Unlimited capacity modular inventory management solution

Abstract

An inventory storage solution which is standalone bins that can comprise one bin or multiple bins. An embodiment is that the inventory storage bins have electromagnetic locks with a magnetic quick release connector. Another embodiment is that the inventory storage solution is connectable to a computing device via wireless means. Further embodiments have custom mounting plates on which the storage bins are mountable and can be mounted in any configuration. Another embodiment has a custom fixing and supporting tool to attach the storage bins to the mounting plates, which are quick release. The inventory storage solution are comprised of individual components that are easily assembled and each component can be easily swapped out for another if there is a failure of said component.

Description

This invention relates to a device for managing inventory in a storage solution that is secured with electromagnetic locking mechanisms and which is controlled via a computer or mobile device that is capable of wireless communication protocols including Wifi and Bluetooth. The computer or mobile device communicates wirelessly with the storage solution and a data storage server locally or via a cloud server and with supporting software on both the computer or mobile device and server. Inventory management plays a role in all aspects of our lives, from managing food in our cupboards or the tools in our garage at home, the parcel deliveries we collect from temporary storage lockers, confectionary from vending solutions through to high volume repetitive usage parts at manufacturing plants and more. Inventory management is such an integral part of daily life that we often take it entirely for granted. In the recent decade, inventory management (vending) solutions originally scoped for confectionary or small toy distribution have been repurposed and evolved to store and control inventory in different environments. As just one example manufacturing sites use digital inventory (vending) solutions to control the usage and subsequent spend against high volume / cost production critical parts. However, as digital inventory control has spread throughout manufacturing and distribution processes a range of issues have become apparent. A 'spiral' machine for example, traditionally used for vending confectionary or similar would now also be used for PPE (personal protective equipment) or high cost cutting tools, items which these machines were not originally designed for. Product jams when vending are often, the drop of a product to the bottom of the machine can cause product damage and design limitations as spirals run front to back mean whatever item is in the front of a spiral must also be throughout the remaining rear spaces meaning a high level of redundant space if you only want to hold a low quantity of a product in a spiral. Larger rotating 'drum' machines provide a very large central drum split into multiple vertical tiers and horizontal bin locations providing hundreds of potential bins. The drum is round and consequently all storage locations are triangular or 'pie' like in shape. Units are offered with many hundreds of bin locations of storage capacity however in real world conditions, the usable quantity is often much lower than suggested as you must use multiple storage locations to fit larger product(s) taking multiple 'pie' locations to hold items above the size of the smallest 'pie' size. A single motor at its base rotates the drum meaning should the motor fail the entire machine containing potentially hundreds of inventory locations cannot be used. 'Locker' units are used as collection points for home parcel delivery or storage of larger items, but they are limited to a single use case with a low volume of fixed size bins. 'Drawer' units have an additional cover atop every drawer providing hatch like openings which allow individual access to pockets of space within each drawer. Drawer units provide excellent storage capability and use the available space efficiently but can be challenging to reconfigure the layout of the bins once initially configured. The majority if not all digital inventory storage solutions today share a range of issues. They are very expensive, costing many thousands of pounds with monthly and annual support / maintenance fees putting them beyond the reach of what could be considered mass market adoption although there are many potential use cases for such controlled storage solutions beyond business applications such as industrial, healthcare or retail environments. They are bulky and heavy requiring specialist equipment (forklift or pallet truck) for delivery on larger shipping vehicles at significant cost. They use their space inefficiently meaning wasted capacity and potential. They often have 'single points of failure' meaning a power supply, motor, or similar failure of just one part can entirely disable an array of storage bins or an entire storage solution containing hundreds of parts. They require. installation, maintenance, and