Storage cabinet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10504058-B2
Application number	US-201615565830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2016
Priority date	Apr 28, 2015
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A storage cabinet according to an embodiment stores a plurality of items, each item including a first tag attached thereto, the first tag being an RF tag for recording item information relating to a corresponding item. The storage cabinet includes: a first reader for reading the item information recorded in the first tag of items stored in a housing, when the door is in a closed state; and a second reader for reading item information of a first tag, when the door is in an open state, and an item to which the first tag is attached is made proximate from the outside to a predetermined area on the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A storage cabinet for storing a plurality of items, each item including a first tag attached thereto, the first tag being an RF tag for recording item information relating to a corresponding item, the storage cabinet comprising:
a housing for storing the plurality of items, the housing configured to be in a first state in which the plurality of items is accessible from an outside, or in a second state in which the plurality of items is inaccessible from the outside;
a first reader configured to read item information recorded in the first tag of items stored in the housing, when the housing is in the second state;
a second reader configured to read item information of the first tag, when the housing is in the first state and an item to which the first tag is attached is made proximate from the outside to a predetermined area on the housing;
a memory configured to record item information; and
a first controller configured to record the item information read by the first reader in the memory, and to determine a judgment result of whether the item information read by the second reader meets a warning occurrence condition by comparing the item information read by the second reader and the item information recorded in the memory, the warning occurrence condition being that an item to be stored in or to be retrieved from the housing is improper.

2. The storage cabinet according to claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to display on a display panel the judgment result determined by the first controller.

3. The storage cabinet according to claim 1 , further comprising a voice output configured to output a voice of the judgment result determined by the first controller.

4. The storage cabinet according to claim 1 , wherein the first reader is configured to read the item information recorded in the first tag of items stored in the housing in a case in which the housing changes its state from the first state to the second state.

5. The storage cabinet according to claim 4 ,
wherein the item information includes an item code and an expiration date, and the warning occurrence condition is that the item made proximate to the predetermined area is an item having a period of time to an expiration date which is not the shortest among items of the identical item code in the housing, or that the item made proximate to the predetermined area is expired.

6. The storage cabinet according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a door configured to be openable or closable with respect to the housing,
a door lock configured to lock or unlock the door, and
a second controller configured to control the door lock,
wherein when the door is in the closed state, and a second tag including user identification information recorded therein for identifying a user is made proximate from the outside to the predetermined area on the housing, the second reader is configured to read the user identification information recorded in the second tag, and
wherein the second controller is configured to control the door lock so as to unlock the door when authentication of the user identification information read by the second reader is successful.

7. The storage cabinet according to claim 2 , wherein the display panel and the predetermined area are closely located to each other.

8. The storage cabinet according to claim 1 , wherein the item information includes at least one of a description, an item code, an expiration date, or a lot number of a corresponding item.

9. The storage cabinet according to claim 1 , wherein the first reader is configured to read item information recorded in the first tag of all items stored in the housing.

10. The storage cabinet according to claim 6 , wherein the first controller and the second controller are part of a same controller.

11. A method for storing a plurality of items in a storage cabinet, each item including a first tag attached thereto, the first tag being an RF tag for recording item information relating to a corresponding item, the storage cabinet being in a first state in which the plurality of items is accessible from the outside, or in a second state in which the plurality of items is inaccessible from the outside, the method comprising:
reading, by a first reader, item information recorded in the first tag of items stored in a housing, when the storage cabinet is in the second state;
reading, by a second reader, item information of the first tag, when the storage cabinet is in the first state and an item to which the first tag is attached is made proximate from the outside to a predetermined area on the housing;
determining a judgment result of whether the item information read by the second reader meets a warning occurrence condition by comparing the item information read by the first reader and the item information read by the second reader,
wherein the warning occurrence condition is that an item to be stored in or to be retrieved from the housing is improper.

12. A storage cabinet for storing a plurality of items, each item including a first tag attached thereto, the first tag being an RF tag for recording item information relating to a corresponding item, the storage cabinet comprising:
a housing for storing the plurality of items, the housing configured to be in a first state in which the plurality of items is accessible from the outside, or in a second state in which the plurality of items is inaccessible from the outside;
a first reader configured to read item information recorded in the first tag of items stored in the housing, when the housing is in the second state;
a second reader configured to read item information of the first tag, when the housing is in the first state and a user moves an item to which the first tag is attached close to a specific area on the housing, the specific area being a part of an exterior of the housing;
a memory configured to record item information; and
a first controller configured to record the item information read by the first reader in the memory, and to determine a judgment result of whether the item information read by the second reader meets a warning occurrence condition by comparing the item information read by the second reader and the item information recorded in the memory.

13. The storage cabinet according to claim 12 , further comprising a display configured to display on a display panel the judgment result determined by the first controller.

14. The storage cabinet according to claim 12 , further comprising a voice output configured to output a voice of the judgment result determined by the first controller.

15. The storage cabinet according to claim 12 , wherein the first reader is configured to read the item information recorded in the first tag of items stored in the housing in a case in which the housing changes its state from the first state to the second state.

16. The storage cabinet according to claim 15 ,
wherein the item information includes an item code and an expiration date, and the warning occurrence condition is that the item made proximate to the predetermined area is an item having a period of time to an expiration date which is not the shortest among items of the identical item code in the housing, or that the item made proximate to the predetermined area is expired.

17. The storage cabinet according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a door configured to be openable or closable with respect to the housing,
a door lock configured to lock or unlock the door, and
a second controller configured to control the door lock,
wherein when the door is in

Assignees

• Sato Holdings Kk

Inventors

• Uno Yoshiaki
• Kasdani Yusita
• Withrow Kaleb

Classifications

• E05B65/02

  for thin, hollow, or thin-metal wings · CPC title

• B65G1/137

  with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed · CPC title

• G06K17/00

  Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations · CPC title

• E05B49/00

  Electric permutation locks; Circuits therefor {; Mechanical aspects of electronic locks; Mechanical keys therefor (arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; mechanisms including electronic locks actuated by nonmechanical keys such as passive and active electrical keys and other data carriers G07C9/00, G07F7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00)} · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title