Medical Facility Secured Compartments and Method

• US 20080189779A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shirley C. Goza
• Original Assignee: Roger Goza
• Inventors: Goza, Roger
• Granted Patent: US 8,274,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00904 for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like

Abstract

A system and/or method to control access to medication and/or medical supplies may be implemented by providing secured compartments for the medication spread through a medical facility, such as in or adjacent patient rooms and/or connecting locking mechanisms to the secured compartments. Computers positioned throughout the facility are interfaced to respective locking mechanisms to operate the locking mechanism in response to access codes, which may be transmitted over the network. Additional steps may involve programming an authorization computer for providing access codes in whole or part for use with the computers. One or more access points may be functionally coupled to a computer system and/or to the locking mechanism and accessible to users for entry of requests for access to the secured compartment.

Claims

1. A method for controlling access to a secured compartment within a medical facility, comprising:

providing a plurality of computers throughout a medical facility and providing at least one input mechanism for each of said plurality of computers;

providing a plurality of secured compartments throughout said medical facility;

mounting a plurality of locking mechanisms with respect to said plurality of secured compartments;

interfacing respective ones of said plurality of computers to respective ones of said plurality of locking mechanisms;

providing at least one authorization computer and connecting said plurality of computer stations to said at least one authorization computer;

programming said at least one authorization computer to provide at least a portion of a plurality of access codes for said plurality of computers;

programming said plurality of computers to operate respective ones of said plurality of locking mechanisms responsively to at least one of said plurality of access codes; and

inputting said respective access code to a respective one of said plurality of computers for selectively operating a respective one of said locking mechanism.

2. The method for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 1, further comprising mounting respective ones of said plurality of secured compartments into a plurality of cabinets, and further comprising mounting respective ones of said plurality of computers into said plurality of cabinets.

3. The method for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 1, further comprising mounting respective ones of said plurality of secured compartments into respective ones of a plurality of walls of said medical facility.

4. The method for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 3, further comprising mounting respective ones of said plurality of computers into a plurality of cabinets.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing at least one of said plurality of computers in at least one nurses'"'"' station.

6. The method for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 1, further comprising retrieving an access code used for accessing at least one of said plurality of secured compartments, and obtaining identification information for a respective user of said access code or a respective patient for whom said secured compartment is utilized.

7. The method for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 6, further comprising maintaining records of authorized access and any denied access to said plurality of secured compartments.

8. The method for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 1, utilizing at least one of a keypad, keyboard, dongle, telephone, biometric sensor, RFID, bar code scanner, proximity card, and magnetic strip when inputting at least one of said plurality of access codes.

9. The method for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 1, further comprising programming said plurality of computers to provide instructions regarding medication stored within said secured compartment by at least one of verbally with text-to-speech software, visually on a screen, verbally on a telephone, and visually on paper.

10. The method for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 9, further comprising locating particular instructions relating to use of said medication within respective ones of said plurality of secured compartments for particular patients based on assignment of said particular patients to respective of said plurality of computers.

11. The method of controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 1, further comprising mounting at least one of said plurality of secured compartments on wheels for movement within said medical facility.

12. A system for controlling access to a secured compartment within a medical facility, comprising:

a plurality of secured compartments positioned throughout said medical facility;

a plurality of computers electronically connected to a network and being positioned throughout said medical facility;

a plurality of locking mechanisms for locking and unlocking said plurality of secured compartments;

a plurality of interfaces between said plurality of locking mechanisms and said plurality of computers;

a plurality of input devices for said plurality of computers, said plurality of input devices being operable to input into said plurality of computers a plurality of access codes; and

at least one authorization computer, said at least one authorization computer being programmed to produce at least a portion of said plurality of access codes for said plurality of computers, said plurality of computers being programmed to operate respective ones of said plurality of locking mechanisms responsively to a respective access code from respective of said plurality of input devices.

13. The system for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 12, further comprising:

a plurality of cabinets in which respective ones of said plurality of computers are positioned.

14. The system for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 13, wherein:

at least one of said plurality of secured compartments is built into at least one of said plurality of cabinets.

15. The system for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 12, further comprising:

a plurality of walls throughout said medical facility, and wherein at least one of said plurality of secured compartments is built into one of said walls.

16. The system for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 12, further comprising:

at least one computer programmed to keep a record of usage of said plurality of access codes.

17. The system for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 12, further comprising:

at least one computer programmed to keep a record of failed attempts to access said plurality of secured compartments.

18. The system for controlling access to said secured compartment of claim 12, further comprising:

respective of said plurality of input devices comprising at least one of a keyboard, biometric sensor, RFID, camera, dongle, wireless communication device, proximity card, and magnetic strip.