Portable RFID tagged carrier for sterile implants and biological products

• US 10,445,541 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2016
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Warsaw Orthopedic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Warsaw Orthopedic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Clement, Wesley J., Tethrake, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Curtis J
• Application Number:
  US15/088,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20160217309A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0236 Mechanical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0273 Transport containers A01N1/0268 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0096 Casings for storing test samples A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; preservation of living parts of the human or animal body A01N1/02; containers for retaining a material to be analysed B01L3/50; containers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/16; swab-sampler being part of enzymology or microbiology container C12M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/147 Employing temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/18 Transport of container or devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/545 for laboratory containers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Intelligent portable carrier device for supporting movement in product tracking and monitoring of regulated products, such as tissue and biologics. Embodiments of the invention use product identification technology, such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and readers, to uniquely identify the regulated products as they are added to or removed from the intelligent portable carrier device. Embodiments of the invention may also be configured to monitor and report temperature and other environmental conditions associated with the intelligent portable carrier device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a housing defining a storage compartment, the housing comprising a radio frequency (RF) reader, the housing being movable between a closed condition in which any RF emitted energy within the housing does not emit outside the housing and an open condition, the RF reader being positioned in the housing such that the RF reader is not connected to any component outside of the housing when the housing is in the closed condition; and

a product disposed in the storage compartment, the product comprising a read-write radio-frequency identification tag, the tag comprising a sensor configured to detect a condition of the storage compartment,

wherein the RF reader is configured to collect, decode and pass on information relating to the condition of the storage compartment based upon a signal from the tag when the housing is in the closed condition, the system comprising an internal memory positioned within the housing, the internal memory being configured to store the information.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the RF reader is configured to detect whether the product is currently in the storage compartment or has been added to or removed from the storage compartment based upon the signal.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor is a biosensor.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing is constructed of an RF absorptive material.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the product is a plurality of regulated products.

6. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein each of the regulated products includes a read-write RFID tag.

7. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein each of the regulated products includes a read-write RFID tag and the RF reader is configured to collect, decode and pass on information relating to the condition of the storage compartment based upon signals from the tags.

8. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a lid-closure mechanism, a battery compartment and a processor compartment, the RF reader being positioned in the processor compartment.

9. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the tag is an active RFID tag that is coupled to the product before the product is placed inside the housing.

10. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the tag includes a RFID transponder that communicates with the reader and the system further comprises:

a plurality of antennas interfaced with the reader configured to communicate radio frequency signals with the RFID transponder; and

a processor in communication with the reader.

11. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the processor is configured for generating condition related event codes in response to changes in the condition of the storage compartment.

12. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the RF reader is configured to detect whether the product is currently in the storage compartment or has been added to or removed from the storage compartment based upon the signal; and

the processor is configured for generating event-identifying codes in response to detecting the presence or absence of the product within the storage compartment.

13. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a global positioning receiver module for receiving signals from a global positioning system and determining a location of the housing.

14. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the condition is temperature.

15. A system comprising:

a housing constructed of a radio frequency (RF) absorptive material, the housing being movable between a closed condition in which any RF emitted energy within the housing does not emit outside the housing and an open condition, the housing defining a storage compartment and a processor compartment, the processor compartment comprising an RF reader positioned therein such that the RF reader is not connected to any component outside of the housing when the housing is in the closed condition; and

a product disposed in the storage compartment, the product comprising a read-write radio-frequency identification tag, the tag comprising a sensor configured to detect a condition of the storage compartment,

wherein the RF reader is configured to collect, decode and pass on information relating to the condition of the storage compartment based upon a signal from the tag when the housing is in the closed condition, the RF reader being configured to detect whether the product is currently in the storage compartment or has been added to or removed from the storage compartment based upon the signal, the system comprising an internal memory associated with the processor compartment, the internal memory being configured to store the information.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the housing comprises an insulative material configured to maintain a relatively standard temperature within the housing relative to an atmospheric environment.

17. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the condition is an environmental condition and the tag is configured to update prior information or add new information related to the condition.

18. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the condition is temperature.

19. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the sensor is configured to measure and record a temperature within the storage compartment, the tag being configured to update prior information and add new information related the recorded temperature such that the recorded temperature can be determined by the RFID reader.

20. A system comprising:

a housing constructed of a radio frequency (RF) absorptive material, the housing being movable between a closed condition in which any RF emitted energy within the housing does not emit outside the housing and an open condition in which RF emitted energy within the housing can emit outside the housing, the housing defining a storage compartment and a processor compartment, the processor compartment comprising an RF reader positioned therein such that the RF reader is not directly connected to any component outside of the housing when the housing is in the closed condition; and

a plurality of regulated product disposed in the storage compartment, the regulated products each comprising a read-write radio-frequency identification tag, the tags each comprising a biosensor configured to detect a temperature of the storage compartment,

wherein the RF reader is configured to collect, decode and pass on information relating to the temperature of the storage compartment based upon a signal from the tags when the housing is in the closed condition, the RF reader being configured to detect whether the product is currently in the storage compartment or has been added to or removed from the storage compartment based upon the signals, the system comprising an internal memory associated with the processor compartment, the internal memory being configured to store the information.