WO1993009959A1

WO1993009959A1 - Document storage

Info

Publication number: WO1993009959A1
Application number: PCT/GB1992/002108
Authority: WO
Inventors: Josaphat Joseph Kabukoba
Original assignee: Josaphat Joseph Kabukoba
Priority date: 1991-11-16
Filing date: 1992-11-13
Publication date: 1993-05-27
Also published as: GB9223864D0; GB2261402A; GB2261402B; AU2918692A; GB9124596D0

Abstract

A document storage device comprises an at least partially planar first member (10, 50) supporting document holders (20, 22, 52), each for receiving documents. The holders may be of different sizes, shapes and colours to receive different documents and allow them to be readily identified and may comprise a plurality of pockets (20, 22), pouches (52) or bags mounted on said first member in positions at least partially overlying one another. The document holding parts of the device are of clear plastics material enabling documents held to be readily read. The holders may be formed from rectangular flat pieces (24A-D, 28A-D) attached along three side edges (26A-D, 30A-D) to said first member and to one another to form a plurality of pockets mounted on the first member. Alternatively, the holders may comprise a series of bags or pouches (521-524) each attached along at least one edge (54) to said first member. In this arrangement the first member may be provided, adjacent free edges of the bags or pouches, with means (58) for releasably holding the bags or pouches in position. The document holders may be closed and/or sealed; for example by interfitting bead parts (34, 36) or any suitable button, stud or hook arrangement. The holders may be attached to said first member by adhesive, thermal, solvent or ultrasonic welding. The first member (10) may be folded to provide a cover (16) for holders thereon, and closable and/or sealable to protect documents therein; and may be provided with a clip, tag or other means (38, 40, 60) enabling the device to be mounted on a rod or hook arrangement in a document filing system.

Description

DOCUMENT STORAGE

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to document storage, in particular to devices for storing documents and to a document filing system making use of same.

. There is an ever growing need to provide for the ready and secure storage of documents, e.g. pre-printed forms, manuscript completed documents, paper sheets bearing the printed outputs of computers and monitoring machines, cards and the like. This need arises in many fields but notably in the medical and surgical professions where there is a requirement to be able to securely locate documents in a manner enabling those documents to be held in an orderly and precise array, for data on those documents to be easily read and for the presence of any particular one of those documents readily to be seen.

For example, in the medical and surgical professions it is necessary to hold a patients' notes in a storage device in such a way that certain information concerning the patient will readily be noted by a physician or surgeon picking up the document storage device - so that the information cannot easily be missed. Certain documents may carry information on particular allergies that a patient may have, enabling a physician thereby to avoid the possibility of causing^' an allergic reaction by prescribing certain drugs; or they may list drugs already prescribed to the patient so that the prescribing physician can know, quickly and readily, what drugs may be contra-indicated for the treatment of any particular patient at that time.

In surgical procedures it is desirable that the person or persons performing the procedure may readily and easily become aware of any pre-medication and/or pre- treatment a patient may have undergone so that he or they might have sufficient information properly to continue the procedure.

Again, it is highly desirable that documents carrying information concerning a patient undergoing a surgical procedure be retained in a storage device which will keep them from physical contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of the patient. Thus in a surgical theatre it is highly desirable that any patients noted are or cards or papers retained within a storage device enabling those notes to be read without removing the cards on which they are written from the storage device. This is especially true of the generally fragile data print-outs of computers and body function monitoring apparatus. Such documents have legal significance and must be kept securely for long periods of time - often many years.

The way in which a patients' notes are held at the moment does not generally lend itself to the ease of extraction of information they contain - they are usually held as a bundle in a pouch or folder (hopefully, in chronological order). As a result a physician's note that a patient is allergic to a particular drug may become buried in the mass of other notes held on the patient. It is an object of the invention to provide means for document storage which alleviates and/or overcomes these difficulties.

In areas other than the medical and surgical professions there is often need for documents relating to a particular operational practice to be held in such a way that the stages of that operational practice can readily be discerned. In many commercial offices, workshops, factories and the like there is need for information concerning, for example, operation of a machine, concerning an operational procedure or a diary, to be retained securely and safely in order that it might readily be located and consulted by a user, and furthermore retained in a manner whilst it is being read by a user which will maintain the cards or papers sheets on which the information is inscribed free from contaminantion (for example by chemicals and/or oily wastes) . It is a further object of the invention to provide a document storage device enabling this to be done.

