Drug Asset Tracking

Abstract

A pharmaceutical asset tracking system and method for pharmaceutical asset tracking is disclosed. The system includes a pharmaceutical asset tracker that transmits pharmaceutical asset information to a communication device. The pharmaceutical asset information includes an identifier of a pharmaceutical asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker in a defined region. The communication device responds to the communication via a crowdsourcing protocol, and the pharmaceutical asset tracker transmits the pharmaceutical asset information to the communication device via the responsive crowdsourcing protocol. The system includes a server configured to receive the pharmaceutical asset information and location information from the communication device. The server may determine a location of the asset based on the location information and provide display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location. The group is identified based on the pharmaceutical asset information of each asset in the group.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 318,618, filed March 10, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to a system for tracking pharmaceutical assets. [Background technology]

[0003] To ensure that prescriptions for high-demand drugs are guaranteed to be filled by pharmacies, real-time inventory levels across over 40,000 individual pharmacies need to be known at the time the prescription is written. This information must not only be publicly available, but accessible to key stakeholders in the process, including physicians and patients. Pharmacies have different systems and processes for inventory management that range from highly manual to automated on a continuum. Few, if any, local inventory systems are capable of providing “real-time” visibility. In summary, today there is no practical or economical way to obtain sufficient inventory visibility to ensure that the drug is available when the patient arrives at the pharmacy. This challenge is especially acute with time-critical drugs.

[0004] The process of counting the number of drugs at a particular pharmacy location is traditionally handled by retailers by either (1) counting the on-hand inventory of all drugs periodically (e.g., annually, semi-annually, or quarterly), (2) counting the on-hand inventory of certain seasonal products (e.g., seasonal drugs such as allergy or flu medications) seasonally, or (3) using business or accounting software to track sales, returns, and adjustments (accounting for product spoilage / expiration, theft, asset misplacement, or obsolescence), which typically requires periodic (e.g., weekly or monthly) cycle counts to help match the information tracked by the software with the actual physical inventory on hand. When needed, such drug information is typically generated by the pharmacy and is only visible to the pharmacy. However, suppliers (e.g., drug suppliers, wholesale distributors, manufacturers, brokers, or agents) responsible for fulfilling demand and keeping shelves well-stocked may not have access to that drug information and may not be able to proactively respond when needed. Physicians may also not have access to this drug information, which can be useful to direct patients to pharmacies that have sufficient stock while writing their prescriptions.

[0005] During a disease outbreak, such as an epidemic, pandemic, or seasonal outbreak, the demand for medications for the disease may vary significantly across a geographic region, leading to high variability and unpredictability of demand among different retail pharmacy locations (e.g., drug stores, grocery stores, clinics, hospitals, or schools). During such outbreaks, serious imbalances may exist between supply and demand even among neighboring pharmacies in a region, leading to lost sales, wasted inventory, and ultimately, an unnecessary increase in the duration and severity of the outbreak. The inability of suppliers to track in real time the stock levels of medications available at brick-and-mortar retailers may lead to a lack of visibility into which retailers have insufficient supply to meet demand, which retailers have old inventory approaching its expiration date and that must be discarded, inventory that is compromised in terms of its storage conditions, and the like. Furthermore, unlike other types of retail products, the inability of one person to purchase medications quickly and as needed may not only result in consumer frustration, but may actually increase the gap between supply and demand if the disease is contagious and spreads to more people.

[0006] This problem is magnified when a supplier offers a given product across multiple retailers (e.g., two different chains of drug stores, or a chain of drug stores and a chain of hospitals), because implementing a common process across retailers can be difficult and cost prohibitive. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The systems and methods disclosed herein may advantageously enable visibility of pharmaceutical asset information across different locations in an autonomous manner with minimal impact to the business. Additionally, these systems and methods do not rely on traditional counting or software tracking and may facilitate complete or high level control of tracking pharmaceutical assets by a supplier, physician, or patient without relying on pharmacy-provided information or pharmacy-installed software or hardware.

[0008] A system and method for medication asset tracking is disclosed. In some embodiments, the system comprises a medication asset tracker configured to transmit medication asset information to a communication device (e.g., a mobile phone). The medication asset information includes an identifier of a medication asset (e.g., a packet of medication) associated with the medication asset tracker in a defined area (e.g., a pharmacy). The medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol that is used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the system includes a medication asset tracker configured to transmit medication asset information to a communication device (e.g., a mobile phone). The medication asset information includes an identifier of a medication asset (e.g., a packet of medication) associated with the medication asset tracker in a defined region (e.g., a pharmacy). As the communication device responds to the communication via a crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the first crowdsourcing protocol or the second crowdsourcing protocol), the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device via the crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

[0010] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset tracker may transmit pharmaceutical asset information to the communication device in response to receiving a request initiated by the server for the pharmaceutical asset information. The server may determine a location of the assets based on the location information and provide display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be in a specified location. The group is identified based on the pharmaceutical asset information of each asset in the group.

[0011] The above disclosed embodiments are merely examples, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Particular embodiments may include all, some, or none of the components, elements, features, functions, operations, or steps of the above disclosed embodiments. Embodiments according to the present invention are disclosed in the appended claims, which are particularly directed to methods, storage media, systems, and computer program products, and any feature recited in one claim category, e.g., a method, may also be claimed in another claim category, e.g., a system. Dependencies or references in the appended claims are selected for formality reasons only. However, any subject matter resulting from an intentional reference to any preceding claim (especially multiple dependencies) may be claimed as well, just as any combination of a claim and its features is disclosed and may be claimed without regard to the dependencies selected in the appended claims. The subject matter that may be claimed includes not only combinations of features recited in the appended claims, but also any other combination of features in the claims, and each feature recited in a claim may be combined with any other feature or combination of features in the claim. Furthermore, any of the embodiments and features described or shown in this specification may be claimed in a separate claim and / or in any combination with any of the embodiments or features described or shown in this specification or with any of the features of the appended claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an overview of an exemplary pharmaceutical asset tracking system.

[0013] [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates an exemplary method for pharmaceutical asset tracking.

[0014] [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an exemplary electronic system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] In some embodiments, the disclosed system comprises a medication asset tracker configured to transmit information regarding associated medication assets via one or more crowdsourcing protocols to a server via one or more third-party responsive communication devices. In some embodiments, the one or more third-party responsive communication devices may include a peer-to-peer network.

[0016] In some embodiments, the crowdsourcing protocol is a communication protocol for obtaining information (e.g., via an application associated with the crowdsourcing protocol, via an operating system associated with the crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., integrated with the operating system, no additional installation of the application is required)) by registering services of multiple user devices. The crowdsourcing protocol establishes how communication is transmitted between the medication asset tracker and the communication device (e.g., the PYTHON PYTILE API used to look up information for TILE Bluetooth trackers, or the NEARBY INTERACTION framework used to look up information for APPLE AIRTAGS, or the Devices API for SAMSUNG SMARTTHINGS platform used to look up information for SAMSUNG GALAXY SMARTTAGS). Upon receiving the information transmitted from the medication asset tracker, the communication device transmits the information (e.g., to a server in the communication device, to another communication device) for further processing (e.g., locating assets, monitoring assets, monitoring inventory). The disclosed system and method may advantageously enable visibility of inventory levels across different locations in an autonomous manner with minimal impact to the business. That is, by leveraging one or more crowdsourcing protocols and using communicating devices (e.g., devices that may not belong to an enterprise's employees, devices not intended to track inventory), an enterprise may not require additional resources to monitor pharmaceutical assets and / or different types of assets, allowing for plug-and-play functionality of different assets. Using these systems and methods, traditional tally or field systems that record inventory may not be required to track inventory.

[0017] As an additional example, communicating the disclosed pharmaceutical asset information may display drug availability at different locations to physicians and patients, achieve price arbitrage, counterfeit detection, theft detection, transfer of drugs to other countries, parallel trade, and tamper protection without requiring additional resources from stakeholders.

[0018] The embodiments disclosed herein capture data that enables inventory location visibility across a wide and diffuse distribution of pharmacy locations in a seamless and efficient manner. This is accomplished by using a Bluetooth-based crowdsourcing protocol, thereby eliminating the need for costly and invasive network infrastructure to be installed to capture the necessary data.

[0019] The embodiments disclosed herein allow for inventory data to be captured via a consumer crowdsourced network using a personal smart phone, smart tablet, or other Bluetooth enabled device as a data transport mechanism. The embodiments disclosed herein use a consumer enabled crowdsourced network to enable inventory visibility by tagging each unit of inventory with a unique device recognizable by the crowdsourced network. This makes the inventory "discoverable" by the crowdsourced network of consumer devices. Instances of "discovery" are then communicated to users, delivering a view of the location of the inventory within a given pharmacy location.

[0020] The embodiments disclosed herein enable the application of many different potential use cases that might otherwise be more expensive. In some embodiments, the disclosed systems and methods enable, for example, the following: · Communicating inventory availability to prescribing physicians in real time during influenza outbreaks to ensure prescriptions are written to pharmacies with available stock; · Communicating stock availability to the patient's health app on the patient's phone so that the patient can self-select their preferred pharmacy; · Connecting enabled products to an app on the patient’s phone to enable direct patient communication; o This feature facilitates questions patients may have about dosage, medical progress, and other topics of interest. ·Sharing collected data with pharmacies to enable inventory rebalancing across pharmacy locations; Visibility into high-demand country sectors allows dealers to ensure additional inventory is available and direct assets to where it is needed most. Real-time consumption data, improving forecasting, optimizing inventory and enabling cost savings to society; and · Fraud detection and prevention and mitigation of misdirected products.

