A variety of card holders, that is devices structured to hold and retain cards while at the same time permitting their viewing, are known. Such card holders commonly take the form of luggage tags, business card dispensers, or advertising display signs. Typically, such card holders are structured to removably accommodate a card or sign that can be inserted into a planar portion of the holder, where the card is viewably secured therein. Examples of card holders are described in: the attachable tags such as those of Rodel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,255, Osterbye U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,010, van der Toorn U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,926, and Perfect U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,435; the card dispensers of Silverthorne U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,003, and Archer U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,456; identification card holders such as Treske U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,767; and displays such as those of Kurosaki U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,505, Smith U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,523, and Miller, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,844.
Sterilization indicator cards and data or information cards are often used in the medical field. Such cards can be constructed of a metallic plate or stiff paper backing containing a chemical composition therein which is responsive to a particular sterilization technique used, e.g., ethylene oxide gas, autoclave temperature sterilization, and the like. Sterilization cards are sometimes placed in a card “stand” which in turn is placed inside the sterilization chamber alongside the device(s) to be sterilized. The card surface is then viewed at the conclusion of the sterilization process to indicate whether the predetermined sterilization conditions occurred inside the chamber. One disadvantage associated with separate sterilization and information data cards and card “stands” is that they are not attached to the device when the device is placed in or removed from the sterilization apparatus. Thus, the benefits of readily viewing the card to determine the sterilization status of the device are temporary or transitional.
Another type of card holder used in the medical field is a data card tag attached to a medical device by a loop or chain, for example. The data cards can contain certain information on the face of the card about the device to which it is attached. One disadvantage of the “tag” type of card holder is that the neither the card nor the card holder are in a fixed or secured position, thereby allowing the card to move about and hence occasionally obscure its readability.
There exists a need in the medical field for a card holder that continually remains attached to an object and which holds a card in the same fixed position throughout the duration of its handling until intentionally removed. Further advantageous would be such a card holder that retains the card in a fixed and readily viewable position that reduces the likelihood that viewing the card surface can become obscured by movement during handling of the object. Even more desirable would be a card holder that can be easily and cost-effectively manufactured.