Researchers Submit Patent Application, “Mobile Rfid Container And Distribution Method”, for Approval (USPTO 20190303633)

2019 OCT 23 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Hospital & Nursing Home Daily -- From Washington, D.C., NewsRx journalists report that a patent application by the inventors Pleshek, Joseph (Cambridge, WI); George, Brian (Brodhead, WI); Phillips, Travis (Stoughton, WI); Sehmer, Mark (Stoughton, WI), filed on June 20, 2019, was made available online on October 3, 2019.

The patent’s assignee is Promega Corporation (Madison, Wisconsin, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “The present technology relates generally to supply chain management, including the distribution, tracking, transport, storage and inventory systems, as well as methods utilized to perform such supply chain management. Radio frequency technologies, cellular communication systems, global positioning systems, and software workflow applications involved with supply chain management are also disclosed.

“Currently, in the healthcare industry, complex and expensive medical devices, such as implantable devices, and related instruments are distributed from the medical device manufacturer or distributor to the healthcare provider (e.g., hospital or surgical center). These devices are typically packaged in sterilized containers and organized, for example, by type of medical procedure and/or size. In many cases, until the medical procedure is actually in process, it is unclear from an inventory and logistics standpoint as to what exact medical device(s) and/or instrument(s), e.g., size or type, will be used in the particular procedure. Because of this, it is necessary for the medical device manufacture to provide a substantial (yet constantly changing) inventory of medical devices, e.g., various types and sizes, as well as related instruments, to the medical facility, e.g., hospital or surgical center, at a relatively short notice.

“One method to accomplish this is to distribute an inventory of medical devices from the manufacturer or distribution center to the medical facility in a transportable container. These containers are stocked with items, e.g., product(s) at a manufacturer or distribution center and may sit in inventory until a specific customer or sales representative requests them for use.

“For example, once there is a request for a certain devices, e.g., a set of implant/device, a container is labeled and shipped, e.g., via Federal Express, UPS, or another courier, to the medical facility, (or directly to a medical device field representative who will, in turn, transport it to the medical facility). Once in the medical facility, the container is opened and various devices are removed (some of which are used in a medical procedure, e.g., implanted into a patient). When the procedure is complete, the container is packaged up and returned to the medical device manufacturer or distribution center.

“Currently, there is very little visibility into what inventory is actually in a container at any given time. It is only when the manufacturer or distribution center receives the container back and opens it that they actually know what items were taken or used in a given procedure. As these containers need to be quickly restocked and sent back out for use in other procedures, the manufacturer or distribution center can be caught without enough inventory of a particular device or implant type or size because they only see what has been taken and used when the container is physically (over the course of days to weeks) returned. Additionally, if a particular procedure is not performed for an extended period of time following delivery of the container to the medical facility, the associated transportable container and its expensive medical device/implant inventory cannot be further tracked and managed in a ‘real-time’ manner. Thus, the manufacturer may end up producing a significant amount of device/implant overstock because of the poor logistical controls. Moreover, if the container is not returned to the distribution for restocking following a procedure, the container may not include the appropriate inventory for a subsequent procedure. In some instances, this out of stock condition may not be discovered until after the subsequent procedure has begun.

“In addition, the physical location of each container is often unknown, leading to wasted time by the medical device manufacturer and/or medical facility staff having to track down each container. In such instances, the medical device manufacturer may need to stock additional devices and containers to offset containers unaccounted for devices and containers.

“Furthermore, the medical device manufacture cannot invoice the customer until it confirms what has been used in a particular procedure. At times, the container will not be returned to the manufacturer or distribution center for days after a procedure, which can lead to billing delays and inaccuracies.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent application, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent application: “At least some embodiments of the present technology depicted herein relate to a transportable container enabled with radio frequency identification (‘RFID’) technology to maintain automated and ‘real time’ inventory levels of the items that are inside the container. In some embodiments, the transportable container may, for example, be in the form of a mobile container that is sized and configured to be transported, e.g., carried, by a person. In other embodiments, the container may, for example, be a cargo or a shipping container, a rail car, a vehicle, etc. The inventory data is communicated, e.g., via wireless methods such as cellular or Wi-Fi, to a remote device such as an enterprise resource planning (‘ERP’) system, website, server, personal computer, etc. The remote device may use the inventory data received from the transportable container to automatically update and generate appropriate records (e.g., container inventory, restocking, invoicing, etc.). In some further embodiments, automated RFID scans are triggered when the container is opened and subsequently closed. The container may include RF containment/screening to prevent inadvertent scanning of RFID tags outside of the container.

