Method and apparatus for preparing an item with an RFID tag

• US 20060022826A1
• Filed: 07/21/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Inventors: Higham, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,218,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• 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 automated reading system for associating an RFID tag and product information includes a conveyor belt for moving a product having an RFID tag and a bar code. The system also includes an RFID scanner and a bar code scanner for reading information on the product as it travels down the conveyor belt. A collecting device is used for receiving the product, and a computer having a database is used for recording the association between the RFID tag and the product information.

Claims

1. A method for adding an RFID tag to a product comprising:

affixing the RFID tag to the product;

reading identification information from the RFID tag;

associating the identification information from the RFID tag with the product using a computer containing a database; and

associating product information with the identification information from the RFID tag in the a database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the product information is chosen from a group comprising an internal product ID number used in the hospitals data base, a lot number, a serial number, an expiration date and a UPN or HIBCC bar code.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second tunnel having a second RFID scanner and a second bar code scanner.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the collecting device comprises an accepted belt and a rejected belt.

3. An automatic reading system for associating an RFID tag and product information comprising:

a conveyor belt for moving a product having an RFID tag and a bar code;

a first tunnel comprising a first RFID scanner and a first bar code scanner, the first tunnel positioned above the conveyor belt for reading the RFID tag and the bar code on the product traveling down the conveyor belt;

a collecting device for receiving the product; and

a computer having a database for recording the association between the RFID tag and the product information.