Determining compatibility of components for assembling approved personal protection configurations

• US 10,275,621 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2018
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Krepel, Kenneth J., McGinley, Brian S., Rakow, Neal A., Sevcik, Paul A., Thomas, Cristina U.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, James J
• Application Number:
  US15/888,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20180157877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to methods and systems for determining whether at least a first component and a second component of a personal protection (PP) configuration are compatible so as to be assembled into an approved PP configuration, responsive to being compared against at least one predetermined criterion. Included is a smart tag for each of the first and second components. The first and second smart tags include respective first and second data. A data acquiring system is provided for acquiring the first and second data and a data processing system processes the acquired first and second data for determining if the first and second components are compatible to be assembled as an approved PP configuration.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least a first component of an article of PPE configured with a first smart tag that stores first data;

at least a second component of the article of PPE, the second component being different from the first component; and

a computing device configured to;

select the first data from the first smart tag and second data that corresponds to the second component;

determine whether the first component is compatible with the second component as a combination assembled to form the article of PPE, wherein compatibility is based at least in part on a determination of the first and second data against a predetermined criterion that defines, for a work environment that has at least one condition, an approved combination of components to be used together, wherein the approved combination of components includes components that have been matched by at least one identifier as being compatible with respect to the work environment, and wherein the approved combination is included in a set of approved combinations; and

perform at least one operation that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component for the work environment that has the at least one condition.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein to perform the at least one operation that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component, the computing device is configured to perform an operation comprising at least one of:

communicate information that based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component or output information that based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein to output information that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component, the computing device is configured to output for display a message that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the article of PPE is a respiratory protection system, and wherein the first and the second components comprise two or more of:

headgear, cartridge, breathing tube, blower, battery, flow meter, battery charge, waist belt, filter, and canister.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first and second data include at least model or serial number information for a particular model types of the corresponding first and second components.

6. The system of claim 1, further including:

a third component of the article of PPE with a smart tag storing third data, wherein the computing device is further configured to acquire the third data, and wherein the computing device is further configured to process the acquired third data against the predetermined criterion and to determine whether the third component is compatible with the combination of the first component and the second component to be assembled with the combination of the first and second components to form the single article of PPE.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first and second data correspond to a worker.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first and second data correspond to location.

9. A computing device comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a memory comprising instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to;

select first data from a first smart tag and second data that corresponds to at least a second component, wherein the first smart tag is configured with at least a first component of an article of PPE, and wherein the second component of the article of PPE is different from the first component;

determine whether the first component is compatible with the second component as a combination assembled to form the article of PPE, wherein compatibility is based at least in part on a determination of the first and second data against a predetermined criterion that defines, for a work environment that has at least one condition, an approved combination of components to be used together, wherein the approved combination of components includes components that have been matched by at least one identifier as being compatible with respect to the work environment, and wherein the approved combination is included in a set of approved combinations; and

perform at least one operation that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component for the work environment that has the at least one condition.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein to perform the at least one operation that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component, the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to communicate information that based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component or output information that based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein to output information that based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component, the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to output for display a message that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the article of PPE is a respiratory protection system, and wherein the first and the second components comprise two or more of:

headgear, cartridge, breathing tube, blower, battery, flow meter, battery charge, waist belt, filter, and canister.

13. The computing device of claim 9, wherein one or more of the first and second data correspond to a worker.

14. A method comprising:

selecting first data from a first smart tag and second data that corresponds to at least a second component, wherein the first smart tag is configured with at least a first component of an article of PPE, and wherein the second component of the article of PPE is different from the first component;

determining, by a computing device, whether the first component is compatible with the second component as a combination assembled to form the article of PPE, wherein compatibility is based at least in part on a determination of the first and second data against a predetermined criterion that defines, for a work environment that has at least one condition, an approved combination of components to be used together, wherein the approved combination of components includes components that have been matched by at least one identifier as being compatible with respect to the work environment, and wherein the approved combination is included in a set of approved combinations; and

Application No.;

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63352US00 performing, by the computing device, at least one operation that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component for the work environment that has the at least one condition.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein performing the at least one operation that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component comprises at least one of communicating information that based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component or outputting information that based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein outputting information that based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component comprises outputting for display a message that is based at least in part on whether the first component is compatible with the second component.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the article of PPE is a respiratory protection system, and wherein the first and the second components comprise two or more of:

headgear, cartridge, breathing tube, blower, battery, flow meter, battery charge, waist belt, filter, and canister.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein one or more of the first and second data correspond to a worker.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein one or more of the first and second data correspond to location.