“The container may also include a location device for determining the location of the container and its associated cargo. For example, the container may utilize cellular triangulation and/or global positioning system (‘GPS’) technology to allow for determining the location of the container. The container may also include a power source, such as a rechargeable battery power, for the electronics.

“In some embodiments, the container may include additional sensors for monitoring environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, pressure, etc., of the interior compartment and/or the ambient conditions surrounding the container. Similarly, the container may be equipped with impact sensor(s), accelerometer(s) or similar technology for gathering data regarding impacts or other adverse forces that the container is exposed to, e.g., for introducing accountability and oversight into the shipping and handling stages of the supply chain.

“The container may include a controller coupled to these sensors and configured to transmit data gathered by these sensors to a remote device. In some embodiments, the controller may be configured to transmit such data at predetermined time intervals and/or in response to predetermined events or conditions. For example, if the controller detects an event that could adversely affect the products, such as an excessive impact or adverse temperature condition, the controller may be configured to automatically transmit the relevant data to the remote device.

“In addition, a mobile RFID container may include one or more visual and/or audible indicators that may be activated in response to the data collected from the sensors. For example, the container may include a visual indicator, such as a light, display screen, etc., that may be used to provide messages and/or alerts in response to the data collected from the various sensors. The container may also include a device such as a speaker for providing audible alerts and/or messages in response to the data collected from the various sensors.

“The mobile RFID container may also include a communication interface configured to transmit data to the remote device. In some embodiments, the communication interface may be a wireless communication interface and may include, for example, one or more of a cellular interface, a Wi-Fi interface or a Bluetooth interface. Data, such as scan (i.e., RFID tag data), location, sensed parameter and/or time code data may be communicated to a remote device such as an enterprise resource planning (‘ERP’) system, website, server, personal computer, etc. The remote device may use the data received from the transportable container to automatically update and generate appropriate records (e.g., container inventory, restocking, invoicing, location tracking, breakage, tampering, container conditions, open and close events, etc.).

“The mobile RFID container may further include radio frequency, (‘RF’) shielding to prevent the RFID scans from reading RFID tags located outside of the container. In some embodiments, the RF shielding may include one or more layers of RF blocking material that surrounds or lines the interior compartment. In some embodiments, the layer of RF blocking material comprises at least one of metal or metalized plastic. In some embodiments, the layer of RF blocking material comprises one of a sheet metal, a metal screen, or a metal foam. However, it should be appreciated that the RF shielding aspects and embodiments of the present technology may comprise any one or more suitable shielding materials beyond the ones noted here. If the material(s) can function as an RF shielding material, it/they are contemplated for use in accordance with the present technology and appended claims. In some embodiments, such RF shielding material may not be needed depending on antenna selection and/or RF power settings, for example.

“In some embodiments, the RFID tagged items carried in the mobile RFID container may be one or more pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices and/or medical instruments. The scan data may include, for example, one or more of an EPC code, a TID code, a serial number, a product description, a date, and a lot number among others).

“In some embodiments, the mobile RFID container may include a system for limiting and/or tracking access to the container. For example, in some embodiments, the mobile RFID container may include a locking mechanism and an identification sensor, such as a badge or card reader. The controller may be coupled to the identification sensor and locking mechanism and configured to track and/or restrict access to the container. For example, in some embodiments, the controller may be configured to record identity information regarding individuals who attempt to access contents of the container via the identification sensor and transmit such data to the remote device.

“At least some embodiments of the present technology relate to a mobile RFID container for carrying a plurality of products that include respective RFID tags. The housing may include a main body and a door, lid or cover (collectively referred to herein as a ‘door’). The main body and the door cooperate to define an interior compartment configured to carry the plurality of products. The door is movable relative to the main body between an open position to provide access to the interior compartment and a closed position to prevent access to the interior compartment. In some embodiments, the door may be movably connected to the main body, e.g., by one or more hinges or similar mechanism. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the door may be completely removable from the main body. A door sensor may be provided to detect opening and closing of the door. An RFID detector may be positioned in the housing and configured to conduct an RFID scan of the interior compartment and collect scan data concerning the products contained within the compartment. A controller is communicatively coupled to the door sensor and the RFID detector. In some embodiments, the controller may be configured to trigger an RFID scan via the RFID detector in response to the occurrence of predetermined events and/or at regular time intervals. For example, the controller may be configured to trigger an RFID scan in response to the door sensor detecting that the door has been closed. The controller may further be configured to transmit the scan data to a remote device.

