Patent ID: 9082236
Filing Date: 2015-07-14
Classification: G07C

Abstract:
1. An anesthesia cart comprising a cabinet having a base, a top, a plurality of roller means mounted on the base of the cabinet to permit the cabinet to be moved; a computer control arrangement mounted on said cabinet and including a computer processor, a data entry device, a fixed RFID reader mounted in the cabinet and being coupled to said computer processor; at least one general use drawer in said cabinet including an electro-mechanical lock mechanism coupled to said computer processor; at least one controlled-materials drawer in said cabinet having a plurality of lockable storage compartments and one or more motors for locking and unlocking the plurality of lockable storage compartments; and an active RFID transceiver suitably configured for transmitting an anesthesia authorization code over a given range of at least one meter to said fixed RFID reader; said fixed RFID reader cooperating with said computer control arrangement to communicate with the electro-mechanical lock mechanism of said at least one general use drawer and to communicate with the one or more motors of said plurality of lockable storage compartments, and respond to presence of said anesthesia authorization code to unlock said at least one general use drawer to permit access to said at least one general use drawer; to await entry of an authorized pass code on said data entry device; upon entry of said authorized pass code to unlock a respective lockable storage compartment of the plurality of lockable storage compartments in said at least one controlled-materials drawer, the electro-mechanical lock mechanism of said at least one general use drawer and a respective motor of the one or more motors of said at least one controlled-materials drawer being configured to keep the at least one general use drawer and the respective lockable storage compartment in said at least one controlled-materials drawer unlocked after having been unlocked, so long as said active RFID transceiver remains within said given range of at least one meter of said fixed RFID reader; and upon loss by said fixed RFID reader of the anesthesia authorization code transmitted from said active RFID transceiver, to re-lock said at least one general use drawer and to re-lock the respective lockable storage compartment of the plurality of lockable storage compartments of said at least one controlled-materials drawer; wherein said at least one controlled-materials drawer is configured as a pull out drawer slidably supported in the cabinet; with said plurality of lockable storage compartments in said pull out drawer, the plurality of lockable storage compartments being arranged in a plurality of rows in a given direction across said pull out drawer, and an elongated channel portion arranged between each respective pair of rows of the plurality of rows and extending in said given direction; each of said plurality of lockable storage compartments having a compartment lid that is normally locked down but is selectively releasable to permit the respective compartment lid to open for permitting access to the respective lockable storage compartment; and a slide bar disposed in said channel portion and configured to move for at least a limited linear distance in said given direction within said channel portion located adjacent to each of the compartment lids of the respective pair of rows, and arranged to slide and be linearly displaced to different respective positions in said given direction, each position to unlock only a respective one of the compartment lids and leave the remaining compartment lids locked; and a respective motor of the one or more motors moving said slide bar to a selected one of said positions in said given direction to permit only one said compartment lid to be lifted open.