INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING RFID TAGS TO AID IN DISPENSING AND RESTOCKING INVENTORY
First Claim
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1. A method of managing inventory, said method comprising:
- receiving an indication of a medication; and
generating and transmitting a signal to a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a medication bin configured to house the medication, wherein, upon receiving the signal, the RFID tag is configured to generate a notification signal.
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Abstract
An inventory management system is provided that utilizes radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to drive RFID tags to provide a notification signal, such as by illuminating light emitting diodes (LEDs) embodied by the RFID tags. The RFID tags may be placed on medication bins within a pharmacy pick-station in order to indicate which medication to select for processing an order or in which medication bin to place a particular medication being restocked. A method and computer program product for managing inventory, as well as an automated dispensing cabinet are further provided.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method of managing inventory, said method comprising:
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receiving an indication of a medication; and
generating and transmitting a signal to a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a medication bin configured to house the medication, wherein, upon receiving the signal, the RFID tag is configured to generate a notification signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of prioritizing a plurality of antennas with respect to at least one of a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, said method comprising:
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associating the plurality of RFID tags with a corresponding plurality of medication bins, said plurality of medication bins configured to respectively house a corresponding plurality of medications;
determining a signal strength associated with respective antennas of the plurality of antennas with respect to at least one of the plurality of RFID tags; and
maintaining an ordering of the plurality of antennas for each RFID tag, wherein the ordering corresponds to the signal strength of respective antennas for the respective RFID tag. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. An inventory management system comprising:
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a plurality of medication bins configured to respectively house a corresponding plurality of medications;
a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags associated with the plurality of medication bins, respective RFID tags associated with a unique identification corresponding to the medication housed by the associated medication bin, respective RFID tags comprising a notification device; and
a software application adapted to operate on a processing element and configured to generate and transmit a signal to at least one of the plurality of RFID tags, wherein, upon receiving the signal, the RFID tag is configured to activate the corresponding notification device. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A shelving unit comprising:
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a plurality of medication bins configured to respectively house a corresponding plurality of medications; and
a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags associated with the plurality of medication bins, respective RFID tags associated with a unique identification corresponding to the medication housed by the associated medication bin, respective RFID tags comprising a notification device, wherein respective RFID tags are configured to receive a signal and, upon receipt of the signal, activate the corresponding notification device. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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37. A computer program product for managing inventory, wherein the computer program product comprises at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:
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a first executable portion for receiving an indication of a medication; and
a second executable portion for generating and transmitting a signal to a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a medication bin configured to house the medication, wherein, upon receiving the signal, the RFID tag is configured to activate a notification device associated with the RFID tag. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification