GB2253727A

GB2253727A - Drawer monitoring apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2253727A
Application number: GB9104572A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terrence John Keating; Andrew Shaun Keating; Christopher John Talbot
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-03-05
Filing date: 1991-03-05
Publication date: 1992-09-16
Also published as: GB9104572D0

Abstract

A multi-drawer filing system 1 has a magnetically operable switch associated with each drawer. Signals from the switches are fed via a multiplexer 2 to a control panel 3 which stores a record of all drawer openings in an electronic microprocessor-controlled memory. A red indicator light 16 indicates when one of the drawers has been opened. The drawer-opening record (identity and time) can then be accessed via a code-operated keypad 14 and viewed on a display 15. A hard printout can also be obtained on a printer 4. <IMAGE>

Description

DRAWER MONITORING APPARATUS TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for monitoring the opening of storage drawers.

BACKGROUND In many applications where documents are filed in storage drawers it is necessary to audit the information regularly in order, for example, to check that all the documents which have been removed have been returned, to check which of the documents have been removed, or perhaps to check which have been removed, altered in some way, and returned. It is not uncommon for the number of drawers in a storage system to run into hundreds. In some instances the documents must be audited daily, which clearly presents a mammoth task to the auditors and thus entails a high labour cost.

Although the invention may have wider uses in applications where auditing does not necessarily take place, one aim of the invention may be viewed as being to reduce the amount of auditing work which is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention proposes drawer monitoring apparatus comprising a multi-drawer filing system, respective sensing means associated with each of the drawers to generate an electrical signal when the respective drawer has been opened, memory means arranged to respond to the signals from the sensing means to store the information that a particular drawer has been opened, and visual indication means for displaying the information held in the memory means to indicate which of the drawers has been opened.

It is therefore only necessary to audit the drawers which, according to the visual indication means, have been opened.

The memory means could comprise a respective latching relay, an electronic latch or the like, associated with each sensing means. It will be appreciated however that with a large number of drawers the cost of such a system would become very large. It is therefore preferred to utilise common memory means which receives input signals from the various sensing means via an encoder. The storage and retrieval of data from the common memory means may conveniently and inexpensively be controlled by a microprocessor.

The apparatus preferably includes further indication means arranged to indicate whether any one of the drawers has been opened. A user can thus see at a glance whether any of the drawers has been opened sncl hence whether the visual indication means need be checked in more detail.

The visual indication means could comprise a respective light-emitting device associated with each drawer, so that when each drawer is opened, the associated lightemitting device becomes illuminated. However, in order to reduce the cost where large numbers of drawers are involved, and increase its potential range of uses, the visual indication means preferably comprises a common alphanumeric display for identifying each drawer which has been opened. The display can also be arranged to provide additional information. Thus, in a preferred arrangement the apparatus includes a real time clock, and the memory means is arrranged to store the time, or times, when each drawer is opened, and the stored time is displayed by the memory means along with the drawer identification.

The apparatus preferably includes reset means for resetting the memory means. Such reset means could comprise a key-operated switch for example, but the reset means is preferably combination-operated, idnal Jy by entering a pre-determined reset code vin n }re-ç}eri.

The sensing means could comprise a switch which is mechanically operated by the drawer, but for greater reliability the sensing means preferably comprises a magnetically operable switch which mounted in a fixed location, and a co-operable magnetic element secured to and moveable with the drawer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of drawer monitoring apparatus of the invention, and Figure 2 is an internal detail of a storage unit included in the apparatus, and Figure 3 is a block circuit diagram of the apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring firstly to Fig. 1, the apparatus includes a multi-drawer storage unit 1 which is linked via an interface module 2 to a control unit 3. The control unit has a port for optional connection of a printer 4.

The storage unit 1 could take various forms, but for the purpose of illustration it includes a housing 5 containing a set of individually slidable drawers 6.

As shown in Fig. 2, each drawer 6 has a magnet 7 secured to it within the housing 5, and a magnetically operable switch 8 is secured to the inside surface of the housing 5 in such a position that when the drawer is fully closed the switch is opened (or closed) by the force of the magnet 7. When the drawer is opened however the switch is operated to send an electrical signal along a cable 9 to the interface module 2, which receives similar inputs from all the switches 8. These signals are encoded into multiplex form by the interface module, and the multiplex signal is sent along a further cable 10 (Fig. 1) to the control unit 3.

Externally, the control unit 3 has a numeri(" tllrq 14, a liquid crystal alphanumeric display 15, and led and green indicator lights 16 and 17 respectively.

Inside the control unit, there is a microprocessor 18 (Fig. 3), an associated memory 19, and a real time clock 20. A suitable battery or battery-backed mains power supply (not shown) may be provided internally or externally of the control unit.

With the apparatus in its reset condition and all of the drawers are closed, the green indicator light 17 is illuminated. However, when one of the drawers 6 is opened the associated switch 8 sends a signal via the interface unit 2 to the microprocessor 18, which stores the identification of the particular drawer, together with the current time, in the memory 19. At the same time the microprocessor extinguishes the green lamp 17 and illuminates the red lamp 16 to indicate that drawer activity has taken place. If another drawer is opened (or the same drawer) the identification of the drawer and time of opening is again stored in the memory l9, and this process is repeated each time a drawer is opened.

The monitoring unit can be interrogated to find out what drawer activity has taken place by entering a predetermined access code via the keypad 14. (If the green lamp 17 is still lit there will of course be no need to interrogate the apparatus.) If the microprocessor detects that one of the drawers has bemn left open an alert message will be displayed in the liquid crystal display 15, but otherwise the identification of the first drawer to be opened (e.g. a unique identification number, letter of the alphabet or other symbol) and the time of opening will be displayed. By repeatedly pressing an appropriate key on the keypad 14 similar information will be displayed for each subsequent drawer opening. The operator can either repeat the interrogation, exit from the interrogation process, or, if a new monitoring period is required to begin, the apparatus can be reset by entering a predetermined reset code via keypad 14. The memory 19 is then erased and the lamp 17 becomes illuminated.

Prior to resetting the apparatus a log of all drawer activity can be printed out in hard copy via the printer 4.

It will thus be appreciated that it is no longer necessary to carry out an audit of information stored in all the drawers at the end of each monitoring period, and attention can be directed only to those drawers which are shown to have been opened. Since it is not possible to interrogate or reset the apparatus without the appropriate security codes the apparatus provides a high level of security against undetected access.

Claims

1. Drawer monitoring apparatus comprising a multi-drawer filing system, respective sensing means associated with each of the drawers to generate an electrical signal when the respective drawer has been opened, memory means arranged to respond to the signals from the sensing means to store the information that a particular drawer has been opened, and visual indication means for displaying the information held in the memory means to indicate which of the drawers has been opened.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, in which the memory means comprises a common electronic memory means which receives signals from all of the sensing means.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, in which the signals from the sensing means travel to the common memory means via an encoder.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the common memory means is controlled by a microprocessor.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, including further indication means arranged to indicate whether any one of the drawers has been opened.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the visual indication means comprises a common alphanumeric display for identifying each drawer which has been opened.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, which includes a real time clock, and the memory means is arrranged to store the time, or times, when each drawer is opened, and the stored time is displayed by the memory means along with the drawer identification

8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, including reset means for re-setting the memory means.

9. Apparatus according to Claim 8, in which the reset means is operated by entering a predetermined combination.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, in which the combination is in the form of a rest code entered by a keypad.

11. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the sensing means comprises a magnetically operable switch mounted in a fixed location, and a cooperable magnetic element secured to and moveable with the drawer.

12. Drawer monitoring apparatus substantialLy as described with reference to the drawings.