RFID cabinet

• US 7,675,421 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Inventors: Higham, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tai T
• Application Number:
  US12/019,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20080173713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.8, 340/568.1, 340/5.92, 340/5.54, 340/5.73, 700/221, 700/229, 700/237
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• 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: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip

Abstract

An RFID cabinet for monitoring items having an RFID tag includes, a cabinet having at least one locking front door. An RFID detector is used for monitoring each item placed within the cabinet and is located within the interior of the cabinet. A computer is coupled to the RFID cabinet and controls opening and closing of the front door and is configured to receive an input that identifies the user. In this way, the computer is configured to periodically record data read from the RFID tags by the RFID detector.

Claims

1. A storage system, comprising:

a cabinet for containing a plurality of items of inventory, at least some of the items of inventory comprising RFID tags, each RFID tag comprising data used to identify the item on which it is located;

an RFID reader contained within the cabinet;

a computer coupled to the cabinet, the computer configured to periodically

     1) cause the RFID reader to read the data from all of the RFID tags in the cabinet and report the data to the computer, and

     2) record the data from all of the RFID tags; and

at least two independently lockable doors comprised by the cabinet, the locking and unlocking of the doors under control of the computer;

wherein the computer is further configured to receive an input identifying a user of the cabinet, and unlock only an applicable door according to a level of access associated with the user.

2. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the periodic reading and recording of the data from the RFID tags comprises a repeated electronic full cycle count of the items of inventory comprising RFID tags in the cabinet.

3. The storage system of claim 1, wherein at least some items of inventory do not comprise RFID tags, and wherein inventory levels of items without RFID tags are tracked by a method requiring action from the user.

4. A method of scanning items having an RFID tag in an RFID cabinet, the method comprising:

providing a cabinet having an RFID detector for monitoring each item contained within the cabinet and for identifying data embedded on an RFID tag located on each item contained within the cabinet, the RFID detector located within the interior of the RFID cabinet, the cabinet comprising at least two independently lockable doors;

providing a computer coupled to the RFID cabinet, wherein the computer controls the locking and unlocking of the doors, and wherein the computer is configured to receive an input that identifies a user of the RFID cabinet, and to open only such doors as the user is allowed access to;

reading the RFID tag associated with an item using an RFID field from the RFID detector; and

recording the resulting information in a database located within the memory of the computer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a particular item within the cabinet; and

generating on the computer a visual picture of a layout of the cabinet and to highlight in the visual picture where the particular item is located within the cabinet.