Medical cabinet communication system and methods
Inventors
Wicks, Nathan John • LEITERMANN, RICHARD EUGENE • Saghbini, Jean-Claude Jacques • Rohrberg, Lars
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10115073-B2
Publication Date
2018-10-30
Expiration Date
Abstract
Described is an RFID-enabled medical item storage, organization, and/or tracking device, such as a cabinet or shelf, that includes a limited-range wireless network communication capability, such as low-energy Bluetooth or Zigbee, to communicate with nearby cabinets, shelves or mobile devices, any of which may serve as a communication aggregator to coordinate the communication of multiple cabinets, shelves and other devices with an inventory management system or other back-end computer system or other device via back haul wireless or wired networks (e.g., the Internet).
Core Innovation
A medical item storage cabinet includes at least one shelf that holds items and divides an interior of the cabinet, and an RFID-enabled storage device with an RFID reader configured to read RFID tags associated with the items. The cabinet communicates with an inventory management system through a first communication channel, and also includes a second communication channel that is a short-range wireless network channel, with a transceiver device that establishes and transmits a signal of the second communication channel.
The second communication channel enables communication with a nearby cabinet using a short-range wireless network channel. When the first cabinet is in an absence of a wired or Wi-Fi network connection, the first cabinet transmits a signal to the second cabinet, the second cabinet receives the signal via a two-way radio, and the second cabinet pairs with the first cabinet.
The signal communicated via the second communication channel carries information including at least one of an item identification number, item characteristic information, a cabinet status, and cabinet service-need information. In a multi-cabinet storage system, first and second cabinets are positioned within substantially 100 feet of each other so that short-range wireless network channel communication between cabinets is enabled.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims cover four inventive aspects: a storage cabinet with first communication to an inventory management system and a second short-range wireless channel to a nearby cabinet; a method for a first cabinet to communicate with a nearby second cabinet when the first cabinet lacks wired or Wi-Fi connection; a two-cabinet storage system with a proximity constraint for short-range wireless communication; and a cabinet that communicates with the inventory management system via a nearby transceiver, including alert-based communication content.
Shelf-based storage cabinet with first and second communication channels
A storage cabinet comprising at least one shelf that holds items and divides an interior of the cabinet, a first communication channel through which the cabinet communicates with an inventory management system, a second communication channel through which the cabinet communicates with a nearby cabinet, and a transceiver device that establishes and transmits a signal of the second communication channel.
Absent wired/Wi-Fi communication via short-range signal, two-way radio reception, and pairing
A method for a first storage cabinet to communicate with a nearby second storage cabinet in an absence of a wired or Wi-Fi network connection in the first cabinet, comprising transmitting a signal from a first storage cabinet to a second storage cabinet using a short-range wireless network channel, receiving the signal via a two-way radio on the second storage cabinet, pairing the second storage cabinet to the first storage cabinet, and communicating over a wired or Wi-Fi network information associated with the first storage cabinet obtained from the signal.
Two-cabinet storage system with cabinets positioned within substantially 100 feet
A storage system comprising a first storage cabinet and a second storage cabinet, each including at least one shelf that holds items and divides an interior of the cabinet, a first communication channel through which the cabinet communicates with an inventory management system, and a second communication channel through which the cabinet communicates with the transceiver device of the other cabinet, wherein the second communication channel is a short-range wireless network channel and the first and second cabinets are positioned within substantially 100 feet of each other.
Cabinet communicates with inventory system via a nearby transceiver using a short-range wireless channel
A storage cabinet comprising at least one shelf that holds items and divides an interior of the cabinet, a first communication channel through which the cabinet communicates with an inventory management system, and a second communication channel through which the cabinet communicates with the inventory management system via a nearby transceiver, wherein the second communication channel is a short-range wireless network channel.
The independent claims collectively define a storage-cabinet architecture and related method that use a short-range wireless network channel, established by a transceiver device, to communicate between nearby cabinets and/or via a nearby transceiver when wired or Wi-Fi connectivity is absent. They further require, in the two-cabinet system, that the cabinets be positioned within substantially 100 feet of each other, and they characterize the communicated information by categories including item identification number, item characteristic information, cabinet status, and cabinet service-need information.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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