MEPS REAL-TIME, INC. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20160092640 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MONITOR INVENTORY OF STORAGE CONTAINER - A system and method for monitoring the inventory of a medical storage container that has a required inventory of medical articles. An enclosure is used to isolate, scan, and take an inventory of a tray or other container of medical articles each of which has an RFID tag. The enclosure having a size smaller than the size needed for a resonant frequency at the RFID frequency of operation of the tags. An injection device is used to create a robust electromagnetic field standing wave of constructive interference in the enclosure and a program compares the scanned present inventory of the tray to the required inventory database and indicates any differences. Expired and recalled articles are identified. | 03-31-2016 |
20160042313 | MOBILE DISPENSING CART INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - A mobile dispensing cart having a plurality of locked drawers has medical articles stored therein for particular patients. The storage drawers have sizes wherein the resonant frequency of the sizes does not match the frequency of operation of the RFID system of the cart. Enclosures are used in the storage areas that provide robust RFID fields for exciting and reading RFID tags. A health care practitioner for a particular patient obtains access and opens a drawer. An RFID tracking system takes an inventory of the cart after the drawer is later closed to determine if any medical article was taken, and if so which one. The identified taken article is compared to a data base of medical articles stored in the cart for the patient and if the taken article does not match the patient data base, an alarm is provided. | 02-11-2016 |
20150227764 | RFID-ENABLED MODULE FOR ENCLOSURES - A self-contained RFID-enabling drawer module includes a probe antenna to introduce a robust EM field into a container within a Faraday cage to activate RFID tags within the container, regardless of the container's resonant frequency. A receiving antenna and reader read the data of the activated RFID tags, and a processor and communications module transmit the RFID tag data to a remote processor. The RFID-enabling module is self-contained in that it needs only power and a data connection with which to operate. Where an Ethernet is used, power is obtained by PoE. The RFID-enabling module may be used to retrofit existing medication drawers of a medication cabinet or may be used during the construction of a new cabinet. The RFID-enabling system includes auto tuning of the antenna to dynamically compensate for loading changes on the EM field. Assembly and testing costs are reduced and serviceability of the system is increased. | 08-13-2015 |
20150227699 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING MEDICAL ARTICLES IN AN ENCLOSURE - An automatic data collection system tracks medical articles by providing a robust electromagnetic (EM) field within an enclosure in which the articles are stored. Respective data carriers, such as RFID tags, attached to each article respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting data identified with each article. An RFID scanner receives the transmitted RFID tag identification data and a processor compares the received identification data to a data base. The data base associates the identification data with data concerning the medical article to which the RFID tag is affixed, such as the name of the medicine, the size of the dose, and the expiration date. The processor is also programmed to keep track of the number of articles of a particular type remaining in the enclosure, to note receipt of an article in the enclosure, and to note removal of the article. | 08-13-2015 |
20140367080 | RFID ENABLED CABINET HAVING TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED DRAWER - An automated system and associated method for storing items comprises a cabinet having at least one refrigerated drawer using a temperature control device and a non-temperature controlled drawer. The drawer design is such that temperature gradients throughout the drawer are minimized. Faraday cages are provided about each drawer to support separate RFID readers to monitor the items in each drawer. The temperature-controlled drawer is insulated so that adjacent non-temperature controlled drawers are not significantly affected by the temperature of the temperature-controlled drawer and they may exist at room temperature. An automatic RFID data detection system determines the temperature requirements of medical items in the temperature-controlled drawer and controls the temperature control device to maintain the required temperature. A temperature logging system for the temperature controlled drawer is provided. A separate RFID reader determines if a temperature-controlled item has been placed in a non-temperature controlled drawer and if so, an alert is provided. | 12-18-2014 |
20140291397 | REAL-TIME INVENTORY RE-SUPPLY SYSTEM - A system and method for managing the contents of a medical storage container that has a required inventory of medical articles. A Faraday cage enclosure is used to isolate, scan, and inventory a tray or other container of medical articles each of which has an RFID tag. The enclosure having a size smaller than the size needed for a resonant frequency at the RFID frequency of operation. A robust electromagnetic field is nevertheless developed in the enclosure and a program compares the scanned present inventory of the tray to the required inventory database and indicates any differences. Expired and recalled articles are identified. | 10-02-2014 |
20140262919 | PASSIVELY ENABLE A BLISTER PACK WITH WIRELESS IDENTIFICATION DEVICE - A blister pack is provided having a wireless identification device located at a predetermined position. A moldable blister web is mounted with wireless identification devices at selected positions corresponding to the size of the blister components to be molded from the web. When a cavity is molded in the web in manufacturing a blister pack, the pre-mounted wireless identification device will be located at a predetermined position in the blister pack. In one embodiment, RFID devices are used as the wireless identification devices. The RFID device is pre-mounted on the blister web so that it will be located at a flat surface of the blister pack or on a rounded surface. The RFID devices are pre-mounted, and then the blister is molded to have a cavity, the product is inserted into the cavity and a sealing package component is attached to the blister cavity to seal it. | 09-18-2014 |
20140210596 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING MEDICAL ITEMS AND IDENTIFYING ITEM CHARACTERISTICS - A system and method tracks medical articles and containers by providing a robust electromagnetic (EM) field within an enclosure in which the articles and containers are stored. Respective data carriers, such as RFID tags, attached to each article or container respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting unique identification data. A data base associates the data carrier identification data with data about the medical articles or containers including type of medicine, size of the dose, and expiration date. A processor notifies a pharmacy when a medical article is received and when removed. The processor also notifies the finance department regarding patient medical articles and administration to update the patient's Medication Administration Record. The processor also provides inventory level counts and expiration dates. | 07-31-2014 |
20140197954 | MOBILE DISPENSING SYSTEM FOR MEDICAL ARTICLES - A mobile dispensing cart having a plurality of locked drawers has medical articles stored therein for particular patients. The storage drawers have sizes wherein the resonant frequency of the sizes does not match the frequency of operation of the RFID system of the cart. Faraday cages and enclosures are used in the storage areas that provide robust RFID fields for exciting and reading RFID tags. An HCP for a particular patient obtains access to the drawers and opens a drawer. An RFID scanning system takes an inventory of the cart after the drawer is closed to determine if any medical article was taken, and if so which one. The identified taken article is compared to the data base of medical articles stored in the cart for the patient and if the taken article does not match the patient data base, an alarm is provided. | 07-17-2014 |
20140184391 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPTIMIZING THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING ITEMS TAGGED WITH RFID TAGS IN AN ENCLOSED SHIELDED SPACE - A system and method comprises a plurality of RF antennas having beams directed to a storage space in which medical items having RFID tags are stored. Each antenna is controlled to inject energy at a different frequency in a frequency-hopping set of frequencies to activate the tags. The return signal strength is monitored and for each tag that responds, the antenna location, frequency of the injected energy, identification response, and signal strength are stored as identification data. If a tag fails to respond in new scans, the antenna at which the tag last responded receives all the frequency-hopping frequencies in an attempt to locate the tag. If new tags are found, they are compared to a list of expected new medical items. | 07-03-2014 |
20140184390 | RFID TAG FOR MEDICATION CONTAINER CLOSURE - A wireless identification system and method used for identifying medical vials having a metallic crimp includes an RFID tag having a first antenna element located at the crimp so as to be capacitively coupled to the crimp to increase the effective surface area of the RFID antenna, and a second antenna element mounted to the side of the vial between the ends of the labeling mounted on the vial so as to not mask any visually readable information of the labeling. Dielectric adhesive is used in one embodiment to couple the antenna element to the crimp. The invention is particularly useful for small vials. A manufacturing method in which the wireless tag is an integral part of the container is disclosed. | 07-03-2014 |
20130241710 | METHOD OF IDENTIFYING TAGGED ARTICLES - A method of identifying articles, each of which has a data carrier that includes identifying data of the article, the data carriers having an operation frequency, provides a robust electromagnetic (EM) field within an enclosure in which the articles are stored, even when the natural resonance frequency of the enclosure differs from the operation frequency of the data carriers. In one case data carriers comprise, RFID tags. The EM energy at the operation frequency that is injected into the enclosure to form the robust EM field is injected at a selected location in the enclosure so that the reflected phase of the EM energy from enclosure walls equals the location of injection thereby producing a robust EM field to activate and/or detect data carriers. Active impedance matching is also provided. | 09-19-2013 |
20120137706 | RFID ENABLED DRAWER REFRIGERATION SYSTEM - An automated system and associated method for storing medical items comprises a medication cabinet having at least one refrigerated drawer having a thermo-electric cooling (TEC) device and a non-refrigerated drawer. The refrigerated drawer design is such that cooling gradients throughout the drawer are minimized. Faraday cages are provided about each drawer to support separate RFID readers to monitor the medical items in each drawer. An automatic RFID data detection system determines the temperature requirements of medical items in the refrigerated drawer and controls the TEC device to maintain the required temperature. A temperature logging system for the refrigerated drawer is provided. A separate RFID reader determines if a temperature-controlled item has been placed in a non-refrigerated drawer and if so, an alert is provided. | 06-07-2012 |
20120044054 | SELF-CONTAINED RFID-ENABLED DRAWER MODULE - A self-contained RFID-enabling drawer module includes a probe antenna to introduce a robust EM field into a container within a Faraday cage to activate RFID tags within the container, regardless of the container's resonant frequency. A receiving antenna and reader read the data of the activated RFID tags, and a processor and communications module transmit the RFID tag data to a remote processor. The RFID-enabling module is self-contained in that it needs only power and a data connection with which to operate. Where an Ethernet is used, power is obtained by PoE. The RFID-enabling module may be used to retrofit existing medication drawers of a medication cabinet or may be used during the construction of a new cabinet. The RFID-enabling system includes auto tuning of the antenna to dynamically compensate for loading changes on the EM field. Assembly and testing costs are reduced and serviceability of the system is increased. | 02-23-2012 |
20110133905 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF IDENTIFYING TAGGED ARTICLES - An automatic data collection system tracks articles by providing a robust electromagnetic (EM) field within an enclosure in which the articles are stored. Respective data carriers, such as RFID tags, attached to each article respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting unique data identified with each article. Where the frequency of the EM field coupled to the enclosure differs from the natural resonance frequency of the enclosure, the placement of a probe to couple energy to the enclosure is selected to have the reflected phase of the EM energy from walls equal at the probe location thereby producing a robust EM field to activate and/or detect data carriers. | 06-09-2011 |