[0021] Applications or use cases enabled by the embodiments disclosed herein touch all aspects of the lifecycle, such as: Doctor ·patient ·retail ·Distribution Demand forecasting and production

[0022] In addition to the scenarios discussed above, there may be additional use cases for the disclosed embodiments. Parallel Trade: Due to the nature of the pharmaceutical industry, the cost of products varies across countries and regions. There is a known challenge where products are purchased from a low-cost country and resold in a high-cost country. This is known as parallel trade. Visibility of inventory throughout its transportation cycle can enable the identification and mitigation of parallel trade. ·Government discount programs: Certain products are designated for underserved populations and sold at a discount. For the program to be effective, the product may need to be administered at designated locations that support the program. If the product is misdirected, it will be sold at full price and will not reach the desired population. Visibility at the unit level may allow for identification of misdirected products, mitigating occurrences and improving patient access. Improved Demand Sensing: This real-time platform brings visibility to the final destination of products and enables improved demand forecasting partnerships with commercial entities, smoothing supply, reducing waste and overall costs to society. It also enables the identification of shortages in real-time, filling markets more effectively. Excursion Management: Many products are designed to be handled between 2-8 degrees Celsius. The embodiments disclosed herein may allow for monitoring of products within the cold chain and during handling within the hospital network. The embodiments disclosed herein may allow for monitoring stability budgets (time a product may be out of refrigeration) and identifying products that have exceeded their stability budget, thereby improving patient safety and product efficacy. · Anti-counterfeiting: Visibility into the location of a product throughout its lifecycle allows for the identification of products sent to locations other than their known locations, thereby reducing the chances of counterfeiting and products being misdirected. Patient Engagement: The embodiments disclosed herein may connect to the community using a phone-based app, allowing direct communication between the manufacturer and the patient via the app. Inventory management within the Healthcare Partner / Healthcare Provider (HCP) community: The embodiments disclosed herein provide visibility into inventory counts and locations within the hospital campus, which can be valuable to relevant stakeholders. Dispense Information: The embodiments disclosed herein can enable visibility of the point of dispensing to the patient, which may be more difficult without the disclosed systems and methods. Visibility of the point of dispensing can give the manufacturer visibility into true demand and allow for delayed billing, benefiting smaller clinics. For example, a distributor may be issued an invoice at the time of dispensing as opposed to receipt of the product. Expiration Date: The embodiments disclosed herein may provide HCPs with visibility of products approaching their expiration date, allowing them to take steps to ensure that units approaching their expiration date are dispensed to patients at the next opportunity, thereby reducing waste and reducing product loss. · True downstream demand visibility: The embodiments disclosed herein can provide visibility into receipts and distribution within the HCP, which can be beneficial to distributors from an allocation and order management standpoint. · Automated reordering: The embodiments disclosed herein may enable collaboration between distributors and HCPs to enable automated reordering when inventory falls below a defined threshold.

[0023] 1 illustrates an overview of an exemplary medication asset tracking system 100. In some embodiments, the system 100 includes a medication asset tracker (e.g., medication asset trackers 108A, 108B, 108C). For example, the medication asset tracker is a tracker for locating medication assets, and the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit data via a crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., a crowdsourcing protocol associated with TILE tracker, a crowdsourcing protocol associated with APPLE AIRTAGS).

[0024] In certain embodiments, the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit the medication asset information to a communication device (e.g., communication devices 112, 114, 116, and 118). In some embodiments, the communication device includes electronic system 300. In some embodiments, the communication device is a mobile phone, and the mobile phone is associated with a user. For example, communication device 112 is associated with user 110A, communication device 114 is associated with user 110B, communication device 116 is associated with user 110C, and communication device 118 is associated with user 110D.

[0025] In some embodiments, the medicament asset tracker is configured to transmit medicament asset information via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). For example, the medicament asset tracker is a tracker for locating a medicament asset, and the medicament asset tracker is configured to transmit data via one or more crowdsourcing protocols using BLE. The tracker is configured to transmit the medicament asset information to a communication device via BLE, advantageously enabling the medicament asset tracker to operate at low power.

[0026] In some embodiments, the medicament asset tracker is configured to transmit the medicament asset information via ultra-wideband (UWB) (e.g., in the 3-10.6 GHz band). As described in more detail herein, spatial and orientation data provided by UWB may be used to locate the medicament asset tracker and the medicament asset associated with the medicament asset tracker. Although BLE and UWB are described as exemplary communication methods for transmitting the medicament asset information from the medicament asset tracker, it should be understood that other wireless or wired communication methods may be used to transmit the medicament asset information from the medicament asset tracker.

[0027] In certain embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset information includes identifiers of pharmaceutical assets associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker within a defined region. For example, the pharmaceutical asset information includes identifiers of packets of pharmaceuticals at a pharmacy. In some embodiments, the defined region has an area smaller than the transmission range of the pharmaceutical asset tracker.

[0028] In some embodiments, the identifier uniquely identifies the asset. For example, the identifier includes a code to uniquely identify a packet of medication (e.g., to track each packet of medication individually). In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker may prevent counterfeiting of the asset. For example, the identifier is configured to verify authenticity of the asset. The identification information may include information to verify authenticity of the asset to prevent counterfeiting of the asset. As another example, the presence of a medication asset tracker with the asset may confirm authenticity of the asset.

[0029] In some embodiments, the asset includes a pharmaceutical asset tracker. For example, the pharmaceutical asset tracker is integrated with the asset. As a specific example, the pharmaceutical asset tracker is part of the asset's packaging (e.g., a medicine packet). In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset tracker is attached to the asset. For example, the pharmaceutical asset tracker is attached (e.g., using an adhesive) to the asset's packaging (e.g., a medicine packet). In certain embodiments, the asset is portable. For example, the asset (e.g., a medicine packet) may be picked up by a customer or employee and transported to a different location (e.g., a user 110C may pick up an asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker 108B). In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset tracker has a thickness of less than 1.5 mm. In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset tracker includes a sensor configured to detect UV light. The sensor advantageously enables a determination of whether the associated asset has been exposed to UV light contamination. In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset tracker includes a sensor configured to detect a temperature of the asset's environment. The sensor may be used to determine temperature fluctuations. For example, an asset may be designed to be handled between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. The sensor may be used to determine if the asset has been exposed to a temperature outside of this range. Information obtained by the sensor of the medication asset tracker may be transmitted via methods described herein.

[0030] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker includes software (e.g., firmware associated with a corresponding crowdsourcing protocol) that enables the medication asset tracker to transmit data via one or more crowdsourcing protocols. In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker's software is updatable, and the medication asset tracker may be updated to transmit data via additional or different crowdsourcing protocols. In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker includes a battery (e.g., a lithium battery). In some embodiments, the battery is configured to power the medication asset tracker for the life of the associated asset (e.g., the battery may power the medication asset tracker until the expiration date of the associated asset).

[0031] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset information includes and is associated with product information of the asset. For example, the product information includes one or more of manufacturer's information, product name, product type, manufacturing date, batch ID, quality inspection related information, expiration date, serial number, lot ID, NDC number, category information, type information, dosage type (e.g., infant, adult), and storage requirement (e.g., cold storage, room temperature storage). In some embodiments, a server (e.g., server 104, which may comprise a cloud computing device) is configured to store the product information, and the server is configured to retrieve the product information based on the received pharmaceutical asset information. By storing the product information on the server, confidential information regarding the product may not be transmitted and may potentially be intercepted from the pharmaceutical asset tracker to a communication device.

[0032] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., one of the crowdsourcing protocols disclosed herein). For example, the medication asset tracker (e.g., medication asset tracker 108A, medication asset tracker 108B) transmits the medication asset information via a first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., crowdsourcing protocol 122A). A communication device (e.g., communication device 112) responsive to communication via the first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device includes a tracking application associated with the first crowdsourcing protocol) receives the medication asset information from the medication asset tracker. As another example, the medication asset tracker (e.g., medication asset tracker 108A, medication asset tracker 108B) transmits the medication asset information via a second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., crowdsourcing protocol 122B). A communication device (e.g., communication device 112) responsive to communication via a second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device includes a tracking application associated with the second crowdsourcing protocol) receives medication asset information from the medication asset tracker.

[0033] In some embodiments, in response to the communication device responding to the communication via the first crowdsourcing protocol, the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol. In response to the communication device responding to the communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol, the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol.

[0034] For example, a communication device (e.g., communication device 112) responds to a communication via a first crowdsourcing protocol. In response to the communication device responding to the communication via the first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device includes a tracking application associated with the first crowdsourcing protocol), a medication asset tracker (e.g., medication asset tracker 108A, medication asset tracker 108B) transmits medication asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., crowdsourcing protocol 122A, crowdsourcing protocol 122B). In response to the communication device (e.g., communication device 114, communication device 116) not responding to the communication via the first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device does not include a tracking application associated with the first crowdsourcing protocol), the medication asset tracker ceases transmitting medication asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol.

[0035] As another example, a communication device (e.g., communication device 114) responds to a communication via a second crowdsourcing protocol. In response to the communication device responding to the communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device includes a tracking application associated with the second crowdsourcing protocol), a medication asset tracker (e.g., medication asset tracker 108A, medication asset tracker 108B) transmits medication asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., crowdsourcing protocol 124A, crowdsourcing protocol 124B). In response to the communication device (e.g., communication device 112, communication device 116) not responding to the communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device does not include a tracking application associated with the second crowdsourcing protocol), the medication asset tracker ceases transmitting medication asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol. For example, because the communication device 116 does not respond to the first or second crowdsourcing protocol, the medication asset tracker does not transmit the medication asset information to the communication device 116.

[0036] In some embodiments, the communication between the medication asset tracker and the communication device is secure: in some examples, the communication device simply acts as a relay to transmit the medication asset information to the server, so that the user of the communication device does not have access to the medication asset information, and the user does not have access to any confidential information related to the assets.

