Hand portable monitoring device for monitoring personnel presence at a location

• US 20040203561A1
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amano Cincinnati Incorporated (Amano Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Amano Cincinnati Incorporated (Amano Corporation)
• Inventors: Jakubowski, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 6,956,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

This invention describes a method and a system that is used to provide a list of personnel who were present in a building or area that has been evacuated due to an emergency, such as a fire or earthquake. The monitor stores data from a time clock or access control system in parallel with a separate server. The monitor is portable and can be taken out of the building. The monitor can be connected to central alarm monitoring company, who can act as a backup system with the ability to provide the data to a responding fire department. The portable unit can display the names, communicate the data to other display devices including printers.

Claims

1. A hand portable monitoring device for monitoring personnel presence at a location, the hand portable monitoring device comprising:

a. a casing removably engageable to a mount;

b. a communications port disposed on the casing and in electrical communication with a personnel data system when the casing is engaged to the mount, operative to receive personnel presence data from the personnel data system;

c. a processor and memory internal to the casing and in electrical communication with the communications port, operative to process and store the personnel presence data received from the personnel data system;

d. a display disposed on the casing, operative to display the personnel presence data; and

e. a power source internal to the casing, operative to enable functioning of the hand portable monitoring device in the absence of an external power source.

2. The hand portable monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising an output connector disposed on the casing, operative to communicate the personnel presence data to a connectable external device.

3. The hand portable monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a RF transmitter disposed on the casing, operative to transmit the personnel presence data to an external device.

4. The hand portable monitoring device of claim 3, wherein the radio transmitter uses Bluetooth technology.

5. The hand portable monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising an infrared transmitter disposed on the casing, operative to transmit the personnel presence data to an external device.

6. The hand portable monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a quick release mechanism, operative to activate a fire alarm when the hand portable monitoring device is removed from the mount.

7. The hand portable monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the personnel presence data displayed by the display includes time and attendance information.

8. The hand portable monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a sender circuit, operative to communicate data to the personnel presence data system with respect to which employees have left without clocking out.

9. The hand portable monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the memory is non-volatile memory.

10. A personnel presence monitoring system, the personnel presence monitoring system comprising:

a. a data collection device operative to collect data with respect to the presence of personnel at a location;

b. a data processing device in electrical communication with the data collection device, the data processing device being operative to process and store the collected data; and

c. a hand portable monitoring device in detachable electrical communication with the data processing device, operative to receive and store personnel presence data received from the data processing device.

11. The personnel presence monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the hand portable monitoring device is disposed on an exterior building surface when engaged so as to be in electrical communication with the data processing device.