support by specialist technicians meaning onsite visits at significant financial cost and downtime. Once configured, reconfiguring them as your storage requirements evolve can be very challenging as moving or resizing just one bin can mean adjusting many bins around the one you wish to change often having to reconfigure not only the machine itself but the supporting software and product map. There are limitations due to space and the size of the units. There are also technical limitations in terms of the electronics meaning an inventory storage solution can only ever have a finite number or storage locations. To expand on this, units must be physically 'daisy chained' using wired serial communication with limitations to the number of how many units can be connected within the chain. To overcome these problems, the present invention proposes an inventory storage solution that is entirely modular allowing any number of storage bins from one single bin of any size through to an unlimited number of bins of any size spread throughout a space that is as small or large as is required to hold it and at a cost that is relevant to the volume of bins required. The solution has a significantly lower cost of entry due to low bin volume options being available and in turn can reach other markets beyond the reach of the current solutions. A computer or mobile device capable of Wifi and Bluetooth communication protocols can be wirelessly tethered to each solution as a permanent fixture or can roam freely between many solutions linking an unlimited number of bins together. As of January 2024, it is estimated that 6.94 billion smart mobile devices are in use covering approximately 85% of the earth's population and that have Wifi and Bluetooth wireless communication protocols as standard making them suitable drive the inventory storage solution through a relevant mobile application, further driving down the cost of entry and increasingly the likelihood of mass market adoption of this solution. This solution proposes storage bins with an electromagnetic lock per bin which are linked through an easy to attach magnetic wiring connector to a mounting plate providing a simple 'plug and play' use with no technical ability required. Mounting plates link to control boards mounted to the rear with all supporting wiring out of view of the user. Bins are linked to the mounting plate either semi-permanently with screw fixings or a more temporary fixing can be used for quick release and adjustment of bin count, sizes and locations as the user's storage requirements evolve. Mounting plates are pre-drilled / cut to accommodate bins of a specific size, with duplicate hole positioning, repetitive throughout the mounting plate allowing usage of suitably sized small bins or large bins so long as the dimensions of the larger bin(s) are divisible by those of the smallest bin allowing a connection to the mounting plate while covering over connectors that would be connected were only small bins utilized. A control board controls each mounting plate and its array of potential bins. Control boards can be daisy chained together providing a high volume, but not unlimited amount of storage bins. A microcontroller that is individually addressed and capable of Wifi and Bluetooth wireless communication protocols is linked to a control board or array of control boards via a suitable computer or mobile device. The computer or mobile device can attach, detach, and reattach to any number of microcontrollers, their linked control boards, mounting plates and storage bins with electromagnetic locks and can individually unlock and check the status of each bin thereby removing any limitations as to the number of bins that can be controlled by a singular computer or mobile device(s). More bins can be added by adding a further microcontroller, control board(s), mounting plate and bin(s) array. The supporting software can loop over and validate the connection of all known microcontrollers, control boards, mounting plates and bins to confirm their status, creating a map of the available bins without manual intervention from the user. Mounting plates are created in standardized sizes further allowing the software to know the expected dimensions of the bins that can be attached and in turn, which products are likely to fit within. The system is entirely modular, and its components can be packaged in smaller, easy to handle packing boxes, shipped to their destination and assembled locally with no heavy machinery required and at a greatly reduced shipping cost. Power for the microcontroller, control board(s), mounting plates and electromagnetic locks can be provided via a suitable rechargeable battery or through a wired wall plug connection. Using a battery would allow a wholly mobile inventory storage solution. The mounting plates and supporting electronics can be mounted in a wide variety of configurations including but not limited to a single bin to the front of a home for controlled access to home parcel or food deliveries, the internals of drawers with bins attached