Dynamic Control Containment Unit

Abstract

The present invention is a dynamic control containment unit for holding a plurality of discrete items, including a signal emitting mechanism associated with each of the plurality of discrete items, an enclosed housing having at least one receptacle accessible by a user and having at least one of the plurality of items contained therein, a passive signal receiving mechanism in communication with the receptacle for receiving signals emanating from the signal emitting mechanism and a securement system configured to prevent unauthorized access to the dynamic control containment unit. A controller is in communication with the signal receiving mechanism and initiates actions based upon the signal content.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A system for managing an inventory of items, comprising:
 a containment unit comprising at least one inner area and at least one drawer or door providing access to the at least one inner area, the at least one inner area adapted to store a plurality of items, each item of the plurality of items comprising a tag or label having item data stored thereon;   at least one locking mechanism adapted to lock and unlock the at least one drawer or door;   at least one sensor adapted to detect a movement of the at least one drawer or door to an at least partially closed position from an at least partially open position;   at least one antenna adapted to receive the item data;   a control device in communication with the at least one antenna, the at least one sensor, and an inventory database comprising an item inventory of items stored in the at least one inner area of the containment unit, the control device programmed or configured to:
 (i) unlock, with the at least one locking mechanism, the at least one drawer or door in response to at least one of the following: receiving a request from an individual to access the containment unit, authorizing an individual requesting access to the containment unit, or any combination thereof; 
 (ii) determine an updated item inventory of the containment unit or a portion of the containment unit based on data received from the at least one antenna, the determination made in response to at least one of the following: receiving at least one signal from the at least one sensor indicating that the at least one drawer or door is moved to an at least partially closed position from an at least partially open position, a set interval elapsing after receiving the at least one signal from the at least one sensor, or any combination thereof; 
 (iii) determine at least one item removed or added by the individual by comparing the updated item inventory to a previous item inventory; and 
 (iv) associate the individual with the at least one item in the inventory database or a separate database. 
   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one antenna comprises an RF receiver, and the tag or label for each item comprises at least one RF transponder, wherein determining the updated item inventory further comprises scanning a plurality of RF transponders with the RF receiver. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , further comprising a display device in communication with at least one of the control device and the inventory database, wherein the display device displays at least one graphical and/or textual display comprising at least one of the following: a use history, an item history, a use history of the individual, a containment unit inventory, a receptacle or drawer inventory, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the control device comprises at least an operation mode and an administration mode, wherein each of the operation mode and the administration mode are associated with program logic associating conditions to actions performed by the control device in response to the conditions. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 21 , further comprising a proximity sensor configured to detect proximity of a person, wherein the control device locks and/or closes the at least one drawer or door based at least partially on data received from the proximity sensor. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 21 , further comprising an automatic closing device, wherein the control device closes the at least one drawer or door with the automatic closing device after determining that the at least one drawer or door has been left at least partially open for a predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the control device determines an updated new inventory by scanning items within the containment unit with at least one antenna after the at least one drawer or door is closed and idle for a set interval. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the control device is further programmed or configured to:
 determine an item inventory for at least one item in the containment unit or a portion of the containment unit based on scanning the plurality of items; and   upon a determination that the item inventory is less than or equal to a predetermined value, transmit a message to a remote computer.   
     
     
         29 . A hospital containment unit for managing and tracking an inventory of a plurality of medical items in a hospital environment, each medical item of the plurality of medical items associated with data stored on at least one signal emitting mechanism fixed or attached to the medical item, comprising:
 a cabinet adapted to be opened and closed;   a sensor adapted to detect the cabinet being closed;   at least one locking mechanism adapted to lock and unlock the cabinet;   at least one signal receiving mechanism configured to receive item data from a plurality of signal emitting mechanisms fixed or attached to the plurality of medical items inside the cabinet;   at least one controller programmed to: unlock the at least one locking mechanism after authenticating or authorizing an individual; receive a signal from the sensor indicating that the cabinet has been closed; determine an updated item inventory after the signal is received from the sensor; compare a previous item inventory to the updated item inventory to identify at least one item removed or added to the cabinet; and update data stored in a hospital database based on an identification of the individual and the at least one item identified.   
     
     
         30 . The hospital containment unit of  claim 29 , wherein the cabinet comprises a plurality of regions, and wherein the at least one signal receiving mechanism is configured to receive item data from a plurality of signal emitting mechanisms fixed or attached to medical items in at least one specified region of the plurality of regions. 
     
     
         31 . The hospital containment unit of  claim 29 , further comprising a proximity sensor in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is programmed to lock the cabinet based at least partially on proximity data received from the proximity sensor. 
     
     
         32 . The hospital containment unit of  claim 29 , wherein the controller comprises at least an operation mode and an administrative mode, each of the modes comprising conditional logic, wherein at least one condition is associated with a first action in the operation mode and with a second action in the administrative mode. 
     
     
         33 . The hospital containment unit of  claim 29 , further comprising a display device in communication with the controller, the display device configured to display at least one of the following: a use history, an item history, a user history, a shelf inventory, a cabinet inventory, an item inventory, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         34 . A method for managing an inventory of items in a containment unit, comprising:
 detecting access information for an individual;   determining, with at least one controller, if the individual is authorized to access the containment unit based at least partially on at least a portion of the access information;   unlocking, with at least one controller, at least part of the containment unit in response to determining that the individual is authorized;   detecting, with at least one sensor, that the containment unit is placed in a closed position after being at least partially open;   determining, with at least one controller, a new inventory of the containment unit by scanning items within the containment unit with at least one device;   identifying at least one item removed from the containment unit or added to the containment unit by comparing the inventory to the new inventory; and   associating, in a database, the individual with the at least one item.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising:
 detecting proximity of the individual to the containment unit; and   locking the containment unit after a predetermined period of time has elapsed and the individual is not detected to be proximate to the containment unit.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising:
 detecting proximity of the individual to the containment unit; and   signaling an alarm when the containment unit is open for a predetermined period of time and the individual is not detected to be proximate to the containment unit.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising displaying, on at least one display mechanism, at least one graphical and/or textual display comprising at least one of the following: a use history, an item history, a use history of the individual, a containment unit inventory, a receptable or drawer inventory, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising closing the containment unit with an automatic closing device after it is left at least partially open for a predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising determining an updated new inventory by scanning items within the containment unit with the at least one device after the containment unit is closed and idle for a set interval. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising:
 determining an item inventory for at least one item in the containment unit or a portion of the containment unit based on the scanning; and   based upon a determination that the item inventory is less than or equal to a predetermined value, transmitting a message to a remote computer.