A filling device for filling a removable medication cartridge for the smart medication dispenser is provided. The filling device includes a stationary fill plate with a plurality of openings. The openings are shaped to allow the passage of medications through the fill plate. The cartridge is removably positioned vertically below the fill plate and with the chambers of the cartridge being aligned with the openings of the fill plate. A gate is positioned vertically below the fill plate and above the cartridge. When in a closed position, the gate covers the openings from beneath the fill plate, and movement of the gate to an open position causes at least one medication to fall through at least one of the openings from above the stationary fill plate into at least one of the chambers in the cartridge prior to removal of the medication cartridge with the medications received within the chambers.

An adaptive inventory management system for use in a materials handling facility storing a plurality of items that are each associated with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. The management system including a global inventory database subsystem and a RFID interrogator subsystem comprising a plurality of RFID interrogators that are each configured to read the unique identifier of the RFID tag associated with each of the plurality of items that are within a defined boundary of at least one scan zone generated by the respective RFID interrogator and to communicate the unique identifier of the each scanned RFID tag identified within each scan zone of the respective RFID interrogator to the global inventory database subsystem. The management system being selectively configured to effect user desired levels of fidelity and/or resolution with respect to the generated unique identifier of each scanned RFID tag within a defined space of the materials handling facility.

A method for locating wireless tags is described. A signal including a RoomID generated by a transceiver is received by a wireless tag. The RoomID identifies a room corresponding to the transceiver and the wireless tag receives the signal asynchronously without being synchronized with the transceiver. A tracking packet including the RoomID and an identifier of the wireless tag is broadcasted by the wireless tag. The tracking packet is received by an access point which provides the tracking packet to a localization system that determines a location of the wireless tag based on the RoomID.

An adaptive inventory management system for use in a materials handling facility storing a plurality of items that are each associated with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. The management system including a global inventory database subsystem and a RFID interrogator subsystem comprising a plurality of RFID interrogators that are each configured to read the unique identifier of the RFID tag associated with each of the plurality of items that are within a defined boundary of at least one scan zone generated by the respective RFID interrogator and to communicate the unique identifier of the each scanned RFID tag identified within each scan zone of the respective RFID interrogator to the global inventory database subsystem. The management system being selectively configured to effect user desired levels of fidelity and/or resolution with respect to the generated unique identifier of the each scanned RFID tag within a defined space of the materials handling facility.

Various embodiments illustrated herein disclose a method. The method includes receiving, by a first radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag in an RFID reader, a first interrogation command from another RFID reader. The method includes transmitting, by the first RFID tag in the RFID reader, a first response signal to the other RFID reader in response to the reception of the first interrogation command. The method further includes transmitting, by a processor in the RFID reader, a second interrogation command to one or more second RFID tags, where the transmission of the second interrogation command is concurrent to the reception of the first interrogation command or the transmission of the first response signal.

The invention provides method for organizing the disinfection of one or more items contaminated with biological agent(s) comprising (a) attaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag to an item(s) to be disinfected; exposing the item(s) of (a) to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient to disinfect the item; and (c) obtaining a signal from the tagged item when disinfection is complete thereby organizing the disinfection of one or more items.

Systems and methods of identifying wearable tags or other items within a facility. The location of the identifiable item can be calculated by the system and used to improve the efficiency of the facility or to dispatch emergency help or maintenance to the location of the badge.

An asset management and tracking system for use in a facility having a product designation RFID tag having product information is attached to a product and at least one location designation RFID tag having location information. The system includes a RFID reader and a portable communication device. The RFID reader reads at least one of the product designation RFID tag and the at least one location designation RFID tag and the portable communication device receives product information from and transmits product information to an asset tracking and management device. The RFID reader transmits product information read from the product designation RFID tag and the location information read from the location designation RFID tags to the portable communication device. The portable communication device, in turn, transmits the received product information and location information to the asset tracking device and queries the asset tracking device for additional product and location information.

A wireless tag reading system includes a body and three or more tag reading apparatuses arranged along a vertical direction on the body and configured to read identification information from wireless tags using a plurality of frequencies. A total number of the tag reading apparatuses is greater than or equal to a total number of the frequencies, and reading ranges of two of the wireless tag reading apparatuses that are adjacent to each other partially overlap. The wireless tag reading system further includes an information processing apparatus configured to collect the identification information read from the wireless tags by the wireless tag reading apparatuses.

An RFID-based item tracking system may use statistical methods to determine whether a tag or tagged item that does not respond when inventoried is present in a particular zone or reader antenna field-of-view. In one embodiment, the item tracking system may determine an observability of an item based on one or more initial trials. Upon not detecting the item in one or more subsequent trials, the item tracking system may estimate whether the item is still present based on the observability.