System for tracking tagged surgical articles with a transport container tracking assembly

A system for tracking tagged surgical articles across a network, the system comprising:

• a transport container defining an interior having a lower interior surface, an upper interior surface, and a plurality of interior side walls extending between the lower interior surface and the upper interior surface;
• and
• a tracking assembly including:
• a housing shaped to be received within the interior of the transport container and including a base adjacent to the lower interior surface of the transport container and a tower coupled to the base and extending away from the lower interior surface of the transport container,
• an antenna supported by the housing adjacent to the lower interior surface and being arranged to selectively generate a wave extending helically away from the lower interior surface and towards the upper interior surface within the interior of the transport container,
• a shield arranged to block waves generated by the antenna from exiting the transport container,
• a communication interface for wirelessly communicating with the network, and
• a controller coupled to the housing and disposed in electrical communication with the antenna and the communication interface, the controller being configured to:
• generate the wave with the antenna to scan the interior of the transport container for tagged surgical articles,
• receive identity data from each of the tagged surgical articles with the antenna in response to generating the wave, and
• transmit the identity data across the network via the communication interface;
• and
• wherein the base includes a base frame supporting the antenna and a base cover coupled to the base frame and selectively moveable relative to the base frame to permit access to the antenna.