Wireless remote monitoring of supply bins

• US 10,262,295 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William L. Sharp Jr
• Original Assignee: William L. Sharp Jr
• Inventors: Sharp, Jr., William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trail, Allyson N
• Application Number:
  US15/605,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20170344936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 235385, 235383, 235382, 705 2, 705 23, 705 28, 3405391, 3405721
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A provisioning system includes a plurality of supply bins each having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall extending upward from the bottom wall to define a bin interior. A sensor module is disposed in each bin interior. The sensor module includes an RF interface capable of providing wireless communication and a sensor capable of detecting items in the bin interior and communicating via the RF interface based upon a quantity of the items detected by the sensor in the bin interior. An RF reader reads all of the RF interfaces in the supply bins in a supply room to determine what items need to be resupplied.

Claims

1. A supply bin comprising:

a bottom wall; and

a peripheral wall extending upward from the bottom wall to define a bin interior;

a sensor module in the bin interior, the sensor module including an RF interface capable of providing wireless communication and a sensor capable of detecting a quantity of items in the bin interior, the sensor capable of communicating only whether or not the quantity of items is below a threshold via the RF interface.

2. The supply bin of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a contact switch.

3. The supply bin of claim 2 in combination with an RFID reader capable of reading the RF interface to determine the quantity of items detected by the sensor in the bin interior, wherein the RFID reader is remote from the supply bin.

4. The supply bin and RFID reader of claim 3, wherein the supply bin is one of a plurality of supply bins in a supply room being interrogated by the RFID reader.

5. The supply bins and RFID reader of claim 4 further including a computer capable of receiving inventory information from a plurality of RFID readers including the RFID reader, in a plurality of supply rooms including the supply room.

6. The supply bin of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a pressure switch.

7. The supply bin of claim 6 wherein the supply bin is one of a plurality of supply bins in one of a plurality of supply rooms each containing a plurality of the supply bins, each supply room including an RFID reader capable of reading the RF interface in the plurality of supply bins to determine the presence or absence of items detected by the sensor in the bin interior of each of the plurality of supply bins, further in combination with a computer configured to receive inventory information from the RFID readers indicating the presence or absence of items in the plurality of supply bins.

8. The supply bin of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a capacitance sensor.

9. The supply bin of claim 8 wherein the supply bin is one of a plurality of supply bins in one of a plurality of supply rooms each containing a plurality of the supply bins, each supply room including an RFID reader capable of reading the RF interface in each of the plurality of supply bins to determine the presence or absence of items detected by the sensor in the bin interior of each of the plurality of supply bins, further in combination with a computer configured to receive inventory information from the RFID readers indicating the presence or absence of items in the plurality of supply bins.

10. The supply bin of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a photovoltaic cell.

11. The supply bin of claim 10 in combination with an RFID reader capable of reading the RF interface to determine the quantity of items detected by the sensor in the bin interior.

12. The supply bin and RFID reader of claim 11, wherein the supply bin is one of a plurality of supply bins in a supply room being interrogated by the RFID reader.

13. The supply bin and RFID reader of claim 12, and further in combination with a light source in the supply room, the photovoltaic cell configured to detect light from the light source in the event the quantity of items in the associated supply bin drops below the threshold.

14. The supply bins and RFID reader of claim 13 further including a computer capable of receiving inventory information from a plurality of RFID readers including the RFID reader, in a plurality of supply rooms including the supply room.

15. The supply bin of claim 1 in combination with an RFID reader capable of reading the RF interface to determine the quantity of items detected by the sensor in the bin interior, wherein the RFID reader is remote from the supply bin.

16. The supply bin and RFID reader of claim 15, wherein the supply bin is one of a plurality of supply bins in a supply room being interrogated by the RFID reader.

17. The supply bins and RFID reader of claim 16 further including a computer capable of receiving inventory information from a plurality of RFID readers including the RFID reader, in a plurality of supply rooms including the supply room.

18. The supply bin of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a magnetic sensor.

19. The supply bin of claim 18 wherein the supply bin is one of a plurality of supply bins in one of a plurality of supply rooms each containing a plurality of the supply bins, each supply room including an RFID reader capable of reading the RF interface in each of the plurality of supply bins to determine the presence or absence of items detected by the sensor in the bin interior of each of the plurality of supply bins, further in combination with a computer configured to receive inventory information from the RFID readers indicating the presence or absence of items in the plurality of supply bins.

20. The supply bin of claim 1 wherein the RF interface is a passive RF interface.

21. The supply bin of claim 1 wherein the RF interface is a passive RFID tag.

22. A method for managing inventory including the steps of:

a) associating each of a plurality of RFID interfaces with one of a plurality of supply bins in a supply room;

b) associating a sensor with each of the plurality of supply bins and the associated RFID interfaces;

c) placing supplies in the plurality of supply bins;

d) detecting with one of the sensors that the associated one of the supply bins has less than a threshold of supplies; and

e) receiving at an RF reader a passive RF signal from the one of the sensors indicating that the associated one of the supply bins has less than the threshold of supplies.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said step d) includes detecting a change in a contact switch.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said step d) includes detecting a level of light in the one of the supply bins.