| Sonstiges: |
- Nachgewiesen in: USPTO Patent Applications
- Sprachen: English
- Document Number: 20220022346
- Publication Date: January 20, 2022
- Appl. No: 17/391678
- Application Filed: August 02, 2021
- Assignees: MEPS Real-Time, Inc. (Carlsbad, CA, US)
- Claim: 1. A medical article storage container having an internal storage space surrounded by the container, the storage container being shielded from leaking radio-frequency (“RF”) energy out of and into the storage space, the container formed with a plurality of interconnected walls, the container comprising: a first wall comprising an electrically-conductive component coextensive with the first wall and forming a portion thereof, the first wall having a mating surface that physically mates with a second wall, the electrically conductive component of the first wall is exposed at the mating surface to make electrical contact with an electrically conductive component of a second wall when physically mated together, wherein the mating surface of the first wall is formed into a shape of a portion of a tortuous path for mating with a second wall, wherein the shape of the tortuous path includes a bend; and a second wall comprising an electrically conductive component coextensive with the second wall and forming a portion thereof, the second wall having a mating surface that is physically mated with the mating surface of the first wall, wherein the mating surface of the second wall is formed into a shape of a portion of a tortuous path that is complementary to the shape of the portion of the tortuous path of the first wall including the bend, wherein the electrically conductive component of the second wall is electrically connected to the electrically conductive component of the first wall and the portion of the tortuous path of the second wall is physically and electrically mated with the portion of the tortuous path of the first wall including the bend thereby providing a tortuous path seal at the mating surfaces of the first and second walls to attenuate RF energy leaking out of and into the storage space.
- Claim: 2. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein both the first and second walls each comprise a respective substrate and the electrically conductive components of both the first and second walls are embedded into their respective substrate and are exposed to electrically mate with each other thereby shielding the storage space from leaking RF energy.
- Claim: 3. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein the first and second walls each comprise a respective substrate and the electrically conductive components of both the first and second walls are embedded into their respective substrate and form an outer surface of the wall which contacts the electrically conductive component of the other wall when mated thereby shielding the storage space from leaking RF energy.
- Claim: 4. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein the first and second walls each comprise a respective substrate and the electrically conductive components of both the first and second walls are disposed over an outer surface of their respective substrates and contact the electrically conductive component of the other wall when mated thereby shielding the storage space from leaking RF energy.
- Claim: 5. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein the a tortuous path seal formed by the first and second walls comprises a tortuous path having two bends.
- Claim: 6. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein the bend of the tortuous path seal comprises an angle of ninety degrees.
- Claim: 7. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein the first wall comprises a respective substrate and the electrically-conductive component of the first wall comprises an electrically conductive mesh embedded in the first wall substrate, the mesh having openings of a size selected in accordance with the frequency of the RF energy operating in the storage space to provide a predetermined amount of attenuation of the RF energy at the operating frequency.
- Claim: 8. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein the first and second walls have selectable sizes relative to each other wherein the first wall is used in a first storage container of a first size and the second wall is used in a second storage container of a second size that is different from the size of the first storage container, wherein the first and second storage containers are modular containers that are connected together at the mating surface of the first wall and the second walls.
- Claim: 9. The medical article storage container of claim 8 wherein the mating surface at which two modular containers are connected together comprises a rib disposed over the mating surface, the rib comprising an RF energy channel having a bend thereby providing a tortuous path seal that attenuates RF energy leaking out of and into the storage space.
- Claim: 10. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein the tortuous path has a size selected to attenuate RF energy used for operation in the storage space, the tortuous path further comprising electrically conductive shielding foam located at the bend, the electrically conductive shielding foam configured to attenuate RF energy, thereby providing an electrical shield for the storage space.
- Claim: 11. The medical article storage container of claim 10 wherein the tortuous path further comprises electrically conductive adhesive applied to the foam at a selected position in the tortuous path, the electrically conductive adhesive holding the foam permanently in the selected position and contributing to the electrical shield of the storage space.
