| Garment with discrete medical tags -> Monitor Keywords |
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Garment with discrete medical tagsRelated Patent Categories: Apparel, Body GarmentsGarment with discrete medical tags description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070157358, Garment with discrete medical tags. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to clothing, particularly for children, and more specifically, to placing medical information upon the clothing in an accessible, though still private, manner. [0002] From time to time, people have a medical condition. Some conditions have manifest symptoms, visible to the senses, while other conditions remain hidden or viewable by medical instruments and tests. Some conditions are chronic where the person bears the condition for an extended time and others are acute where the person endures the symptoms, often intense, for a short time. Chronic conditions may remain hidden for years while acute conditions manifest symptoms that may incapacitate a person. When suffering from an acute condition, a person may not be able to explain their condition to another. The person may be incapacitated due to the condition, infirmity, or youth. For example, children become afflicted with medical conditions that require special care, additional attention, and the like from a caregiver. However, children up to a certain age can not speak and up to a later age may not comprehend their conditions. [0003] For instance, an eighteen month old child quits playing abruptly, cries, and goes silent within seconds. The child had an acute medical condition that incapacitated him: here, an anaphylactic reaction to a recently eaten food. Being nearby, a parent took immediate action to bring medical attention to her child. Not all children have a mother nearby as modern life has many children placed in day care centers under the watchful eye of center workers as both parents work as well. [0004] Though watching a child, a day care worker has many children to supervise and may not be aware of, or remember, the medical conditions for each. If the condition is serious, most parents take the time to educate a day care worker however, in a hectic and busy daycare center, a daycare worker likely forgets the details of a specific child's medical condition. Presently, day care workers are faced with the trying task of caring for many children. Individualized attention for a child in day care is declining. A day care worker or other caregiver may not be aware of the risks of exposing a child to various foods or other conditions. The present invention serves as a memory aid to the daycare worker through its visibility and location upon a garment. [0005] The present invention provides parents of children who have or may have a medical condition peace of mind. The present invention bears information about the child's medical condition discretely. The present invention functions when the child is relocated beyond the home or parents due to social, developmental, or socio-economic needs. Knowing that a child carries medical information accessible by caregivers reduces the worry that descends upon working parents. The parents know that their child carries immediately accessible medical information with them in their clothing. [0006] Though the present invention is described in reference to children, the present invention and alternate embodiments may be used with other persons such as those mute, enduring dementia, or like conditions of incapacity. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART [0007] At present, identification tags of various designs and configurations are commonly used to identify children and adults with medical problems. Most common are the emblems that are attached via a chain around the neck, wrist, or ankle. For children of tender years, often under five, a chain becomes a safety hazard to the wearer. The chain can entangle in clothing or machines, encounter electric wires and shock the wearer, and can potentially choke the wearer. The chains induce discomfort in youngsters not accustomed to wearing them and who may then succeed in removing them. Additionally, the emblems and chains are generally metallic, often plated brass or steel, to which some children will develop skin discoloration or allergies that contradicts the purposes of the emblems to prevent further harm to a wearer. [0008] Other identification systems involve electronic storage of detailed data requiring a membership and telephone access. For acute medical conditions, proper administration of a medication or other treatment must be applied within moments to avoid potential harm, slight or grave. Dialing for information from a database consumes much needed moments better spent tending to a child in a medical crisis. [0009] Other systems have avoided skin contact by attaching tags to shoes by a type of shoe lace. However, this tag loses effectiveness in a childcare environment as caregivers are generally much taller than children wearing such tags and may not see the tags. Those tags also lose their immediate link to a child when shoes are removed for nap time or other activities. [0010] Another approach involves installing printed and laminated tags placed inside shoes. However, this approach has the tags hidden under feet when the shoes are worn which defeats the goals of providing a visible reminder and accessible information to caregivers. The concealed tags do not indicate that a vital medical condition afflicts the user. For children with concealed conditions, such as a fatal allergy to nuts, relying upon a caregiver to find quickly information during a crisis is unreasonable. [0011] Other inventors