Item tracking system

• US 20080088447A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RFID Mexico SA de CV
• Original Assignee: RFID Mexico SA de CV
• Inventors: Matus, Jose Adalberto Teran, Ramirez, Patricio Gerardo Trevino, Flores, Eduardo Ruiz Esparza, Elizondo, Rafael Guillermo Ramos
• Granted Patent: US 7,557,709 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An item tracking system which makes use RFID technology for automatically monitoring the taking and returning operations of items from a storage location inside a working area which allows to have an almost “on line” status of each tool as well as the using history of each tool, furthermore, the system “knows” which item has been taken or stored from which storage area by which worker and when.

Claims

1. An item tracking system for using in working areas including a plurality of storage areas for storing a plurality of items which are taken and returned by a plurality of workers, said item tracking system comprising:

one or more electronic worker identification tags, each assigned to a respective worker, each having personalized identification information about the worker;

one or more electronic item identification tags, each permanently integrated to a respective tool in such way it is necessary to destroy the identification tag for removing it from an item, each having information about the item and about its assigned storage area;

one or more electronic worker identification tags readers for each storage area;

one or more of electronic item identification tags readers for each storage area;

a control system connected to each electronic worker identification tags readers and to each electronic item identification tags reader having;

memory means containing information related to;

transaction information about taking and returning item operations, comprising;

information about items that have been taken from its respective storage area by a worker on a specific time and date;

information about tools that have been taken and returned to its respective storage area by a worker on a specific time and date;

wherein the electronic worker ID reading means, reads a worker ID when the ID is in the reading range thereof and sends the information of the worker to the central control system;

wherein the electronic item ID reading means senses when an item is been taken from its respective storage area by a worker and reads the information recorded in the item ID, sends the information to the central control system which register the taking transaction in the memory means so that the system “

knows”

which item has been taken from which storage area by which worker and when; and

wherein the electronic tool ID reading means senses when an item is been returned to its respective storage area and reads the information recorded in the tool ID, sends the information to the central control system which register the storing transaction in the memory means so that the system “

knows”

which item that has been previously taken by a worker has been returned to its respective storage area and when.

2. An item tracking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each electronic identification tag comprises an RFID identification tag.

3. An item tracking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each storage area having one or more storage cells, each cell further including:

automatic locking and unlocking means controlled by an electronic system

wherein the central control system is connected to the electronic control means of each storage cell;

wherein the memory means of the central control system further including privilege information for each worker, for establishing which storage cell of a respective storage area a worker may have access and took an item from; and

wherein the electronic worker ID reading means, reads a worker ID when the ID is in the reading range thereof, sends the information of the worker to the central control system and the control system sends a signal to the electronic control system of the respective storage cell for unlocking one or more storage cells based on the worker privilege information.

4. An item tracking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the memory means of the central control system further including:

information about the description of each item;

information about each worker;

information about which items are assigned to each storage area; and

historic information about the use of each item by the workers.

5. An item tracking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each storage area having one or more storage cells, wherein the item identification tags readers are assigned to each cell, each further including:

automatic locking and unlocking means controlled by an electronic system

wherein the central control system is connected to the electronic control means of each storage cell;

wherein the control system is connected to the item identification tags readers of each cell of each storage area;

wherein the memory means of the central control system further including privilege information for each worker, for establishing which storage cell of a respective storage area a worker may have access and took an item from;

wherein the electronic worker ID reading means, reads a worker ID when the ID is in the reading range thereof, sends the information of the worker to the central control system and the control system sends a signal to the electronic control system of the respective storage cell for unlocking one or more storage cells based on the worker privilege information;

wherein the electronic worker ID reading means, reads a worker ID when the ID is in the reading range thereof and sends the information of the worker to the central control system;

wherein the electronic item ID reading means senses when an item is been taken from its respective storage cell of a respective working area by a worker and reads the information recorded in the item ID, sends the information to the central control system which register the taking transaction in the memory means so that the system “

knows”

which item has been taken from which storage cell of a respective storage area by which worker and when; and

wherein the electronic tool ID reading means senses when an item is been returned to its respective storage cell and reads the information recorded in the tool ID, sends the information to the central control system which register the storing transaction in the memory means so that the system “

knows”

which item that has been previously taken by a worker has been returned to its respective storage cell of a respective storage area and when.

6. An item tracking system method comprising the steps of:

providing one or more electronic worker identification tags, each assigned to a respective worker, each having personalized identification information about the worker;

one or more electronic item identification tags, each permanently integrated to a respective tool, each having information about the item and about its assigned storage area;

one or more electronic worker identification tags readers for each storage area;

one or more electronic item identification tags readers for each storage area;

a control system connected to each electronic worker identification tags readers and to each electronic item identification tags reader having;

memory means containing information related to;

transaction information about taking and returning item operations, comprising;

information about items that have been taken from its respective storage area by a worker on a specific time and date;

information about tools that have been taken and returned to its respective storage area by a worker on a specific time and date;

reading a worker ID by mans of the electronic worker ID reading means, and sending the information of the worker to the central control system for registering;

sensing when an item is been taken from its respective storage area by a worker and reading the information recorded in the item ID by means of the item ID reading means, sending the information to the central control system which register the taking transaction in the memory means so that the system “

knows”

which item has been taken from which storage area by which worker and when; and

sensing when an item is been returned to its respective storage area and reading the information recorded in the tool ID by means of the electronic tool ID reading means, sending the information to the central control system which register the storing transaction in the memory means so that the system “

knows”

which item that has been previously taken by a worker has been returned to its respective storage area and when.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, comprising the step of providing electronic identification tag comprising RFID identification tags.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein each storage area having one or more storage cells, the method further comprising:

providing each cell with automatic locking and unlocking means controlled by an electronic system and connecting each electronic means of each storage cell to the central control system and further providing the memory means of the central control system with privilege information for each worker, for establishing which storage cell of a respective storage area a worker may have access and took an item from; and

reading a worker ID by means of the electronic worker ID reading means, sending the information of the worker to the central control system for unlocking one or more storage cells of a respective storage area based on the worker privilege information.

9. A method as claimed by claim 6 comprising further providing the memory means of the central control system with:

information about the description of each item;

information about each worker;

information about which items are assigned to each storage area; and

historic information about the use of each item by the workers.

10. A method as claimed by claim 6 wherein each storage area having one or more storage cells, the method further comprising:

assigning each storage cell with an item identification tags reader;

providing each cell with automatic locking and unlocking means controlled by an electronic system and connecting each electronic means of each storage cell to the central control system and further providing the memory means of the central control system with privilege information for each worker, for establishing which storage cell of a respective storage area a worker may have access and took an item from; and

reading a worker ID by means of the electronic worker ID reading means, sending the information of the worker to the central control system for unlocking one or more storage cells of a respective storage area based on the worker privilege information;

reading a worker ID by means of the electronic worker ID reading means, and sending the information of the worker to the central control system for registering;

sensing when an item is been taken from its respective storage cell of a respective storage area by a worker and reading the information recorded in the item ID by means of the item ID reading means, sending the information to the central control system which register the taking transaction in the memory means so that the system “

knows”

which item has been taken from which storage cell of a respective storage area by which worker and when; and

sensing when an item is been returned to its respective storage area and reading the information recorded in the tool ID by means of the electronic tool ID reading means, sending the information to the central control system which register the storing transaction in the memory means so that the system “

knows”

which item that has been previously taken by a worker has been returned to its respective storage cell of a respective storage area and when.