MEDICAL SUPPLIES CABINET

20220409320

17/822640

August 26, 2022

A medical supplies cabinet is disclosed. The cabinet comprises a housing presenting a medical supplies storage zone at where there is provided at least one medical supplies receptacle. The receptacle(s) is/are of a shape and configuration to be able to at least partly receive and hold at least one medical item. A sensor is associated with the receptacle(s). The sensor is configured to generate a signal indicative of the presence and/or absence, or removal of the medical item in/from the receptacle.

XORIA LIMITED (CHRISTCHURCH, NZ)

1. A medical supplies cabinet comprising: a housing presenting a medical supplies storage zone at where there is provided at least one medical supplies receptacle, the receptacle(s) being of a shape and configuration to be able to at least partly receive and hold at least one medical item, and a sensor associated with a or each receptacle, the sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of the presence and/or absence or removal of the medical item in/from the receptacle.

2. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of discrete medical supplies receptacles, at least two of said plurality of receptacles being of a shape to receive different said medical items.

3. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein a capacitive sensor including a pair of sensing element, is provided for at least one of said receptacles, the capacitive sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of the presence of the medical item within the receptacle.

4. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the capacitive sensor is configured to sense the addition or removal of a medical item to and from the receptacle.

5. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the signal indicative of the presence of the medical item at a receptacle is proportional to the capacitance value of the capacitive sensor or a change in the capacitance of the capacitive sensor.

6. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one receptacle is shaped and configured to receive a at least one of a said medical item or a package including a plurality of the medical items, where said item(s) are able to be individually removed from and/or added to the receptacle or package at the receptacle, the sensor being associated with the receptacle and configured to provide a signal indicative of one or more of: size of package, number of medical items in the package or number of items in the receptacle, number of medical items removed from or added to the package, medical item(s) removed from or added to the receptacle, and an orientation of item(s) in the receptacle.

7. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein a least one receptacle is shaped and configured to receive a plurality of the same medical items or a package including a plurality of the medical items, where said items are able to be individually removed from and/or added to the receptacle or package at the receptacle, the sensor being associated with the receptacle and configured to provide a signal indicative of one or more of: size of package, number of medical items in the package or number of items in the receptacle, number of medical items removed from or added to the package, number of medical items removed from or added to the receptacle, and an orientation of items in the receptacle.

8. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the medical supplies cabinet further comprises: a door, the door pivotably connected the housing and the door being moveable between an open position corresponding to the medical supplies storage zone being exposed for interaction by a user and a closed position where the door covers the medical supplies storage zone thereby preventing interaction by a user.

9. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 8, wherein the housing includes a camera to make a recording of the view facing away from the medical supplies storage zone of the cabinet, the door includes a mirror that is located to reflect a view of at least part of the medical supplies storage zone to the camera when the door is near its closed position such that the camera can make a recording of the medical supplies storage zone when the door is near its closed position.

10. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the capacitive sensor is associated with a receptacle, the receptacle shaped and configured to hold a plurality of medical supplies in a horizontal of vertical stacked configuration, the capacitive sensor is configured to generate a signal indicative of the number of medical supplies removed from at least one of the receptacle, the total number of medical supplies within the receptacle and a full state or empty state of the receptacle.

11. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one receptacle of the plurality of receptacles is defined by a pair of parallel, spaced apart vertical walls and at least a base wall, a capacitive sensor disposed on or within the receptacle and, the capacitive sensor comprises a pair of sensing elements, wherein each sensing element is disposed on, adjacent or within one of the vertical walls such that the sensing elements are substantially parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other, wherein the capacitive sensor is configured to generate a signal indicative of the number of medical items located in the receptacle between the pair of sensing elements.

12. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is able to sense between at least one of: the presence and absence of an item at the receptacle, the presence of the correct item and incorrect item at the receptacle, and the correct orientation and incorrect orientation an item of pack containing a plurality of said items at the receptacle.

13. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, comprising an optical sensing arrangement associated with the at least one receptacle of the medical supplies cabinet, the optical sensing arrangement configured to generate a signal indicative of an identity or number of medical items within a receptacle or the state of a medical item within a receptacle.

14. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is a load sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a medical item being removed from the receptacle by an application of a force.

15. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, comprising one or more capacitive sensors or one or more optical sensors or one of more EID sensors associated with a receptacle, the one or more capacitive sensors configured to generate a signal indicative of the number of items in the receptacle, and the one or more optical or EID tag sensors configured to generate a signal indicative of the type of items or number of items or arrangement of the item or items at the receptacle.

16. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, comprising a processor to receive information form the sensor, the processor being configured to determine one or more of: the number of total items in a receptacle, the types of items in a receptacle, the number of items added to a receptacle, the number of items removed from a receptacle, and the orientation of one of more items in a receptacle.

17. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed claim 1 wherein the or each receptacle is of a shape and configuration to encourage a user to put only a medical item or pack containing at least one of said medical items in the receptacle by a matching of the same and configuration of the receptacle to the shape and configuration of the item or pack containing at least on said item.

18. A medical supplies system that comprises: medical items of at least two different kinds and with which two differently configured EID tags are associated, and a cabinet comprising: a housing presenting a medical supplies storage zone at where there is provided at least two medical supplies receptacles, one for each kind of medical item to be received at a respective receptacle, and an EID tag reader to read the EID tags and arranged and configured to determine at least one of the following: if the correct medical item is located at its respective receptacle, the orientation of the medical item when in a respective receptacle, and information carried by the EID tag.

19. A method of reporting stock levels at least one receptacle of a medical supplies cabinet at where at least one packaged medical item is retained, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a signal from a sensor associated with the at least one receptacle, processing the received signal to determine the presence or absence or introduction/removal of a packaged medical item from the at least one receptacle; wherein the presence or absence or introduction/removal of a packaged medical item from the at least one receptacle is based on a sensible characteristic or identification that is of or associated with the packed medical item.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the sensible characteristic is of the weight of the packaged medical item.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the signal is from a capacitive sensor associated with the receptacle, the capacitive sensor comprising a pair of sensing elements, wherein said processing of the received signal to determine the presence or absence or introduction/removal of a medical item from the receptacle is based on identifying at least one of: a dielectric value and/or change in the dielectric value of the capacitive sensor as a result of the presence or movement or absence of the medical item relative to the sensor, and the relative position and/or change in the relative position of the pair of sensing elements of the capacitive sensor.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises identifying an event based on the gradient or change in gradient of an output signal from the capacitive sensor.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the sensible characteristic is of the presence or absence of an EID tag associated with the medical item when in the proximity of a said sensor that is an EID sensor.

61; 16; 47; 06; 06

edspap.20220409320