- Claim: 12. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein the tortuous path has a size that attenuates RF energy that is used for operation in the storage space, the tortuous path further comprising metal wool shielding located within the tortuous path, the metal wool configured to attenuate RF energy in the tortuous path, thereby providing an electrical shield for the storage space.
- Claim: 13. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein both of the first and second walls comprise a respective substrate and the substrates of the first and second walls are formed of a plastic having a relatively low coefficient of electrical conductivity whereby a lighter wall is provided.
- Claim: 14. The medical article storage container of claim 1 wherein the first wall comprises an opening providing access to the internal storage space, the medical article storage container also comprising a door located at an outer surface of the first wall and covering the opening at one position and uncovering the opening in a second position, the door comprising electrically conductive material on an inner surface of the door to electrically mate with the electrical component of the first wall to provide an RF shield across the opening of the first wall, the first wall further comprising a first portion of a door tortuous path seal located about the opening of the first wall, and the door comprising a second portion of the door tortuous path of a complementary shape to that of the tortuous path portion on the first wall, the first portion of the tortuous path configured to accept the portion of the tortuous path of the door when the door is in the closed position such that the tortuous path is completed and the tortuous path seal is formed when the door is in the closed position.
- Claim: 15. The medical article storage container of claim 14 wherein the door tortuous path seal has a size selected to attenuate energy at an operating frequency in the internal storage space, and the door tortuous path seal comprises a bend in which is located electrical shield foam held in place with an electrically conductive adhesive.
- Claim: 16. The medical article storage container of claim 14 wherein the door comprises a drawer slidably located in the opening of the first wall and movable into and out of the internal storage space, the drawer having a front wall that is larger than the opening in the first wall of the container, the front wall of the drawer being movable to a closed position in relation to the medical article container at which the front wall of the drawer moves into contact with the first wall and covers the opening; wherein the drawer front wall includes an electrically conductive component coexistent with the drawer front wall and configured so that when the drawer is in the closed position, the electrically conductive component of the front wall of the drawer is placed into physical and electrical contact with the electrically conductive component of the first wall in which the opening; wherein the front wall of the drawer further includes a portion of a tortuous path located about edges of the front wall; wherein the first wall of the medical article container includes a second portion of a tortuous path located about the opening in the first wall and having a shape that is complementary to the tortuous path portion disposed about edges of the front wall of the drawer configured so that when the drawer is closed, the two portions of the tortuous path mate and form a tortuous path seal thereby shielding the storage space from leakage of RF energy out of and into the storage space.
- Claim: 17. The medical article storage container of claim 14 wherein the tortuous path located about the front wall of the drawer has a bend configured to attenuate electrical energy at an operating frequency in the internal storage space.
- Claim: 18. The medical article storage container of claim 1 further comprising a first container module having a false bottom under which are located an RFID reader and an RFID probe, and comprising a second module containing the internal storage space, the second module coupled to the first module, the RFID reader and RFID probe configured to be usable with different sizes of second module attached to the first module of the container.
- Claim: 19. The medical article storage container of claim 18 wherein the second module is attached to the first module at a mating surface, the container further comprising an RFID shielding rib located over the mating surface and providing a tortuous path seal at the mating surface.
- Claim: 20. A method of shielding an internal storage space of a medical article storage container that surrounds the internal storage space, from RF energy leakage out of and into the internal storage space, comprising: surrounding the internal storage space with a plurality of interconnected walls, of which a first wall comprises an electrically-conductive component coextensive with the first wall and forming a portion thereof, a portion of a tortuous path that comprises a bend, and a first wall mating surface, and wherein the plurality of interconnected walls also comprises a second wall that comprises an electrically-conductive component coextensive with the second wall and forming a portion thereof, a portion of a tortuous path that comprises a bend and has a shape that is complementary to the shape of the portion of a tortuous path of the first wall, and a second wall mating surface, connecting the first and second walls together physically at their mating surfaces and connecting their portions of a tortuous path together to form a tortuous path seal, and electrically connecting their electrically-conductive components together; and wherein by means of connecting the two portions of the tortuous path together, an RF tortuous path seal is formed at the mating surfaces of the first wall and the second wall to attenuate RF energy that may leak out of or into the internal storage area.