In one aspect there is provided a document storage device comprising a first member supporting a plurality of document holders, each document holder being for receiving one or more documents.

At least that part of the first member which carries the document holders is preferably planar.

The document holders may be of different sizes enabling them to receive documents of different dimensions.

The document holders may comprise a plurality of pockets, pouches or bags mounted on or carried by said first member. The document holders are preferably provided on the first member in positions at least partially overlying one another.

Each of said document holders is advantageously of a clear plastics material enabling documents held therein to be readily identified and information thereon to be read. The first member may also be of the same clear plastics material.

Preferably material of the device is polyvinylchloride.

The document holders may in one embodiment comprise a plurality of generally rectangular flat members each attached along three of its side edges to said first member and to one another to form with said first member a plurality of pockets mounted on said first member.

In another embodiment the document holders comprise a series of bags or pouches each attached along at least one edge to said first member.

In this embodiment the first member may be provided, at a position adjacent an edge of a bag or pouch mounted thereon, with means releasably attaching said bag or pouch to said first member at said further edge.

Said document holders are desirably provided with means enabling them to be closed and/or sealed.

Said means for closing said document holders may comprise interfitting parts formed on facing surfaces thereof.

Alternatively, the means for closing said document holders comprise any suitable button, stud or hook arrangement.

The or each document holder is desirably attached to said first member by any suitable adhesive.

The or each document holder may alternatively be attached to said first member by thermal, solvent or ultra sonic welding.

With especial advantage said first member is foldable to provide a cover for document holders mounted thereon.

The first member may be provided for means allowing it to be closed or sealed with the document holders thereof held therein. The means enabling closure or sealing of the first member in one preferred arrangement are in the form of interfitting bead parts arranged on facing surfaces of parts of said first member when that member is folded.

The first member is preferably provided with a clip, tag or other means enabling the storage device to be mounted on a rod or hook arrangement.

In a second aspect the invention provides a document filing system comprising at least one document storage device as defined above , in combination with a plurality of cards each for being received in the document holders thereon, the cards being sized to fit in particular ones of said document holders.

The cards for use with the storage device in the system may be provided in a variety of different colours, which colours in use are indicative of the type of data to be inscribed thereon.

Again, the document holders may be differently sized and contoured, and/or differently coloured.

The document holders may be provided with surfaces on which notes may be written. Such a system may further comprise rod or hook support means by which the or each document storage device may be supported.

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention now made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a face view of a first document storage device embodying the invention, Figure 2 is a side view of the device of Figure

1 and showing the device folded, and

Figure 3 is a face view of a second document storage device embodying the invention.

The document storage device of Figure 1 comprises a first, clear plastics sheet or planar member 10 foldable about two fold lines 12 and 12A equi-spaced from the centre line 1 of the member 10 as shown. When folded about lines 12 and 12A a first part 16 of members (the upper part seen in Figure 1 ) overlies and covers the face of the second part 18, of member 10 (the lower part seen in Figure 1 ). Member 10 is preferably of polyvinylchloride.

Part 18 of member 10 carries on its face, two sets of pockets 20 and 22.

The pockets 20 are formed by fixing a first rectangular piece of material 24A to part 18 by adhering three of its side edges 26A as shown to the face of part

18. Thereafter a second generally rectangular piece 24B of the same material is fixed on the exposed surface of piece

24A by adhering its three side edges 26B thereto as shown. A third generally rectangular clear plastics piece 24C then has its three side edges 26C adhered to the edges of the exposed face of the piece 24B and a final, fourth generally rectangular piece 24D of the same material is fixed to the exposed face of piece 24C by having three of its side edges 26D adhered thereto.

As can be seen from the Figures the four pieces 24A, 24B, 24C and 24D are of different heights such that the set of pockets 20 comprises four pockets each of substantially the same width but having different depths. The set of pockets 22 is formed in the same way making use of four clear plastics pieces of material 28A, 28B, 28C and 28D adhered to part 18 and one to the other along their side edges 30A, 30B, 30C and 30D.