and hinged doors facing upwards in varying depths, tower units with bins on one or more sides in high volumes, wall mounted in any size and layout as is required or mounted to mobile trolleys to provide a mobile inventory management solution. A quick release fitting of some variation can be used to temporarily lock the bin to the mounting plate from the bin internally so as that it can only be accessed when the bin is open. A unique tool is used to make the removal of such a quick release fitting a quick and simple process with the correct tooling but challenging without to help prevent theft and unwarranted removal of the bin. Permanent screw fixing holes can allow a bin to be fitted to the mounting plate in a more permanent way although still allowing them to be removed and reconfigured if applicable, albeit at a slower pace. The invention wil now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an inventory storage box with a hinged door to the front and an electromagnetic lock to the right-hand side allowing the door to be locked when closed shut, Figure 2 shows an electromagnetic lock with a 4-wire connection for power and data transmission linked to a 4-pole magnetic, female, quick release connector and a manual override release mechanism, Figure 3 shows the rear panel of the inventory storage box as per figure 1 with pre-drilled / cut holes, Figure 4 shows a larger view of the 4-pole magnetic, female, quick release connector, Figure 5 shows a larger view of the 4-pole magnetic, female, quick release connector and the opposing 4-pole magnetic, male, quick release connector, Figure 6 shows a mounting plate with pre-drilled / cut holes mimicking the pattern of those to the rear of the inventory storage box as per figure 1 and figure 3 and repeated across the panel allowing an array of inventory storage boxes to be mounted, Figure 7 shows a mounting plate as per figure 6 with an electromagnetic lock control board and 6 examples of the wired connections via the 4-pole magnetic, male, quick release connector linking into the relevant pre-drilled / cut hole within the mounting board, Figure 8 shows an example of a potential quick release connector for linking the inventory storage box as per figure 1 to the mounting plate as per figure 6, Figure 9 show a side view of the quick release connector as per figure 8, Figure 10 shows a quick release connector as per figure 8 with a unique, two prong tool used to easily rotate the quick release connector, Figure 11 shows a mounting plate as per figure 6 with just four of its mounting positions populated with inventory storage boxes as per figure 1, three of which are of the same size to the top of the mounting plate and one larger inventory storage box populating 6 mounting positions due to its size, Figure 12 shows four electromagnetically locked bin mounting plates, control as per figure 7 'daisy chained' together and linked to a power supply and microcontroller that is capable of Wifi and Bluetooth wireless communication protocols. Mobile devices and a local or cloud server provide supporting software for inventory management and to trigger the release of the electromagnetic locks on demand wirelessly via the microcontroller, Figure 13 shows two mounting plate, control board and microcontroller configurations as per figure 12, both of which can communicate independently and through Wifi and Bluetooth wireless communication protocols with suitable computers or mobile devices and a local or cloud server which provide supporting software for inventory management and to trigger the release of the electromagnetic locks on demand wirelessly via the microcontroller. In figure 1, an inventory storage box 1 includes a hinged door 2 to the front and an internal, electromagnetic lock 3 to the side allowing the box to be secured and the door released through an electrical charge as well as confirming feedback of the door / locks status, closed or open. The boxes rear panel has a unique pre-drilled / cut hole configuration as per figure 3 to allow the box to be mounted to a mounting plate through one of two methods. In figure 2 an example of an electromagnetic lock 3 is shown with a supporting clasp 6 which when secured to the hinged door 2 in figure 1 can secure the door closed to the electromagnetic lock 3. A suitable wiring configuration is implemented to allow an electrical charge to be provided to trigger the release of the electromagnetic lock 3 as well as providing a feedback loop as to the status of the lock, open or closed and should be attached using a magnetic quick release connector 5 to allow an instant mount and dismount to a mounting plate allowing a 'plug and play' approach to use with little to no technical ability required. A manual override switch 4 can be used to release the lock should the electrical capabilities of the electromagnetic lock fail. In figure 3 a detailed view of the rear panel of figure l's inventory storage box is shown with semipermanent screw holes 7 to allow an inventory storage box to be firmly and securely mounted to a mounting plate. For