- Claim: 21. The method of shielding an internal storage space of a medical article storage container of claim 20 wherein the step of surrounding comprises the first and second walls comprising electrically conductive mesh embedded in the walls, and further comprising the step of selecting the mesh to have openings of a size selected in accordance with the frequency of the RF energy operating in the storage space to provide a predetermined amount of attenuation of RF energy at the operating frequency of the storage space.
- Claim: 22. The method of shielding an internal storage space of a medical article storage container of claim 20 further comprising the step of selecting the sizes of the walls relative to each other wherein the first wall is used in a first storage container of a first size and the second wall is used in a second storage container of a second size that is different from the first storage container, and connecting together the first and second storage containers, which are modular containers, at mating surfaces of the walls of the first storage container being connected to the second walls of the second storage container.
- Claim: 23. The method of shielding an internal storage space of a medical article storage container of claim 20 further comprising selecting the size of the tortuous path seal to attenuate energy at an operating frequency in the storage space.
- Claim: 24. The method of shielding an internal storage space of a medical article storage container of claim 20 further comprising inserting electrically conductive shielding foam which attenuates RF energy in the tortuous path seal thereby providing an electrical shield for the storage space.
- Claim: 25. The method of shielding an internal storage space of a medical article storage container of claim 24 further comprising applying an electrically conductive adhesive to the electrically conductive shielding foam to secure it in place in the tortuous path seal.
- Claim: 26. A medical article storage container having an internal storage space surrounded by the container, the storage container being shielded from leaking radio-frequency (“RF”) energy out of and into the storage space, the container formed with a plurality of interconnected walls, the container comprising: a first wall comprising a substrate and an electrically-conductive component coextensive with the substrate, the first wall having a mating surface that physically mates with a mating surface of a second wall and electrically mates with an electrically-conductive component of a second wall, wherein the mating surface of the first wall includes a portion of a tortuous path for mating with a second wall that has a complementary portion of a tortuous path, wherein both portions of the tortuous path comprise portion of a bend in the tortuous pathway; and a second wall comprising a substrate and an electrically conductive component coextensive with the second wall substrate, the second wall having a mating surface that physical mates with the mating surface of the first wall wherein such mating comprises physically mating the two mating surfaces together and electrically mating the electrically-conductive components of the first and second walls, the second wall also having a portion of a tortuous pathway that is complementary to the portion of tortuous pathway of the first wall such that when the portion of the first wall and the portion of the second wall are mated, a tortuous pathway seal if formed at the mating surfaces of the first and second walls to attenuate RF energy leaking out of and into the storage space.
- Claim: 27. The medical article storage container of claim 26 wherein the electrically conductive components of both the first and second walls are embedded within the substrates of their respective walls and are configured to extend to the mating surfaces of each wall and be exposed so that when the mating surfaces of the first and second walls are mated, the electrical components of the same walls are also mated.
- Claim: 28. The medical article storage container of claim 26 wherein the electrically conductive components of both the first and second walls are located at an outer surface of the respective substrate so that they electrically mate with the electrically-conductive outer surface of the other wall when the mating surfaces of the first and second walls are brought into contact.
- Claim: 29. The medical article storage container of claim 26 wherein the tortuous path seal formed by the first and second walls comprises a tortuous path having a plurality of bends thereby increasing attenuation of leaking RF energy.
- Claim: 30. The medical article storage container of claim 29 wherein the tortuous path seal comprises a bend that has an angle of ninety degrees.
- Current International Class: 05; 06; 01; 61; 61; 06
|