Part 16 of member 10 carries on its face a further pocket 32 which extends substantially the width.of member 10 and is formed, by adhering three side edges 32A of a piece of clear plastics material to the part 16 of member 10.

The pieces of material used to form the pockets 20, 22 and 32 are preferably of the same material as the member 10j and with advantage they are adhered to the member 10 by use of a suitable adhesive or in any other suitable way, e.g. by thermal, solvent or like welding.

If desired the plastics pieces 24, 28 and 32 forming the pockets may be fixed to parts 18 and 16 of member 10 in any suitable way - for example by using an adhesive, double sided adhesive tape, or by solvent, thermal ultra sonic welding.

The peripheral edges of the face of part 16 supporting pocket 32 carry a raised bead 34, and the peripheral edges of the face of part 18 supporting pockets

20 and 22 carry a pair of raised beads 36 as indicated.

The spacing of beads 36 and size of bead 34 are such that bead 34 will, when part 16 is brought to overlie part 18

(by folding member 10 about lines 12 and 12A) be an interference fit with the beads 36 to close or seal the device.

The rear face of member 10 is formed with or carries, generally centrally of centre line 14, a rectangular extension piece 38 formed with a pair of apertures 40 by means of which the device may, when part

16 overlies part 18, be supported on a pair of rod or hook members 42.

As noted, member 10 and pockets 20, 22 and 32 are all of a clear plastics material such that the presence of any document or card in the pockets of the device may be readily identified, and such that the information thereon, if the document comprises a single card or paper sheet, may be read without removing the document from the device. i will be appreciated that modifications may be made to the arrangement described with reference to

Figures 1 and 2.

For example, the fold lines 12 and 12A may be omitted and member 10 may simply be foldable about its centre line 14.

The extension piece 38 may be omitted and one or ore holes 40 provided in the parts 16 and 18 of member 10 adjacent the centre line 14, which holes 40 lie in register one with the other when member 10 is folded. In this way the document storage device when folded, may be supported on rod or hook members.

As described the pockets 20 and 22 on part 18 of member 10 are of different depths. It is envisaged that these two sets of pockets may, if desired, be provided as pockets of substantially the same depth - the clear plastics material pieces 24 (and 28) being of substantially the same width and height and each, as it is fixed in position being arranged partially to overlie a preceding piece 24 (or 28) and the face of part 18 of member 10, such that the pockets are of the same depth but staggered, or offset, on from another.

The number of pockets in each set 20 and 22 may be varied from that shown, and the numbers of pockets in the two sets may differ one from the other.

If desired the beading 34 and 36 on part 16 and 18 may be omitted and/or replaced by any other suitable means for securing the parts 16 and 18 after member 10 has been folded. For example, the two parts may be secured together by using any suitable button, clip, stud or VELCRO (Trade Mark) form of attachment. Some or all of the pockets 20, 22 and 32 may be provided with labels or their surfaces may be so treated as to enable a surgeon or physician to mark the time, date and his initials against a note of treatment made. Additionally the labels or treated surface areas may be marked to allow ready access to a particular portion ' of the notes.

In modified arrangement part 18 (or 16) may be provided - generally centrally of that edge spaced from the centre line 14 of member 10 with a strap extending away from the part and having at its free end a clip or stud part engagable with a clip or stud part carried on the rear face of the other part 16 (or 18).

It will be appreciated that the document storage device described provides a ready means by which documents of a pre-determined size on which are inscribed a patients case notes may safely be stored and which enables the presence of those documents in the device readily to be seen by a surgeon or physician taking up the patients notes.

The ability to identify various documents held in the device, it will be appreciated, will be enhanced if documents carrying particular types of information - for example, listing a patients known allergies - are of a particular, predetermined colour. The presence of such a document in the device would immediately be seen by anyone picking up the device.

Figure 3 illustrates an alternative form of document storage device which comprises a clear plastics sheet or planar member 50 which may be of any suitable card, paper or plastics material supporting a plurality of generally similar clear plastics (polyvinylchloride) flat pouches 52.

Each pouch 52 is attached to member 50 along one edge 54 opposite the mouth or opening 56 of the pouch.

The pouches are attached to member 50 in the following way. A first pouch 521 is adhered along the whole of its edge 541 to the face of member 50. Then a second pouch 522 is attached to member 50 such that it partially overlies pouch 521 , edge 542 of the second pouch 522 being adhered both to member 50 and the exposed surface of pouch 521. A third pouch 523 is then fixed in position such that its edge 543 is adhered partially to member 50 and partially to the edge 542 of pouch 522. A final pouch 524 is fixed in position in the same way.

Once the pouches are fixed in position a strip of adhesive covering tape 58 is applied to their exposed edges 54 to further enhance their fixture to member 50. The pouches 52 shown in the arrangement of Figure 3 may be individually sealed in any suitable way. As shown opposed surfaces of the mouth 56 of each pouch are provided with cooperating bead arrangements similar to that shown for sealing the device of Figure 1. They may, alternatively, be sealed in any other suitable way.

The backing sheet 50 is provided with a series of patches 58 of a non-curable adhesive or other material which remains tacky such as which, when the pouches or bags 52 lie against the backing sheet, provide that the pouches or bags are held in position. It will be appreciated that the use of an adhesive which will not set or cure to form these patches means that the pouches or bags may be lifted away from contact with the backing sheet by a user to allow him to read the reverse of any card in a bag or pouch but that after he has completed reading the information on the card in the pouch or it bag may be stuck back down on the backing sheet. The provision of these patches secures the pouches or bags in position on the backing sheet in normal use - preventing the bags or pouches, and any documents therein - becoming folded and/or creased.

To support the document storage device of Figure 3 , member 50 is provided along one edge with apertures 60 as shown, by means of which the device may be supported on a pair of rods or hooks.

As illustrated each pouch 52 is fixed in the device along the edge opposite its mouth. It will be appreciated that the orientation of the pouches on member so may be altered - for example, such that the mouth_, of each pouch extends normally of the edge 54 by which the pouch is fixed in the device.

Other modifications which may be made to the arrangement described with reference to Figure 3 provide that the member 50 may be provided, if desired, with a cover sheet - that is to say member 50 comprises substantially one half of a larger sheet member the other half of which may be folded over the pouches 52.

Again, the closure of pouches 52 may be effected in any suitable way making use of buttons, clips, zips or the like and, it will be appreciated that the particular method of fixing the pouches to one another and to planar member 50 may be modified if desired.

The patches 58 may, if desired, be replaced by any suitable studs, clips or VELCRO arrangements enabling the bags or pouches to be releasably held down on the backing sheet.

It will be appreciated that the document storage device of Figure 3 enables the ready identification of particular documents held in it (a person looking at the device will see the documents within pouches 52), and again by providing that documents to be placed in the device are of various colours a surgeon or physician will readily be able to locate particular notes enabling him more easily to make clinical judgements - for example what treatments may be contra-indicated for the particular patient he is treating.

As with the first described embodiment the pockets may be provided with labels, or treated surface areas, enabling the identification of particular documents held therein as well as the name, date and time a particular treatment was effected on a patient. In this way the ready identification of the pouch in which a particular document is held will be enhanced.

Embodiments of the invention include, in addition to the two described document storage devices, cabinets and/or other means enabling the storage devices to be held in spaced arrays. Such cabinets or other means comprising or including a pair of rods receivable in the apertures provided in the document storage devices enabling those devices to be hung on the supports.

In this way the document storage devices may be readily and neatly arrayed enabling a user to rapidly sort through them to select the storage device containing documents he wishes to read, and then to read those documents without removing them from the device. It will be appreciated that the document storage devices now proposed allow for the ready and secure storage of delicate documents and for documents of non- standard sizes (for example photographs, pre-printed forms and machine print-outs) which are difficult to store safely and properly in a conventional filing system.

It will further be seen that by providing , in both embodiments of the storage device described, that the documents are held in overlapping pockets or pouches not only is the identification of the particular document enhanced but also the space occupied by the documents in the filing system is substantially reduced when compared with a conventional filing system in which the documents are held one on the other.

