Inventory system and methods of using the same

{
  "publication_number": "US12045773B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Inventory system and methods of using the same",
  "abstract": "The present disclosure is directed to a dispenser that includes a receiving opening configured to receive a plurality of medical products into a cavity of the dispenser as an available inventory, wherein each of the plurality of medical products includes an identifier; a plurality of holders in the cavity, each of the plurality of holders configured to store at least one of the plurality of medical products in a fixed location that is associated with the one of the plurality of medical products, and each of the plurality of holders including a dispensing opening; at least two emitters and at least two sensors around a periphery of the receiving opening, wherein the at least two emitters and the at least two sensors are arranged around a periphery of the receiving opening on a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the plurality of dispensing openings; a processor; and a electronic storage device.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A dispenser, the dispenser comprising: a receiving opening configured to receive a plurality of medical products into a cavity of the dispenser as an available inventory, wherein each of the plurality of medical products comprises an identifier; a plurality of holders in the cavity, each of the plurality of holders configured to store at least one of the plurality of medical products in a fixed location that is associated with the one of the plurality of medical products, and each of the plurality of holders comprising a dispensing opening; at least two emitters and at least two sensors around a periphery of the receiving opening, wherein the at least two emitters and the at least two sensors are arranged around a periphery of the receiving opening on a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the plurality of dispensing openings; a restocking bin configured to receive one or more unused medical products; a processor; a electronic storage device, wherein the electronic storage device is configured to store a location of each of the plurality of holders and each of the plurality of dispensing openings within the dispenser, wherein the processor receives input from the at least two sensors, and wherein the processor is configured to determine if one of the plurality of medical products is moved through one of the dispensing openings to an outside of the cavity.",
    "2. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a reader, the reader configured to read an identifier of a replenished medical product.",
    "3. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a second communication interface and a reader, the reader configured to read an identifier of a replenished medical product.",
    "4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a signal to add the replenished medical product to the available inventory.",
    "5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the signal is transmitted to at least one of a electronic storage device and a database.",
    "6. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a display configured to receive an input from a user, receive signals from the electronic storage device, and display data selected from the group consisting of a number of each of the plurality of medical products within the dispenser, a planogram of the plurality of holders and their associated at least one of the plurality of medical products, and which holder is associated with the replenished medical product.",
    "7. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a first communication interface, the first communication interface configured to receive at least one of an available inventory, an available inventory request and a recall request.",
    "8. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a first communication interface and a display, the display configured to receive an input from a user, receive signals from the electronic storage device, and display data selected from the group consisting of a number of each of the plurality of medical products within the dispenser, a planogram of the plurality of holders and their associated at least one of the plurality of medical products, and which holder is associated with the replenished medical product, the first communication interface configured to receive at least one of an available inventory, an available inventory request and a recall request.",
    "9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the recall request is a list of one or more medical products of the plurality of medical products, wherein upon receipt of the recall request the dispenser displays a notice on the display.",
    "10. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a second communication interface, wherein the second communication interface is configured to transmit the available inventory, in response to the available inventory request, to update a database.",
    "11. The dispenser of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a signal to subtract the removed medical product from the available inventory.",
    "12. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein the signal is transmitted to at least one of a electronic storage device and a database.",
    "13. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of medical products comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge, the leading edge closer to the dispensing opening than the trailing edge.",
    "14. The dispenser of claim 13, wherein the input received by the processor from the at least two sensors comprises input that the trailing edge of one of the plurality of medical products is moved past the plane.",
    "15. The dispenser of claim 13, wherein the input received by the processor from the at least two sensors comprises input that the fixed location of the trailing edge is at both an x coordinate and a y-coordinate.",
    "16. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the input received by the processor from the at least two sensors comprises input that the fixed location of the trailing edge is at both an x coordinate and a y-coordinate.",
    "17. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sets of at least two emitters and at least two sensors, wherein the plurality of sets of the at least two emitters and the at least two sensors are arranged around the periphery of the receiving opening on the plane that is substantially perpendicular to a plurality of shelves."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present disclosure relates to dispensing and inventorying of medical products, and more particularly to systems to dispense medical products, re-stock medical products, and track and control an inventory of medical products in various medical locations, such as hospitals, clinics, out-patient surgical centers, or any other location that dispenses various medical products for use during medical procedures.\n\nIn a typical hospital, many medical products are stored in a storage area, such as a closet or storage room. As one example, the storage and use of sutures is discussed. Typically, a hospital stores hundreds of different types of sutures on racks, in cabinets or in suture storage rooms. In this typical hospital, for any given surgical procedure, a surgeon will often have what is commonly referred to as a surgeon “preference card” that specifies what products (including the types of sutures) the surgeon expects to use for that procedure, and how many of each. These sutures and supplies are obtained by the circulating nurse or other hospital staff and made available and ready to use in the surgical theater.\n\nIn current practice, surgeon preference cards are manually kept, and still often exist in physical card format as opposed to electronically. They are not updated regularly, and not updated each time a surgical procedure is performed to more accurately reflect what was actually used versus what was requested for that surgery. Thus, any errors and inefficiencies in supply are repeated over and over again for a given surgeon each time he/she performs surgery.",
  "cpc": [
    "G06Q 10/087",
    "A61J 2200/70",
    "A61J 2205/10",
    "A61J 2205/60",
    "A61J 7/0418",
    "A61J 7/0454",
    "G06K 19/06",
    "G06Q 20/203",
    "G07F 11/045",
    "G07F 17/0092",
    "G07F 9/026"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G06Q 10/08",
    "A61J 7/04",
    "G06Q 10/087"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Ethicon Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Matthew Chila",
    "Jonathan Addeo Syby",
    "Allen Keith On",
    "David Mickle Wade",
    "Matteo Josue Piedra",
    "Lewis Arthur Lau"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2021-05-24",
  "publication_date": "2024-07-23",
  "grant_date": "2024-07-23",
  "priority_date": "2020-05-29",
  "application_number": "US-202117328223-A",
  "family_id": "76217879",
  "cited_by_count": 2,
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  ]
}