Systems and methods for monitoring sharps levels in secured sharps containers
AssigneeSmart Wave Technologies, Inc.
InventorsVolodimir Bondarenko, Sean Bellinger, Clemente Receno, Dan Gabbay, Alejandro Cabrera, Mookwan Kang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for measuring the fill level of sharps in sharps containers are described. The system includes sensors for detecting a fill level in a sharps container and communications systems for reporting a sharps container fill status to local personnel through portable computing devices and central monitoring systems. The systems and methods are designed to improve deployment and collection of the sharps containers and their contents.
Claims22
A system for monitoring a fill level of a sharps container (SC) having first and second side walls and for reporting fill level data to a computer system, the system comprising:
- a sharps monitor (SM), the SM having a body configured to hold and secure the SC within the body, the body having side walls supporting an emitter/receiver pair including:
- the emitter for emitting light through the first side wall of the sharps container;
- the receiver for receiving light through the second side wall of the sharps container;
- a processor and memory configured to the body for receiving and storing fill status data from the receiver;
- a communication system connected to the processor and memory for communicating fill data to a computer system over a wireless communication network;
- and
- a portable computing device (PCD) where the processor reports to the PCD a combination of fill status data and device location data where the PCD displays a map of a facility and nearby SMs based on a distance threshold between one or more of the nearby SMs and the PCD.
A method of obtaining and reporting fill status data from a plurality of sharps containers (SC) in a location, the SCs configured for wide area network communication with a central computer system (CCS), the method comprising the steps of:
- a. reporting fill status data from one or more SCs at the location to the CCS;
- b. deriving a location service report for the location based on a fill status of each SC at the location where each SC is marked as requiring service or not requiring service based on a reported fill status;
- and
- c. delivering the location service report to a portable communication device (PCD) carried by a user where the location service report includes location specific information for each SC requiring service at the location and the PCD displays a map of a facility and nearby SCs based on a distance threshold between one or more of the nearby SCs and the PCD.
A system for monitoring a fill level of a sharps container (SC) having first and second side walls and for reporting fill level data to a computer system, the system comprising:
- a sharps monitor (SM), the SM having a body configured to hold and secure the SC within the body, the body having side walls;
- a time of flight sensor configured to the SM or SC having a line of sight towards an inside bottom surface of the SC for measuring a fill level of sharps within the SC;
- a processor and memory configured to the body for receiving and storing fill status data from the receiver;
- a communication system connected to the processor and memory for communicating fill data to a computer system over a wireless communication network;
- and
- a portable computing device (PCD) and where the processor reports to the PCD a combination of fill status data and device location data where the PCD displays a map of a facility and nearby SMs based on a distance threshold between one or more of the nearby SCs and the PCD.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.