Sensory tracking of inventory

• US 8,723,674 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aesynt, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Conley, Louis S., Pattison, William B., Young, Kirk
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US13/041,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20120229279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 340/522, 340/521, 340/5.2, 340/5.92, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/568.1, 340/545.6, 3405721-5729, 340/999, 340/686.1, 340/686.6, 235/381, 235/382, 235/385
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are provided for tracking the inventory of items. In one embodiment, a compartment comprises a plurality of sensors disposed proximate a surface of the compartment. A container storing items can be disposed above the surface of the compartment. Then, the sensors can detect the presence or absence of items from the container.

Claims

1. A method for tracking the inventory of one or more items, the method comprising:

providing a compartment comprising a plurality of sensors disposed proximate a surface of the compartment;

disposing a container above the surface, wherein the container (a) comprises a plurality of pockets with each pocket adapted for storing one or more items, (b) is supported by the compartment, and (c) is associated with a container identifier, the container identifier corresponding to a layout of the one or more items in the respective pockets of the container, the layout identifying each of the plurality of pockets of the container to which each of the plurality of sensors correspond; and

receiving an indication that at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors detected the absence of at least one of the one or more items from the container.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving input identifying the container identifier associated with the container; and

identifying the layout of the one or more items for the container based at least in part on the container identifier, wherein the layout identifies the respective pockets of the container to which each of the plurality of sensors correspond.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

identifying the at least one item corresponding to the at least one sensor; and

after identifying the at least one item corresponding to the at least one sensor, decrementing the inventory to indicate that the at least one item is absent from the container.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the input identifying the container identifier is received by at least one selected from the group consisting of:

(a) interrogation of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

(b) scan of a barcode;

(c) manual input from a user of a computing device; and

(d) identification from one or more of the plurality of sensors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items are medications.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

identifying the time at which the at least one sensor detected the absence of the at least one item, wherein the time indicates the time at which the at least one item was removed from the container for administration to a patient; and

updating a patient record to indicate that a medication was administered to the patient and the estimated time at which the medication was administered.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an indication that the at least one sensor detected the presence of the at least one item in the container.

8. An apparatus for tracking the inventory of one or more items, the apparatus comprising:

a compartment comprising a plurality of sensors disposed proximate a surface of the compartment, wherein (a) a container is disposed above the surface and (b) the container (i) comprises a plurality of pockets with each pocket adapted for storing one or more items, (ii) is supported by the compartment, and (iii) is associated with a container identifier, the container identifier corresponding to a layout of the one or more items in the respective pockets of the container, the layout identifying each of the plurality of pockets of the container to which each of the plurality of sensors correspond; and

at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least receive an indication that at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors detected the absence of at least one of the one or more items from the container.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive input identifying the container identifier associated with the container; and

identify the layout of the one or more items for the container based at least in part on the container identifier, wherein the layout identifies the respective pockets of the container to which each of the plurality of sensors correspond.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

identify the at least one item corresponding to the at least one sensor; and

after identifying the at least one item corresponding to the at least one sensor, decrement the inventory to indicate that the at least one item is absent from the container.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the input identifying the container identifier is received by at least one selected from the group consisting of:

(a) interrogation of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

(b) scan of a barcode;

(c) manual input from a user of a computing device; and

(d) identification from one or more of the plurality of sensors.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more items are medications.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

identify the time at which the at least one sensor detected the absence of the at least one item, wherein the time indicates the time at which the at least one item was removed from the container for administration to a patient; and

update a patient record to indicate that a medication was administered to the patient and the estimated time at which the medication was administered.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to receive an indication that the at least one sensor detected the presence of the at least one item in the container.

15. A computer program product for tracking the inventory of one or more items, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive an indication that at least one sensor of a plurality of sensors detected the absence of at least one of one or more items from a container, wherein (a) a compartment comprises the plurality of sensors disposed proximate a surface of the compartment, and (b) a container is disposed above the surface, the container (i) comprising a plurality of pockets with each pocket adapted for storing one or more items, (ii) being supported by the compartment, and (iii) being associated with a container identifier, the container identifier corresponding to a layout of the one or more items in the respective pockets of the container, the layout identifying each of the plurality of pockets of the container to which each of the plurality of sensors correspond.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive input identifying the container identifier associated with the container; and

an executable portion configured to identify the layout of the one or more items for the container based at least in part on the container identifier, wherein the layout identifies the respective pockets of the container to which each of the plurality of sensors correspond.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising:

an executable portion configured to identify the at least one item corresponding to the at least one sensor; and

an executable portion configured to, after identifying the at least one item corresponding to the at least one sensor, decrement the inventory to indicate that the at least one item is absent from the container.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the input identifying the container identifier is received by at least one selected from the group consisting of:

(a) interrogation of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

(b) scan of a barcode;

(c) manual input from a user of a computing device; and

(d) identification from one or more of the plurality of sensors.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the one or more items are medications.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

an executable portion configured to identify the time at which the at least one sensor detected the absence of the at least one item, wherein the time indicates the time at which the at least one item was removed from the container for administration to a patient; and

an executable portion configured to update a patient record to indicate that a medication was administered to the patient and the estimated time at which the medication was administered.

21. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising an executable portion configured to receive an indication that the at least one sensor detected the presence of the at least one item in the container.