most instances however a quick release fixing should be used and mounted through a custom pre-drilled / cut hole 8 using a unique tool to allow you to lock and unlock the box from the mounting plate but that is designed in such a way so as to mean this mounting task should not be easy to perform without a unique tool providing a layer of security. A hole is pre-drilled / cut 9 to allow a thin and rigid instrument to be pushed through the mounting plate and into the storage bin while locked to trigger the manual override switch 4 of figure 2 which can be used to release the lock should the electrical capabilities of the electromagnetic lock fail. A pre-drilled / cut hole 10 allows the 4-pole magnetic, female, quick release connector to extrude from the rear of the box allowing a magnetic link to the opposing 4-pole magnetic, male, quick release connector(s) embedded within the mounting plate and wired into the supporting electromagnetic lock control board. In figure 4 a 4-pole magnetic, female, quick release connector 5 is shown with four wires 12 for power and feedback used to trigger the release of the electromagnetic lock 3 figure 2 and to provide a feedback loop for the status of the lock, closed or open. Two magnetics 11 sit at opposite ends of the connector, one positive and one negative for an instant connect and disconnect to an opposing 4-pole magnetic, male, quick release connector(s) which would be embedded within the mounting plate and wired into the supporting electromagnetic lock control board. In figure 5 both a 4-pole magnetic, female, quick release connector 5 is shown with its opposing 4-pole magnetic, male, quick release connector 13 where four wires are connected 12 and four magnetics 11 are fitted to the top and bottom of the connectors. On the female connector the top magnetic would be positive and the bottom would be negative. Similarly on the male connector the top magnetic would be negative and the bottom would be positive. This allows both an instant, quick release magnetic connection for wiring between the inventory storage boxes and the mounting plates while also ensuring that the wiring cannot be incorrectly connected due to the opposing forces from the magnets at either end of the connectors 5 and 13. In figure 6 a mounting plate 14 is shown with the same pre-drilled / cut hole formation as per the inventory storage box 1 figure 1 and its rear panel figure 3. This hole pattern is repeated throughout through the mounting plate in a uniformed pattern and exactly mimicking the size of the rear panel of the smallest inventory storage box that is produced. The number of repetitions of the hole formation would be relevant to the control board used to drive the electromagnetic locks within the inventory storage boxes and the number of possible connections it allows. Multiple permutations could be produced to suit different used cases albeit the fundamental hole patterns should be the same throughout. This in turn allows a mounting plate to hold the maximum amount of the smallest sizes inventory storage box or a number of variants of the storage box in larger sizes so long as those sizes are directly divisible by the sizing of the smallest box and that the hole positions are pre-drilled / cut in such formation and the quick release magnetic connector allows the box to mount to the mounting plate covering any number of the mounting plates positions not in use. In figure 7 an electromagnetic lock control board 15 is shown that is capable of controlling an array of electromagnetic locks. Control boards can be produced in a range of sizes allowing the control of a varying numbers of locks and mounted to the rear of a mounting plate which can support inventory storage bins 1 figure 1. Wiring loom(s) 18 would link the relative lock positions on the control board to the 4-pole magnetic, male, quick release connector(s) 13 and their relevant mounting position on the mounting plate 14 which allows the electrical connection of an inventory storage box 1 figure 1 to be connected and disconnected to the mounting plate and held in place semi-permanently with screws or through the quick release fixing. Control board(s) 15 can be 'daisy chained' using wired serial communication through wiring connectors 16 and 17 which can also be used to provide power to the boards and connect a suitable microcontroller. By linking control boards together in this way a large array of hundreds of electromagnetically locked storage bins can be chained together and controlled by one suitable microcontroller which is used to trigger the release of the locks through the relevant control board. In figure 8 an example of a unique twist lock fastener 19 is shown which has a recessed section to the rear 20 and which has two unique holes 21 drilled into the top. A similar side view of the unique twist lock fastener 19 is shown at figure 9 with the recessed rear section 20 and two unique holes 21 drilled into the top. The same fastener 19 is shown again in figure 10 with a unique two prong 23 tool 22 which can be used to turn