US3059359A

US3059359A - Bracelet for identification purposes

Info

Publication number: US3059359A
Application number: US741828A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur R Goldammer; Donald A Long; Jr Walter W Mosher
Original assignee: PREC DYNAMIES CORP
Current assignee: PREC DYNAMIES CORP; PRECISION DYNAMIES Corp
Priority date: 1958-06-13
Filing date: 1958-06-13
Publication date: 1962-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 1979-10-23

Description

Oct. 23, 1962 A. R. GOLDAMMER EI'AL 3,059,359

BRACELET FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES Filed June 13, 1958 w J. w

A RT. 1

DGEN A HAT ADW w United fitates BRACELET FOR EENTIFIQATION PURPOSES Arthur R. Goldammer, Glendale, Donald A. Long, Van

Nuys, and Walter W. Mosher, in, Burbank, Califi,

assignors to Precision Dynamics Corporation, Burbank,

Califi, a corporation of California Filed June 13, 1958, Ser. No. 741,828 8 Claims. (Cl. 49-21) This invention relates to an-adjustable identification bracelet and, more particularly, to an adjustable identification bracelet which is adapted to be utilized in single use applications and which can be disposed of.

Identification bracelets of the character of that under consideration here are used most frequently in hospitals where they are applied to the wrists of the patients in order that the patient may be properly identifiable at all times. A most frequent application of identification bracelets of the general character of that under discussion is to the wrists of infants so that they may be identifiable at all times during their stay in the hospital.

Since such bracelets must be disposed of after they have been utilized by one patient, it is of primary importance that they be relatively inexpensive in order that the economic burden entailed by their use may not be too great. It is, of course, essential that the bracelet, when once applied to the wrist of a patient, be per-manently secured about the wrist until it is severed or otherwise removed in order that the possibility of involuntary or voluntary removal of the bracelet by the patient be avoided.

it is, therefore, an object of our invention to provide an identification bracelet which can be manufactured at relatively low cost and which is characterized by the ease with which it may be applied to the wrist of a patient or other individual whom the bracelet is used to identify.

Another object of our invention is the provision of an identification bracelet of the aforementioned character which incorporates an identification tag container which is located at one extremity of the bracelet so that the identification tag container will isolate the identification tag from contamination and possible obliteration during the time the bracelet is disposed on the wrist of a patient. A further object of our invention is the provision of an identification bracelet which can be mounted upon the wrist of a patient without the necessity for the utilization of any auxiliary tools to fasten the same and which can, nevertheless, not be removed from the patients wrist without cutting, or otherwise severing the bracelet.

Another object of our invention is the provision of an identification bracelet wherein the bracelet has a detent mounted adjacent one extremity adapted to engage the perforations in a perforated strap located at the upper extremity of the bracelet and wherein a foldable tab is provided adjacent said one extremity and incorporates a fastener so that when the foldable tab is folded over saidone extremity and a strap engaged upon the detent, the fastener will engage the detent and prevent removal of the strap.

Another object of our invention is the provision of an identification bracelet of the aforementioned character wherein the fastener mounted on the fold able tab is 'a self-locking fastener which, once it has been engaged upon the detent, cannot be dislodged therefrom so that the only way to remove the bracelet is to sever or otherwise destroy the same.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing which is for the purpose of illustration only and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the identification 3, 0 59,35? Patented Get. 23, 1952 bracelet of our invention with the various component parts thereof disposed in the operative relationship they assume when the bracelet encompasses the wrist of a patient;

FIG. 2. is a perspective view showing the relationship of the various parts of the bracelet prior to the afiixation of the same to the wrist of the patient or other wearer;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional view showing the relationship of the-various parts of the bracelet when it has been placed upon and encompasses the wrist of a wearer; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the broken line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, we show an identification bracelet 10 manufactured in accordance with the teachings of the invention and including an elongated body 12 for-med from polyvinyl plastic, or equivalent material. While the bracelet 10 is disclosed as fabricated from polyvinyl plastic, it is, of course, not intended to limit the manufacture of the bracelet to that particular material since it is conceivable that the bracelet could be manufactured from any suitable type of material depending upon the performance characteristics required of the material. However, since polyvinyl plastic can be easily and readily fabricated and is available at a reasonable cost in sheet form of the type utilized in the present invention, we have found its use to be particularly desirable.

