Abstract:
A medical identification charm bracelet including a housing for housing an electronic circuit that includes an audible output device and a visual output device that is activatable to draw attention to the I.D. bracelet and the information inscribed on the various bracelet charm attachments to notify medical personnel of various medical conditions of the wearer.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of jewelry, and more particularly to identification jewelry which provides medical information concerning the wearer. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,138,596; 3,790,775; 4,179,833; 4,256,459; 4,296,459; 4,984,683; and 5,755,116, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse identification bracelets. 
     While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical medical identification charm bracelet including audible and visual output devices. 
     As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved medical identification charm bracelet and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the present invention provides a medical identification charm bracelet including a housing for housing an electronic circuit that includes an audible output device and a visual output device that is activatable to draw attention to the I.D. bracelet and the information inscribed on the various bracelet charm attachments to notify medical personnel of various medical conditions of the wearer. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other attributes of the invention will become more clear upon a thorough study of the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention, particularly when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a charm bracelet of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged front perspective view of a charm attachment; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear perspective view of the charm attachment; and 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the bracelet band in the unconnected mode. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As can be seen by reference to the drawings, and in particularly to FIG. 1, the medical identification charm bracelet hat forms the basis of the present invention is designated generally by the reference number  10 . 
     The bracelet  10  includes a bracelet band  20  with various charm attachments  40  engraved with medical information, emergency information, etc., so that in the event of a life threatening situation, medical personnel would be able to quickly determine any special precautions which must be observed in treating the patient. 
     The bracelet  10  is made of an attractive gold or silver design. Charm attachment  40  could include medical symbols and emergency contact information. Also, there could be a blood-drop shaped charm with the user&#39;s blood type. Additional charm attachments would be available to cover specific medical conditions. 
     The bracelet  10  includes a standard type bracelet band  20  consisting of charm rod hinges  22 , bracelet hinges  24 , carabiner style locks  26 , and two clasps  28 . The charm rod hinges  22  allow the user to open the rod hinges  22  anywhere on the bracelet band  20  to connect a charm  40 , and allow the user to use the carabiner style locks  26  to keep the charms  40  from falling off the bracelet  10 . The charms  40  attach by means of ring type clips  42 . The front of the charm  40  is designed to contain a metal face  44  with a die cast panel  46  and a function button  48  that activates the highlighted visual display of the medical condition of the user by a light that shines through the die cast panel  46 . Also, a brief audible message indicating the condition is activated by the function button  48 . The back of the charm  40  houses a battery  50  that feeds power to the function button  48 . Charms  40  are available to cover a multitude of medical conditions such as abnormal blood cells, allergic reactions, arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure or hypertension, cancer, clots, contact lens user, rod locket user, deafness or hearing loss, depression, diabetics, epilepsy, handicapped, heart disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia, liver disease, lupus, mistral value disorders, pregnancy, pulmonary disorders, reading disabilities, sickle cell anemia, sleeping disorders, speech impairment, transplantation, thyroid problems, ulcers, etc. Any known medical conditions could be indicated by a charm attachment  40 . Charms  40  alerting to allergic reactions would indicate what causes the reaction such as bee stings, blood transfusions, insect bites, certain foods; e.g., dairy products, nuts, tomatoes, seafood, etc., or medications; e.g., codeine, penicillin, etc. Blank charms  40  would be available allowing data concerning unusual medical requirements or conditions to be engraved as required, for example, as indicia  52  on the back of the charm  40 . Charms  40  could be removed at any time if a medical condition or situation changes and is no longer a problem to the wearer. The bracelet  10  could be made in a variety of materials allowing models from economical to luxurious. 
     In use, the user would simply purchase the bracelet  10  with the charms  40  required to cover applicable blood type and any specific medical conditions or history that they may have. A photo of the user, and emergency contact information could also be placed inside the charm  40 . They would then enjoy the benefit of having an attractive bracelet  10  which would allow any medical technician to quickly determine the patient&#39;s past and present medical history, so that they may take appropriate action or precaution during a time of need. Use of the bracelet  10  provides an attractive and easy to use method of allowing one to always have medical information on their person, which could very well help save their life if they are unconscious, or otherwise unable to provide this critical information in an emergency situation. 
     Although only an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.