Abstract:
A storage unit and associated methods of use enable clinicians to store portable electronic devices in a centralized location while ensuring that proper authorization is needed to access the devices. The storage unit is formed with an enclosure for housing portable electronic devices. A plurality of shelves are disposed within the enclosure, each being sized for supporting a portable electronic device. One or more access doors are mounted onto the enclosure and moved between a closed position preventing access to housed electronic devices and an open position where the electronic devices may be viewed and accessed. Each access door has a locking mechanism coupled therewith to selectively maintain the access door in the closed position. Optionally, the locking mechanism receives input regarding a request for access to the enclosure and automatically unlocks the associated access door when the input received is associated with an authorized request for access.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to commonly owned U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/804,236 filed Jun. 8, 2006, incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Portable electronic devices, such as laptop computers, PDAs, and the like, are used in modern clinical settings in the delivery of patient care. These devices allow clinicians to perform a variety of care-related tasks, examples of which include viewing a patient&#39;s electronic medical record (EMR) or collaborating with other clinicians about a particular patient&#39;s plan of care, all without having to be at a fixed location. By providing clinicians with tools that enable faster access to the information they need to make informed care delivery decisions, treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction may be improved. 
         [0004]    Clinical organizations often have a number of portable electronic devices that are shared amongst numerous individuals performing clinical tasks. For example, a team of anesthesiologists in a hospital may share use of the same set of laptop computers or PDAs that are loaded with software relevant to the tasks that they commonly perform. These devices, however, are often the subject of theft due to their high value and portability. Not only is it expensive to replace these devices, but sensitive patient information may also be stored on them. Additionally, these items are easy to misplace in clinical settings where many other electronic devices are present. Each clinician that shares use of a device may also choose to store the device at a secure location that they will remember, but other clinicians may not be familiar with, causing confusion and wasted time searching for the device. Portable electronic devices also typically have a power supply, also called a “power converter”, for drawing A/C power during normal operation or recharging batteries within the device. In a clinical setting, these power supplies are also easy to misplace and difficult to distinguish from one another when many devices are present. Clinicians, therefore, have found elusive a solution for the organized storage and recharging of portable electronic devices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    A storage unit provides for the organized and secure retention of portable electronic devices. The storage unit is configured to allow access to the electronic devices within the unit only by authorized clinicians. By aggregating a number of electronic devices together in a centralized location, clinicians can more easily locate a needed device that is shared with other individuals. 
         [0006]    In one aspect, the storage unit is formed with an enclosure for housing portable electronic devices and associated power supplies. A plurality of shelves are disposed within the enclosure, each being sized for supporting a portable electronic device. One or more access doors are mounted onto the enclosure and moved between a closed position preventing access to housed electronic devices and an open position where the electronic devices may be viewed and accessed. Each access door has a locking mechanism coupled therewith to selectively maintain the access door in the closed position. A chamber is also formed within the enclosure where power supplies associated with the portable electronic devices may be stored. 
         [0007]    The storage unit may optionally have casters so that the unit may be easily moved to another location within a clinical environment, such as a hospital. Additionally, the locking mechanism may receive input regarding a request for access to the enclosure and automatically unlock each access door when the input received is associated with an authorized request for access to the storage unit. Sensors may also be provided on the plurality of shelves to detect where electronic devices are currently present, as well as when devices are removed and return to specific shelves. 
         [0008]    In another aspect, the storage unit is formed as an enclosure that houses portable electronic devices that are supported by a plurality of shelves disposed within the enclosure. One or more access doors are mounted onto the enclosure and moved between a closed position preventing access to housed electronic devices and an open position where the electronic devices may be viewed and accessed. A locking mechanism is coupled with and selectively maintains each access door in the closed position. Each locking mechanism receives input regarding a request for access to the enclosure and automatically unlocks the associated access door when the input received is associated with an authorized request for access to the storage unit. 
         [0009]    A method for regulating access to an enclosure is provided in another aspect. The enclosure contains a plurality of shelves that are each sized for supporting a portable electronic device, and access to the enclosure is gained through one or more access doors mounted on the enclosure. According to the method, input is received regarding a request for access to the enclosure while the one or more access doors are secured in a closed position. The input is processed to determine if an authorized request for access to the enclosure has been made. If so, then a locking mechanism that secures the one or more access doors in the closed position moves to an unlocked position to allow the doors to be moved from the closed position to the open position, allowing access and removal from the enclosure of portable electronic devices positioned on the plurality of shelves. 