The elongated body 12 of the bracelet It) includes an identification tag container 14 at one extremity thereof and a strap 16 at the other extremity thereof, said strap being perforated to define a plurality of equally spaced openings 18 along the length of the strap.

The identification tag container 14 has a transparent top wall 20, the lateral edges of which are afixed to the adjacent edges of the elongated body 12 of the bracelet 10 by a conventional heat sealing process wherein said lateral edges are subjected to heat to cause them to fuse to the adjacent edges of the elongated body 12.

Therefore, a tubular enclosure is provided for an identification tag 22 which bears the name of the person wearing the bracelet 1t and the name can be read through the transparent top wall 20 of the identification tag container 14.

A vertically oriented detent stud 26 is secured to the one extremity of the elongated body 12 of the bracelet 10, said stud being secured in operative relationship with said one extremity of the elongated body 12 by means of a rivet 28 operatively engaging the same. The detent stud 26 constitutes a portion of the fastening means of the bracelet 10 as will be apparent from the description of the mode of operation and construction of the bracelet appearing hereinbelow.

It will be noted that the base 30 of the stud 26 is superimposed upon the outer extremity of the top wall 29 of the tag container 14 and thus serves to close off said extremity of said tag container and prevent dislodgement of the identification tag 22 from operative relationship with the tag container 14.

Formed integrally with the elongated body 12 of the bracelet 10 is a laterally extending foldable tab 34 which is located immediately adjacent the one extremity of the bracelet '10 and which has a spring-type fastener 36 mounted thereupon. The spring-type fastener 36 is of annular configuration and includes upper and lower portions 38 and 4t encompassing the opposite sides of the tab 34 and is provided on the upper portion 38 with a plurality of inwardly directed spring arms 44 adapted to engage upon a land 46 on the detent stud 26. As disclosed in our copending application for the spring-type fastener, Serial No. 747,717, filed July 10 1958, the spring arms 44 of the upper portion 38 of the spring 3 fastener 36, when they engage the land 46 on the detent stud 26, cannot be released therefrom and thus the spring fastener 36 when once engaged upon the stud 26 cannot be released from operative engagement therewith.

The spring fastener 36, in conjunction with the detent stud 26, serves as the fastening means of the bracelet and, as will be described in greater detail hereinbelow, the fastening means as constituted by the stud 26 and the spring fastener 36 when once mutually engaged cannot be released.

In fabricating the bracelet 10', sheets of polyvinyl acetate film are cut into elongated strips and perforated to provide openings 18 in the strap portions of the strips, the strips constituting the bodies 12 of the bracelets 1th At the same time that the sheets are cut in strips, the tabs 34 are formed integrally therewith although it is obvious that the tabs might be subsequently fastened thereupon. The transparent upper wall of the tag container 14 is then aifixed to the adjacent edges of each of the strips by heat sealing or cementing the same. Subsequently, the detent stud 26 is fastened to the one extremity of the body 12 of the'bracelet 10 in overlying relationship with the outer extremity of the tag container 14. The upper and

lower portions

38 and 40 of the spring fastener 36 are then assembled with the laterally extending tab 34 and the bracelet 10 is then ready for utilization.

While a preferred method of assembling the corn ponent parts of the bracelet 10 has been described, those skilled in the art may discover other methods of assembling said component parts which may be more suitable for their particular facilities. However, .the method described has been found to be quite feasible.

In installing the bracelet It! on the Wrist of a patient, it is merely necessary to encompass the wrist with the bracelet and to size the bracelet to the wrist in the most comfortable manner by engaging the strap 16 through the intermediary of one of the openings 18 therein upon the detent stud 2a, in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawing. After the strap has been so engaged, the tab 34 is folded over to engage the spring fastener 36 upon the detent stud 26. When this has been accomplished, the projecting portion of the strap indicated at the dotted lines at as in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawing may be cut with scissors or may be permitted to remain, if desired.

As pointed out hereinabove, once the spring arms 44 of the spring fastener 36 are engaged upon the radially directed land 46 on the upper extremity of the detent stud 26, the spring fastener '35 cannot be disengaged from said stud. Thus, the extremity of the strap 16 located between the fastener 36 and the stud 26 cannot be removed and the bracelet 10 is securely looked upon the wrist of the wearer thereof. Therefore, the patient cannot remove the bracelet 10 either voluntarily or involuntarily and suitable identification thus remains with the patient during his stay in the hospital.