[0037] In some embodiments, system 100 further includes a server (e.g., server 104). In some embodiments, the server comprises electronic system 300. In certain embodiments, the server is configured to receive medication asset information and location information from a communication device. For example, after the communication device receives the medication asset information from the medication asset tracker via a response crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., a communication protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device), the communication device transmits the medication asset information to the server for further processing as disclosed herein. For example, communication devices 112 and 114 transmit the medication asset information and location information to server 104.

[0038] In some embodiments, the communications device may be further configured to transmit location information to a server, examples of determining location information being disclosed herein (e.g., based on UWB transmissions, based on a responsive crowdsourcing protocol).

[0039] It is understood that the server may receive the medication asset information and location information directly or indirectly from the communication device. For example, the communication device may communicate the medication asset information and location information with one or more intermediate devices (e.g., a network device, another communication device, another server), which transmit the medication asset information and location information to the server.

[0040] In some embodiments, the location information is determined based on a crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the drug asset information to the communication device. For example, the drug asset tracker is a tracker for identifying a location of a drug asset, and the drug asset tracker is configured to transmit data via one or more crowdsourcing protocols. Based on the crowdsourcing protocol used for the transmission, a direction and / or distance of the drug asset tracker (e.g., the asset to which the drug asset tracker is attached) relative to the communication device receiving the drug asset information may be determined (e.g., using an application associated with the crowdsourcing protocol used for the transmission).

[0041] In some embodiments, the location information is based on transmission of the medicament asset information over UWB. For example, spatial and directional data provided by UWB may be used to locate the medicament asset tracker and the medicament asset associated with the medicament asset tracker. In some embodiments, the location information further includes GPS coordinates.

[0042] In some embodiments, the location information is used to direct a user of the communication device to an asset. For example, after the location information is determined based on a crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information or via UWB, the communication device may generate a notification to direct the user to the asset based on the location information. As a specific example, after the location information of the medication asset tracker 108A is determined by the communication device 112 via the communication protocol 122A or UWB, the communication device 112 generates a notification to direct the user to the shelf where the asset associated with the medication asset tracker 108A is located.

[0043] In some embodiments, the location information is used to determine if an asset is in a location associated with an authorized distributor or retailer of the asset (e.g., a pharmacy, hospital, school, church) (e.g., to detect fraud or mis-selling). In some embodiments, the location information is used to determine if an asset has been mishandled (e.g., an asset that requires refrigeration is determined not to be in a refrigerated location). By using the location information advantageously, determining if an asset has been mishandled can be useful in determining the root cause of a less effective group of assets. In some embodiments, the location information allows manufacturers to better track assets (e.g., without the disclosed systems and methods, a distributor may not have visibility of assets beyond the first point of sale (e.g., a local warehouse) and it may be infeasible to implement a dedicated tracking system).

[0044] In certain embodiments, based on the location information, the server is configured to determine a location of the asset. For example, the server determines a location of the asset in the area based on the location information. The location information may be determined by the communication device based on a responsive crowdsourcing protocol or based on a UWB transmission. For example, based on the responsive crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., using an application of the responsive crowdsourcing protocol) or based on a UWB transmission, the communication device determines a location of the asset relative to the communication device (e.g., a direction and / or distance), and this determination is transmitted to the server. Based on the location of the asset relative to the communication device, the server determines a location of the asset (e.g., a particular aisle in the pharmacy, a particular shelf in the pharmacy).

[0045] For example, via crowdsourcing protocol 122A, communication device 112 determines that the location of an asset associated with medication asset tracker 108A is on a shelf. As another example, via crowdsourcing protocol 124A, communication device 114 determines that the location of an asset associated with medication asset tracker 108A is on a shelf. As yet another example, via crowdsourcing protocol 122B, communication device 112 determines that the location of an asset associated with medication asset tracker 108B is away from a shelf in a particular location of the pharmacy. As yet another example, via crowdsourcing protocol 124B, communication device 114 determines that the location of an asset associated with medication asset tracker 108B is away from a shelf in a particular location of the pharmacy.

[0046] In certain embodiments, the server is further configured to provide display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at the specified location, the group being identified based on pharmaceutical asset information for each asset in the group.

[0047] For example, the system 100 includes an electronic device 106, which may be a device for monitoring assets. The server is configured to provide information for the electronic device 106 to display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets (e.g., a batch of packets of pharmaceuticals) determined to be at a particular location (e.g., a batch of packets of pharmaceuticals determined to be at a particular pharmacy location). The group of assets is identified based on pharmaceutical asset information transmitted from respective pharmaceutical asset trackers associated with each asset in the group to a responding communication device, and the responding communication device transmits the pharmaceutical asset information to the server. For example, the pharmaceutical asset information indicates that each asset in the group is at the same pharmacy location. In some embodiments, the server is further configured to provide mapping information (e.g., the received location information is integrated with the mapping data) for integrating the display information of the map, for example, for a user of the electronic device 106 to visually view information regarding the group of assets (e.g., inventory at different pharmacy locations on the map) on a map.

[0048] In some embodiments, the electronic device 106 is an electronic device of a physician who writes a prescription for a patient. The system 100 may advantageously enable the physician to ensure that the prescription is written to a pharmacy location with a known inventory and that the patient can obtain the prescription. In some embodiments, based on the drug asset information, a first pharmacy location is determined to have a greater inventory of the drug compared to a second pharmacy location. In accordance with the determination that the first pharmacy location has a greater inventory of the drug than the second pharmacy location, the electronic device 106 transmits the prescription information to the first pharmacy location. For example, the electronic device 106 determines a recipient of the prescription information based on the drug asset information and the drug inventory of the pharmacy location. As another example, the electronic device 106 presents the drug inventory of the pharmacy location to a user (e.g., physician), and the user selects a recipient of the prescription information based on the presented drug inventory.

[0049] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is configurable to be discoverable. For example, when a medication asset tracker is configured to be discoverable, the tracker can transmit information (e.g., medication asset information) that a corresponding communication device may receive via a corresponding crowdsourcing protocol, allowing the corresponding communication device to detect the tracker. By configuring the tracker to be discoverable, the disclosed system and method take advantage of the associated crowdsourcing protocol and the ability of the corresponding communication device to receive information and transmit it for further processing, as disclosed herein. It should be understood that the term "discoverable" does not mean to define the location of the medication asset tracker. In contrast, if the medication asset tracker is not configured to be discoverable, the tracker may not transmit information. The corresponding communication device does not receive the information and does not detect the tracker. As a result, the information cannot be transmitted for further processing, and the advantages described herein cannot be achieved.

[0050] The communication device is configured to search for devices that are discoverable via a respective crowdsourcing protocol. For example, the medication asset tracker is a tracker for locating medication assets, and the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit data via one or more crowdsourcing protocols. The medication asset tracker is set to a discoverable state such that a communication device that responds to one of the more crowdsourcing protocols finds the discoverable medication asset tracker. As a specific example, the communication device includes an application associated with the crowdsourcing protocol. The communication device finds the discoverable medication asset tracker (e.g., and associated assets) via the crowdsourcing protocol.

[0051] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit medication asset information to the communication device pursuant to a determination that the communication device is within a defined area (e.g., the geofence 102). For example, the defined area is the geofence 102 around the boundary of the pharmacy. Pursuant to a determination that the communication device (e.g., communication devices 112 and 114) is within the geofence 102 (e.g., a user of the communication device (e.g., communication device 112, 114, or 116) enters the pharmacy), the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device via a responsive crowdsourcing protocol. In some embodiments, pursuant to a determination (e.g., by the server 104, by the communication device) that the communication device is not within the geofence 102 (e.g., a user of the communication device (e.g., communication device 118) is not at the pharmacy), the communication device ceases receiving medication asset information. In some embodiments, following a determination (e.g., by the server 104, by the communication device) that the communication device is not within the geofence 102 (e.g., the user of the communication device (e.g., communication device 118) is not at the pharmacy), the medication asset tracker ceases sending medication asset information to the communication device.

[0052] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset tracker is configured to stop transmitting pharmaceutical asset information pursuant to a determination that the pharmaceutical asset tracker is no longer within a defined area. For example, the defined area is a geofence 102 around the boundary of the pharmacy. If a pharmaceutical asset tracker (e.g., pharmaceutical asset tracker 108C) is determined to no longer be within the defined area (e.g., a user leaves the pharmacy with an asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker), the pharmaceutical asset tracker stops transmitting pharmaceutical asset information (e.g., set to inactive upon verification of purchase or transfer) (e.g., to protect patient privacy by not transmitting pharmaceutical asset information to determine location information when the patient is at home). In certain embodiments, since the pharmaceutical asset information is no longer being transmitted, the asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker is determined to be removed from inventory (e.g., by server 104). In some embodiments, server 104 is configured to stop processing pharmaceutical asset information pursuant to a determination that the pharmaceutical asset tracker is no longer within a defined area.

[0053] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset tracker is configured to stop transmitting pharmaceutical asset information pursuant to a determination that the asset has been transferred. For example, the asset is sold or moved to another location (e.g., a different pharmacy). Pursuant to a determination that the asset has been transferred (e.g., sold, moved to another location), the pharmaceutical asset tracker stops transmitting pharmaceutical asset information. In some embodiments, pursuant to a determination that the asset has been transferred (e.g., sold, moved to another location), the server stops processing the pharmaceutical asset information. For example, user 110D purchases an asset associated with pharmaceutical asset tracker 108C, and pursuant to a determination that the asset associated with pharmaceutical asset tracker 108C has been purchased (e.g., a pharmacy employee removes or deactivates the pharmaceutical asset tracker (e.g., by tearing a particular portion of the pharmaceutical asset tracker) and the barcode or QR code of the asset is scanned and the server 104 is notified that the asset has been scanned), the pharmaceutical asset tracker 108C stops transmitting pharmaceutical asset information and / or the server 104 stops processing the pharmaceutical asset information. In certain embodiments, the asset associated with the medication asset tracker is determined (eg, by the server 104) to be removed from inventory because the medication asset information is no longer being transmitted.

