Identification tag for a person

Abstract

An identification tag has a heat shrinkable plastic sheet having a top surface, an opposing bottom surface, a first side, and an opposing second side. The identification tag includes first and second apertures through the top and bottom surfaces and adjacent the first and second sides, respectively. The identification tag further includes a bracelet band adapted to be attached to the sheet through the first aperture and the second aperture. The top surface is printed with a decorative indicia and the bottom surface is printed with an indicia of identification.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

[0002] Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] This invention relates generally to identification tags, and more particularly to an identification tag that can be worn as a bracelet and readily customized for use by a particular individual.

[0005] 2. Description of Related Art

[0006] There has been a long-felt need for an identification tag that can be worn as a bracelet or other jewelry and readily customized to display personalized data such as emergency contact information and important medical information. Engraving metal bracelets, as is well known in the art, is both expensive and time consuming.

[0007] Various personal information packets, cards, and tags have also been attempted in the prior art. Stephens, U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,046, teaches a secured personal information packet that can be carried by a child to provide personalized identification information about the child. The packet includes a paper information card that is filled out by the parents and sealed within a plastic envelope. Taft, U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,335, also teaches a card construction that is also useful for protecting an information-bearing card within a protective coating.

[0008] The use of oriented polystyrene that shrinks and hardens upon heating to approximately 300 degrees Fahrenheit is also known in the art, and is typically used in arts and crafts. Such material has also been used to make pet tags, as taught in Fascenelli, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,365, hereby incorporated by reference in full. However, the tags taught by Fascenelli, Jr. et al. are not practical for use by persons due to the insecure method of attaching the pet tags, which are designed to hang freely from a pet collar.

[0009] The prior art teaches identification tags of various sorts. However, the prior art does not teach an identification tag constructed of a sheet that shrinks and hardens upon heating, the sheet including first and second apertures, located at opposing first and second sides of the tag, that enable the sheet to be securely attached to the wrist of a user by a bracelet band once the sheet has been shrunk and hardened. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.

[0011] The present invention provides an identification tag for a person. The identification tag includes a heat shrinkable plastic sheet having a top surface, an opposing bottom surface, a first side, and an opposing second side. The sheet is preferably constructed of oriented polystyrene that shrinks and hardens upon heating to approximately 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The identification tag includes first and second apertures through the top and bottom surfaces and adjacent the first and second sides, respectively. The identification tag further includes a bracelet band adapted to be attached to the sheet through the first aperture and the second aperture. The top surface is printed with a decorative indicia and the bottom surface is printed with an indicia of identification.

[0012] A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an identification tag for a person having advantages not taught by the prior art.

[0013] Another objective is to provide an identification tag constructed of a sheet that shrinks and hardens upon heating, the sheet including first and second apertures, located at opposing first and second sides of the tag, that enable the sheet to be securely attached to the wrist of a user by a bracelet band once the sheet has been shrunk and hardened.

[0014] A further objective is to provide an identification tag that displays an indicia of identification that can be readily customized to the needs of the user.

[0015] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0016] The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a heat shrinkable plastic sheet used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the sheet once it has been shrunken and attached to a bracelet band using first and second C-clamps; and

[0019] FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of an alternative embodiment illustrating how the bracelet band can be attached to the sheet without the use of the first and second C-clamps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The above described drawing figures illustrate the invention, an identification tag 10 for a person. The identification tag 10 is preferably used as a bracelet for identifying a child, an elderly person, or any person with special health conditions or handicaps; however, it is worth noting that the identification tag 10 can be worn by any person as a bracelet, a necklace, an anklet, or any similar personal effect. The identification tag 10 is useful because it is decorative, it can be readily customized, and it is shaped to be securely attached to the person without interfering with the person's daily activities.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the identification tag 10 includes a heat shrinkable plastic sheet 20 having a top surface 22, an opposing bottom surface 24, a first side 26, and an opposing second side 28. The sheet 20 is preferably constructed of oriented polystyrene that shrinks and hardens upon heating to approximately 300 degrees Fahrenheit; however, those skilled in the art may adapt any equivalent material for use in the present invention. The identification tag 10 includes a first aperture 30 through the top and bottom surfaces 22 and 24 adjacent the first side 26. The identification tag 10 also includes a second aperture 32 through the top and bottom surfaces 22 and 24 adjacent the second side 28. The first and second apertures 30 and 32 are critical to the present invention, as described in greater detail below.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the identification tag 10 further includes a bracelet band 40 adapted to be attached to the sheet 20 through the first aperture 30 and the second aperture 32. The bracelet band 40 is preferably constructed of a fine metal chain, although any linker can be used, including string, yarn, cord, wire, leather, or an equivalent. The bracelet band 40 preferably includes a clasp 42 for removably closing the bracelet band 40 such that when the bracelet band 40 is attached to the sheet 20, the bracelet band 40 and the sheet 20 together form a closed loop.