It will be noted that, once the bracelet 10 encompasses the wrist of the wearer, the identification tag 22 is retained against displacement from the inner extremity of the tag container 14 by virtue of the fact that the natural curvature assumed by the tag container 14 binds the tag 22 between the top wall 20 and the adjacent surface of the elongated body 12 of the bracelet 10.

We thus provide by our invention a bracelet 10 which can be easily and cheaply manufactured and which is characterized by the ease with which it can be installed upon the wrist of a patient or other wearer thereof. Also characteristic of the bracelet of our invention is the provision of a fastener which permanently resists removal of the bracelet from the wrist unless the bracelet is cut or otherwise severed.

We claim:

1. In an identification bracelet, the combination of: an

elongated, flexible body having a tubular identification container adjacent one extremity and an elongated strap constituting the other extremity thereof, said strap having a plurality of fastener receiving openings therein; a detent member mounted at said one extremity for engagement; with a selected one of said openings; a laterally extending tab located at said one extremity and secured thereto; and a fastener carried on said tab and engageable with said detent to lock said strap thereupon after said bracelet has been fitted to the body of a person, said fastener and said detent being axially aligned and in side-by-side relationship when said bracelet is in open condition.

2. In an identification bracelet, the combination of: an elongated, flexible body having a tubular identification container adjacent one extremity and an elongated strap constituting the other extremity thereof, said strap having a plurality of fastener receiving openings therein; a detent stud mounted at said one extremity for engagement with a selected one of said openings; a laterally extending tab located at said one extremity and secured thereto; and a spring fastener carried-on said tab and engageable with said detent to lock said strap thereupon after said bracelet has been fitted to the body of a person, said fastener and detent being disposed in the same plane and in sidebyside relationship when open.

3. In a bracelet adapted to receive an identification tag, the combination of: an elongated flexible body having a tag holder at one extremity and a perforated strap at its other extremity; a laterally oriented tab secured to said body at said one extremity and having a fastener mounted thereupon; and a detent secured to said one extremity for engaging a perforation of said strap and said fastener when said tab has been folded over said strap, said tab being disposed in the same plane on said strap when open and said detent and fastener being disposed in side-by-side relationship.

4. In an identification bracelet, the combination of: an identification holder at one extremity of said bracelet and a perforated strap at its other extremity; a foldable tab at said one extremity movable into overlying relationship with said strap but normally disposed in the same plane as said strap; and co-operative fastener means on said tab and said bracelet for holding said tab over said strap.

5. In an identification bracelet, the combination of: a tubular identification holder at one extremity of said bracelet and a perforated strap at its other extremity; a foldable tab at said one extremity movable into overlying relationship with said strap; and co-operative fastener means on said tab and said bracelet for holding said tab over said strap, said co-operative fastener means being disposed in the same plane and in side-by-side relationship when said bracelet is in open condition.

6. In an identification bracelet, the combination of: a tubular identification holder at one extremity of said bracelet and a perforated strap at its other extremity; a foldable tab at said one extremity movable into overlying relationship with said strap; and cooperative fastener means on said tab and said bracelet for holding said tab over said strap, a portion of said fastener means being secured in overlying relationship with one end of said tubular iden: tilication holder to close said end.

7.' An identification bracelet comprising terminal strap members and a fiat body portion, said body portion being formed to provide a pocket for an identification card, one of said terminal strap members having a longitudinal row of openings, and the other of said terminal strap members ,having at its outer end a laterally extending tab, said mentioned end of the terminal strap member carrying a snap fastener including a stud section secured to the outer end of the last mentioned strap member and a socket section secured to the tab, the first mentioned strap memher being adapted to be placed over the second mentioned strap member with the stud forced through a selected opening of the row of openings, the tab being folded over 5 the first strap member with the socket section of the snap a selected opening, the tab being foldable over the first fastener snapped over the stud. strap member with the socket section snapped over the 8. A bracelet including terminal strap members, one Studof said members havin a lon itudinal row of 0 enin s, the other strap member having a laterally extendi ng fifx- 5 References Cited the file of thls patent ible tab, said last mentioned strap member having a snap UNITED STATES PATENTS fastener including a stud section secured thereto and a 1, 24 199 D h Sept 22 1931 socket section secured to the tab, the strap members being 2,111,664 Gross Mar. 22, 1938 foldable one over the other with the stud sprung through ,8 6,796 Polzin Aug. 12, 1958