Patent ID: 8576076

Claim:
An automatic sponge counter apparatus for counting sponges, each sponge carrying an RF identification tag operable to transmit a unique data string corresponding to the tagged sponge, the apparatus comprising: a non-optical scanner configured to interrogate a plurality of RF identification tagged sponges simultaneously present within a volume, said scanner simultaneously reading a plurality of tagged sponges present within said volume, said scanner detecting each of the plurality of tagged sponges electromagnetically, said scanner detecting the unique data strings corresponding to each of the plurality of tagged sponges; and a control unit that maintains a count of a total number of tagged sponges present in said volume, said control unit maintaining a running count of a number of tagged sponges from a predetermined time, said control unit being responsive to said non-optical scanner, said control unit receiving the unique data strings from the non-optical scanner, said control unit identifying each of the plurality of tagged sponges based on the unique data string.