Clean hands assured with signal

• US 7,425,900 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Squidsoap Limited
• Original Assignee: Airborne Health, Inc.
• Inventors: Lynn, John Morris, Newth, Kathryn Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/098,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20050231373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for helping assure the washing of a person'"'"'s hands. An easily identifiable substance is provided which may be removed by washing. A marking mechanism is coupled with or contains the easily identifiable substance and the hand of the person is then marked with the easily identifiable substance when the marking mechanism is triggered. Substantially concurrent (or somewhat delayed) with the hand being marked a signal is given off which helps assure that the person actually uses the marking mechanism. Another way to coerce use of the marking mechanism and to allow authority figures to monitor use of the marking mechanism is a information recording device which tracks use of the marking mechanism.

Claims

1. A hand cleansing verification system, comprising:

an actuable hand marking mechanism configured, upon actuation, to dispense a marking substance and to initiate generation of an actuation signal at a signal generator, and thereafter, transmission of the generated actuation signal to a signaling mechanism;

said dispensed marking substance being third-party identifiable until diminished by sufficiently prolonged exposure to disinfectant; and

said signaling mechanism configured to produce a third-party perceivable signal signifying actuation of said marking mechanism upon receipt of a transmitted actuation signal from said signal generator, said signal generator and said signaling mechanism being in signal communication with one another.

2. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 1, wherein said signal generator and said signaling mechanism are in wired signal communication with one another.

3. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 2, wherein said signaling mechanism is remotely located relative said marking mechanism.

4. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 3, wherein said signaling mechanism is in a different room from said marking mechanism.

5. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 1, wherein said signal generator and said signaling mechanism are in wireless signal communication with one another.

6. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 5, wherein said signaling mechanism is remotely located relative said marking mechanism.

7. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 6, wherein said signaling mechanism is in a different room from said marking mechanism.

8. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 5, wherein said wireless signal communication is BLUETOOTH based.

9. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 1, wherein said marking substance is resistant to being diminished by water alone.

10. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 9, wherein said marking substance is diminished by disinfectant soap.

11. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 9, wherein said marking substance is diminished by alcohol-based disinfectant.

12. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 1, wherein said third-party perceivable signal signifying actuation of said marking mechanism is at least one of an audible signal, a olfactory-perceivable signal, and a tactily-perceivable signal.

13. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 1, wherein said third-party perceivable signal signifying actuation of said marking mechanism is a visible signal.

14. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a data recorder in signal communication with said signal generator.

15. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 14, wherein said data recorder stores data representative of actuation signal receipts and the relative time of each receipt.

16. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 14, further comprising a user identification detection device in signal communication with said data recorder, said user identification detection device generating data representative of respectively detected users.

17. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 16, wherein said data recorder stores data representative of actuation signal receipts paired with respective data from said user identification detection device representative of identification of a correspondingly detected user.

18. The hand cleansing verification system as recited in claim 16, wherein said user identification detection device is an RFID tag reader.

19. A method for verifying thorough hand cleansing, said method comprising:

actuating a hand marking mechanism and thereby dispensing a marking substance onto a user'"'"'s hand, said dispensed marking substance being third-party identifiable until diminished by sufficiently prolonged exposure to disinfectant;

generating, in response to actuation of the hand marking mechanism, an actuation signal at a signal generator and transmitting the generated actuation signal to a signaling mechanism; and

producing a third-party perceivable signal at said signaling mechanism that signifies actuation of said hand marking mechanism and thereby facilitating third-party verification of thorough hand cleansing by the user.

20. The method for verifying thorough hand cleansing as recited in claim 19, wherein said actuation signal is wirelessly transmitted from said signal generator to said signaling mechanism.