System for monitoring and recording cross-contamination events

• US 7,423,533 B1
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognos Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cognetive Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Ortiz, Henry M., LeBlond, Claude W.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/255,651
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/539.1, 340/505, 340/506, 340/521, 700/281, 700/282, 700/19, 434/236, 434/237, 466/8, 430/1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands

Abstract

A cross-contamination management system for remotely monitoring of personnel and objects and their use of sanitation facilities in adherence to a managed process with cleansing and sanitizing requirements generally includes a plurality of wireless communication devices with a first number of the wireless communication devices being disposed within or adjacent cleaning devices and operative for monitoring and reporting functional status and operation thereof. A second number of the wireless communication devices disposed in tags suitable for carrying by individuals or attaching to objects. A third number of wireless communication devices being configured to determine if a cleaning device associated with the one of the third number of wireless communication devices is to be ascribed to one of the tags and reporting thereon by an output signal. A fourth number of wireless communication devices being disposed at access points to determine if an object or person traversing access points associated with the fourth number of wireless communication devices is to be ascribed to one of the second wireless communication devices and reporting therein by an output signal.

Claims

1. A cross-contamination management system for remotely monitoring of personnel and objects and their use of sanitation facilities comprising:

a plurality of wireless communication devices, a first number of the wireless communication devices being disposed within or adjacent cleaning devices and operative for monitoring and reporting status and operation thereof;

a second number of the wireless communication devices being disposed in tags suitable for carrying by individuals or attached to objects;

a third number of wireless communication devices being disposed within or adjacent cleaning devices configured for recognizing a presence of the second number of wireless communication devices and differentiating distances between the second number of wireless communication devices and the third number of wireless communication devices in order to determine if use of a cleaning device associated with one of the first number of wireless communication devices is to be ascribed to one of the tags and reporting thereon by an output signal;

the third wireless communication device configured for communication with the second wireless communication devices for recording and transmitting a consolidated output signal;

A fourth wireless communication device with a unique identifier associated with it and disposed at access points of rooms or at the perimeter boundaries of zones and operative for recognizing the presence and uniqueness of the second number of wireless communication devices and differentiating distances between the fourth number of wireless communication devices and the second number of wireless communication devices in order to determine if an object or person traversing perimeter boundaries of said zones or access points of rooms associated with the fourth number of wireless communication devices is to be ascribed to one of the second wireless communication devices;

one or more photoelectric emitter and receiver pairs disposed at access points of rooms or at the perimeter boundaries of zones and operative such that light beams are established between the photoelectric emitter and receiver pairs, the photoelectric emitter and receiver pairs being in communication with the fourth communication devices and operative such that the fourth wireless communication devices are informed of the interruption in a photoelectric receiver and emitter light beam continuity thus initiating the receiving of communication from the second wireless communication device associated with an object or person traversing the room access point or zone boundary defined by the interruption in the photoelectric receiver and emitter light beam continuity;

the first, third and fourth wireless communication devices being in communication with a fifth wireless communication device module provided for transmitting to a data server and routed to processing software where data can be consolidated into useful management information regarding the cross-contamination control process under monitoring.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration of the third and fourth number of wireless communication devices includes circuitry and software for enabling differentiation of distances based on conventional radio frequency electromagnetic wave propagation strength as emitted from the second number of wireless communication devices and resolved by the third and fourth number of wireless communication devices.