Tool attribute management in automated tool control systems

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Business Methods (G06Q)

Published March 31st, 2026

Detected March 31st, 2026

Summary

USPTO granted patent US12589481B2 to Snap-on Incorporated for a tool inventory control system using color sensing to track tools stored in drawers, trays, or shelves. The system generates visual representations of inventory using colored blocks proportional to RGB color data. The patent includes 20 claims and covers automated tool attribute management for industrial applications.

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What changed

USPTO granted patent US12589481B2 to Snap-on Incorporated on March 31, 2026, for an inventory control system utilizing color sensing technology. The system detects colors of tools stored in designated storage locations (drawers, trays, shelves) and generates display images using colored blocks where block sizes correspond to RGB color percentages in the stored objects. Inventors include David C. Fly, Matthew J. Lipsey, Preston C. Phillips, and six others, with the application filed as US18736325.

This patent grant does not impose compliance requirements or deadlines on regulated entities. It represents a routine intellectual property matter granting exclusive rights to the assignee. Organizations developing similar inventory management technology should review the patent claims to assess potential licensing needs or design-around considerations to avoid infringement.

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Grants

Tool attribute management in automated tool control systems

Grant US12589481B2 Kind: B2 Mar 31, 2026

Assignee

Snap-on Incorporated

Inventors

David C. Fly, Matthew J. Lipsey, Preston C. Phillips, Traig E. Born, Frederick J. Rogers, Joseph Chwan, Gavin Pavlick, Cody Houston

Abstract

An inventory control system comprises a tool storage device including a drawer, a tray, or a shelf having a plurality of storage locations for storing a plurality of objects which define a silhouette in the tool storage device. The inventory control system comprises a sensing device configured to sense color, a display device configured to display information about the inventory control system, and a processor and a memory. The memory stores instructions causing the processor to determine a plurality of colors of the plurality of objects stored in the tool storage device, which also causes the processor to generate an image in the form of an arrangement of colored blocks, wherein the display of color blocks represent associated color data of the plurality of objects and a size of each color block is proportional to the percentage of RGB color data in the silhouette.