Patent ID: 9195804
Filing Date: 2015-11-24
Classification: G07F,G16H

Abstract:
1. A daisy-chain array of controlled access medication storage cabinets comprising a plurality of medication cabinets, each said medication cabinet including at least one electronically controlled locking compartment, which may be closed to secure contents within the locking compartment and opened for access to said contents, and which may be locked and unlocked; a control circuit module coupled to said at least one locking compartment to transmit lock and unlock commands thereto and to obtain therefrom open/closed status of the locking compartment and locked/unlocked status of the locking compartment; and having a computer connection port for connecting to a suitably programmed computer, and an i2C port adapted to be connected to the other cabinets in the array and adapted to receive at least suitably addressed lock commands and unlock commands and to transmit status messages; a daisy-chain cable connected with the i2C ports of each of the cabinets of said array, the cable including at least a common conductor, a serial clock conductor, and a serial data conductor; a suitably programmed computer connected by a wire or wireless connection to the computer connection port of the control circuit module of one of said medication cabinets, and serving as a control interface for each of the cabinets in said array, and being suitably programmed to assign a unique identification code to each said cabinet in said array, to transmit command codes that incorporate said identity codes to specific ones of the cabinets, including a command to lock the at least one locking compartment thereof, a command to unlock the at least one locking compartment thereof, and a status request, and to receive responses from said cabinets to include an open or closed status of the at least one locking compartment and a locked or unlocked status of the at least one locking compartment; and wherein one or more additional cabinets can be added later to said array by connecting the i2C port thereof to the i2C port of any of the plurality of medication cabinets in said array, and wherein said suitably programmed computer is configured for automatically recognizing the presence of the additional cabinet and for automatically assigning each such additional cabinet a unique identity code as an added member of said array.