Inventory monitoring and verification system

• US 8,284,059 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2009
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Ross, Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/563,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20110068922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/568.1, 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 3405722-5729, 340/539.1, 340/501, 340/505, 340/10.41, 340/6.1, 340/5.61
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0029 the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Methods and systems for monitoring the inventory of products in a storage device that has an antenna are provided, wherein each product has a corresponding wireless tag having a unique wireless tag identification. The inventory monitoring includes accessing an inventory list containing at least one wireless tag identification, sending a specific query via the antenna for each of the at least one wireless tag identifications in the inventory list to the corresponding wireless tag, verifying, in the case that a response is received from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification, that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is present in the storage device, determining, in the case that a response is not received from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification, that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is not present in the storage device, and updating the inventory list based on the products verified to be present and the products determined to not be present in the storage device.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring an inventory of products in a storage device that has an antenna, each product having a corresponding wireless tag with a corresponding wireless tag identification, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing an inventory list containing at least one wireless tag identification;

sending, for each of the at least one wireless tag identification in the inventory list, a specific query via the antenna to the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

verifying that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is present in the storage device when a response is received via the antenna from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

determining that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is not present in the storage device when a response is not received via the antenna from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification; and

updating the inventory list based on the products verified to be present and the products determined to not be present.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each specific query is sent via the antenna to the corresponding wireless tag via a wireless link between the antenna and the wireless tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each wireless tag is an active RFID tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the accessing step, the inventory list is accessed from a memory device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the inventory list that is accessed from a memory device is a prior inventory list that was generated during a prior inventory monitoring operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific query sent to the wireless tag contains the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory list further contains a present status indicator corresponding to each of the at least one wireless tag identification, the present status indicator providing an indication of whether the wireless tag that corresponds to the wireless tag identification is present in the storage device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific query sent to the wireless tag contains a unique identification code that corresponds to the wireless tag.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the unique identification code is a checksum value of the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

commanding all wireless tags verified in the verifying step to be present in the storage device to enter a quiescent state;

performing a scan operation to determine the presence of a new wireless tag that does not have a corresponding wireless tag identification in the inventory list; and

updating the inventory list to include each new wireless tag determined to be present during the scan operation.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

commanding all wireless tags verified in the verifying step to exit the quiescent state upon completion of the scan operation.

12. An inventory monitoring system for monitoring an inventory of products each of which has a corresponding wireless tag with a corresponding wireless tag identification, comprising:

a securable storage area;

an antenna operable to receive and transmit signals within the securable storage area; and

a processor configured to;

access an inventory list containing at least one wireless tag identification;

send, for each of the at least one wireless tag identification in the inventory list, a specific query via the antenna to the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

verify that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is present in the securable storage area when a response is received via the antenna from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification;

determine that the product corresponding to the wireless tag is not present in the securable storage area when a response is not received via the antenna from the wireless tag corresponding to the wireless tag identification; and

update the inventory list based on the products verified to be present and the products determined to not be present in the securable storage area.

13. The inventory monitoring system of claim 12, wherein each specific query is sent via the antenna to the corresponding wireless tag via a wireless link between the antenna and the wireless tag.

14. The inventory monitoring system of claim 12, wherein each wireless tag is an active RFID tag.

15. The inventory monitoring system of claim 12, further comprising a memory device that is operationally coupled to the processor, wherein in the accessing step the inventory list is accessed from the memory device.

16. The inventory monitoring system of claim 15, wherein the inventory list that is accessed from the memory device is a prior inventory list that was generated during a prior inventory monitoring operation.

17. The inventory monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the specific query sent to the wireless tag contains the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

18. The inventory monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the inventory list further contains a present status indicator corresponding to each of the at least one wireless tag identification, the present status indicator providing an indication of whether the wireless tag that corresponds to the wireless tag identification is present in the securable storage area.

19. The inventory monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the specific query sent to the wireless tag contains a unique identification code that corresponds to the wireless tag.

20. The inventory monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the unique identification code is a checksum value of the wireless tag identification that corresponds to the wireless tag.

21. The inventory monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

command all wireless tags verified in the verifying step to be present in the storage device to enter a quiescent state;

perform a scan operation to determine the presence of a new wireless tag that does not have a corresponding wireless tag identification in the inventory list; and

update the inventory list to include each new wireless tag determined to be present during the scan operation.

22. The inventory monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to command all wireless tags verified in the verifying step to exit the quiescent state upon completion of the scan operation.