannot be seen. In order to be able to see the bottom of the barcode, a label that prints the barcode on a transparent film and uses a transparent infrared light emitting fluorescent paint as an ink for printing the barcode is also known (patent) Reference 2). However, it is difficult to print a barcode using such special ink with a commercially available general-purpose printer, and a special barcode reader that reads infrared emission fluorescence is required, and the cost of the ink is required. Is also expensive.

JP-A-11-85024 JP-A-9-34361

  An object of the present invention is a label with a bar code suitable for being attached to a label containing a clinical specimen, wherein characters and symbols described under the bar code are visible, whereby a label with a bar code It is to provide a label with a barcode that is effective in preventing mistakes in sticking.

  In order to prevent the label from being put in the clinical laboratory, the inventors applied the label of the clinical laboratory on the label without being peeled off by the hospital, etc. Even after the label of the inspection center was affixed, it was thought that it was effective that the information described on the label affixed by a hospital or the like could be read visually. This is because identification information such as the patient's name is written on the label affixed by the hospital, etc., and if it can be read, the labeling with the barcode of the clinical laboratory center can be performed while confirming it. In addition, it is possible to reconfirm whether there is no mistake even after applying the label of the clinical laboratory center.

  As a technique for making it possible to see the characters and the like described under the barcode, as described in Patent Document 2, the barcode is printed on the transparent film with an infrared light emitting fluorescent paint. The method is known. However, as described above, this requires a special device and is expensive. It is conceivable to print a barcode with normal ink on a transparent film. However, if characters etc. are written under the barcode, they will be read by the barcode reader. The barcode cannot be read accurately.

  As a result of intensive research, the inventors of the present application have made it possible to visually recognize the characters and the like under the barcode by printing the barcode on a translucent substrate, and yet the barcode is read by the barcode reader. The present invention has been completed.

  That is, the present invention provides a label with a bar code that includes at least an area where a bar code is printed on a first translucent area.

  In the label with a barcode of the present invention, since the barcode is printed in a translucent area, the characters under the barcode can be read, and the barcode itself can be read accurately by a barcode reader. it can. Therefore, by applying the label of the present invention to the specimen label of the clinical laboratory center and applying the barcode-attached label of the present invention on the label affixed in hospitals, etc., the labeling error of the clinical laboratory center is prevented. Or it can be reduced.

  As described above, in the label with a barcode of the present invention, the barcode is printed on a translucent area. Here, “semi-transparent” means that a normal barcode is used even when characters or symbols under the barcode are visually visible and characters are written under the barcode. This means translucency that allows the barcode to be read accurately by a reader. As the translucent area, a white ink layer printed with white by adjusting the density appropriately or a translucent film can be used, and the barcode can be printed with normal black ink. As a translucent film, for example, an originally transparent film such as polyethylene terephthalate is blended with inorganic particles such as calcium carbonate to make it translucent, or the film surface is matted to make it translucent Etc. can be used, and commercially available products can be used.

  The label of the present invention may consist only of the above-mentioned semi-transparent region (first semi-transparent region) printed with a barcode, but has a second semi-transparent region for describing information other than the barcode. It is preferable. Various information other than the barcode, such as the patient's name, can be described in the second translucent region. Information other than the barcode can be written in the transparent area, but by writing it in the translucent area, it can be identified at a glance from the characters written under the label. Are preferably described in the translucent region.

  When the second translucent region is present, it is advantageous that the first translucent region and the second translucent region are continuous because both translucent regions can be formed with a single translucent film. Also, since the container that contains the specimen is often a test tube, the longitudinal direction of the barcode is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the test tube, while the second translucent region is the longitudinal direction of the barcode. It is convenient to extend in the direction perpendicular to the line. That is, it is preferable that the first translucent region and the second translucent region have an L shape or a T shape. The “T” -shaped vertical bar of “T” does not necessarily need to be in contact with the center of the horizontal bar, and may be in contact with a biased position.

  The overall shape of the label is preferably a substantially rectangular shape (including a square) because it is easy to stick. In this case, the regions other than the first translucent region and the second translucent region are transparent. It is preferable from the viewpoint of improving the visibility of the portion under the label. In addition, although it is not intending to describe a character etc. in a transparent area, it is also possible to describe a character etc. in a transparent area as needed.

  A label having a translucent area and a transparent area is formed by partially adjusting ordinary white printing on the transparent film by adjusting the density, or forming a translucent area on the transparent film. It can be easily manufactured by laminating a translucent film. It is preferable that an adhesive is applied to the back surface of the transparent film and is stuck on the mount. After printing a bar code or the like, it can be peeled off from the mount during application and attached to the container.

  The label of the present invention is particularly effective when it is a sample label attached at a clinical laboratory center. That is, the barcode on the label of the present invention can be accurately read with a normal barcode reader by pasting the label of the present invention on the label affixed on the specimen container at a hospital or the like. It is also possible to read a label affixed in a hospital or the like that has been covered with a barcode. Thereby, it is possible to prevent or at least reduce an error in attaching a label with a barcode in a clinical laboratory center. In the case of a specimen label, the size of the label is not limited at least as long as the barcode is printed. Usually, the length is about 3 cm to 8 cm, preferably about 3 cm to 4 cm, and the side is a test tube. It has a size of one week to one and a half weeks, preferably about one week to a little over one week, and preferably about 5 cm to 7 cm for a general-purpose test tube.

  The label with a barcode of the present invention is particularly effective when applied to a sample label, but is not necessarily limited to the sample label, and characters written on the portion covered with the barcode Can be used as any other label it is desired to see.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a preferred embodiment of the label of the present invention. The label 10 has a substantially rectangular shape (a rectangular shape except that the four corners are rounded), and a bar code and a number below the first translucent region are described. The barcode is printed with ordinary black ink and printed with a commercially available general-purpose printer. For example, an identifier that can specify various types of identification information such as a patient name, examination item, examination date, and requested facility name can be coded in the barcode. The second translucent region 14 is provided continuously with the first translucent region 12, and the first and second translucent regions form an L shape. In the second translucent area, the patient name “Hinotaro” is written. Of course, it goes without saying that other information can be described. The region 16 other than the L-shaped translucent region is a transparent region. A backing is pasted with an adhesive on the back side of the label, and when the label is pasted, it is peeled off from the backing. A preferred size of the label attached to the test tube is, for example, 3 cm × 6 cm.

  The label shown in FIG. 1 can be produced, for example, by applying white printing with an appropriately adjusted density on a transparent film to form the first and second translucent regions.

  At the time of use, the label is peeled off from the mount and attached to the container. When used as a sample label to be attached to a test tube, the label is attached so that the longitudinal direction of the barcode is along the longitudinal direction of the test tube, and the test tube is wound with the label.

  When the above label is pasted on a label affixed by a hospital, etc., the letters, etc. described on the label affixed by the hospital, etc. are visually observed even if they are written on the part covered by the barcode. The bar code can be read accurately while a normal bar code reader can read it.

It is a figure which shows typically one preferable Example of the label of this invention.

Claims (7)

  A label with a barcode, comprising at least an area in which a barcode is printed on a first translucent area.   The label according to claim 1, further comprising a second translucent region in which characters and / or symbols are written in addition to the first translucent region.   The label according to claim 1, further comprising a transparent region, wherein the entire shape of the transparent region, the first translucent region, and the second semitransparent region, if present, is substantially rectangular. .   The label according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first and second translucent regions are continuous.   The label according to claim 4, wherein the first and second translucent regions have an L-shape or a T-shape.   The label according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is affixed on a portion where characters and / or symbols are described. The label according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is a sample label attached to a container containing a sample.

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