[0054] In some embodiments, after a pharmaceutical asset is purchased, the user who purchased the product may be associated with the asset (e.g., by the server 104). For example, after a pharmaceutical asset is purchased by the user 110D, the user 110D may be associated with the product via an application downloaded by the user on the communication device 118. The asset may be registered or activated by the application (e.g., scanning the product via the application). The server 104 is notified (e.g., by the communication device 118 via the application) that the asset has been registered or activated. As a result, the user 110D may be notified about the asset (e.g., expiration date, prescription refill reminders, instructions, recalls) and / or may access information about the asset via the application. This association of the asset with the user may also be shared with the user's health-related applications. In some embodiments, after a product is associated with a user, the pharmaceutical asset information associated with the product may be updated to include patient ID, demographics, health care coverage, health care network, and pharmacy affiliation.

[0055] In some embodiments, if the pharmaceutical asset tracker is determined to stop transmitting and the last known location of the pharmaceutical asset tracker is within a defined region, the pharmaceutical asset tracker and / or the asset is determined to be destroyed or tampered with. Following a determination that the pharmaceutical asset tracker and / or the asset has been destroyed, the server may cause the generation of an alert indicating the destruction or tampering of the asset.

[0056] In some embodiments, if the pharmaceutical asset tracker is determined to have stopped transmitting and the asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker has not been determined to have been purchased or transferred, the asset is determined to have been stolen. Pursuant to a determination that the asset has been stolen, the server may cause the generation of an alert indicating the theft of the asset.

[0057] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset information includes expiration information associated with the asset, the expiration information indicating the time when the asset will expire. In some examples, following a determination based on the pharmaceutical asset information that the asset has expired or is about to expire, the server is configured to provide information to the electronic device 106 indicating that the asset has expired or is about to expire (e.g., to alert a pharmacy that has the asset to remove the expired asset from inventory to help a physician determine whether to prescribe a particular asset). Based on the expiration information, the electronic device 106 may determine to recommend to a user (e.g., physician, asset manager) to prescribe or sell an asset that has an earlier expiration date or an expiration date within a desired date range, reducing the likelihood that the asset will expire before it is prescribed or sold.

[0058] In some embodiments, the server is configured to determine whether an inventory transfer criterion is met. In accordance with a determination that the inventory transfer criterion is met, the server is configured to cause generation of instructions to transfer at least a portion of the group of assets from a first designated location to a second designated location. For example, the inventory transfer criterion indicates whether at least a portion of the group of assets needs to be transferred to a different location.

[0059] As a specific example, the inventory transfer criteria indicates whether a portion of the packet of medication needs to be transferred to the second pharmacy. In response to a determination that the inventory transfer criteria is met, the server generates instructions to transfer at least a portion of the medication from the first pharmacy to the second pharmacy.

[0060] As an example, the inventory transfer criteria is satisfied pursuant to a determination (e.g., by the server) based on the pharmaceutical asset information received from the second pharmacy that the second pharmacy has a demand for the pharmaceutical (e.g., the quantity of assets is below a quantity threshold, the quantity of assets is below a quantity threshold, and the second pharmacy is within a distance threshold of the first pharmacy). As another example, the inventory transfer criteria is satisfied pursuant to a determination (e.g., by the server) based on the pharmaceutical asset information received from the first pharmacy that the first pharmacy has a surplus of packets of the pharmaceutical (e.g., the quantity of assets is above a quantity threshold, and the quantity of assets prior to an expiration date threshold is above a quantity threshold).

[0061] In some embodiments, the server is configured to determine whether the quantity of the group of assets is below a threshold. Following a determination that the amount of the group of assets is below the threshold, the server is configured to cause the generation of an alert indicating low inventory. For example, the quantity of the group of assets (e.g., the inventory of packets of medication at the pharmacy) is determined based on the number of assets discovered by one or more communication devices via one or more crowdsourcing protocols as disclosed herein. Following a determination (e.g., by the server) that the quantity of the group of assets is below the threshold, the server is configured to cause the generation of an alert indicating low inventory (e.g., to alert the pharmacy of higher than normal demand, to alert the pharmacy of impending low inventory, to alert the pharmacy to refill surpluses of medication or request a transfer from a second pharmacy).

[0062] In some embodiments, the server is configured to predict or foresee demand for assets at a specified location based on the quantity history of a group of assets (e.g., based on purchases (e.g., tracked as described herein), asset usage (e.g., in-store usage), pharmaceutical asset destruction or loss, based on dosages sold (e.g., infant vs. adult dosages)). In some embodiments, the demand is predicted using a model, which may be trained using pharmaceutical asset information received by the server (e.g., from the same pharmacy over time, from different pharmacies over time). The model may accurately predict demand for an asset based on how the asset's inventory changes over time. Additional inputs, such as inputs related to geographic location, temperature, population, season, infection statistics, current events, and user inputs, may be used to predict demand for an asset for a particular location. In some embodiments, the server is configured to predict demand further based on additional inputs. For example, the server may be configured to receive a number of threshold inputs associated with an increase in demand for the asset (e.g., social media hashtags associated with demand for the asset, trending current events), and in response to receiving the number of threshold inputs associated with an increase in demand, the server may be configured to increase a forecast of demand for the asset.

[0063] It is understood that the examples described herein are not meant to be limiting. For example, an example of an asset is a packet of medicine, but it is understood that an asset may include other objects. For example, an asset may comprise a cryotank. As another example, while an example of a defined area or specific location is described with respect to a pharmacy, it is understood that a defined area or specific location may be a different area or location (e.g., another business, a warehouse, a residence, a public area).

[0064] 2 illustrates an example method 200 for medication asset tracking. The method may begin at step 202, where a medication asset tracker transmits medication asset information to a communication device. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, medication asset tracker 108A transmits medication asset information to communication devices 112 and 114, and medication asset tracker 108B transmits medication asset information to communication devices 112 and 114. In some embodiments, the medication asset information includes identifiers of medication assets associated with the medication asset tracker in a defined region. For example, the medication asset information includes identifiers of packets of medication at a pharmacy. In some embodiments, the defined region has an area smaller than a transmission range of the medication asset tracker.

[0065] In step 204, as the communication device responds to the communication via the first crowdsourcing protocol, the medication asset tracker transmits medication asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the communication device (e.g., communication device 112) responds to the communication via the first crowdsourcing protocol. As the communication device responds to the communication via the first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device includes a tracking application associated with the first crowdsourcing protocol), the medication asset tracker (e.g., medication asset tracker 108A, medication asset tracker 108B) transmits medication asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., crowdsourcing protocol 122A, crowdsourcing protocol 122B). In response to a communication device (e.g., communication device 114, communication device 116) not responding to communication via a first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device does not include a tracking application associated with the first crowdsourcing protocol), the medication asset tracker stops sending medication asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol.

[0066] As another example, a medication asset tracker (e.g., medication asset tracker 108A, medication asset tracker 108B) transmits medication asset information via a first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., crowdsourcing protocol 122A). A communication device (e.g., communication device 112) responsive to communication via the first crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device includes a tracking application associated with the first crowdsourcing protocol) receives the medication asset information from the medication asset tracker.

[0067] In step 206, as the communication device responds to the communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol, the medication asset tracker transmits medication asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the communication device (e.g., communication device 114) responds to the communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol. As the communication device responds to the communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device includes a tracking application associated with the second crowdsourcing protocol), the medication asset tracker (e.g., medication asset tracker 108A, medication asset tracker 108B) transmits medication asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., crowdsourcing protocol 124A, crowdsourcing protocol 124B). In response to a communication device (e.g., communication device 112, communication device 116) not responding to communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device does not include a tracking application associated with the second crowdsourcing protocol), the medication asset tracker ceases sending medication asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol. For example, because communication device 116 is not responsive to the first or second crowdsourcing protocol, the medication asset tracker does not send medication asset information to communication device 116.

[0068] As another example, a medication asset tracker (e.g., medication asset tracker 108A, medication asset tracker 108B) transmits medication asset information via a second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., crowdsourcing protocol 122B). A communication device (e.g., communication device 112) responsive to communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol (e.g., the communication device includes a tracking application associated with the second crowdsourcing protocol) receives the medication asset information from the medication asset tracker.

[0069] At step 208, the server receives the medication asset information and location information from the communication devices. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the server 104 receives the medication asset information and location information from the communication devices 112 and 114. At step 210, the location of the asset is determined based on the location information. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the location of the asset is determined based on the location information determined via a crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information or via UWB.

[0070] In step 212, the server provides display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location. In some embodiments, the group is identified based on pharmaceutical asset information of each asset in the group. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the system 100 includes an electronic device 106, which may be an apparatus for monitoring assets. The server is configured to provide information for the electronic device 106 to display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets (e.g., a batch of packets of pharmaceutical) determined to be at a particular location (e.g., a batch of packets of pharmaceutical) determined to be at a particular pharmacy location. The group of assets is identified based on pharmaceutical asset information transmitted from respective pharmaceutical asset trackers associated with each asset in the group to a responding communication device, which transmits the pharmaceutical asset information to the server. For example, the pharmaceutical asset information indicates that each asset in the group is at the same pharmacy location.

[0071] In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes configuring the medication asset tracker to be discoverable. In some embodiments, the communication device is configured to search for devices that are discoverable via a communication protocol used to transmit medication asset information to the communication device. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the medication asset tracker is a tracker for locating medication assets, and the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit data via one or more crowdsourcing protocols. The medication asset tracker is set to be discoverable such that a communication device that responds to one of more crowdsourcing protocols finds the discoverable medication asset tracker. As a specific example, the communication device includes an application associated with the crowdsourcing protocol. The communication device finds the discoverable medication asset tracker (e.g., and associated assets) via the crowdsourcing protocol.