         [0010]    Additional advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in part in a description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are employed to indicate like parts in the various views: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a storage unit holding portable electronic devices and with access doors in the closed position; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the storage unit of  FIG. 1  with the access doors in the open position; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the storage unit of  FIG. 1  with the side wall partially removed and one divider wall removed to show an extended shelf supporting a portable electronic device with an associated power supply; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one shelf having a resilient clip and a pressure sensor; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of circuital architecture of the storage unit; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating one process for regulating access to the portable electronic devices within the storage unit; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a fragmentary view, partially in section, showing the contact switch mounted with the enclosure and one access door to indicate when the access door in the closed position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    One embodiment of a storage unit  100  having regulated access to contents housed within the unit, such as portable electronic devices, is shown generally in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The storage unit  100  is particularly well suited for use in clinical settings where a group of authorized clinicians may share use of various portable electronic devices. As one example, the portable electronic devices may include laptop computers, PDAs, tablet PC&#39;s, cellular phones, and the like, which may display various types of clinical information (e.g., electronic medical records (EMR) or other documentation, diagnostic images, etc.) and facilitate communication with other portable electronic devices, computing devices or networks. The storage unit  100  provides a centralized location where a number of shared devices may be stored while ensuring that only authorized clinicians may access the devices. Additionally, the storage unit  100  is configured to provide an organized layout where specific devices can be easily located and differentiated from other devices within the unit  100 . 
         [0020]    The storage unit  100  is formed generally by an enclosure  102  with a ceiling  104 , a floor  106 , a pair of sidewalls  108 , a back wall  110  and a pair of front access doors  112 . Locking mechanisms  114  regulate the opening of the access doors  112  for obtaining access to the enclosure  102 . An exterior shelf  116  extends from each sidewall  108 , and set of casters  118  are mounted onto the floor  106  of the enclosure  102  for portability of the storage unit  100  in a clinical environment (e.g., hospital, physician&#39;s office, etc.). It should be understood that the overall shape of the enclosure  102  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is exemplary. Additionally, the enclosure  102  may one, two, or any number of access doors  112  mounted onto the enclosure  102  as a matter of design choice. 
         [0021]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the pair of access doors  112  are pivoted to a fully opened position to reveal a plurality of shelves  120  onto which may be placed portable electronic devices  122  of a particular size. The shelves  120  are preferably mounted upon drawer slides  124  (e.g., roller or ball bearing) as seen in further detail in  FIG. 3 . The drawer slides  124  are fixedly positioned within the enclosure  102  to allow for extension of the shelves  120  laterally outward. This facilitates removal of electronic devices  122  from specific shelves  120  without disturbing electronic devices  122  on other shelves  120 . The shelves  120  may have uniform vertical spacing between one another of a limited dimension in order to limit the sizes of specific portable electronic device  122  that may be stored on certain shelves  120  within the storage unit  100 . For instance, the shelf spacing may limit the storage of items larger than a full-size laptop computer on most shelves  120 . Furthermore, specifically dimensioned bays  126  may be formed on particular shelves  120  to provide a storage region for small electronic devices  122  (e.g., PDAs) while preventing larger electronic devices  122  from being placed on such shelves  120 . Those of skill in the art will appreciate, however, that other shelf sizes and configurations may be selected based on the types of portable electronic device  122  desired to be stored within the unit  100 . 
         [0022]    A pair of divider walls  128  extend vertically through the enclosure  102  between first and second columns of shelves  120 . The divider walls  128  define a central chamber  130  therebetween into which a power supply  132  (i.e., a AC-to-DC power converter) for each of the portable electronic devices  122  may be stored. A multi-outlet power strip  134  is mounted onto the back wall  110  of the enclosure  102  and may be plugged into a standard wall A/C outlet of a building. Each power supply  132  plugs into the power strip  134  to provide power (converted to D/C) to a specific electronic device  122 . The divider walls  128  also have cutouts (not shown) to allow power supply cords  136  to extend therethrough to reach the electronic devices  122  stored on the shelves  120 . A plurality of horizontally flanges  138  extend from the divider walls  128  within the central chamber  130  and are each generally positioned adjacent to one of the shelves  120  to support a power supply  132  that is associated with one particular electronic device  122  that is to be placed on the adjacent shelf  120 . For instance, each shelf could be designated with a particular position (e.g., Column  1 , Shelf  5 ) and a particular electronic device  122  associated with that position by placing a label on the exterior of the electronic device  122  denoting the assigned position for the device  122 . This ensures that when the electronic device  122  is placed on a shelf, the power supply  132  associated with that particular electronic device  122  is conveniently located in an adjacent position and may be easily plugged in to recharge the battery within the electronic device  122 . 
