Medical resource storage and management apparatus and medical supply management system

• US 8,438,067 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2005
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tosho, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tosho, Inc.
• Inventors: Omura, Shiro, Hirobe, Hideaki, Omura, Yoshihito, Imura, Takehiko
• Primary Examiner(s): GORT, ELAINE L
• Application Number:
  US11/661,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,814 Days
• Field of Search: 705/22, 705/23, 705/28, 700/231
• US Class Current: 705/23
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/105 Cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/10 Furniture specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/18 Cupboards; Drawers therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/22 Racks
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/96 using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/42 the articles being delivered by motor-driven means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

Locations of storage on a rack 70 for arranging and storing medical resources are partitioned by a partition member 75. A medical resource detecting member 73 and a retrieval guidance member 72 are provided in each partition on the rack. By configuring the partition member 75 to be removable from a depression 71 in the rack 70, and by providing an input for configuration in a control unit 30 to designate whether or not the partition member 75 is inserted, the control unit 30 is operable to collectively process medical resource detecting members 73 and retrieval guidance members 72. In this way, a large variety of large and small medical resources can be stored for automatic management.

Claims

1. A medical resource storage and management apparatus comprising:

a rack in which a series of depressions for insertion of partition members are formed so that a large number of medical resources are retrievably placed in respective partitions;

the partition members which are removably inserted into the depressions;

medical resource detecting sensors which are arranged on the rack so as to alternate with the depressions in a direction in which the depressions are arranged, and each of which detects whether or not a medical resource is placed by sensing a bottom of a medical resource;

retrieval guidance members for visual guidance which are arranged on the rack so as to alternate with the depressions in a direction in which the depressions are arranged; and

a control unit which manages the storage status of the medical resources, based on the detection by the medical resource detecting sensors and which operates one of the retrieval guidance members in response to an input designating retrieval, wherein

the control unit allows providing an input for configuration to designate whether or not the partition member is inserted into the depression, and

the control unit collectively processes a block of medical resource detecting sensors and retrieval guidance members identified as being located on both sides of the depression from which the partition member is removed, based on the input for configuration,

wherein the control unit issues an alarm if the results of detection by the medical resource detecting sensors in a block to be processed collectively continue to fail to match beyond a predetermined period of time.

2. A medical resource storage and maintenance apparatus comprising:

a rack in which a series of depressions for insertion of partition members are formed so that a large number of medical resources are retrievably placed in respective partitions;

the partition members which are removably inserted into the depressions;

medical resource detecting sensors which are arranged on the rack so as to alternate with the depressions in a direction in which the depressions are arranged, and each of which detects whether or not a medical resource is placed by sensing a bottom of the medical resource;

retrieval guidance members for visual guidance which are arranged on the rack so as to alternate with the depressions in a direction in which the depressions are arranged;

a control unit which manages the storage status of the medical resources, based on the detection by the medical resource detecting sensors and which operates one of the retrieval guidance members in response to an input designating retrieval; and

partition detecting members each of which detects whether the partition member is inserted into the depression, wherein

the control unit collectively processes a block of medical resource detecting sensors and retrieval guidance members identified as being located on both sides of the depression from which the partition member is removed, based on the detection by the partition detecting member,

wherein the control unit issues an alarm if the results of detection by the medical resource detecting sensors in a block to be processed collectively continue to fail to match beyond a predetermined period of time.