[0072] In some embodiments, the medication asset trackers transmit medication asset information over BLE. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the medication asset trackers 108A and 108B are configured to transmit medication asset information over BLE.

[0073] In some embodiments, the medicament asset trackers transmit medicament asset information over UWB. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the medicament asset trackers 108A and 108B are configured to transmit medicament asset information over UWB.

[0074] In some embodiments, the location information is based on transmission of the medication asset information over UWB. For example, as described with reference to FIG. 1, spatial and orientation data provided by UWB may be used to locate medication asset trackers and medication assets associated with the medication asset trackers.

[0075] In some embodiments, the identifier uniquely identifies the asset. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the identifier includes a code for uniquely identifying a packet of medication (e.g., to track each packet of medication individually). In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes determining the location information based on a crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the medication asset tracker is a tracker for identifying a location of the medication asset, and the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit data via one or more crowdsourcing protocols. Based on the crowdsourcing protocol used for the transmission, a direction and / or distance of the medication asset tracker (e.g., the asset to which the medication asset tracker is attached) relative to the communication device receiving the medication asset information may be determined (e.g., using an application associated with the crowdsourcing protocol used for the transmission).

[0076] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset information is associated with product information of the asset. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the product information includes one or more of manufacturer's information, product name, product type, manufacturing date (e.g., timestamp), batch ID, quality inspection related information, expiration date, serial number, lot ID, NDC number, category information, type information, dosage type (e.g., infant, adult), and storage requirements (e.g., cold storage, room temperature storage). In some embodiments, a server (e.g., server 104) is configured to store the product information, and the server is configured to retrieve the product information based on the received pharmaceutical asset information.

[0077] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is attached to the asset. For example, the medication asset tracker is attached (e.g., using an adhesive) to the asset's packaging (e.g., a packet of medicine), as described with respect to FIG. 1. In certain embodiments, the asset is portable. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the asset (e.g., a packet of medicine) may be picked up by a customer or employee and transported to a different location (e.g., user 110C may pick up an asset associated with medication asset tracker 108B).

[0078] In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes determining whether the communication device is within the defined area. In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device in accordance with determining that the communication device is within the defined area.

[0079] For example, as described with respect to Figure 1, the defined region is a geofence 102 around the boundary of the pharmacy. Following a determination that a communication device (e.g., communication devices 112 and 114) is within the geofence 102 (e.g., a user of a communication device (e.g., communication device 112, 114, or 116) enters the pharmacy), the medication asset tracker transmits medication asset information to the communication device via a responsive crowdsourcing protocol. Following a determination that the communication device is not within the geofence 102 (e.g., a user of a communication device (e.g., communication device 118) is not at the pharmacy), the medication asset tracker ceases transmitting medication asset information to the communication device.

[0080] In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes determining whether the pharmaceutical asset tracker is within the defined area. In response to a determination that the pharmaceutical asset tracker is no longer within the defined area, the pharmaceutical asset tracker stops transmitting pharmaceutical asset information. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the defined area is a geofence 102 around the boundary of the pharmacy. If a pharmaceutical asset tracker (e.g., pharmaceutical asset tracker 108C) is determined to no longer be within the defined area (e.g., a user leaves the pharmacy with an asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker), the pharmaceutical asset tracker stops transmitting pharmaceutical asset information (e.g., is set to inactive upon verification of purchase or transfer). In certain embodiments, since pharmaceutical asset information is no longer being transmitted, the asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker is determined (e.g., by server 104) to be removed from inventory.

[0081] In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes determining whether the asset has been transferred. In response to a determination that the asset has been transferred, the pharmaceutical asset tracker stops the pharmaceutical asset information. For example, as described with reference to FIG. 1, the asset is sold or moved to another location (e.g., a different pharmacy). In response to a determination that the asset has been transferred (e.g., sold, moved to another location), the pharmaceutical asset tracker stops sending the pharmaceutical asset information. In some embodiments, in response to a determination that the asset has been transferred (e.g., sold, moved to another location), the server stops processing the pharmaceutical asset information. For example, user 110D purchases an asset associated with medication asset tracker 108C, and upon a determination that the asset associated with medication asset tracker 108C has been purchased (e.g., a pharmacy employee removes or deactivates the medication asset tracker (e.g., by tearing a particular portion of the medication asset tracker) and the asset's barcode or QR code is scanned and server 104 is notified that the asset has been scanned), medication asset tracker 108C stops transmitting medication asset information and / or server 104 stops processing the medication asset information.

[0082] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset information includes expiration information associated with the asset, the expiration information indicating a time when the asset will expire. In some examples, following a determination that the asset is expired based on the pharmaceutical asset information, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the server is configured to provide information to the electronic device 106 indicating that the asset is expired (e.g., to alert a pharmacy that has the asset to remove the expired asset from inventory).

[0083] In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes determining, by the server, whether an inventory transfer criterion is met. In accordance with a determination that the inventory transfer criterion is met, the server causes the generation of instructions to transfer at least a portion of the group of assets from a first designated location to a second designated location. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the inventory transfer criterion indicates whether a portion of a packet of medication needs to be transferred to a second pharmacy. In accordance with a determination that the inventory transfer criterion is met, the server generates instructions to transfer at least a portion of the medication from the first pharmacy to the second pharmacy. As another example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the inventory transfer criterion is met in accordance with a determination (e.g., by the server) that the first pharmacy has a surplus of packets of medication (e.g., a quantity of assets is above a quantity threshold and a quantity of assets prior to an expiration date threshold is above a quantity threshold) based on the medication asset information received from the first pharmacy.

[0084] In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes determining, by the server, whether the quantity of the group of assets is below a threshold. Following the determination that the amount of the group of assets is below the threshold, the server causes the generation of an alert indicating low inventory. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the quantity of the group of assets (e.g., the inventory of packets of medication at the pharmacy) is determined based on the number of assets discovered by one or more communication devices via one or more crowdsourcing protocols, as disclosed herein. Following the determination (e.g., by the server) that the quantity of the group of assets is below the threshold, the server is configured to cause the generation of an alert indicating low inventory (e.g., to alert the pharmacy of higher than normal demand, to alert the pharmacy of impending low inventory, to alert the pharmacy to refill or request transfer of surplus medication from a second pharmacy).

[0085] In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes forecasting, by the server, demand for the assets at the specified location based on the quantity history of the group of assets. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 1, the history may be based on purchases (e.g., tracked as described herein), use of the assets (e.g., in-store use), or destruction or loss of pharmaceutical assets. In some embodiments, the demand is forecasted using a model, which may be trained using pharmaceutical asset information received by the server (e.g., from the same pharmacy over time, from different pharmacies over time). The model may accurately forecast demand for the assets based on how the asset inventory changes over time. Additional inputs such as geographic location, temperature, population, season, and infection statistics may be used to forecast demand for the assets for a particular location.

[0086] Further examples of method 200 may be described with respect to Figure 1. For the sake of brevity, some examples of method 200 will not be described here.

[0087] Certain embodiments may repeat one or more steps of the method of FIG. 2, where appropriate. Although the present disclosure describes and illustrates certain steps of the method of FIG. 2 as occurring in a particular order, the present disclosure contemplates any suitable steps of the method of FIG. 2 occurring in any suitable order. Moreover, while the present disclosure describes and illustrates an example method for method 200 that includes certain steps of the method of FIG. 2, the present disclosure contemplates any suitable method for method 200 that includes any suitable steps, which may include all, some, or none of the steps of the method of FIG. 2, where appropriate. Moreover, while the present disclosure describes and illustrates certain components, devices, or systems that perform certain steps of the method of FIG. 2, the present disclosure contemplates any suitable combination of any suitable components, devices, or systems that perform any suitable steps of the method of FIG. 2.

[0088] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary electronic system 300. In certain embodiments, the one or more electronic systems 300 perform one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. In certain embodiments, the one or more electronic systems 300 provide the functionality described or illustrated herein. In certain embodiments, software executing on the one or more electronic systems 300 performs one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein or provides the functionality described or illustrated herein. Certain embodiments include one or more portions of the one or more electronic systems 300. References herein to an electronic system may encompass a computer system or computing device, where appropriate, and vice versa. Moreover, references to an electronic system may encompass one or more electronic systems, where appropriate.

[0089] For example, the medication asset tracker 108A, 108B, or 108C includes the system 300. As another example, the communication device 112, 114, 116, or 118 includes the system 300. As another example, the server 104 includes the system 300. As yet another example, the electronic device 106 includes the system 300.

[0090] The present disclosure contemplates any suitable number of electronic systems 300. The present disclosure contemplates electronic systems 300 taking any suitable physical form. System 300 can be a host computer connected to a network. System 300 can be a client computer or a server. System 300 can be any suitable type of microprocessor-based system, such as a dedicated computing device, a personal computer, a workstation, an embedded computer system, a system on a chip (SoC), a single board computer system (SBC) (e.g., computer on module (COM), system on module (SOM)), an interactive kiosk, a mainframe, a mesh of computer systems, a server, a handheld computing device (portable electronic device) such as a mobile phone or tablet, an edge AI device, a neural network device, or a combination of two or more of these.

[0091] Where appropriate, electronic system 300 may be in a cloud that may include one or more electronic systems 300, be monolithic or distributed, span multiple locations, span multiple machines, span multiple data centers, or include one or more cloud components in one or more networks. Where appropriate, one or more electronic systems 300 may perform one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein without substantial spatial or temporal limitations. By way of example and not by way of limitation, one or more electronic systems 300 may perform one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein in real time or in batch mode. One or more electronic systems 300 may perform one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein at different times or in different locations, where appropriate.

