MANAGEMENT OF CLEANING PROCESSES VIA MONITORING OF CHEMICAL PRODUCT USAGE

• US 20100274640A1
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Bryan M., Snellen, Timothy R., Morey, John D., Balz, Eric R.
• Application Number:
  US12/766,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274640A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/11
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 13/00 Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis

Abstract

A cleaning process management system monitors information concerning chemical products dispensed by automated chemical product dispensers. The cleaning process management system analyzes data received from the dispensers and generates reports regarding dispensation of chemical products. The cleaning process management system may also generate reports concerning recommended cleaning process improvements based on the analysis of the dispenser data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server computer that receives dispenser data from a chemical product dispenser located at a cleaning site, the dispenser data including an amount of a chemical product dispensed by the chemical product dispenser;

a database coupled to the server computer that stores the dispenser data in association with corporate data regarding the cleaning site and that stores cleanliness metrics associated with the dispensing site;

wherein the corporate data includes cleaning site identification information, corporate target amounts of chemical product to be dispensed, and at least one target cleanliness metric;

an analysis application resident on the server computer that analyzes the dispenser data in combination with at least some of the corporate data and generates therefrom product usage data indicative of the actual amount of chemical product usage at the cleaning site, and analyzes the cleanliness metrics in combination with the target cleanliness metrics; and

a reporting application resident on the server computer that generates reports based on the analysis.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computer is located remotely from the cleaning site.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computer is local to the cleaning site.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting application generates reports comparing current product usage data with historical product usage data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispenser dispenses a plurality of chemical products and the corporate data includes target parameters for each of the plurality of chemical products.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting application generates reports that indicate whether the target parameters for each of the plurality of chemical products were satisfied.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting application generates reports that indicate whether the at least one target cleanliness metric for the cleaning site was satisfied.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting application generates reports that characterize the effectiveness of cleaning activities at the cleaning site based on the dispenser data, the corporate data, the product usage data, and the cleanliness metrics.

18. The system of claim 4, wherein the server computer generates reports comparing current product usage data with historical product usage data.

9. A system comprising:

a memory that stores dispenser data obtained by one or more chemical product dispensers located at a cleaning site, the dispenser data including actual amounts of chemical products dispensed by the one or more chemical product dispensers, wherein the memory further stores corporate data including cleaning site identification information, corporate target amounts of chemical products to be dispensed, and at least one target cleanliness metric, wherein the memory further stores cleanliness metrics associated with the dispensing site; and

a processing apparatus that analyzes the dispenser data the cleanliness metrics and generates reports based on the analysis.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processing apparatus further compares the actual amounts of chemical products dispensed with target amounts of chemical products and generates reports based on the comparison.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the processing apparatus further compares the cleanliness metrics with the at least one target cleanliness metric and generates reports based on the comparison.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the processing apparatus generates reports that characterize the effectiveness of cleaning activities at the cleaning site based on the dispenser data, the corporate data, and the cleanliness metrics.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing apparatus generates reports comparing current product usage data with historical product usage data.

14. A system comprising:

one or more cleaning sites, each cleaning site including one or more chemical product dispensers that dispense at least one chemical product and generate dispenser data indicative of actual amounts of chemical product dispensed; and

a server computer in communication with each of the cleaning sites, the server computer including;

an analysis application that analyzes the dispenser data and the cleanliness metrics associated with each cleaning site; and

a reporting application that generates reports based on the analysis.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the server computer further compares the actual amounts of chemical products dispensed with target amounts of chemical products and generates reports based on the comparison.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the server computer further compares the cleanliness metrics with the at least one target cleanliness metric and generates reports based on the comparison.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the server computer generates reports that characterize the effectiveness of cleaning activities at the cleaning site based on the dispenser data and the cleanliness metrics.