“Certain embodiments of the present technology relate to a method for distributing a plurality of products, where each product includes at least one RFID tag. The method includes providing a mobile RFID container as described above; placing a plurality of products in the mobile RFID container; transporting the mobile RFID container to an end user; conducting an RFID scan in response to sensing the opening and closing of the door following the transporting step; and transmitting scan data collected via the RFID scan from the RFID container to a remote device. The method may further comprise generating inventory, invoicing and/or credit data based on the scan data. However, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a variety of types of reports may be generated (e.g., time/date status report, location report, tamper event report, external/internal container conditions report, content conditions report, among others). In other embodiments, the inventory, invoicing and/or credit data, for example, may be generated by the remote device. The method may also include transporting the mobile RFID container from the end user to a manufacturer or distribution center and restocking the container with products. In some embodiments, the restocking is based on scan data transmitted by the mobile RFID container prior to the RFID container reaching the manufacturer or distribution center. Thus, at least one advantage of the present technology is real-time use and contents tracking and inventory management which, in turn, enhances billing and invoicing timing, efficiency and/or accuracy. In still further embodiments, an RFID scan may be automatically conducted when the container is closed following the restocking step. The scan data collected following the restocking step may be transmitted from the mobile RFID container to the remote device. The method may also comprise generating location data indicative of the location of the mobile RFID container and transmitting location data from the mobile RFID container to the remote device”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A mobile container for carrying a plurality of products, each product including at least one RFID tag, the mobile container comprising: a housing including a body and a door, the body and the door cooperating to define an interior compartment configured to carry the plurality of products, the door being movable relative to the body between an open position to provide external access to the interior compartment and a closed position to prevent external access to the interior compartment; a door sensor configured to detect whether the door is in the open position or the closed position; an RFID detector configured to conduct RFID scans of the interior compartment and collect scan data concerning the RFID tags on the products contained within the interior compartment; and a controller coupled to the door sensor and the RFID detector, the controller configured to trigger an RFID scan via the RFID detector in response to the door sensor detecting that the door has been moved into the closed position and to transmit the scan data to a remote device.

“2. The mobile container of claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises one or more of an enterprise resource planning system, a server, a website, or a computer.

“3. The mobile container of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication interface configured to wirelessly transmit the scan data to the remote device.

“4. The mobile container of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication interface comprises one or more of a cellular interface, a Wi-Fi interface, or a Bluetooth interface.

“5. The mobile container of claim 1, further comprising radio-frequency (RF) shielding configured to prevent the RFID detector from obtaining RFID scan data from RFID tags located outside of the mobile container.

“6. The mobile container of claim 5, wherein the RF shielding comprises at least one of a metal, a metalized paint or a metalized plastic.

“7. The mobile container of claim 5, wherein the RF shielding comprises one of a sheet metal, a metal screen, or a metal foam.

“8. The mobile container of claim 1, wherein the RFID detector and the controller are mounted in the door of the mobile container.

“9. The mobile container of claim 1, wherein the RFID detector includes: at least one antenna; and an RFID reader operatively coupled to the at least one antenna, wherein the RFID reader is configured to conduct RFID scans via the at least one antenna.

“10. The mobile container of claim 9, wherein the RFID reader is configured to activate the at least one antenna such that the at least one antenna emits a signal at a predefined frequency and generates an electromagnetic field within the interior compartment.

“11. The mobile container of claim 10, wherein the at least one antenna comprises a plurality of antennas.

“12. The mobile container of claim 1, wherein the scan data comprises data identifying each RFID tag contained in the mobile container.

“13. The mobile container of claim 12, wherein the scan data comprises one or more of an EPC code, a TID code, a serial number, a product description, a date, or a lot number.

“14. The mobile container of claim 1, further comprising a GPS component configured to generate location data indicative of a location of the mobile container.

“15. The mobile container of claim 14, wherein the controller is: communicatively coupled to the GPS component; and configured to transmit location data from the mobile container to the remote device.

“16. The mobile container of claim 1, wherein the door is movably connected to the body.

“17. The mobile container of claim 1, wherein the door is removable from the body.”

For additional information on this patent application, see: Pleshek, Joseph; George, Brian; Phillips, Travis; Sehmer, Mark. Mobile Rfid Container And Distribution Method. Filed June 20, 2019 and posted October 3, 2019. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220190303633%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20190303633&RS=DN/20190303633

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