Payload Aware Medical Cart, System and Method

• US 20090267772A1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pourya M. Dehnadi
• Original Assignee: Pourya M. Dehnadi
• Inventors: Dehnadi, Pourya M.
• Application Number:
  US12/429,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20090267772A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.800
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/001 Trolleys for transport of medicaments, food, linen, nursing supplies carts specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis A61B50/13; hand carts B62B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2205/20 Color codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A payload aware medical cart, system and method utilizes a computer system to take inventory of the medical products stored in the medical cart. Each medical product carries an ID tag that provides a unique identifier when queried by an ID sensor, and the medical cart detects the contents of each compartment by reading the ID tags of the products placed in that compartment thereby producing an inventory enumerating all products and the quantity of each product per compartment.

Claims

1. A payload aware medical cart comprising

a medical cart having a plurality of designated compartments for storing medical products carrying identification tags;

sensor means in said designated compartments for sensing said medical product identification tags to detect the presence of said medical products in said designated compartments and providing detection signals representative of said detected medical products; and

processor means carried by said medical cart for receiving said detection signals and generating an inventory output indicating said medical products carried by said medical cart.

2. The payload aware medical cart recited in claim 1 wherein said processor means generates inventory outputs indicating said medical products in each of said designated compartments separately.

3. The payload aware medical cart recited in claim 1 wherein said identification tags are RFID units.

4. The payload aware medical cart recited in claim 1 wherein said identification tags are USID units.

5. The payload aware medical cart recited in claim 1 wherein said sensor means in each of said designated compartments includes an antenna for sending identification data to said processor means and said processor means reads said identification data to identify each medical product in a designated compartment.

6. The payload aware medical cart recited in claim 1 wherein said sensor means in each of said designated compartments includes a reader for identifying each medical product in a designated compartment.

7. The payload aware medical cart recited in claim 1 wherein said designated compartments are lined with shielding material.

8. A payload aware medical cart system comprising

a medical cart having a plurality of designated compartments for storing medical products carrying identification tags, sensor means in said designated compartments for sensing said medical product identification tags to detect the presence of said medical products in said designated compartments and providing detection signals representative of said detected medical products, and processor means carried by said medical cart for receiving said detection signals and generating an inventory output indicating said medical products carried by said medical cart;

an input device for supplying said processor means with a cart configuration policy listing of medical products;

means for comparing said inventory output with said cart configuration policy listing of medical products; and

output means providing an indication of whether said medical cart carries an inventory of medical products to be compliant with said cart configuration policy listing of medical products.

9. The payload aware medical cart system recited in claim 8 wherein said cart configuration policy listing of medical products includes a listing of medical products for each designated compartment and said output means provides an indication of whether a designated compartment stores the medical products listed for said designated compartments.

10. A method of managing the storage of medical products in a medical cart comprising

providing the medical products with identification tags;

storing the medical products in designated compartments in the medical cart;

sensing the identification tags in each designated compartment to determine the presence of required medical products in each designated compartment; and

providing an output indicating whether the required medical products are stored in the medical cart.