Again it will be seen that the filing system now proposed provides documents to be stored are not themselves perforated or otherwise damaged in order for them to be held in a file. Again as the documents can be readily identified it is possible for them to be abstracted easily without disturbing other stored documents in the device. In this way documents stored in the device can be expected to have a considerable longer life than those held in the conventional filing system - especially if those documents are being referred to at frequent intervals. The need for such a storage device as is -now proposed is ever more needed especially as, medical records can form a legal document and these days medical records often comprise print-outs of body function monitoring machines. By using a document storage device system as now described it is possible for these machine print-outs to be sorted and chronologically stored. They then may be stored for as long as is necessary without being deleteriously effected.

It will be seen that the device provides ready and secure storage for important documents which may be both delicate and of different shapes and sizes. Further, it will be seen that the device itself - when documents have been placed in it - may be stored and/or filed amongst other documents where the information it contains might be expected to be found (for example within a folder containing a patient's notes)

Although each of the described devices have been described within the context of the medical/ surgical profession it will be appreciated they have utility in other areas as they provide a method of holding documents, and of filing those documents, which enables the presence or absence of a particular document in a particular location to readily discerned.

Furthermore, they enable a document to be read without removing it from the storage device - which is particularly desirable in environments in which the documents may become dirty, for example, within a factory or workshop.

It is believed that the document storage device, and the filing system, now proposed has clear advantages over the traditional methods of storing documents - that is to say of holding them clipped or loose in a folder or pocket file in which it is difficult to note the presence or absence of a particular document.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. document storage device comprising a first member supporting a plurality of document holders, each document holder being for receiving one or more documents.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1 , wherein at least that part of the first member which carries the document holders is planar.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the document holders are of different sizes enabling them to receive documents of different dimensions.

4. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the document holders comprise a plurality of pockets, pouches or bags mounted on or carried by said first member.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the document holders are provided on the first member in positions at least partially overlying one another.

6. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of said document holders is of a clear plastics material enabling documents held therein to be readily identified and information thereon to be read.

7. A device as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the first member is of clear plastics material.

8. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the document holders comprise a plurality of generally rectangular flat members each attached along three of its side edges to said first member and to one another to form with said first member a plurality of pockets mounted on said first member.

9_« A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said document holders comprise a series of bags or pouches each attached along at least one edge to said first member.

10. A device as claimed in Claim 9, wherein said first member is provided, at a position adjacent an edge of a bag or pouch mounted thereon, with means releasably attaching said bag or pouch to said first member at said further edge.

11. A device as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein said bag or pouches are provided with means enabling them to be closed and/or sealed.

12. A device as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said means for closing said document holders comprises interfitting parts formed on facing surfaces thereof.

13. A device as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said means for closing said document holders comprise any suitable button, stud or hook arrangement.

14. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 13, wherein the or each^'document holder is attached to said first member by any suitable adhesive.

15. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the or each document holder is attached to said first member by thermal, solvent or ultra sonic welding.

16. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein said first member is foldable to provide a cover for document holders mounted thereon.

17. A device as claimed in Claim 16, wherein said first member is provided for means allowing it to be closed or sealed with the document holders thereof held therein.

18. A device as claimed in Claim 17, wherein said means enabling closure or sealing of the first member are in the form of interfitting bead parts arranged on facing surfaces of parts of said first member when that member is folded.

19. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein said first member is provided with a clip, tag or other means enabling the storage device to be mounted on a rod or hook arrangement.

20. A document filing system comprising at least one document storage device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19, in combination with a plurality of cards each for being received in the document holders thereon, the cards being sized to fit in particular ones of said document holders.

21. A system as claimed in Claim 20, wherein said cards for use with the storage device are provided in a variety of different colours, which colours in use are indicative of the type of data to be inscribed thereon.

22. A system as claimed in Claim 20 or Claim 21 , wherein said document holders are differently contoured.

23. A system as claimed in any one of claims 20 to

22, wherein said document holders are differently coloured.

24. A system as claimed in any one of claims 20 to

23, wherein said document holders are provided with surfaces on which noted may be written.

25. A system as claimed in any one of claims 20 to

24, and further comprising a rod or hook support means by which the or each document storage device may be supported.