[0092] System 300 may include, for example, a processor 302, an input component 306, an output component 308, storage 310, and / or a communication component 304. The components of system 300 may be coupled by a bus 314. The input component 306 and the output component 308 may generally correspond to those described above and may be connectable or integrated with the rest of the system.

[0093] It is understood that the illustration of Figure 3 is not meant to limit the components that system 300 may comprise. System 300 may include fewer components, more components, or other components (e.g., memory) than those shown. System 300 may be a communications system configured to transmit information to and / or receive information from a second system. For example, the communications system may include communications component 304, storage 310, and software 312.

[0094] In particular embodiments, the processor 302 includes hardware for executing instructions, such as instructions that make up a computer program. By way of example and not by way of limitation, to execute an instruction, the processor 302 may retrieve (or fetch) an instruction from an internal register, an internal cache, memory (not shown), or storage 310, decode and execute the instruction, and then write one or more results to the internal register, internal cache, memory, or storage 310. In particular embodiments, the processor 302 may include one or more internal caches for data, instructions, or addresses. This disclosure contemplates the processor 302 including any suitable number of any suitable internal caches, where appropriate. By way of example and not by way of limitation, the processor 302 may include one or more instruction caches, one or more data caches, and one or more translation lookaside buffers (TLBs). Instructions in the instruction caches may be copies of instructions in the memory or storage 310, and the instruction caches may speed up retrieval of those instructions by the processor 302. The data in the data cache may be a copy of data in memory or storage 310 on which instructions executing in the processor 302 are to operate, results of previous instructions executed in the processor 302 for access by subsequent instructions executing in the processor 302 or for writing to the memory or storage 310, or other suitable data. The data cache may speed up read or write operations by the processor 302. The TLB may speed up virtual address translation for the processor 302. In particular embodiments, the processor 302 may include one or more internal registers for data, instructions, or addresses. The present disclosure contemplates a processor 302 including any suitable number of any suitable internal registers, where appropriate. The processor 302 may include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs), be a multi-core processor, or include one or more processors 302, where appropriate. Although the present disclosure describes and illustrates a particular processor, the present disclosure contemplates any suitable processor.

[0095] In particular embodiments, the memory includes a main memory for storing instructions to be executed by the processor 302 or data on which the processor 302 is to operate. By way of example and not by way of limitation, the electronic system 300 may load instructions from the storage 310 or another source (such as, for example, another electronic system 300) into the memory. The processor 302 may then load the instructions from the memory into an internal register or cache. To execute the instructions, the processor 302 may retrieve the instructions from the internal register or cache and decode the instructions. During or after the execution of the instructions, the processor 302 may write one or more results (which may be intermediate or final results) to an internal register or cache. The processor 302 may then write one or more of those results to memory. In particular embodiments, the processor 302 executes only instructions in one or more internal registers or caches or in memory (as opposed to storage 310 or elsewhere) and operates only on data in one or more internal registers or caches or in memory (as opposed to storage 310 or elsewhere). One or more memory buses (each of which may include an address bus and a data bus) may couple the processor 302 to the memory. The bus 314 may include one or more memory buses, as described below. In particular embodiments, one or more memory management units (MMUs) are between the processor 302 and the memory to facilitate accesses to the memory requested by the processor 302. In particular embodiments, the memory includes random access memory (RAM). The RAM may be volatile memory, where appropriate. Where appropriate, the RAM may be dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), flash memory, or phase change memory (PCM). Moreover, where appropriate, the RAM may be single-ported or multi-ported RAM. The present disclosure contemplates any suitable RAM. The memory may include one or more memories, where appropriate.Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular memory, this disclosure contemplates any suitable memory.

[0096] In particular embodiments, storage 310 includes mass storage for data or instructions. By way of example and not limitation, storage 310 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, or a universal serial bus (USB) drive, or a combination of two or more of these. Storage 310 may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media, as appropriate. Storage 310 may be internal or external to electronic system 300, as appropriate. In particular embodiments, storage 310 is a non-volatile solid-state memory. In particular embodiments, storage 310 includes read-only memory (ROM). As appropriate, this ROM may be a mask program ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), an electrically alterable ROM (EAROM), or a flash memory, or a combination of two or more of these. This disclosure contemplates mass storage 310 taking any suitable physical form. Storage 310 may include one or more storage control units to facilitate communications between processor 302 and storage 310, where appropriate. Storage 310 may include one or more storages 310, where appropriate. Storage 310 may be part of a cloud storage. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular storage, this disclosure contemplates any suitable storage.

[0097] The input component 306 and / or the output component 308 may enable communication between a user and the electronic system 300. The input component 306 may be any suitable component that provides input, such as a camera, a touch screen, a keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a microphone, a stylus, a scanner, a trackball, a tablet, a voice recognition component, a sensor, or a combination of two or more of these. The output component 308 may be any suitable component that provides output, such as a light emitter, a touch screen, a tactile component, a speaker, a monitor, a printer, or a combination of two or more of these.

[0098] An input / output (I / O) interface may be coupled to input component 306 and / or output component 308. In particular embodiments, an I / O interface includes hardware, software, or both, and provides one or more interfaces for communication between electronic system 300 and one or more I / O components. This disclosure contemplates any suitable I / O components and any suitable I / O interfaces therefor. Where appropriate, an I / O interface may include one or more device or software drivers that enable processor 302 to drive one or more of these I / O components. An I / O interface may include one or more I / O interfaces, where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular I / O interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable I / O interface.

[0099] In certain embodiments, the communication component 304 includes hardware, software, or both that provide one or more interfaces for communication (e.g., packet-based communication, etc.) between the electronic system 300 and one or more other electronic systems 300 or one or more networks. By way of example and not by way of limitation, the communication component 304 may include a network interface controller (NIC) or network adapter for communicating with an Ethernet or other wire-based network, or a wireless NIC (WNIC) or wireless adapter for communicating with a wireless network, such as a WI-FI network. This disclosure contemplates any suitable network and any suitable communication component 304 therefor. By way of example and not by way of limitation, the electronic system 300 may communicate with an ad-hoc network, a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or one or more portions of the Internet, or a combination of two or more of the disclosed network connections. One or more portions of one or more of these networks may be wired or wireless. As an example, the electronic system 300 may communicate with a wireless PAN (WPAN, Bluetooth Low Energy) (e.g., BLUETOOTH WPAN), a WI-FI network, a WI-MAX network, a cellular telephone network (e.g., a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network), or other suitable wireless network or combination of two or more of the disclosed network connections. As another example, the electronic system 300 may communicate via one or more crowdsourcing protocols, near field communication (NFC), UWB, or a combination of two or more of the disclosed network connections. The electronic system 300 may include any suitable communication component 304 for any of these networks, as appropriate. The communication component 304 may include one or more communication components 304, as appropriate.Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular communications interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable communications interface.

[0100] In particular embodiments, bus 314 includes hardware, software, or both that couples together the components of electronic system 300. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, bus 314 may include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, an Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a Front Side Bus (FSB), a HYPERTRANSPORT (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an INFINIBAND interconnect, a Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a MicroChannel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI Express (PCIe) bus, a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association Local (VLB) bus, or another suitable bus or a combination of two or more of these. Bus 314 may include one or more buses 314, where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular bus, this disclosure contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect.

[0101] Software 312 that may be stored in storage 310 or memory and executed by processor 302 may include, for example, programming that embodies functions of the present disclosure (e.g., as embodied in the systems and methods described herein).

[0102] The software 312 may also be stored within and / or transferred to any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as those described herein, that can fetch instructions associated with the software from and execute the instructions.

[0103] As used herein, one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media may include, where appropriate, one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (such as, for example, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application specific ICs (ASICs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical disks, optical disk drives (ODDs), magneto-optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid state drives (SSDs), RAM drives, SECURE DIGITAL cards or drives, any other suitable computer-readable non-transitory storage media, or any suitable combination of two or more of these. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate.

[0104] The software 312 may also be propagated in any transmission medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as those mentioned above) that can fetch instructions associated with the software from and execute the instructions. In the context of this disclosure, a transmission medium may be any medium that can communicate, propagate, or transmit programming for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Transmission-readable media may include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or infrared wired or wireless propagation media.

[0105] System 300 may implement any operating system suitable for operating on a network. Software 312 may be written in any suitable programming language, such as C, C++, Java, or Python. In various embodiments, application software embodying functionality of the present disclosure may be deployed in different configurations, such as in a client / server configuration or via a web browser as a web-based application or web service.

[0106] In some embodiments, a pharmaceutical asset tracking system comprises a pharmaceutical asset tracker configured to transmit pharmaceutical asset information to a communication device, the pharmaceutical asset information including an identifier of a pharmaceutical asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker in a defined area, and in accordance with the communication device responding to communication via a first crowdsourcing protocol, the pharmaceutical asset tracker transmits the pharmaceutical asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol, and in accordance with the communication device responding to communication via a second crowdsourcing protocol, the pharmaceutical asset tracker transmits the pharmaceutical asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol; and a server configured to receive the pharmaceutical asset information and location information from the communication device, determine a location of the asset based on the location information, and provide display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location, the group being identified based on the pharmaceutical asset information of each of the assets in the group.

[0107] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is configurable to be discoverable, and the communication device is configured to search for devices that are discoverable via a communication protocol used to transmit medication asset information to the communication device.

[0108] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit medication asset information via Bluetooth Low Energy.

[0109] In some embodiments, the medicament asset tracker is configured to transmit medicament asset information over ultra-wideband.

[0110] In some embodiments, the location information is based on transmission of medication asset information via ultra-wideband.

