SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING INVENTORY OF ITEMS HELD IN A CABINET USING RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID)
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cabinet, comprising:
- a cabinet structure;
a drawer configured to slide in and out of the cabinet structure, the drawer configured to hold RFID tagged items;
a chamber within the cabinet structure, the chamber configured to completely enclose the drawer when the drawer is in the cabinet structure;
at least one antenna positioned within the chamber and within an operational range of the RFID tag items;
a scanner coupled with the antenna, the scanner configured to;
receive a request for access to the drawer;
perform a scan of the RFID tagged items before the draw is removed;
granting access to the drawer after a predetermined period of time; and
continuing to scan the RFID tagged items as the drawer is removed.
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Abstract
A RFID cabinet comprises a cabinet structure and one or more drawers or shelves. Chambers are formed within the cabinet to house the one or more drawers or shelves. An RFID scanner is configured to scan items tagged with RFID tags in the chambers via one or more antennas. The antennas can include transmit and receive antennas or antennas configured to perform both transmit and receive functions. The drawers can have a access cover, or lid that can be controlled so as to control access to the drawer. The scanner can be configured to perform inventory control for the tagged items.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cabinet, comprising:
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a cabinet structure;
a drawer configured to slide in and out of the cabinet structure, the drawer configured to hold RFID tagged items;
a chamber within the cabinet structure, the chamber configured to completely enclose the drawer when the drawer is in the cabinet structure;
at least one antenna positioned within the chamber and within an operational range of the RFID tag items;
a scanner coupled with the antenna, the scanner configured to;
receive a request for access to the drawer;
perform a scan of the RFID tagged items before the draw is removed;
granting access to the drawer after a predetermined period of time; and
continuing to scan the RFID tagged items as the drawer is removed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for performing a dynamic scan operation in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cabinet that includes a cabinet structure, a drawer configured to slide in and out of the cabinet structure, the drawer configured to hold RFID tagged items, and a scanner, the method comprising:
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receiving, at the scanner, a request for access to the drawer;
performing, at the scanner, a scan of the RFID tagged items before the draw is removed;
granting, at the scanner, access to the drawer after a predetermined period of time; and
continuing to scan, at the scanner, the RFID tagged items as the drawer is removed. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification