FLUID CONTAINER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

• US 20120188076A1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: En-Gauge, Inc.
• Original Assignee: En-Gauge, Inc.
• Inventors: McSheffrey, Brendan T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,041,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.17
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 13/76 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 37/50 Testing or indicating devices for determining the state of readiness of the equipment
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/02 Special adaptations of indicating, measuring, or monitoring equipment measuring in general G01
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/025 having the pressure as the parameter
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/013 Two or more vessels
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/011 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/032 using computers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/034 using wireless transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/043 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0478 Position or presence
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0491 Parameters measured at or inside the vessel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/077 when empty
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/02 for medical applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold

Abstract

Fluid tanks in a hospital or similar environment include sensors to detect, e.g., state and location, which can be communicated to a central station where this data can be processed to permit predictions of resource usage and enable automated management of the fluid tanks

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of oxygen tanks in a health care facility, each oxygen tank having a first circuit configured to determine a location of the oxygen tank, a second circuit configured to determine a state of the oxygen tank, and communications circuitry configured to transmit data indicative of the location and the state;

a central station coupled in a communicating relationship with each one of the plurality of oxygen tanks and receiving therefrom the data indicative of the location and the state for each one of the plurality of oxygen tanks; and

a processor configured to analyze the data from each of the plurality of oxygen tanks and to generate a resource allocation message relating to at least one of the plurality of oxygen tanks

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the communicating relationship is a wireless communicating relationship.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the state includes a pressure level.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the state includes an in use indication.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the state includes a fluid flow rate.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the state includes a proximity.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the state includes a deployment.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the state includes an out of range pressure state.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the first circuit includes a Global Positioning System.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first circuit includes a proximity sensor.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the health care facility is a hospital.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the resource allocation message includes a request to a vendor to ship one or more additional oxygen tanks to the health care facility.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the resource allocation message includes an alert of a rules violation.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the rules violation includes a number of the plurality of tanks in excess of a predetermined threshold at a location.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the resource allocation message requests replacement of a tank with an out of range pressure condition at a specific location within the health care facility.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the resource allocation message requests transportation of one of the plurality of oxygen tanks from an external storage container to a deployed location.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the deployed location includes at least one of a crash cart, an oxygen cart, an emergency room, and a supply closet.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the resource allocation message requests refilling of one of the plurality of oxygen tanks, the resource allocation message identifying a specific location of the one of the plurality of oxygen tanks within the health care facility.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the resource allocation message requests replacement of one of the plurality of oxygen tanks having a suspected leak, the resource allocation message identifying a specific location of the one of the plurality of oxygen tanks

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to generate the resource allocation message based on a prediction of an out of range pressure condition for one of the plurality of oxygen tanks

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the state of the one of the plurality of oxygen tanks include information indicative of a flow rate of oxygen from the one of the plurality of oxygen tanks, and wherein the prediction is based on the state of the one of the plurality of oxygen tanks

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the prediction is based on historical data received at the central station for the plurality of oxygen tanks