Equipment management system

• US 10,049,365 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Prova Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Prova Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, Jr., Tommy Lee, Doser, Jr., David Earl
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, VERNAL U
• Application Number:
  US13/758,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20130147607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,017 Days
• Field of Search: 340 104, 340 105, 340 103, 3405721, 3405724
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/012 Providing warranty services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

A system and method of managing equipment is disclosed. The system incorporates a tagging device to attach identification tags to each piece of equipment. A scanning device is used to read the identification tags and relay this information to an equipment server. An input device is used to input information to the equipment server. The equipment server runs the equipment management program. The system flags a potential asset assigned to an asset creating individual. Equipment is designated an asset after use in an asset creating event.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring items, the method comprising:

accessing a list containing a plurality of wireless tag identifiers;

sending, for each of the wireless tag identifiers in the list, a query via the antenna to the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

verifying that an item corresponding to the wireless tag is present in an area for each of the plurality of wireless tag identifiers when a response is received via the antenna from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

associating each of the items with a a personal identifier associated with an individual and an event;

verifying that each of the plurality of individuals are present in the area;

determining one or more additional items to be checked out to each of the individuals as a function of the individual;

changing a status indicator associated with the items to show that the items have been checked out to the individual; and

storing data identifying the individual and the event the item is used.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each query is sent via the antenna to the corresponding wireless tag via a wireless link between the antenna and the wireless tag.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one of the items after it has been checked out to the individual;

determining whether the item corresponding to the wireless tag has been checked out to the individual; and

checking the item back in by changing a status of the item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the accessing step, the list is accessed from a memory device and further comprising storing data that identifies an event at which the items have been used.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the list that is accessed from a memory device is a prior list that was generated during a prior monitoring operation prior to a start of a predetermined event, wherein data identifying the predetermined event is stored in the memory device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the query sent to the wireless tag contains the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the list further contains a status indicator corresponding to each of the at least one wireless tag identifier, the status indicator providing an indication of whether the item associated with the wireless tag that corresponds to the wireless tag identification has been used in an event.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the items from the individuals after they have been used by the individuals in a single event; and

changing a status indicator associated with the items to show that the items have been checked in from the individuals.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the unique identification code is a value of the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

performing a scan operation to determine a presence of a new wireless tag that does not have a corresponding wireless tag identification in the inventory list; and

updating the inventory list to include a new wireless tag determined to be present during the scan operation.

11. A monitoring system for monitoring items, each of which has a corresponding wireless tag with a corresponding wireless tag identifier, comprising:

an antenna operable to receive and transmit signals within an area; and

a processor configured to;

access a list containing a plurality of wireless tag identifiers;

send a query via the antenna to the wireless tags corresponding to the wireless tag identifiers;

verify that the items corresponding to the wireless tags are present in the area when a response is received via the antenna from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

verify that a plurality of individuals, each associated with one or more item, are present in the area;

associate each of the items with a personal identifier associated with one of the individuals and an event; and

storing data identifying the individual and the event the item is used.

12. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein each query is sent via the antenna to the corresponding wireless tag via a wireless link between the antenna and the wireless tag.

13. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein each wireless tag is an active RFID tag.

14. The monitoring system of claim 11, further comprising a memory device that is operationally coupled to the processor, wherein in the accessing step the list is accessed from the memory device.

15. The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the list that is accessed from the memory device is a prior list that was generated during a prior monitoring operation.

16. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the query sent to the wireless tag is based on the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

17. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the list further contains a first status indicator and a second status indicator corresponding to each of the at least one wireless tag identification, the first status indicator providing an indication of whether the wireless tag that corresponds to the wireless tag identification is associated with an individual and the second status indicator providing an indication of whether the wireless tag that corresponds to the wireless tag identification has been checked out for use during an event.

18. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the query sent to the wireless tag is based on a unique identification code that corresponds to the wireless tag.

19. The monitoring system of claim 18, wherein the unique identification code is a value of the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

20. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

perform a scan operation to determine a presence of a new wireless tag that does not have a corresponding wireless tag identification in the list; and

update the list to include a new wireless tag determined to be present during the scan operation and a status indicator that identifies whether a product associated with the new wireless tag has been used in an asset-creating event.