         [0023]    As seen in further detail in  FIG. 4 , a resilient clip  140  is attached to the upper surface  142  of each shelf  120  and serves to retain an end connector  144  of the power supply cord  136  on the shelf  120  through extension and retraction of the shelves  120 . This allows a clinician to easily plug the end connector  144  into a electronic device  122  without having to search for the end connector  144  within the enclosure  102 . Adjacent to the clip  140  on each shelf  120  is a pressure sensor  146 , which may be in the form of a thin membrane. Exemplary pressure sensors  146  that are suitable include piezoelectric pressure sensors or pressure transducers. The pressure sensor  146  detects the presence of an electronic device  122  on the shelf  120  by the weight of the electronic device  122  pressing on the pressure sensor  146 . When a pressure change is detected, either by a electronic device  122  being placed on or removed from the pressure sensor  146  surface, a signal is transmitted to circuitry  500  disposed within a housing  148  mounted to the enclosure  102 , and seen in further detail in  FIG. 5 . Circuitry  500  processes the signal received from the pressure sensor  146  to determine if an increase or decrease of pressure has occurred from the last signal received from the particular pressure sensor  146  transmitting the signal. Additionally, circuitry  500  registers the time at which the signal is received from the particular pressure sensor  146 , which allows for logging of the amount of time a particular electronic device  122  has been “checked out” of the storage unit  100 . As an alternative to the pressure sensor, an optical sensor (e.g., an infrared sensor) or other type of sensor may be provided for sensing the presence of an electronic device  122  upon a particular shelf  120 . The functionality of circuitry  500  will be explained in further detail herein. 
         [0024]    Returning to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and with reference to  FIG. 5 , one locking mechanism  114  is mounted onto each of the access doors  112 . Each locking mechanism  114  has an actuator  150 , for example, a solenoid, operating on electrical current regulated by the circuitry  500 . The actuator  150  turns a hub  152  having a pair of opposed locking rods  154  pivotably mounted thereto. When one of the access doors  112  is in the closed position shown in  FIG. 1 , the rotation of the hub  152  extends the locking rods  154  through apertures  156  in top and bottom sections  158  and  160  of each access door  112  and into the slots  162  and  164  in the ceiling  104  and floor  106 , respectively, of the enclosure  102  to lock the door  112  in place. 
         [0025]    Clinicians may be provided by a clinical organization with an access card (not shown) having a readable magnetic strip that stores information regarding authorization for access to the electronic devices  122  within the storage unit  100 . Such an access card would thus function in a similar way to known cards having a readable magnetic strip, such as a consumer credit or debit card. Accordingly, the storage unit  100  has an electronic card reader  166  mounted on the external surface  160  of one of the doors  112 . The electronic card reader  166  scans the magnetic strip present on an access card to verify whether the clinician associated with the card is authorized to access the devices  122  within the storage unit  100 . Upon scanning, the card reader  166  sends a signal to the circuitry  500  to verify whether the access card should grant storage unit access. If so, then the circuitry  500  allows a flow of electrical current to energize the actuator  150  and cause hub  152  rotation and retraction of the locking rods  154  from the slots  162  and  164 , thereby allowing the doors  112  to be fully opened to the position depicted in  FIG. 2 . In an alternative embodiment, the card reader  166  may be replaced with a touch keypad (not shown) or other device allowing a clinician to enter certain information (e.g., a confidential alphanumerical passcode) confirming authorization to access electronic devices  122  within the storage unit  100 . 
         [0026]    It should be understood that other types of locking mechanisms  114  may be implemented with the storage unit  100 . For example, mechanisms may be mounted directly onto the enclosure  102  instead of on the access doors  112 . Such a locking mechanism may extend locking rods  154  or the like through either or both of the apertures  156  in the top and bottom sections  158  and  160  of each access door  112  to maintain the doors  112  in the closed position. 
         [0027]    With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 7 , an magnetic contact switch  168  may be provided, in one embodiment, with each access door  112 . Each contact switch  168  includes a wired magnetic component  170  mounted to the underside  176  of the ceiling  104  of the enclosure  102  and an unwired magnetic component  172  mounted onto an inside surface  174  of one of the access doors  112 . When one access door  112  is moved to the closed position, the wired magnetic component  170  and unwired magnetic component  172  are in close proximity to one another to form a completed circuit, as seen in  FIG. 7 . Circuitry  500  detects the completed circuit and controls the electrical current flow to the actuator  150  of the associated access door  112  to enable locking of the door  112 . Thus, when one of the access doors  112  is moved to the closed position, it is automatically locked without requiring further action from the clinician accessing the storage unit  100 . 
