US 12,141,734 B2
System and method for automated laboratory inventory management using RFID technology
John Curtis Jones, Grapevine, TX (US); Patrick P. Fritchie, Southlake, TX (US); Steve Kotlinski, Hawthorn Woods, IL (US); Jay Brian Sailer, Trevor, WI (US); Pathik H. Soni, Waukesha, WI (US); Erich Iwen, Pleasant Prairie, WI (US); Ronald R. Hohs, Kenosha, WI (US); and William B. Williams, Coppell, TX (US)
Assigned to Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL (US)
Filed by Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL (US)
Filed on May 23, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/322,317.
Application 18/322,317 is a continuation of application No. 17/093,919, filed on Nov. 10, 2020, granted, now 11,694,146.
Application 17/093,919 is a continuation of application No. 13/326,034, filed on Dec. 14, 2011, granted, now 10,867,274, issued on Dec. 15, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0297932 A1, Sep. 21, 2023
Int. Cl. G06Q 30/00 (2023.01); G01N 35/00 (2006.01); G06Q 10/08 (2023.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01); G06Q 50/22 (2018.01)
CPC G06Q 10/08 (2013.01) [G01N 35/00663 (2013.01); G06Q 10/087 (2013.01); G06Q 50/22 (2013.01); G01N 2035/00881 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system to manage an inventory of laboratory items in a laboratory, the system comprising:
a radio frequency identification (RFID) antenna located in the laboratory, the laboratory items having RFID tags storing item information associated with respective ones of the laboratory items, the laboratory items being a same type of laboratory item, the RFID antenna to scan the RFID tags when in range of the RFID antenna to obtain the item information from the corresponding ones of the RFID tags;
an RFID reader to be used to scan the RFID tags on the laboratory items to obtain the item information from the corresponding ones of the RFID tags; and
memory including instructions to cause a computer to:
track locations of the laboratory items in the laboratory based on scans of the RFID tags by at least one of the RFID antenna or the RFID reader;
determine an amount of the laboratory items remaining in the laboratory based on scans of the RFID tags by at least one of the RFID antenna or the RFID reader;
store the amount of the laboratory items remaining in the laboratory in an inventory database;
in response to determining the amount of the laboratory items remaining in the laboratory is below a threshold amount, generate a purchase order for additional ones of the laboratory items;
identify, based on a scan by at least one of the RFID antenna or the RFID reader, a selection of a first one of the laboratory items to be used in a laboratory instrument;
determine a second one of the laboratory items having a same lot number as a laboratory item already in use by the laboratory instrument; and
generate a recommendation to select the second one of the laboratory items to be used in the laboratory instrument in place of the first one of the laboratory items.