HAND HYGIENE COMPLIANCE DEVICE

• US 20110234407A1
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harkap Partners, LLC
• Original Assignee: Harkap Partners, LLC
• Inventors: Fricke, Todd Phillip Wayne, Kaplan, Michael A., Harris, Howard B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,963,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands

Abstract

A device, system, and method of ensuring hand hygiene compliance is provided including a device for dispensing hygiene maintenance material that also monitors a detection zone to determine if an individual is present. The device, system, and method provide reminders and tracking of use of the dispensing device and the relation of that use compared to a desired use profile.

Claims

1. A hygiene compliance device including:

a housing;

a hygiene maintenance material holder located within the housing;

an interface member coupled to the housing that, when activated by a user, causes distribution of hygiene maintenance material from within the hygiene maintenance material holder to the user;

an interface member sensor coupled to the housing that detects activation of the interface member;

a signal emitter coupled to the housing;

a signal sensor coupled to the housing that cooperates with the signal emitter to detect the presence of a person in a detection zone;

a circuit board located within the housing and coupled to the signal emitter, the signal sensor, and the interface member sensor, the circuit board including a processor; and

a data storage unit located within the housing and electrically coupled to the processor, the data storage unit having instructions thereon that, when interpreted by the processor cause the processor to perform the steps of;

issuing commands to the signal emitter to emit a signal;

receiving data from the signal sensor;

processing the data received from the signal sensor to determine if an individual is located within a detection zone of the sensor;

detecting activation of the interface member sensor;

determining if the interface member sensor is activated within a first preset time of a detection of an individual within the detection zone; and

choosing between and executing one of;

a) logging a compliant event by saving a record to the data storage unit if the interface member is activated within the first preset time of the detection of the individual in the detection zone; and

b) issuing an alert detectable by the individual if the interface member is not activated within the first preset time of the detection of the individual in the detection zone.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein after issuing an alert detectable by the individual, the instructions further cause the processor to perform the step of choosing between and executing one of:

a) logging a compliant event by saving a record to the data storage unit if the interface member is activated within a second preset time of the detection of the individual in the detection zone; and

b) issuing an alert detectable by the individual if the interface member is not activated within the second preset time of the detection of the individual in the detection zone.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor further creates a record that provides an approximation of the amount of hygiene maintenance material remaining in the hygiene maintenance material holder.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor further generates an alert upon determining that the processor generated approximation of the amount of hygiene maintenance material remaining in the hygiene maintenance material holder indicates an amount below a threshold amount.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the processor electrically coupled to a communications module, the processor transmitting the alert to a monitor computer via the communications module.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the approximation is generated by the processor by considering a volume of hygiene maintenance material present in a full hygiene maintenance material holder, a volume of hygiene material dispensed per activation of the interface member, and the number of interface member sensor activations since filling of the hygiene maintenance material holder.

3. The device of claim 3, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform the step of choosing between and executing one of:

a) logging a compliant event by saving a record to the data storage unit if the interface member is activated within a third preset time of the detection of the individual in the detection zone, the saved record noting that an alert was issued; and

b) logging a non-compliant event by saving a record to the data storage unit if the interface member is not activated within the third preset time of the detection of the individual in the detection zone.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the housing includes a front portion hingedly coupled to a back portion.

5. The device of claim 3, further including a communications module, the communications module providing for transmission of records from the data storage unit to a remote database.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the record includes a unique ID indicative of the device in which the record was generated, the date and time of record generation, whether an alert was issued by the device.

11. A method of monitoring hygiene compliance including the steps of:

providing a hygiene compliance device to a hygiene sensitive location;

providing for communication between the hygiene compliance device and a network;

providing an adjustable signal emitter in the hygiene compliance device to monitor an ingress/egress point to the hygiene sensitive location;

the hygiene compliance device further having a processor and a data storage unit, the data storage unit having instructions thereon, that when interpreted by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of;

issuing commands to the signal emitter to emit a signal;

receiving data indicative of the presence or lack of presence of an individual proximate the monitored ingress/egress point;

processing the data received to determine if an individual is located within a detection zone of the sensor;

detecting dispensing of hygiene compliance material from the hygiene compliance device;

determining if the hygiene maintenance material is dispensed within a first preset time of a detection of an individual proximate the detection zone; and

choosing between and executing one of;

a) logging a compliant event by saving a record to the data storage unit if the interface member is activated within the first preset time of the detection of the individual in the detection zone; and

b) issuing an alert detectable by the individual if the interface member is not activated within the first preset time of the detection of the individual in the detection zone.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor further creates a record indicative of the amount of hygiene maintenance material remaining in the hygiene compliance device.