have developed information indicating systems. The patent to Sanchez, U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,981 shows a T shirt with a message panel. Like the present invention, this patented garment involves a T shirt that carries a message upon the exterior. Unlike the present invention, this T shirt has a message temporarily concealed by a flap hinged upon one edge and secured by VELCRO.RTM. on the other edges which is not the present invention. [0012] The patent to Levin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,613, shows a garment with a display panel. As in the present invention, the patented garment has a T shirt and a panel upon the exterior to display a message. In contrast to the present invention, this T shirt has a flat portion of the garment surrounded by VELCRO.RTM. and a clear plastic overlay placed over a message in the flat portion. This patent with a message protected by a clear panel differs substantially from the present invention. [0013] The patent to Wilmers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,461 describes another T shirt but with at least two displays. As in the present invention, this patent seeks to have two messages displayed with one temporarily concealed. However, this patent conceals the second message behind a pull away pocket flap, on the shirt front. The pocket flap and exterior location of both messages separate this patent from the present invention. [0014] The patent to Bowman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,741 has a label for a firefighter's coat protected by a transparent layer. This patent has a label, with printing, and is stitched to the inside of a portion of a garment. However, this patent has a protective layer of transparent polymer stitched upon the label for firefighting conditions. The label is also located behind a storm flap not visible when the coat is worn. The transparent layer of this patent differentiates it from the present invention. [0015] Then the patent to Scott, U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,746, has a shirt with a schedule for an athletic team upon the back. Like the present invention, this patent has a label attached to the exterior of the shirt. And the label accepts writing. Unlike the present invention, this patent does not have a concealed interior tag and specifies a layout primarily for athletic schedules and score results. [0016] The patent to Austion, U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,805, shows an exterior covered identification card. Similar to the present invention, this patent collects medical and contact information on a concealed card. In contrast to the present invention, this patent has the card concealed behind a detachable cover and the card generally located upon the exterior of a garment. The cover may detach to reveal information when not desired. [0017] Similar to the Bowman patent, the patent to Reilly et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,529, has a protective garment with a card in a flap covered pocket. As in the present invention, the patent has information collected on a card displayed upon the exterior of a garment. However, the patented garment has a flap to cover the card and a window upon a pocket that reveals the card to people or scanners. [0018] Reilly et al., also have a patent application that published as No. 2004/0261159. This application moves the card in a flap covered pocket to the helmet of a firefighter. The pocket carrying the card secures to a helmet with VELCRO.RTM. or other releasable means. As previously described, the flap and display window in this application on an improvement to a helmet differs substantially from the present invention with an exterior tag referring to an interior tag. [0019] The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art explained above. As the incidence of food allergies, autism, diabetes, epilepsy, and like concealed conditions increase in children under age five, the need grows for a means to identify clearly and readily a person who may require special care and to specify or explain the steps of that special care. That is, the art of the present invention places a tag attached to a plainly and prominently visible part of a person, particularly clothing, rather than around the neck or limb, or hidden within shoes. Further, the present invention allows the wearer the choice to maintain the privacy of any medical information placed upon the tag attached to clothing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0020] Generally, the present invention provides a system of tags upon a shirt or blouse for a child or person. The tags include an exterior tag sewn upon the left sleeve of the shirt and an interior tag sewn upon the inside of the shirt below the collar. The exterior tag has a size to fit upon the sleeve and has a printed imperative such as CHECK MY TAG or SEE INSIDE and a motivational phrase such as NEED SPECIAL CARE. The exterior tag prompts a caregiver to seek out the interior tag. The interior tag has a size to accept writing and is inverted from the exterior tag. When inverted, a caregiver can read the interior tag when a child wears the shirt. The interior tag has places for the child's name, medical condition description, and list of steps to take during a medical crisis. [0021] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. Continue reading about Garment with discrete medical tags... Full patent description for Garment with discrete medical tags Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Garment with discrete medical tags patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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