System and method for tracking inventory

• US 8,145,546 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2010
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cstar Technologies Inc
• Original Assignee: Cstar Technologies Inc
• Inventors: Coveley, Michael E., Milutinovic, Srdjan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ade, Garcia
• Application Number:
  US12/656,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20110000964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

An inventory-tracking unit associated with a storage unit holding items to be dispensed includes a card reader to read an access card issued to a user and a recorder to record data from items removed from the storage unit. A processor communicates with a sensor in the storage unit and with the card reader and recorder. The sensor provides item data to the processor that is associated with items removed from the storage unit. The processor compares item data received from the sensor with the data recorded by the recorder to detect coincidence. The processor generates a transaction upon coincidence of item data received from the sensor with the recorded data. A communications interface transmits the transaction to a remote site.

Claims

1. A refrigeration unit for medical items, said refrigeration unit comprising:

a refrigerated storage chamber in which medical items are held;

at least one door mounted on said chamber, said door being moveable between a closed condition in which said chamber is sealed and an open condition where said medical items are openly accessible to users;

a card reader to read an access card issued to an authorized user;

a sensor associated with said storage chamber for automatically sensing removal of each item from said storage chamber and for generating first item identification data for each removed item;

a scanner external of said storage chamber for subsequently reading data recorded on each item after the item has been removed from said storage chamber and for generating second item identification data;

a processor configured to communicate with said card reader, sensor and scanner, said processor configured to compare the first item identification data generated by the sensor for each removed item and the second item identification data read by the scanner from the same removed item to detect coincidence, said processor configured to generate a transaction upon coincidence of said first item identification data and said second item identification data; and

a communications interface to transmit said transaction to a remote computing site.

2. The refrigeration unit of claim 1 wherein said communications interface configured to transmit said transaction over a wireless communications link.

3. The refrigeration unit of claim 1 wherein said scanner is a barcode scanner.

4. The refrigeration unit of claim 1 wherein said card reader configured to read a magnetic stripe on said access card.

5. The refrigeration unit of claim 1 further including a housing accommodating said card reader, scanner, processor and communications interface, said housing being coupled to said storage chamber.

6. The refrigeration unit of claim 5 further comprising a locking mechanism acting between said storage chamber and said door to maintain said door in said closed condition and inhibit said door from being moved to said open condition when in an engaged state, said locking mechanism being conditioned by said processor to a disengaged state to allow said door to be moved to said open condition to permit user access to items held in said storage chamber when a valid access card is read by said card reader.

7. The refrigeration unit of claim 6 wherein said processor is configured to communicate with at least one diagnostic sensor associated with said storage chamber, said processor is configured to transmit an alarm event to said remote computing site in response to an alarm condition signal received from said at least one diagnostic sensor.

8. The refrigeration unit of claim 7 wherein said at least one diagnostic sensor comprises a temperature sensor is configured to monitor the temperature within said storage chamber and is configured to generate said alarm condition signal when the temperature within said storage chamber exceeds a threshold.

19. The refrigeration unit of claim 6 wherein said processor is configured to condition said card reader to lock said access card therein until the first item identification data is coincident with said second item identification data.

20. The refrigeration unit of claim 6 wherein said scanner is enabled by said processor upon removal of items from said storage chamber and the subsequent movement of said door from said open condition to said closed condition.

21. The refrigeration unit of claim 6 wherein said processor is configured to monitor the elapsed time said door remains in said open condition and is configured to generate an alarm event when the elapsed time exceeds a threshold.

9. An inventory-tracking system comprising:

a remote computing site; and

at least one refrigeration unit for medical items, said refrigeration unit including,

a refrigerated storage chamber in which medical items are held;

at least one door mounted on said chamber, said door being moveable between a closed condition in which said chamber is sealed and an open condition where said medical items are openly accessible to users;

a card reader to read an access card issued to an authorized user;

a sensor associated with said storage chamber for automatically sensing removal of each item from said storage chamber and for generating first item identification data for each removed item;

a scanner external of said storage chamber for subsequently reading data recorded on each item after the item has been removed from said storage chamber and for generating second item identification data;

a processor configured to communicate with said card reader, sensor and scanner, said processor configured to compare the first item identification data generated by the sensor for each removed item and the second item identification data read by the scanner from the same removed item to detect coincidence, said processor configured to generate a transaction upon coincidence of said first item identification data and said second item identification data; and

a communications interface to transmit said transaction to said remote computing site.

10. The inventory-tracking system of claim 9 comprising a plurality of refrigeration units at geographically spaced locations.

11. The inventory-tracking system of claim 10 wherein said refrigeration units are configured to communicate with said remote computing site over a wireless wide area network.

12. The inventory-tracking system of claim 10 wherein said refrigeration units are configured to communicate with said remote computing site over a wireless local area network.

13. The inventory-tracking system of claim 9 wherein said scanner is a barcode scanner.

14. The inventory-tracking system of claim 13 wherein said card reader is configured to read a magnetic stripe on said access card.

15. The inventory-tracking system of claim 13 wherein said at least one refrigeration unit further comprises a housing accommodating said card reader, scanner, processor and communications interface, said housing being coupled to said storage chamber.

16. The inventory-tracking system of claim 15 wherein said at least one refrigeration unit further comprises a locking mechanism acting between said storage chamber and said door to maintain said door in said closed condition and inhibit said door from being moved to said open condition when in an engaged state, said locking mechanism being conditioned by said processor to a disengaged state to allow said door to be moved to said open condition to permit access to items held in said storage unit when a valid access card is read by said card reader.

17. The inventory-tracking system of claim 16 wherein said processor is configured to communicate with at least one diagnostic sensor associated with said storage chamber, said processor is configured to transmit an alarm event to said remote computing site in response to an alarm condition signal received from said at least one diagnostic sensor.

18. The inventory-tracking system of claim 17 wherein said at least one diagnostic sensor comprises a temperature sensor is configured to monitor the temperature within said storage chamber and is configured to generateing said alarm condition signal when the temperature within said storage chamber exceeds a threshold.

22. The inventory-tracking system of claim 16 wherein said processor is configured to condition said card reader to lock said access card therein until the first item identification data is coincident with said second item identification data.

23. The inventory-tracking system of claim 16 wherein said processor is configured to monitor the elapsed time said door remains in said open condition and is configured to generate an alarm event when the elapsed time exceeds a threshold.

24. A dispensing system comprising:

a refrigerated storage unit holding a plurality of medical items, said items being openly accessible to a user authorized to access said storage unit when a door of said storage unit is moved from a closed condition to an open condition;

a card reader to read an access card issued to an authorized user;

a sensor associated with said storage unit for automatically sensing removal of each item from said storage unit and for generating first item identification data for each removed item;

a scanner external of said storage unit for subsequently reading data recorded on each item after the item has been removed from said storage unit and for generating second item identification data;

a processor is configured to communicate with said card reader, sensor and scanner, said processor is configured to compare the first item identification data generated by the scanner for each removed item and the second item identification data read by the scanner from the same removed item to detect coincidence, said processor is configured to generate a transaction upon coincidence of said first item identification data and said second item identification data; and

a communications interface to transmit said transaction to a remote computing site.