Storage cabinet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020074392-A1
Application number	US-201916675402-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 6, 2019
Priority date	Apr 28, 2015
Publication date	Mar 5, 2020
Grant date	—

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

1 - 9 . (canceled)

10 . A storage cabinet configured to store a plurality of items, each item of the plurality of items including an RF tag attached thereto for recording item information relating to a corresponding item, the storage cabinet comprising:
a housing configured to store the plurality of items, the housing configured to be in an open state in which the plurality of items is accessible from outside, or in a closed state in which the plurality of items is inaccessible from the outside; a first reader configured to read item information from RF tags of the plurality of items stored in the housing, when the housing is in the closed state; a second reader configured to read item information from an RF tag of an item when a user moves the item close to an area exterior of the housing; and a controller programmed to cause generation of a warning based on item information from the first reader and item information from the second reader.

11 . The storage cabinet according to claim 10 , further comprising a display configured to display the warning.

12 . The storage cabinet according to claim 10 , further comprising a speaker configured to output the warning.

13 . The storage cabinet according to claim 10 , wherein the area exterior of the housing is on the housing.

14 . The storage cabinet according to claim 10 , wherein the warning is that an item has a period of time to an expiration date which is not the shortest among items in the housing.

15 . The storage cabinet according to claim 10 , wherein the first reader is configured to read item information from all RF tags in the housing.

16 . The storage cabinet according to claim 10 , wherein the item information includes a date.

17 . A method of operating a storage cabinet configured to store a plurality of items in a housing, the method comprising:
reading item information from RF tags of the plurality of items stored in the housing when the housing is in a closed state using a first reader; reading item information from an RF tag of an item when a user moves the item close to an area exterior of the housing using a second reader; and generating a warning based on item information from the first reader and item information from the second reader.

18 . The method according to claim 17 , further comprising displaying the warning.

19 . The method according to claim 17 , further comprising outputting an audible warning.

20 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the area exterior of the housing is on the housing.

21 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the warning is that an item has a period of time to an expiration date which is not the shortest among items in the housing.

22 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the first reader is configured to read item information from all RF tags in the housing.

23 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the item information includes a date.

Assignees

• Sato Holdings Kk

Inventors

• Uno Yoshiaki
• Kasdani Yusita
• Withrow Kaleb

Classifications

• G07C9/00912

  for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

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

• 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