Inventoriable object control and tracking system

• US 6,317,044 B1
• Filed: 09/03/1999
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Key Control Holding Incorporated (Reynolds & Reynolds Company)
• Original Assignee: Key-Track, Inc.
• Inventors: Maloney, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US09/389,820
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.1, 340/570, 340/825.35, 340/825.49, 364/900, 364/479.14
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00936 for key cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• 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: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection

Abstract

An object tracking system for automatically tracking a plurality of objects such as keys includes a plurality of tags each associated with an object to be tracked, and each having a depending tongue with opposed side faces. A touch memory device storing a unique ID code is attached to the tongue of each tag protrudes from one side face of its tag a distance greater than from the other side face. A storage unit for receiving and storing the tags has a plurality of slots each asymmetrically profiled with a bulge along one side to allow the tongue and touch memory device of one of the tags to pass through in one orientation of the tag but to prevent them to pass through in other orientations. A sensor is associated with each clot for engaging the touch memory device of the tongue of a tag inserted through the slot and a computer controller is coupled to the sensors for reading the ID codes of the touch memory devices to determine the presence and absence of tags and their objects in the container.

Claims

1. An object tracking system comprising:

a plurality of tags each associated with an object to be tracked and each having a depending tongue with opposed side faces;

a touch memory device attached to the tongue of each of said tags, each touch memory device storing a code identifying its corresponding tag;

each of said touch memory devices protruding from one side face of the tongue of its corresponding tag a distance greater than from the other side face thereof;

a storage unit for receiving and storing said plurality of tags;

said storage unit having a plurality of slots, each slot being asymmetrically profiled to allow the tongue and touch memory device of one of said tags to pass through said slot in one orientation of said tag but to prevent the tongue and touch memory device from passing through said slot in other orientations of said tag;

a sensor associated with each of said slots for engaging the touch memory device on the tongue of a tag inserted through said slot for accessing the code stored in said touch memory device; and

a controller coupled to said sensors for receiving codes and processing the received codes to determine the absence and presence of tags in the storage unit.

2. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising a backplane in said storage unit spaced from said slots, said sensors being disposed on said backplane.

3. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 2 and wherein said sensors comprise pairs of contacts, each pair of contacts being aligned with a respective one of said slots for contacting the touch memory device of a tag when the tag is inserted in said slot.

4. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 3 and further comprising means on said tags for attaching a trackable object to each tag.

5. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 4 and wherein said trackable object is at least one key.

6. A system for tracking and controlling access to a plurality of keys, said system comprising:

a plurality of tags each having a first end and a second end and opposed side faces;

attachment means on one end of each tag for attaching keys to be tracked;

a memory device on the other end of each tag, each memory device protruding a greater distance from one side face of said tag than from the other side face of said tag, each memory device storing a code identifying said tag and thus identifying keys attached thereto;

a container for receiving and storing tags and their keys;

a panel in said container, said panel being formed with an array of slots, said slots for receiving the ends of tags bearing said memory devices, each of said slots being configured with a bulge along one side such that the ends of tags that bear memory devices may be inserted through the slots in one orientation of said tags while being prevented from passing through the slots in other orientations of said tags;

an array of sensors in said container, each sensor corresponding to one of said slots for reading the code from a memory device when the tag bearing the memory device is inserted in said slot; and

a controller coupled to said sensors for receiving codes read by said sensors and determining the absence or presence of tags and their keys within said container.

7. An object tracking system comprising a plurality of units corresponding to objects to be tracked, a receptacle having a plurality of slots, each slot for receiving a unit, an identifying code stored on each of said units, sensors associated with said slots for reading the codes of units disposed in said slots, and a controller coupled to said sensors for receiving and processing said codes to track said units and thus to track the objects associated therewith, each of said units comprising a relatively thin tag having first and second end portions and opposed side faces, said identifying code of each tag being stored in a touch memory device attached to said tag at said first end portion and protruding a greater distance from one side face of said tag than from the other side face of said tag, said slots being asymmetrically configured such that said first end portion and its touch memory device may be inserted through said slot in one orientation of said tag but is prevented from passing through said slot in other orientations of said tag.

8. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 7 and further comprising attachment means on said second end portion of each of said tags for attaching an object to said tag.

9. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 8 and wherein said objects are keys and wherein said attachment means comprises a rivet on said second end of each of said tags for attaching a key to said tag.

10. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 7 and further comprising means for limiting the depth of insertion of said tags in said slots.

11. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 10 and wherein said means for limiting the depth of insertion comprises a shoulder formed in each of said tags intermediate said first and second ends thereof.

12. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 7 and wherein each of said tags is formed of plastic.

13. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 7 and wherein said receptacle comprises at least one drawer.

14. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 13 and wherein said receptacle comprises a plurality of drawers, each drawer having a plurality of said slots and said sensors.

15. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 14 and wherein said controller is coupled to said sensors of each of said drawers.

16. An object tracking system as claimed in claim 15 and wherein said controller is coupled to said sensors by a serial communications link.