Temperature and humidity monitoring for pharmacy shipping crate

• US 7,630,864 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: S&S X-Ray Products Inc.
• Original Assignee: S&S X-Ray Products Inc.
• Inventors: Shoenfeld, Norman A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feliciano; Eliseo Ramos
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suarez; Felix E
• Application Number:
  US11/926,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 702/31, 702/41, 702/56, 702/119, 702/187, 702/188, 702/177, 702/182, 292/307.R, 340/572.4, 422/22, 701/32
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 2217/05 Animals comprising random inserted nucleic acids (transgenic)
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/00 Operating or controlling locks or other fastening devices by electric or magnetic means electric permutation locks E05B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/52 Other locks for chests, boxes, trunks, baskets, travelling bags, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/022 for recording
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2333/70596 Molecules with a "CD"-designation not provided for elsewhere in G01N2333/705
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0092 for cargo, freight or shipping containers and applications therefore in general
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/0069 actuated in a predetermined sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses

Abstract

A monitor device is attached onto or inside a shipping crate for pharmaceutical shipments and monitors the temperature and/or humidity within the crate in transit to identify whether the contents are safe or compromised. A keyboard/display on the device provides an ID code that the recipient enters into a computer web page to communicate this ID code to the shipper or to a third-party agency. If the ID code represents a safe shipment, the shipper or third-party returns an acceptance message. If there has been a compromise, a different ID code is presented, and the web page instead returns a message to return the crate. A return envelope can be included for the recipient to return the monitor device to the shipper.

Claims

1. A monitoring device adapted to be affixed onto or placed within a shipping crate for transport from a shipping station to a recipient at a recipient location, and holding as contents thereof sensitive materials;

the monitoring device identifying for the recipient and the shipping station, upon delivery, whether said contents have been subjected to compromising conditions during transit of the crate, with said shipping crate having a body in which said sensitive materials are to be stored and shipped and a cover for closing off the body of the shipping crate;

the monitoring device comprising;

means securing the monitoring device onto or within the shipping crate;

sensor means disposed inside the shipping crate for sensing one or more conditions of the contents of said shipping crate during transit;

control circuit means coupled to said sensor means and having embedded software therein to maintain a log of said one or more conditions during transit, said control circuit means being adapted to generate a safe-shipment coded sequence representing a safe condition for said contents and to generate a different compromised-shipment coded sequence representing a compromised conditions of said contents, each said coded sequence being based on sensor-provided information concerning the contents of said shipping crate during transit;

means for presenting one or the other of said coded sequences, wherein the control circuit means presents one or the other of said safe-shipment coded sequence and said compromised shipment coded sequence; and

means for transmitting the safe-shipment or compromised-shipment coded sequence as presented by said control circuit to said shipping station.

2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor means includes a temperature monitor having a probe sensing temperature inside said shipping crate during transit;

and said control circuit means being connected to said probe and being operative to maintain the log of temperature within said crate during transit, and providing said coded sequence based on the log of temperature received from said temperature monitor.

3. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor means includes a humidity monitor having a probe sensing a humidity level inside said shipping crate, the monitor being coupled with said control circuit means for communicating said humidity level thereto, the control circuit means being operative to maintain the log of humidity level within said crate during transit, and providing said coded sequence based on the log of humidity level.

4. The monitoring device according to claim 1, said embedded software within said control circuit means further including software which includes audit trail means for recording readings of said one or more conditions and times of reading of said one or more conditions during transit.

5. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said means for presenting includes display means on a visible portion of said monitoring device for displaying the one or other of said coded sequences as a sequence of digits.

6. The monitoring device crate according to claim 1, wherein said control circuit means includes audit trail software for recording a time history of temperature of the inside of said shipping crate during transit.

7. The monitoring device crate according to claim 1, wherein said control circuit means includes audit trail software for recording a time history of humidity inside said shipping crate during transit.

8. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said means for presenting one or the other of said coded sequences includes a USB interface on said monitoring device.

9. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said means to permit the recipient to enter a predetermined recipient code sequence comprises a control and display interface device which includes keypad buttons thereon for entering said recipient code sequence, and a display area showing at least said coded sequences.

