Patent · US Active

RFID medical supplies consumption monitoring system and method

US7990272B2 · kind B2 · utility

47Cited by
4References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 11, 2009
Grant dateAug 2, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 11, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG16H40/20
  • WIPO fieldIT methods for management
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for tracking supplies, particularly medical supplies, and specifically individual medical items, to the end of the product lifecycle to the point of utilizes. RFID tag technology is utilized. This has the advantage of enabling a system that requires less or no active intervention by the medical services delivery staff, such as nurses and doctors. Nonetheless, the system is applicable to other stand-off identification systems including taggant-based systems. The system provides for the monitoring of items, such as medical items, between the distribution center, facility stock rooms and inventory cabinets, and the procedure rooms in which the items are put into use. In one example, system and method associate stand-off, such as RFID, readers with waste-disposal or refuse containers and/or readers located near the point of usage, such as in or associated with the procedure rooms in order to monitor the endpoint of the product lifecycle. Thus, the knowledge of medical item disposal or disposal of the medical item's packaging is combined with one or more prior detections of the medical item, e.g., at acquisition and when moved to a different location such as storage,…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.