[0111] In some embodiments, the identifier uniquely identifies the asset and the location information is determined based on a crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

[0112] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset information is associated with product information for the asset, and the server is configured to store the product information.

[0113] In some embodiments, the server is configured to retrieve the product information in response to receiving the pharmaceutical asset information.

[0114] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is attached to the asset and the asset is portable.

[0115] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit medication asset information to the communication device in accordance with a determination that the communication device is within the defined region.

[0116] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is configured to stop transmitting medication asset information pursuant to a determination that the medication asset tracker is no longer within the defined region.

[0117] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is configured to stop transmitting the medication asset information following a determination that the asset has been transferred.

[0118] In some embodiments, the medication asset information includes expiration information associated with the asset, the expiration information indicating the time when the asset will expire.

[0119] In some embodiments, the server is configured to determine whether inventory transfer criteria are met and, in accordance with a determination that the inventory transfer criteria are met, cause generation of instructions to transfer at least a portion of the group of assets from a first designated location to a second designated location.

[0120] In some embodiments, the server is configured to determine whether a quantity of the group of assets is below a threshold and, pursuant to a determination that the quantity of the group of assets is below the threshold, cause the generation of an alert indicating low inventory.

[0121] In some embodiments, the server is configured to forecast demand for an asset at a specified location based on historical quantities of a group of assets.

[0122] In some embodiments, the asset includes a medication asset tracker.

[0123] In some embodiments, a method for pharmaceutical asset tracking includes transmitting pharmaceutical asset information from a pharmaceutical asset tracker to a communication device, the pharmaceutical asset information including an identifier of a pharmaceutical asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker in a defined region, and in accordance with the communication device responding to communication via a first crowdsourcing protocol, the pharmaceutical asset tracker transmits the pharmaceutical asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol, and in accordance with the communication device responding to communication via a second crowdsourcing protocol, the pharmaceutical asset tracker transmits the pharmaceutical asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol.

[0124] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is configured to be discoverable and the communication device is configured to search for devices that are discoverable via a communication protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

[0125] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker transmits medication asset information via Bluetooth Low Energy.

[0126] In some embodiments, the medicament asset tracker transmits medicament asset information via ultra-wideband.

[0127] In some embodiments, the location information of the medicament asset tracker is based on transmission of the medicament asset information over ultra-wideband.

[0128] In some embodiments, the identifier uniquely identifies the asset and the location information of the medication asset tracker is determined based on a crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

[0129] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset information is associated with product information for the asset.

[0130] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is attached to the asset and the asset is portable.

[0131] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device pursuant to a determination that the communication device is within the defined region.

[0132] In some embodiments, the method further includes ceasing transmission of the pharmaceutical asset information by the pharmaceutical asset tracker in accordance with determining that the pharmaceutical asset tracker is no longer within the defined region.

[0133] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether the assets have been transferred and, in accordance with a determination that the assets have been transferred, ceasing transmission of the medication asset information by the medication asset tracker.

[0134] In some embodiments, the medication asset information includes expiration information associated with the asset, the expiration information indicating the time when the asset will expire.

[0135] In some embodiments, the asset includes a medication asset tracker.

[0136] In some embodiments, the medication asset information is transmitted from the communication device to a server.

[0137] In some embodiments, a method for crowdsourced location tracking includes receiving pharmaceutical asset information and location information from a communication device, where the pharmaceutical asset information is transmitted from a pharmaceutical asset tracker to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol; determining a location of a pharmaceutical asset associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker based on the location information; and providing display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location, where the group is identified based on pharmaceutical asset information of each of the assets in the group.

[0138] In some embodiments, the method further includes stopping processing of the medication asset information in accordance with determining that the medication asset tracker is no longer within the defined region.

[0139] In some embodiments, the method further includes stopping processing of the medication asset information in accordance with a determination that the asset has been transferred.

[0140] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether an inventory transfer criteria is met and, in accordance with a determination that the inventory transfer criteria is met, resulting in generation of instructions to transfer at least a portion of the group of assets from the first designated location to the second designated location.

[0141] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether a quantity of the group of assets is below a threshold and, in accordance with a determination that the quantity of the group of assets is below the threshold, causing generation of an alert indicating low inventory.

[0142] In some embodiments, the method further includes forecasting demand for the asset at the specified location based on the quantity history of the group of assets.

[0143] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset information is associated with product information for the asset, and the method further comprises storing the product information.

[0144] In some embodiments, the method further includes retrieving product information in response to receiving the pharmaceutical asset information.

[0145] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of one or more electronic devices, causes the electronic device to perform a method including: transmitting pharmaceutical asset information to a communication device, the pharmaceutical asset information including an identifier of a pharmaceutical asset associated with a pharmaceutical asset tracker in a defined region, the pharmaceutical asset information being transmitted to the communication device via a first crowdsourcing protocol pursuant to the communication device responding to communication via a first crowdsourcing protocol, and the pharmaceutical asset information being transmitted to the communication device via a second crowdsourcing protocol pursuant to the communication device responding to communication via a second crowdsourcing protocol; receiving the pharmaceutical asset information and location information from the communication device; determining a location of the assets based on the location information; and providing display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at the specified location, the group being identified based on the pharmaceutical asset information of each of the assets in the group.

[0146] In some embodiments, the method further includes configuring the medication asset tracker to be discoverable, and the communication device is configured to search for discoverable devices via a communication protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

[0147] In some embodiments, the medication asset information is transmitted via Bluetooth Low Energy.

[0148] In some embodiments, the medication asset information is transmitted via ultra-wideband.

[0149] In some embodiments, the location information is based on transmission of medication asset information via ultra-wideband.

[0150] In some embodiments, the identifier uniquely identifies the asset, and the method further includes determining the location information based on a crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

[0151] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical asset information is associated with product information for the asset.

[0152] In some embodiments, the medication asset tracker is attached to the asset and the asset is portable.

[0153] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether the communication device is within the defined area, and in accordance with a determination that the communication device is within the defined area, the medication asset information is transmitted to the communication device.

[0154] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether the drug asset tracker is within the defined area and, pursuant to a determination that the drug asset tracker is no longer within the defined area, ceasing transmission of the drug asset information.

[0155] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether the assets have been transferred, and stopping transmission of the medication asset information according to a determination that the assets have been transferred.

[0156] In some embodiments, the medication asset information includes expiration information associated with the asset, the expiration information indicating the time when the asset will expire.

[0157] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether an inventory transfer criteria is met and, in accordance with a determination that the inventory transfer criteria is met, resulting in generation of instructions to transfer at least a portion of the group of assets from the first designated location to the second designated location.

[0158] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether a quantity of the group of assets is below a threshold and, in accordance with a determination that the quantity of the group of assets is below the threshold, causing generation of an alert indicating low inventory.

[0159] In some embodiments, the method further includes forecasting demand for the asset at the specified location based on the quantity history of the group of assets.

[0160] In some embodiments, the assets include a medication asset tracker.

[0161] In some embodiments, a pharmaceutical asset tracking system includes a pharmaceutical asset tracker configured to transmit pharmaceutical asset information to a communication device, the pharmaceutical asset information including identifiers of pharmaceutical assets associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker in a defined area, the pharmaceutical asset tracker transmitting the pharmaceutical asset information to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol; and a server configured to receive pharmaceutical asset information and location information from the communication device, determine a location of the asset based on the location information, and provide display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location, the group being identified based on the pharmaceutical asset information of each of the assets in the group.

[0162] In some embodiments, a method for pharmaceutical asset tracking includes transmitting pharmaceutical asset information from a pharmaceutical asset tracker to a communication device, the pharmaceutical asset information including identifiers of pharmaceutical assets associated with the pharmaceutical asset tracker in a defined area, the pharmaceutical asset tracker transmitting the pharmaceutical asset information to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol, a server receiving the pharmaceutical asset information and location information from the communication device, determining a location of the asset based on the location information, and providing display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location, the group being identified based on the pharmaceutical asset information of each of the assets in the group.

[0163] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of one or more electronic devices, cause the electronic device to perform a method including: transmitting pharmaceutical asset information to a communication device, the pharmaceutical asset information including identifiers of pharmaceutical assets associated with a pharmaceutical asset tracker in a defined area, the pharmaceutical asset tracker transmitting the pharmaceutical asset information to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol; receiving the pharmaceutical asset information and location information from the communication device; determining a location of the assets based on the location information; and providing display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at the specified location, the group being identified based on the pharmaceutical asset information of each of the assets in the group.

[0164] In this specification, "or" is inclusive and not exclusive, unless otherwise clearly indicated or indicated by the context. Thus, in this specification, "A or / or B" means "A, B, or / and both" unless otherwise clearly indicated or indicated by the context. Moreover, "and" is both jointly and severally, unless otherwise clearly indicated or indicated by the context. Thus, in this specification, "A and / and B" means "A and / and B, jointly or severally," unless otherwise clearly indicated or indicated by the context.

[0165] The scope of the present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, modifications, and alterations to the exemplary embodiments described or illustrated herein that would be understood by a person skilled in the art. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described or illustrated herein. Moreover, although the present disclosure has described and illustrated each embodiment herein as including certain components, elements, features, functions, operations, or steps, any of these embodiments may include any combination or permutation of any of the components, elements, features, functions, operations, or steps described or illustrated anywhere herein that would be understood by a person skilled in the art. Moreover, references in the appended claims to an apparatus or system, or a component of an apparatus or system, being adapted to, arranged to, capable to, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompass that apparatus, system, component, or particular function thereof, so long as the apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative, regardless of whether the apparatus, system, component, or particular function thereof is activated, turned on, or unlocked. Additionally, although the present disclosure describes or illustrates particular embodiments as providing certain advantages, a particular embodiment may provide none of these advantages, some of these advantages, or all of these advantages.