10. The monitoring device crate according to claim 1, comprising a closure device formed of a closure material incorporated therein and sealing the cover and body of the shipping crate during transit.

11. The monitoring device according to claim 10, wherein said closure device includes a sleeve of shrink-wrap material.

12. The monitoring device according to claim 10, wherein said closure device includes strapping bands and a mechanical seal therefor.

13. The monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a return envelope contained within the body of said shipping crate for returning the monitoring device to the shipping location after receipt of the shipping crate.

14. A method of ensuring safe transport of a quantity of a sensitive material in a shipping crate from a shipping station to a recipient at a receiving location, in which the shipping crate includes:

a body in which sensitive materials are to be stored and shipped, and a cover which closes on said body;

with the method employing a monitor device, with one or more sensors situated within said shipping crate for detecting at least one environmental parameter of the interior of the shipping crate during transit;

the monitor device including control circuit means disposed on an exterior of said shipping crate, communicating with said one or more sensors, and including means suitably programmed with embedded software to maintain a log of said one or more parameters during transit, and means for presenting a coded sequence generated by said embedded software, wherein the control circuit means generates a safe-shipment coded sequence when the log of said environmental parameters during transit represents a safe condition for said contents and a different compromised-shipment coded sequence when the log of said environmental parameters during transit represents a compromised conditions of said contents during transit; and

means for electronically transmitting the one or the other of said safe-shipment and compromised-shipment coded sequences from the receiving location to said shipping station;

the method comprising;

(1) sending the crate from said shipping location to said receiving location;

(2) at said receiving location, obtaining from said monitoring device said coded sequence and transmitting said coded sequence presented on said monitoring device to said shipping station;

(3) where said coded sequence represents a safe condition of the contents of said crate, said shipping location transmitting to said receiving location a safe acceptance message;

but

(4) where said coded sequence represents a compromised condition of the contents of the shipping crate, said shipping station transmitting to said receiving location a message indicating possible compromise of said opening code and instructions for safe disposition of said shipping crate and the contents thereof.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing at said receiving location, from said suitably programmed circuit means, an audit trail history of the conditions of said crate logged in the monitoring device during transit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said audit trail history includes a time record of temperature within said shipping crate logged in the monitoring device during transit.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said audit trail history includes a time record of humidity within said shipping crate logged in the monitoring device during transit.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein a computer processor at said shipping location and the suitably programmed circuit means of said monitoring device each include encryption software for automatically changing over time said safe-shipment coded sequence representing safe conditions during transit.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising, in the case in which the coded sequence represents a compromised condition, said shipping location automatically generating alert messages, identifying the contents of said crate by product code, alerting other customers that such contents are possibly compromised and are not to be used.

20. A method of safe shipment of a sensitive item in a shipping crate from a shipping station to a receiving location, in which the shipping crate includes:

a body in which sensitive materials are to be stored and shipped and a cover which closes on said body;

closure means on said shipping crate for securing the cover closed on the body;

a monitor device held in place on or disposed within said shipping crate, including suitably programmed circuit means containing embedded software to generate a safe-shipment coded sequence to be transmitted to said shipping station and representing a safe condition for said contents and generating a different compromised-shipment coded sequence to be transmitted to said shipping station and representing a compromised conditions of said contents based on conditions of said shipping crate during transit;

the method comprising;

sending the crate, secured with said closure means, from said shipping location to said receiving location;

at said receiving location,

obtaining from said crate said one of said safe-shipment coded sequence and compromised-shipment coded sequence and transmitting same to said shipping station;

where said coded sequence is said compromised-shipment coded sequence and represents a compromised condition of the contents of the shipping crate, said shipping station transmitting to said receiving location a message providing a possible compromise message to the recipient;

but

where said coded sequence is said safe-shipment coded sequence and represents a safe condition of the contents, said shipping station transmitting to said receiving location a safe acceptance message.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising removing said monitor device from said shipping crate, removing a return envelope from within the shipping container, placing the monitor device in an return envelope, and returning the monitor device in said shipping envelope to said shipping station.