US 11,783,144 B2Granted

Mobile RFID container and distribution method

AssigneePromega Corporation

InventorsJoseph Pleshek, Brian George, Travis Phillips, Mark Sehmer

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A transportable container is enabled with radio frequency identification (“RFID”) technologies to maintain automated inventory levels of those items that are inside the container. The inventory data is communicated via wireless methods, such as cellular or Wi-Fi, to a remote device such as enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system. The ERP system may use the inventory data received from the remote device to automatically update appropriately and generate appropriate records (e.g., container inventory, restocking, invoicing, etc.). In some embodiments, automated RFID scans are triggered when the container is opened and subsequently closed. The container may include RF containment/screening to prevent inadvertent scanning of RFID tags outside of the container. The container may also include a location device to allow the location of the container to be readily determined.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A mobile container for carrying a plurality of products, each product including at least one RFID tag, the mobile container comprising:

a housing including a body and a door, the body and the door cooperating to define an interior compartment configured to carry the plurality of products, the door being movable relative to the body between an open position to provide external access to the interior compartment and a closed position to prevent external access to the interior compartment;
a door sensor configured to detect whether the door is in the open position or the closed position;
an RFID detector configured to conduct RFID scans of the interior compartment and collect scan data concerning the RFID tags on the products contained within the interior compartment;
a GPS component configured to generate location data indicative of a location of the mobile container;
a controller coupled to the door sensor, the RFID detector, and communicatively coupled to the GPS component, the controller configured to trigger an RFID scan via the RFID detector and transmit the scan data and the current location data to a remote device in response to the door sensor detecting that the door has been moved into the closed position.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/447,289Filed 20 Jun 2019 · continuation
Priority: 24 Jul 2013
Published: US 2019/0303633 A13 Oct 2019
Granted: 10 Oct 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

G06K 7/10366
Sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves: the interrogation device being adapted for…
G06F 21/35
Involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards: communicating wirelessly
G06Q 10/08
Administration; Management: logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
G06Q 10/087
Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management: inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling,…

Family

Application61/857,987Us provisional application · filed 24 Jul 2013
Application14/337,732Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Jul 2014
Application15/581,818Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Apr 2017
US 9,704,000 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Jul 2017
US 2019/0303633 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Oct 2019
US 2015/0029001 A1Published application
US 2018/0004988 A1Published application
US 11,783,144 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.