System and method for asset assignment and replacement
OwnerGeorge H. Eckerdt, Thomas Rockwellinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A file cabinet drawer includes support rails supporting asset panels each with a plurality of asset positions to support respective assets and associated asset indicators. A controller activates panel, drawer, and asset indicators to locate assigned assets. A recipient can be reauthenticated and assigned a duplicate asset if the assigned asset becomes unavailable. An administrator can be authenticated to conduct assignment of duplicate assets. Where asset(s) include electronic identification tags, the panels can include contacts in electrical communication with support rails in respective drawers coupled to the controller to read an asset identifier from each tag.
Claims23
A method of asset assignment, comprising:
- using a user interface, authenticating a first administrator;
- using the user interface, authenticating a recipient;
- using the user interface, identifying an asset;
- assigning the identified asset to the authenticated recipient with an authority of the authenticated first administrator;
- and
- storing a data record linking the assigned asset to the authenticated recipient.
A system for asset assignment, comprising:
- an asset panel including a pair of opposed electrically conductive supports extending from a top of the panel and a plurality of asset positions on a face of the panel, each position including an asset mount, a first contact coupled to a first of the supports, and a second contact coupled to a second of the supports, the first and second contacts being arranged to couple to respective contacts of an identification tag of an asset;
- a file cabinet including at least one drawer, each drawer including a pair of electrically conductive opposed support rails, one of each pair of support rails being coupled to a source of electricity and the other of each pair of support rails being coupled to ground, the support rails being sized and arranged to removably support the asset panel by the asset panel supports such that a bottom of the panel is suspended above a bottom of the drawer and each support rail is in electrical contact with a respective panel support;
- and
- a controller coupled to the user interface, the database, and each pair of electrically conductive support rails such that the controller couples with the asset panel when the asset panel is supported by the support rails, the controller thereby coupling with each pair of asset mount contacts such that the controller is in electrical communication with any identification tag in contact with a respective pair of asset mount contacts.
An asset assignment system comprising:
- a file cabinet including at least one drawer, each drawer including a drawer indicator;
- a pair of electrically conductive opposed support rails in each of the at least one drawer, one of each pair of support rails being coupled to a source of electricity and the other of each pair of support rails being coupled to ground;
- at least one panel removably supported by a respective pair of opposed support rails, each panel including a pair of opposed electrically conductive supports extending from a top of the panel so as to hang the panel from the respective pair of support rails while placing each support in electrical communication with a respective support rail, each panel further including a plurality of asset positions sized and dimensioned to removably support a respective asset, each asset position being associated with a respective asset indicator mounted on the panel and in electrical communication with the supports;
- and
- a controller including a computer processor and coupled to each drawer indicator, each pair of support rails, and to each asset indicator, as well as to a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that includes instructions in the form of computer executable code that when executed by the computer processor causes the controller to selectively activate a respective drawer indicator, panel indicator, and asset indicator to identify a location of a respective asset.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.