US 11,734,639 B2
Instrument inventory system and methods
Russell Baker, Sunnyside, NY (US); Lawrence Zelner, New York, NY (US); and David Berk, East Brunswick, NJ (US)
Assigned to RST AUTOMATION LLC, Bronx, NY (US)
Filed by RST Automation LLC, Bronx, NY (US)
Filed on Sep. 4, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/12,504.
Application 17/012,504 is a continuation of application No. 14/620,084, filed on Feb. 11, 2015, granted, now 10,796,267.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/990,273, filed on May 8, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2020/0401986 A1, Dec. 24, 2020
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/08 (2023.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 10/08 (2013.01) [G06Q 10/087 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An instrument inventory system, comprising:
a hood creating an enclosed space within which each of a plurality of instruments is selectively receivable;
a conveyer configured to load each of the selectively received instruments into the enclosed space;
an instrument interface having one or more sensors configured to sense characteristics of each of the selectively received instruments; and
a processor and a data repository accessible by the processor, the processor and the data repository being interoperable with the conveyer, the instrument interface, an instrument collator, and a stringer so as to be configured to:
maintain first instrument data for a set of preselected instruments and characteristics associated with each of the preselected instruments for retention in the stringer at corresponding positions;
receive second instrument data relating to the sensed characteristics of each of the selectively received instruments;
compare the sensed characteristics of each of the selectively received instruments to the characteristics of each of the preselected instruments to identify each of the selectively received instruments for inclusion in the stringer; and
determine position information, for each of the selectively received instruments, usable by the instrument collator to position each of the selectively received instruments at a corresponding position.