Anesthesia Cart with RFID Keyless Entry

• US 20140145822A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S&S X-Ray Products Inc.
• Original Assignee: S&S X-Ray Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Shoenfeld, Norman A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,082,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.61
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00912 for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A controlled access anesthesia cart has at least one drawer or compartment for storing general-use anesthesia items, and at least one drawer or compartment for storing controlled substances, e.g., narcotics. An RFID reader in the cart senses for RFID signals, and if a portable RFID transceiver is in range of about 3 meters of the cart, the compartments in the cart are unlocked for access. The anesthesiologist needs to enter a pass code for access to the controlled substances compartment(s). The compartments then remain unlocked so long as the portable RFID transceiver is present. When the portable transceiver is out of range, the cart immediately relocks the compartments automatically.

Claims

1. An anesthesia cart comprising

a cabinet having a base, a top, a plurality of roller means mounted on the base of the cabinet to permit the cabinet to be moved;

a computer control arrangement mounted on said cabinet and including a computer processor, a data entry device, a fixed RFID reader mounted in the cabinet and being coupled to said computer processor;

at least one general use drawer in said cabinet including an electro-mechanical lock coupled to said computer processor;

at least one controlled-materials drawer in said cabinet having one or more lockable compartments and having an electro-mechanical lock mechanism for locking and unlocking the one or more lockable compartments; and

an active RFID transceiver capable of transmitting an anesthesia authorization code over a given range to said fixed RFID reader;

said fixed RFID reader cooperating with said computer control arrangement to communicate with the electro-mechanical lock mechanism of said general use drawer and to communicate with the electro-mechanical lock mechanism of said one or more lockable compartments, and respond to presence of said anesthesia authorization code to unlock said at least one general use drawer to permit access to said drawer;

to await entry of an authorized pass code on said data entry device;

upon entry of said authorized pass code to unlock the one or more lockable compartments in said controlled-materials drawer; and

upon loss by said fixed RFID reader of the anesthesia authorization code transmitted from said active RFID transceiver, to re-lock said at least one general use drawer and to re-lock said one or more lockable compartments of said controlled materials drawer.

2. The anesthesia cart according to claim 1 wherein said controlled-materials drawer includes a pull out drawer slidably supported in the cabinet;

said drawer including a plurality of storage compartments arranged in at least one row in a given direction across said drawer and an elongated channel portion extending in said given direction alongside said row of compartments;

each of said storage compartments having a lid that is normally locked down but is selectively releasable to permit the lid to open for access to the compartment;

a slide bar disposed in said channel portion and adapted to move for at least a limited distance along said channel portion, and arranged to slide one or more positions to unlock a respective one or more of the compartment lids; and

a controlled motor means for moving said slide bar to said one or more positions to permit at least one lid to be lifted open.

3. The anesthesia cart according to claim 1 wherein said given range of said active RFID transceiver is between substantially one and three meters.

4. The anesthesia cart according to claim 1 wherein said computer control arrangement is adapted to permit the at least one general use drawer to remain unlocked so long as the fixed RFID reader in the cart continues to receive said anesthesia authorization code from said active RFID transceiver.

5. The anesthesia cart according to claim 4 wherein said computer control arrangement is adapted to unlock said one or more lockable compartments in said controlled materials drawer after entry of said authorized pass code on said keyboard, and permit the one or more compartments to remain unlocked so long as the fixed RFID reader in the cart continues to receive said anesthesia authorization code from said active RFID transceiver.

6. A medications and medical supplies cart comprising

a cabinet having a base, a top, a plurality of roller means mounted on the base of the cabinet to permit the cabinet to be moved;

a computer control arrangement mounted on said cabinet and including a computer processor, a fixed RFID reader mounted in the cabinet and being coupled to said computer processor;

at least one general use compartment in said cabinet including an electro-mechanical lock mechanism coupled to said computer processor; and

an active RFID transceiver capable of transmitting an unlock code over a given range to said fixed RFID reader;

said fixed RFID reader cooperating with said computer control arrangement to communicate with the electro-mechanical lock mechanism of said general use compartment, and respond to presence of said unlock code to unlock said at least one general use compartment to permit access to said compartment; and

upon loss by said fixed RFID reader of the unlock code transmitted from said active RFID transceiver, to re-lock said at least one general use compartment.

7. The medications and medical supplies cart according to claim 6, wherein said fixed RFID reader includes a capability to read a passive UHF chip.

8. The medications and medical supplies cart according to claim 7, wherein said computer control arrangement is adapted to override said electro-mechanical lock mechanism and unlock said at least one general use compartment when said passive UHF chip is detected to be present.