Inventory monitoring and dispensing system for medical items
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring and dispensing medical items comprising:
- a plurality of item storage locations, wherein at least one unit of a type of medical item is positionable in each location;
a sensor adjacent each location wherein said sensor generates an addition signal responsive to addition of a unit of the item at the location and a subtraction signal responsive to a unit of the item being removed from the location;
a counter connected to the sensor whereby said counter counts the signals generated by the sensor wherein the counter holds a count of the units of said items added and subtracted at the location;
at least one processor connected to the counter, said processor connected to at least one data store, wherein said data store includes a total of the type items at said location, and wherein said processor periodically reads said counter and modifies said total in said data store in accordance with the count from said counter.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for monitoring and dispensing medical items includes a plurality of hook registers (10). Each of the hook registers includes sensors (48, 60, 62, 64) sensing the removal or addition of a medical item to the storage location on the hook register. Each hook register has a microprocessor (66) connected to the sensor which stores a count of the items added or removed from the location. The microprocessor also includes location identifying information specifically associated with the particular hook register. The microprocessor is periodically polled by a controller (72) which reads and stores the count and location identifying information from each of the hook registers. The controller information is periodically read by a data terminal (76) which is connected through a local area network (82) to a remote computer (84) having a processor and data store. A user of the data terminal is enabled to specify a patient for whom medical items will be used when the items are removed from the hook registers or other storage locations. In addition, the system also monitors inventories of items and levels of usage by users. The system also monitors and controls the dispense of other medical items from box registers (110) as well as controls the dispense of items from secure storage locations such as electronic lock drawers (96) and medicine dispensers (100).
281 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring and dispensing medical items comprising:
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a plurality of item storage locations, wherein at least one unit of a type of medical item is positionable in each location; a sensor adjacent each location wherein said sensor generates an addition signal responsive to addition of a unit of the item at the location and a subtraction signal responsive to a unit of the item being removed from the location; a counter connected to the sensor whereby said counter counts the signals generated by the sensor wherein the counter holds a count of the units of said items added and subtracted at the location; at least one processor connected to the counter, said processor connected to at least one data store, wherein said data store includes a total of the type items at said location, and wherein said processor periodically reads said counter and modifies said total in said data store in accordance with the count from said counter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for monitoring and dispensing medical items comprising:
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a plurality of storage locations, wherein at least one unit of a type of medical item is positionable in each location prior to use; a dispenser mechanism for selectively dispensing items from a storage location responsive to electrical signals; a data terminal operatively connected to the dispenser mechanism, the data terminal including a data entry device wherein a user inputs data identifying a patient receiving said medical item proximate to dispense of said item by said dispenser mechanism; at least one processor operatively connected to said data terminal, said processor operatively connected to at least one data store, said data store including a patient record corresponding with the patient and a location record corresponding with at least one storage location in the dispenser mechanism, the location record including the respective type of medical item in each location, and wherein upon dispense of an item from a location use of the type medical item for the patient is included in the patient record. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A system for monitoring and dispensing medical items comprising:
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a plurality of storage locations wherein at least one unit of a type of medical item is positionable in each location prior to use; a sensor adjacent each location wherein said sensor generates a signal responsive to removal of a unit of the item at said location; a data terminal operatively connected to said sensor, said data terminal including a data entry device whereby a user inputs data identifying a patient receiving said medical item proximate in time to removal of said item from said location; at least one processor operatively connected to said data terminal, said processor operatively connected to at least one data store, said data store including a patient record corresponding with the patient and a location record corresponding with each storage location, the location record including data representative of the respective type of medical item in each location, and wherein upon removal of the item type from a location by a user data representative of use of the type medical item for the patient is included in the patient record. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for monitoring and dispensing medical items comprising:
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a plurality of storage locations wherein at least one unit of an item type is positionable in each location prior to use, each said item including thereon a machine readable indicia representative of the type of item; a sensor adjacent a location for reading said machine readable indicia on said items and for generating signals representative thereof, and wherein said signals are generated responsive to removal of said item from said location; at least one processor operatively connected to said sensor, said processor operatively connected to at least one data store, said data store including at least one patient record corresponding with a patient, and at least one item type record corresponding with said signals representative of said indicia; a data terminal operatively connected to said processor, said data terminal including a data entry device wherein a user inputs data identifying said patient, and wherein upon input of said patient identification data and responsive to said signals from said sensor, said processor records use of said item type in said patient record. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A system for monitoring and dispensing medical items comprising:
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a plurality of storage locations wherein at least one unit of a medical item type is positionable in each location prior to use, and wherein each said item type has machine readable indicia thereon representative of the item type; a reader adjacent to at least one location wherein said reader is operative to read said indicia on said item type and to generate signals representative thereof when said item type is placed in said location; at least one processor operatively connected to said reader and to at least one data store, said data store including at least one item type record in correlated relation with said indicia on said item type, and at least one location record in correlated relation with one of said storage locations, and wherein said processor is operative responsive to receipt of said signals from said reader to include said item type in correlated relation with said location record, said data store further including at least one patient record corresponding with a patient; a patient identification input device in operative connection with said processor, whereby a user may identify said patient; an indicator operatively connected to said processor, wherein said indicator generates indicator signals responsive to removal of a unit of said item type from said location, wherein said processor is operative to include use of said item type included in association with said location record in said patient record responsive to identification of said patient at said patient identification input device and said indicator signals.
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Specification