EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20130147607A1
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prova Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: David Earl Jr. Doser, Tommy Lee Jr. Davis
• Inventors: Davis, Tommy Lee Jr., Doser, David Earl Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 10,049,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/012 Providing warranty services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

The invention is a system and method of managing equipment. The system incorporates a tagging device to attach identification tags to each piece of equipment. A scanning device is used to read the identification tags and relay this information to an equipment server. An input device is used to input information to the equipment server. The equipment server runs the equipment management program. The system flags a potential asset assigned to an asset creating individual. Equipment is designated an asset after use in an asset creating event.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method for monitoring an inventory of products in a storage area, each product having a corresponding wireless tag with a corresponding wireless tag identification, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing an inventory list containing at least one wireless tag identification;

sending, for each of the at least one wireless tag identification in the inventory list, a specific query via the antenna to the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

verifying that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is present in the storage area when a response is received via the antenna from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

determining that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is not present in the storage area; and

updating the inventory list based on the products verified to be present and the products determined to not be present.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein each specific query is sent via the antenna to the corresponding wireless tag via a wireless link between the antenna and the wireless tag.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein each wireless tag is an active RFID tag.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein in the accessing step, the inventory list is accessed from a memory device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the inventory list that is accessed from a memory device is a prior inventory list that was generated during a prior inventory monitoring operation.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the specific query sent tm the wireless tag contains the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the inventory list further contains a present status indicator corresponding to each of the at least one wireless tag identification, the present status indicator providing an indication of whether the wireless tag that corresponds to the wireless tag identification is present in the storage area.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the specific query sent to the wireless tag is based on a unique identification code that corresponds to the wireless tag.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the unique identification code is a value of the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

33. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

performing a scan operation to determine a presence of a new wireless tag that does not have a corresponding wireless tag identification in the inventory list; and

updating the inventory list to include a new wireless tag determined to be present during the scan operation.

34. An inventory monitoring system for monitoring an inventory of products each of which has a corresponding wireless tag with a corresponding wireless tag identification. comprising:

a storage area;

an antenna operable to receive and transmit signals within the storage area; and

a processor configured to;

access an inventory list containing at least one wireless tag identification;

send, for each of the at least one wireless tag identification in the inventory list. a specific query via the antenna to the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

verify that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is present in the storage area when a response is received via the antenna from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

determine that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is not present in the storage area; and

update the inventory list based on the products verified to be present and the products determined to not be present in the storage area.

35. The inventory monitoring system of claim 34, wherein each specific query is sent via the antenna to the corresponding wireless tag via a wireless link between the antenna and the wireless tag.

36. The inventory monitoring system of claim 34, wherein each wireless tag is an active RFID tag.

37. The inventory monitoring system of claim 34, further comprising a memory device that is operationally coupled to the processor, wherein in the accessing step the inventory list is accessed from the memory device.

38. The inventory monitoring system of claim 37, wherein the inventory list that is accessed from the memory device is a prior inventory list that was generated during a prior inventory monitoring operation.

39. The inventory monitoring system of claim 34, wherein the specific query sent to the wireless tag is based on the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

40. The inventory monitoring system of claim 34, wherein the inventory list further contains a present status indicator corresponding to each of the at least one wireless tag identification, the present status indicator providing an indication of whether the wireless tag that corresponds to the wireless tag identification is present in the storage area.

41. The inventory monitoring system of claim 34, wherein the specific query sent to the wireless tag is based on a unique identification code that corresponds to the wireless tag.

42. The inventory monitoring system of claim 41, wherein the unique identification code is a value of the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

43. The inventory monitoring system of claim 34, wherein the processor is further configured to:

perform a scan operation to determine a presence of a new wireless tag that does not have a corresponding wireless tag identification in the inventory list; and

update the inventory list to include a new wireless tag determined to be present during the scan operation.