Inventory scanning

Inventory only stays accurate if updating it is nearly free. The moment it takes a walk back to the laptop and a few clicks, people stop, and the list drifts into fiction. The Companion removes that friction. The barcode is already on the tube, the phone is already in your pocket, so counting a container down or confirming a delivery is a scan you do standing right where the reagent lives.

The full scan flow

Every scan starts the same way: tap Scan a package on the Inventory tab, point the phone at a barcode, and the app resolves it in one of two paths.

Recognized barcode (tracked item)

1. The app matches the scan against your tracked-stock list and shows the item name, units remaining, total, and a stock bar. A Low or In stock pill appears on the right.

2. Pick how many units you used with the quantity chips (1, 2, 3, or 5) and tap Deduct. The laptop applies the deduction on its next check.

3. If the item is linked to a purchase order and is running low, a Low, reorder ASAP danger button appears. Tapping it posts a reorder action directly from the freezer door.

Unrecognized barcode (new package)

1. An amber callout says the barcode is not recognized. Below it, the app lists recent purchase orders awaiting arrival. If one looks like a match (vendor and name align), tap it to mark it arrived. The laptop links the barcode to that order.

2. No matching order? Two options appear below the orders list: Add a purchase item (creates a purchase order and tracks the barcode at once) or Just track in stock (adds to inventory only, no purchase order).

3. After arriving or adding, the optional Track this barcode step appears. Set how many units each scan counts as, how many are in the box, and the unit label (reaction, tube, mL, well, use). This makes every future scan of that barcode show the item by name with a live count. Tap No thanks to skip tracking.

Add a purchase item manually

If you do not have a barcode to scan, the + Add a purchase item button on the Inventory tab opens a form directly. Fill in the name, vendor, catalog number, and quantity, and the purchase is saved to your lab without needing a scan.

Reorder low filter

The Tracked items section on the Inventory tab shows all your tracked stock. When any item is low (remaining units at or below its reorder point), an action link appears next to the section label. Toggle it to Reorder low to filter the list down to only the items that need attention. Tap Show all to return to the full list.

Purchase orders list

Below tracked items, the Purchase orders section lists recent orders that have been placed but not yet marked arrived. Each row shows the item name, vendor, the date ordered, and an Ordered status pill. When a delivery comes in, scan the package barcode to mark it arrived and link it to the order automatically.

Where the data comes from

The inventory the phone shows is delivered by the laptop as a sealed inventory snapshot, so the relay carries your stock list without being able to read it. The phone unseals the snapshot with its own key, you act on it at the bench, and your scans flow back as device-signed actions the laptop applies on its next check. The inventory of record still lives on the laptop; the phone is the fast scanning surface in front of it.