Inventoriable object control and tracking system
First Claim
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.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. An object tracking system comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A system for tracking and controlling access to a plurality of keys, said system comprising:
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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.
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- 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.
Specification