Patent ID: 7263501

Claim:
An inventory control system for controlling an inventory of a plurality of point-of-care diagnostic devices, wherein the inventory includes a main inventory and at least one subinventory, the inventory control system comprising: data associated with a plurality of point-of-care diagnostic devices, including at least one type of device, wherein each device is configured to perform at least one sample analysis, and wherein each device has an ambient temperature shelf life, wherein the data includes a current number of at least one type of device in a main inventory and a predetermined minimum number of devices of that type in the main inventory, and includes a current number of at least one type of device in at least one subinventory and a predetermined minimum number of devices of that type in the at least one subinventory, wherein a first timestamp is associated with the device when the device is transferred from the main inventory to an ambient temperature subinventory, wherein the main inventory comprises a controlled inventory, wherein the first timestamp is compared to a second timestamp prior to use of the device to determine whether the ambient temperature shelf life of the device is exceeded, and wherein each of the at least one subinventory is associated with a point-of-care location; a data input interface entering the data; a data output interface displaying the data; a memory storing the data and storing steps of a computer program to: automatically update the current number of devices in the at least one subinventory in response to an occurrence of an event that causes a change in the current number of devices in the at least one subinventory; and a processor accessing the memory to execute the computer program.