[0023] In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the bracelet band 40 includes a first C-clamp 44 and a second C-clamp 46. The first C-clamp 44 is adapted to fit through both a first end 45 of the bracelet band 40 and the first aperture 30. The second C-clamp 46 is adapted to fit through both a second end 47 of the bracelet band 40 and the second aperture 32. The first and second C-clamps 44 and 46 are adapted to be compressed to close and link the first end 45 of the bracelet band 40 to the first aperture 30, and the second end 47 of the bracelet band 40 to the second aperture 32, respectively.

[0024] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the bracelet band 40 is threaded through the first aperture 30 and the second aperture 32 to fasten the identification tag 10 onto the user.

[0025] The invention includes a method for forming the identification tag 10 described above. First, the sheet 20 described above is provided. In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the top surface 22 is printed with a decorative indicia 50 for the purpose of making the identification tag 10 fun to wear. The user then prints an indicia of identification 52 upon the bottom surface 24 of the sheet 20 with a felt pen or other suitable marking device. In the preferred embodiment, the indicia of identification 52 includes the name, address, and emergency contact information of the person, as well as any critical medical information about the person. This is particularly well suited for children who may not yet be old enough to tell an adult his or her name.

[0026] Once the indicia of identification 52 has been printed, the sheet 20 is heated to approximately 300 degrees Fahrenheit to shrink the sheet 20 and cause the sheet 20 to harden. This process also causes the ink printed upon the sheet 20 to become permanently integral with the sheet 20 so that it will not wear off. The bracelet band 40 is then attached to the sheet 20 through the first aperture 30 and the second aperture 32 such that the bracelet band 40 and the sheet 20 together form a closed loop. The attachment of the bracelet band 40 through both the first and second apertures 30 and 32 is critical because this dual attachment enables the secure attachment of the identification tag 10 that is necessary for attachment to the person, especially if the person is a child who might otherwise break the identification tag 10 or potentially even be harmed by the identification tag 10 if it were to become snared upon an obstacle.

[0027] In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the bracelet band 40 is attached to the sheet 20 using the first and second C-clamps 44 and 46, as described above. In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the bracelet band 40 is threaded through the first and second apertures 30 and 32, as described above; however, an equivalent mechanism can also be utilized. For example, it should be considered equivalent if the bracelet band 40 has the clasp 42 at one end and the clasp 42 is used to removably attach the bracelet band 40 to the first or second aperture 30 or 32. Any equivalent arrangements that can be devised by those skilled in the art should be considered within the scope of the claimed invention.

[0028] While the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims.

Claims

1. An identification tag for a person, the identification tag comprising:

a heat shrinkable plastic sheet having a top surface, an opposing bottom surface, a first side, and an opposing second side;

a first aperture through the top and bottom surfaces adjacent the first side;

a second aperture through the top and bottom surfaces adjacent the second side;

a bracelet band adapted to be attached to the sheet through the first aperture and the second aperture; and

a clasp for removably closing the bracelet band such that when the bracelet band is attached to the sheet the bracelet band and the sheet together form a closed loop.

2. The identification tag of claim 1 wherein the bracelet band includes a first C-clamp and a second C-clamp, the first C-clamp being adapted to fit through both a first end of the bracelet band and the first aperture, the second C-clamp being adapted to fit through both a second end of the bracelet band and the second aperture, the first and second C-clamps then being adapted to be compressed to close and link the first end of the bracelet band to the first aperture and the second end of the bracelet band to the second aperture.

3. The identification tag of claim 1 wherein the top surface is imprinted with a decorative indicia.

4. The identification tag of claim 1 wherein the bottom surface is imprinted with an indicia of identification.

5. A method for forming an identification tag for a person, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a heat shrinkable plastic sheet having a top surface, an opposing bottom surface, a first side, an opposing second side, a first aperture through the top surface adjacent the first side, and a second aperture through the top surface adjacent the second side;

printing an indicia of identification upon the bottom surface of the sheet;

heating the sheet to shrink the sheet;

providing a bracelet band; and

attaching the bracelet band to the sheet through the first aperture and the second aperture such that the bracelet band and the sheet together form a closed loop.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of:

printing a decorative indicia upon the top surface prior to heating the sheet.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

providing a first C-clamp and a second C-clamp;

positioning the first C-clamp through both a first end of the bracelet band and the first aperture;

positioning the second C-clamp through both a second end of the bracelet band and the second aperture; and

compressing the first and second C-clamps to close and link the first end of the bracelet band to the first aperture and the second end of the bracelet band to the second aperture.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the bracelet band includes a clasp for removably closing the bracelet band such that when the bracelet band is attached to the sheet the bracelet band and the sheet together form a closed loop.