Claims

1. 1. A pharmaceutical asset tracking system, comprising:

1. A medication asset tracker configured to transmit medication asset information to a communication device, the medication asset information includes an identifier for a medication asset associated with the medication asset tracker for a defined region; In response to the communication device responding to communication via a first crowdsourcing protocol, the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol; a medication asset tracker configured to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol in response to the communication device responding to the communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol; A server, receiving the medication asset information and location information from the communication device; determining a location of the asset based on the location information; a server configured to provide display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be in a specified location, the group being identified based on pharmaceutical asset information for each of the assets in the group; A system comprising:

2. the medication asset tracker is configurable to be discoverable; The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication device is configured to search for the discoverable devices via the communication protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit the medication asset information via Bluetooth Low Energy.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit the medication asset information over ultra-wideband.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the location information is based on the transmission of the pharmaceutical asset information over ultra-wideband.

6. the identifier uniquely identifies the asset; The system of claim 1 , wherein the location information is determined based on the crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

7. The pharmaceutical asset information is associated with product information of the asset; The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to store the product information.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the server is configured to retrieve the product information in response to receiving the pharmaceutical asset information.

9. the medication asset tracker is attached to the asset; The system of claim 1 , wherein the assets are portable.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device in accordance with a determination that the communication device is within the defined area.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the medication asset tracker is configured to cease transmitting the medication asset information pursuant to a determination that the medication asset tracker is no longer within the defined region.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the medication asset tracker is configured to stop transmitting the medication asset information following a determination that the asset has been transferred.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical asset information includes expiration information associated with the asset, the expiration information indicating a time when the asset will expire.

14. The server, Determine if the stock transfer criteria are met, 2. The system of claim 1, configured to cause generation of instructions to transfer at least a portion of the group of assets from the first designated location to a second designated location in accordance with a determination that the inventory transfer criteria are met.

15. The server, determining whether a quantity of the group of assets is below a threshold; pursuant to a determination that the quantity of the group of assets is below the threshold, resulting in the generation of a low inventory alert. The system of claim 1 configured to:

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to forecast demand for the asset at the specified location based on a quantity history of the group of the asset.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the assets include the medication asset tracker.

18. 1. A method for pharmaceutical asset tracking, comprising: transmitting medication asset information from the medication asset tracker to a communication device; the medication asset information includes an identifier for a medication asset associated with the medication asset tracker for a defined region; In response to the communication device responding to the communication via a first crowdsourcing protocol, the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol; transmitting the medication asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol, the medication asset tracker transmitting the medication asset information to the communication device via the second crowdsourcing protocol pursuant to the communication device responding to the communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol; A method comprising:

19. the medication asset tracker is configured to be discoverable; The method of claim 18, wherein the communication device is configured to search for the discoverable devices via the communication protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information via Bluetooth Low Energy.

21. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information via ultra-wideband.

22. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the pharmaceutical asset tracker location information is based on the transmission of the pharmaceutical asset information over ultra-wideband.

23. the identifier uniquely identifies the asset; the location information of the medication asset tracker is determined based on the crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

20. The method of claim 18.

24. The method of claim 18 , wherein the pharmaceutical asset information is associated with product information for the asset.

25. the medication asset tracker is attached to the asset; The method of claim 18 , wherein the assets are portable.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the medication asset tracker transmits the medication asset information to the communication device in accordance with a determination that the communication device is within the defined area.

27. 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising ceasing transmission of the pharmaceutical asset information by the pharmaceutical asset tracker in response to determining that the pharmaceutical asset tracker is no longer within the defined region.

28. determining whether the assets have been transferred; suspending transmission of the pharmaceutical asset information by the pharmaceutical asset tracker in response to a determination that the asset has been transferred; 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

29. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the medication asset information includes expiration information associated with the asset, the expiration information indicating a time when the asset will expire.

30. The method of claim 18 , wherein the assets include the medication asset tracker.

31. The method of claim 18 , wherein the medication asset information is transmitted from the communication device to a server.

32. 1. A method for crowdsourced location tracking, comprising: receiving medication asset information and location information from a communication device, the medication asset information being transmitted from a medication asset tracker to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol; determining a location of a medication asset associated with the medication asset tracker based on the location information; providing display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location, the group being identified based on pharmaceutical asset information for each of the assets in the group; A method comprising:

33. 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: ceasing processing of the medication asset information in response to a determination that the medication asset tracker is no longer within a defined region.

34. 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: ceasing processing of the medication asset information in accordance with a determination that the asset has been transferred.

35. Determine whether the stock transfer criteria are met, causing generation of instructions to transfer at least a portion of the group of assets from the first designated location to a second designated location in accordance with a determination that the inventory transfer criteria is satisfied.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

36. determining whether a quantity of the group of assets is below a threshold; 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: causing generation of a low inventory alert in accordance with a determination that the quantity of the group of assets is below the threshold.

37. 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising forecasting demand for the asset at the specified location based on a quantity history of the group of assets.

38. The pharmaceutical asset information is associated with product information of the asset; The method further includes storing the product information.

33. The method of claim 32.

39. 40. The system of claim 38, further comprising retrieving the product information in response to receiving the pharmaceutical asset information.

40. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of one or more electronic devices, cause the electronic devices to: transmitting medication asset information to a communication device; the medication asset information includes an identifier for a medication asset associated with the medication asset tracker for a defined region; the medication asset information is transmitted to the communication device via the first crowdsourcing protocol in response to the communication device responding to the communication via the first crowdsourcing protocol; transmitting medication asset information to the communication device via a second crowdsourcing protocol pursuant to the communication device responding to the communication via the second crowdsourcing protocol; receiving the medication asset information and location information from the communication device; determining a location of the asset based on the location information; and providing display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location, the group being identified based on pharmaceutical asset information for each of the assets in the group; A non-transitory computer readable medium for carrying out a method comprising:

41. 41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the method further includes configuring a medication asset tracker to be discoverable, and the communication device is configured to search for the discoverable device via the communication protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

42. 41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein the medication asset information is transmitted via Bluetooth Low Energy.

43. 41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the pharmaceutical asset information is transmitted via ultra-wideband.

44. 44. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein the location information is based on the transmission of the pharmaceutical asset information over ultra-wideband.

45. the identifier uniquely identifies the asset; The method further includes determining the location information based on the crowdsourcing protocol used to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device.

41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 40.

46. 41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein the pharmaceutical asset information is associated with product information for the asset.

47. a drug asset tracker attached to the asset; 41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the assets are portable.

48. 41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the method further includes determining whether the communication device is within the defined area, and wherein the medication asset information is transmitted to the communication device in accordance with a determination that the communication device is within the defined area.

49. The method comprises: determining whether a medication asset tracker is within the defined region; ceasing transmission of the medication asset information in response to a determination that the medication asset tracker is no longer within the defined region; and 41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 40, further comprising:

50. The method comprises: determining whether the assets have been transferred; terminating transmission of the medication asset information in accordance with a determination that the assets have been transferred; 41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 40, further comprising:

51. 41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the pharmaceutical asset information includes expiration information associated with the asset, the expiration information indicating a time when the asset will expire.

52. The method comprises: determining whether inventory transfer criteria are met; causing generation of instructions to transfer at least a portion of the group of assets from the first designated location to a second designated location in accordance with a determination that the inventory transfer criteria is satisfied; 41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 40, further comprising:

53. The method comprises: determining whether a quantity of the group of assets is below a threshold; causing generation of a low inventory alert in response to a determination that the quantity of the group of assets is below the threshold; and 41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 40, further comprising:

54. 41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, the method further comprising forecasting demand for the asset at the specified location based on a quantity history of the group of assets.

55. 41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein the assets include a medication asset tracker.

56. 1. A pharmaceutical asset tracking system, comprising:

1. A medication asset tracker configured to transmit medication asset information to a communication device, the medication asset information includes an identifier for a medication asset associated with the medication asset tracker for a defined region; a medication asset tracker that transmits the medication asset information to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol; A server, receiving the medication asset information and location information from the communication device; determining a location of the asset based on the location information; a server configured to provide display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be in a specified location, the group being identified based on pharmaceutical asset information for each of the assets in the group; A system comprising:

57. the medication asset tracker is configurable to be discoverable; the communication device is configured to search for the discoverable devices via the communication protocol; 57. The system of claim 56.

58. 57. The system of claim 56, wherein the medication asset tracker is configured to transmit the medication asset information to the communication device in accordance with a determination that the communication device is within the defined area.

59. the identifier uniquely identifies the asset; The location information is determined based on the crowdsourcing protocol.

57. The system of claim 56.

60. 57. The system of claim 56, wherein the assets include the medication asset tracker.

61. 1. A method for pharmaceutical asset tracking, comprising: transmitting medication asset information from the medication asset tracker to a communication device; the medication asset information includes an identifier for a medication asset associated with the medication asset tracker for a defined region; the medication asset tracker transmitting the medication asset information to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol; The server receiving the medication asset information and location information from the communication device; determining a location of the asset based on the location information; transmitting pharmaceutical asset information configured to provide display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location, the group being identified based on pharmaceutical asset information for each of the assets in the group; The method includes:

62. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of one or more electronic devices, cause the electronic devices to: transmitting medication asset information to a communication device; the medication asset information includes an identifier for a medication asset associated with the medication asset tracker for a defined region; transmitting the medication asset information to the communication device, the medication asset tracker transmitting the medication asset information to the communication device via a crowdsourcing protocol; receiving the medication asset information and location information from the communication device; determining a location of the asset based on the location information; and providing display information regarding a group of pharmaceutical assets determined to be at a specified location, the group being identified based on pharmaceutical asset information for each of the assets in the group; A non-transitory computer readable medium for carrying out a method, comprising:

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