         [0028]    In accordance with one embodiment, the circuitry  500  includes a processing unit  502 , such as a microprocessor, microcontroller or application-specific integrated circuit, along with associated memory  504 . By way of example, the processing unit  502  handles control signals and/or data signals of various types. For instance, one or more pressure sensors  146  generate a signal that is transmitted to the processing unit  502 . The memory  504  stores embedded software that is used by the processing unit  502  to determine pressure values based on the signal received from a specific pressure sensor  146  and also causes the processing unit  502  to note the time when the signal was received and the specific sensor  146  from which the signal originated. The embedded software is also used in the verification of authorization information (e.g., retrieved from the scanned access card) for accessing the storage unit  100 . Circuitry  500  optionally includes a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter  506  connected with a speaker  508 . When the locking mechanisms  114  move to the unlocked position, so that either or both of the access doors  112  may be opened, the circuitry  500  notes the time. If the circuitry  500  does not detect a completed circuit or “closed access door” condition from each of the magnetic contact switches  168  within predetermined period of time (e.g., 60 seconds), the circuitry  500  generates an alarm signal that is transmitted to the D/A converter  506 , which forces the speaker  508  to produce an audible alarm to remind the clinician to close all of the access doors  112  to the storage unit  100 . Circuitry  500  may also include a transmitter  510  for communication with a clinical network via a remote receiver (not shown), so that information logged and stored by the circuitry  500  regarding storage unit  100  access, an alarm situation, or electronic device  122  inventory, return to and/or retrieval from the unit  100  may be monitored by a clinical organization. Furthermore, the exemplary architecture of the circuitry  500  ensures that if the main power input to the storage unit  100  is not provided, then access to the enclosure  102  is forbidden. More specifically, if the storage unit  100  is simply unplugged, the electronic card reader  166  will not be able to scan access cards, and no electrical current will flow to the actuators  150 , both steps being necessary to unlock the access doors  112 . 
         [0029]    One exemplary process  600  for regulating access to the electronic devices  122  within the storage unit  100  is illustrated in  FIG. 6 . A clinician will swipe an assigned access card through the electronic card reader  166 , in step  602 . Based on information detected on the card, a decision is made in step  604  regarding whether an authorized request for access has been made. If the request for access is not authorized, then the access doors  112  of the storage unit  100  remained locked in step  606  and thereafter the process  600  ends. Otherwise, in step  608 , an authorized request for access causes the locking mechanisms  114  to unlock each of the access doors  112 . Each pressure sensors  146  then detects the presence of electronic devices  122  and transmits representative signals to the circuitry  500 , in step  610 , allowing the circuitry  500  to register the positions (i.e., particular column and shelves  120 ) where electronic devices  112  are presently located while also logging the time of the access doors  112  unlocking. Thereafter, the pressure sensors  146  detect the removal from and return of electronic devices  122  to the shelves  120  while one or more of the access doors  112  are opened, as will be explained herein. 
         [0030]    In step  612 , a determination is made as to whether electronic device  122  removal is detected by any particular pressure sensors  146 . If none of the pressure sensors detect the removal of electronic devices  122 , the process continues at step  616 . Otherwise, if electronic device removal is detected, then in step  614 , the circuitry  500  registers the position and time of removal for each electronic device  122  removed. Then, in step  616 , a determination is made as to whether electronic device  122  return is detected by any particular pressure sensors  146 . If none of the pressure sensors detect the return of electronic devices  122 , the process continues at step  620 . Otherwise, if electronic device return is detected, then in step  618 , the circuitry  500  registers the position and time of return for each electronic device  122  returned. 
         [0031]    During the process  600 , the circuitry  500  is detecting for a closed circuit condition with each magnetic contact switch  168 , which signals that the access doors  112  are closed and the contents of the enclosure  102  are secure. Based on the time noted for when the locking mechanisms  114  unlock the access doors  112  (in step  608 ), the circuitry  500  determines, in step  620 , whether a excessive period of time has elapsed since the access doors  112  were unlocked based on a predetermined time limit. If the predetermined time limit is exceeded before the circuitry detects the closed circuit condition for the magnetic contact switches  168 , an alarm signal is generated by the circuitry  500  and an audible alert provided by the speaker  508  in step  622 . Otherwise, detection of the closed circuit condition for each of the magnetic contact switches  168  before the predetermined time limit is exceeded causes the process to move directly to step  624 . Returning to step  622 , the audible alarm will cease once the closed circuit condition for each of the magnetic contact switches  168  is detected. At the point where the circuitry  500  detects the closed circuit condition for each switch  168 , then in step  624 , the closing of the doors is registered. Circuitry  500  then controls the electrical current flow to the actuator  150  of each locking mechanism  114  to enable locking of the access doors  112 , in step  626 . Thereafter, the process  600  ends. 
         [0032]    As can be seen, the storage unit  100  and associated methods of operation thereof provide for controlled and shared access to portable electronic devices in a clinical environment. Since certain changes may be made in the above invention without departing from the scope hereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are to cover certain generic and specific features described herein.