MONITORING DEVICE FOR MONITORING CLEANING ACTIVITY

• US 20140047930A1
• Filed: 08/14/2013
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Pommiers, Baptiste, Keuleers, Robby Renilde Francois, Schdel, Tobias Joachim, Lckel, Kris, Niestroj, Benjamin Heinrich, Van De Putte, Bart
• Application Number:
  US13/966,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047930A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/862.637
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/04 by measuring elastic deformation of gauges, e.g. of springs
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/0092 Pressure sensor associated with other sensors, e.g. for measuring acceleration or temperature G01L9/025, G01L9/045, G01L9/065, G01L9/085, G01L9/105, G01L9/125, G01L19/02, G01L19/04 take precedence; measuring two or more variable G01D21/02; temperature sensors with pressure compensation G01K1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 2019/0053 Pressure sensors associated with other sensors, e.g. for measuring acceleration, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/0004 Force transducers adapted for mounting in a bore of the force receiving structure G01L5/0009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/008 Force sensors integrated in an article or a dummy workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/101 using sensors inserted into the flexible member

Abstract

A monitoring device for monitoring a user'"'"'s cleaning activity, comprising a squeezable housing and a sensor housed within the housing, wherein the sensor is configured to sense at least pressure exerted to the monitoring device by the user during the cleaning activity.

Claims

1. A monitoring device for monitoring a user'"'"'s cleaning activity, comprising:

a squeezable housing and a sensor housed within said housing, wherein said sensor is configured to sense at least pressure exerted to the monitoring device by the user during the cleaning activity.

2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is further configured to sense displacement of the monitoring device during the cleaning activity.

3. The monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said housing has a wall made of an elastic material.

4. The monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of a pressure sensor, acceleration sensor, velocity sensor, vibration sensor, agitation sensor, strain sensor, temperature sensor, and a combination thereof.

5. The monitoring device according to claim 4, comprising at least two sensors, preferably said at least two sensors comprise a pressure sensor and an acceleration sensor.

6. The monitoring device according to claim 5, wherein said housing has a wall defining an internal volume, wherein said housing wall has an inner surface facing the internal volume, and wherein said pressure sensor is not attached to said inner surface of said housing wall and said acceleration sensor is attached to said inner surface of said housing wall.

7. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said housing is configured to have an internal volume, in a non-squeezed state, of from 0.1 cm³ to 500 cm³, preferably from 0.3 cm³ to 50 cm³, more preferably from 1 cm³ to 10 cm³.

8. The monitoring device according to claim 1 or 7, wherein said sensor has a size of from 0.05 cm³ to 50 cm³, preferably from 0.1 cm³ to 10 cm³, more preferably from 0.5 cm³ to 1 cm³.

9. The monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein said elastic material is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, polybutadiene rubber, ethylene/propylene rubber, butyl- and chloro-butyl rubber, polyisoprene, nitrile and polyacrylate rubbers, silicone rubber, fluorocarbon rubbers, urethane elastomers, and/or latex or foam rubber, mixtures thereof, and laminates thereof.

10. The monitoring device according to claim 9, wherein said housing wall has an overall thickness of from 50 μ

m to 120 μ

m, preferably from 80 μ

m to 100 μ

m.

11. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said housing is filled with a medium material selected from the group consisting of air, inert gas, inert liquid, and a mixture thereof, preferably said medium material is air.

12. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said housing is in a rounded shape selected from the group consisting of sphere, oval, and a combination thereof, preferably said housing is in a closed, rounded shape.

13. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is the component of a monitoring unit, wherein said monitoring unit:

comprises a recording component in electric communication with said sensor; and

is housed in said housing.

14. A cleaning implement comprising the monitoring device according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the monitoring device is integrated within the cleaning implement.

15. The cleaning implement according to claim 14, wherein the cleaning implement is selected from a sponge, scrub, or cleaning cloth, or a combination thereof, preferably a sponge.

16. The cleaning implement according to claim 15, wherein the monitoring device is located within said sponge, preferably said sponge comprises two layers, and the monitoring device is located between said two layers.

17. A method of monitoring a user'"'"'s cleaning activity comprising the steps:

a) providing the cleaning implement according to any one of claims 14-16 to the user;

b) having the user clean with the cleaning implement;

c) collecting sensor data via said sensor from the user cleaning;

d) retrieving the collected sensor data; and

e) analyzing the retrieved sensor data to monitor the user'"'"'s cleaning activity.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein step c) further comprises collecting sensor data sensed by a pressure sensor and an acceleration sensor.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein step d) further comprises removing the monitoring device from the cleaning implement.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein step d) further comprises wirelessly retrieving the collected sensor data from the monitoring device.