the fastener clockwise or anti-clockwise. The fastener fits directly through the rear of the inventory storage box 1 figure 1 and its central hole 8 in the rear panel as per figure 3 and its equivalent position in the mounting plate 14 figure 6. By twisting the fixing into place this secures the inventory storage box to the mounting plate. This fixing is internal to the inventory storage box 1 figure 1 so can only be accessed when the box is open. The purpose of a unique fastener and supporting tool is so that only those with the relevant tool could easily remove the box from its mounting plate reducing the likelihood of theft while making it easy to remove and reconfigure the inventory storage bin formation as required. In figure 11 the mounting plate 14 and multiple inventory storage boxes 1 figure 1 are shown. The top 3 boxes are of the smallest size to suit the smallest position in the mounting plate. As an example, the larger box to the bottom of the mounting plate 14 can be seen to cover 8 of the smallest positions and this box is purposely created so that its size is exactly divisible by that of the smaller boxes. Boxes could be produced in differing sizes so long as they are divisible by the smallest sized box and have pre-drilled / cut holes to the rear so that they can be mounted to the mounting plates repetitive hole positioning allowing a range of inventory control storage boxes 1 figure 1 to be produced and mounted to a suitable mounting plate in varying sizes. In figure 12 a mobile device(s) 28 can near instantly attach, detach, and reattach using Bluetooth wireless communication protocols to a suitable microcontroller U which in turn is wired to an array of control board(s) 15 which are wired 25 through serial communication. The control boards in turn are wired to the relevant positions of the mounting panels 14 which drive the magnetic locks within the storage solution boxes. The electronics can be powered 26 either by a wall plug or battery power supply. Both the microcontroller 27 and mobile device(s) 28 have software that enables the control of the electromagnetic locks and link to a supporting local or cloud server 29 with a database for managing user access, contents, transactional and other such information used to drive the storage solution. In figure 13 two instances of the microcontroller 27, power supply 26, control board(s) 15 and mounting plates 14 are shown acting independently but linking via Bluetooth communication wireless to one or a range of mobile device(s) 28 and communication via Wifi wireless communication to a supporting local or cloud server 29. By creating hardware instances such as this with individually addressed microcontroller(s) 27, control board(s) 15 and mounting plate(s) 14 configurations one mobile device(s) 28 can attach, detach, and reattach to an unlimited number of microcontrollers 27 and in turn inventory storage binsl figure 1. Mounting plate 14 configurations would be produced in several permutations that allow the control of bins from just one bin or more and then 'daisy chained' together through wired serial communication to control several hundred bins. Then by linking to a microcontroller 27 and in turn a mobile device 28, the location and quantity of bins to be controlled by one mobile device becomes unlimited.

Claims

1. An inventory storage solution that is modular in design and allows the volume of inventory storage bins to be just one standalone bin up to an unlimited number of bins.

2. An inventory storage solution that has inventory storage bins containing electromagnetic locks which connect to their supporting electronics by using a magnetic quick release connector providing a 'plug and play' configuration style and purposely hiding the technical elements of the solution from the end user.

3. An inventory storage solution that does not require an input device permanently connected such as a touchscreen interface or keypad but that can connect to any computer or mobile device that support the use of wireless Bluetooth communication protocols and have the associated software installed to drive the solution.

4. An inventory storage solution that uses custom mounting plates to mount its storage solutions bins and where the mounting plates themselves can be mounted in any configuration or position to further supporting structures allowing a modular design.

5. An inventory storage solution that uses a custom designed fixing and supporting tool to attach its storage solution bins to mounting plates firmly, but which can be quickly released using the custom tool to allow reconfiguration of the solution as the user's storage solution requirements evolve.

6. An inventory storage solution that can be shipped to an end user as individual components and quickly assembled on site with little to no technical capability required.

7. An inventory storage solution that has no parts which could be considered a 'single point of failure' as each component can be quickly swapped out for another on demand.

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