Portable hand wash monitoring system and method

• US 8,169,325 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vincent L. Verdiramo
• Original Assignee: Vincent L. Verdiramo
• Inventors: Verdiramo, Vincent L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAI, ANNE VIET NGA
• Application Number:
  US12/585,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20100207767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/286.07, 340/286.09, 222/52, 222/39, 222/638, 222/639, 222/651
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands

Abstract

An identification badge worn by an individual is sensed when that individual enters a lavatory area. The individual is also provided with an indicator device which is worn on or about the hands. Inside or in proximity to the lavatory, there is also provided a hand cleaning area, within which is a portable monitoring dispenser, which includes a pair of indicator readers that detect the presence of the indicator device and cause soap to be dispensed on the individual'"'"'s hands, then provides an appropriate indication to a computer system. Should the badge sensor sense the individual'"'"'s departure from the lavatory area without an appropriate indication being generated by the indicator readers, a warning signal is generated, which is sent to the computer system and to an appropriate officer, who can then address the individual.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring cleaning of the hands of one or more monitored individuals, comprising:

a lavatory area, wholly or partially enclosed, accessed by one or more doors and/or openings;

one or more identity sensors located within or in close proximity to the lavatory area, each identity sensor being proximate to one of the doors and/or openings;

one or more cleaning areas located within or in close proximity to the lavatory area;

each cleaning area comprising one or more sources of fresh running water and one or more wastewater receptacles;

one or more portable monitoring dispensers (PMDs) located within each of the cleaning areas, each of the PMDs being in close proximity to one of the sources of running water and one of the wastewater receptacles;

each PMD comprising one or more pairs or indicator readers, one or more dispenser openings, a system control device, one or more soap dispensers, one or more dispenser controllers, one or more soap storage tanks, a mobile power source, and one or more attachment means;

one or more pairs of indicator readers located within each of the PMDs, proximate to the soap dispenser, such that the space between the indicator readers constitutes a dispenser opening through which the hands of the monitored individual are inserted in order to access the soap dispenser;

an identification device that is worn by each monitored individual, such that when the monitored individual enters or leaves the lavatory area through one of the doors and/or openings, the identity sensor that is proximate to the door and/or opening senses the identification device and transmits the identity of the monitored individual who has passed through the door to a system control device;

one or more indicator devices that is/are worn on or about one or both hands of each monitored individual, such that when the hands of the monitored individual are placed in the dispenser opening, the indicator readers sense the presence of the indicator device(s) and transmit two signals;

(i) an indication signal to the system control device indicating that the monitored individual has washed his/her hands, and (ii) an activation signal to a dispenser controller, which dispenser controller responds to the signal by activating the soap dispenser to deposit a hand wash solution on the hands of the monitored individual;

an alarm that generates a warning signal whenever the system control device has received transmissions from the identity sensor(s) indicating that the monitored individual has entered and exited from the enclosed area without the system control device also having received an indication signal from the indicator reader(s) that the monitored individual has washed his/her hands; and

wherein the dispenser controller comprises a motor and a helical screw conveyor, and wherein the activation signal causes the motor to be activated for a designated time interval, and wherein the motor has a shaft which rotates when the motor is activated, and wherein the shaft is coupled to the helical screw conveyor by a gearing means, such that when the motor is activated by the activation signal, the helical screw conveyor rotates for the designated time interval, thereby drawing a set quantity of hand wash solution out of a storage tank that is fluidly connected to the dispenser controller, and such that the set quantity of hand wash solution dispensed is determined by the system control device based on the rotational speed of the motor, the gear ratio, the designated time interval, and the depth and pitch of the thread of the helical screw conveyor.

2. A system for monitoring cleaning of the hands of one or more monitored individuals, comprising:

a lavatory area, wholly or partially enclosed, accessed by one or more doors and/or openings;

one or more identity sensors located within or in close proximity to the lavatory area, each identity sensor being proximate to one of the doors and/or openings;

one or more cleaning areas located within or in close proximity to the lavatory area;

each cleaning area comprising one or more sources of fresh running water and one or more wastewater receptacles;

one or more portable monitoring dispensers (PMDs) located within each of the cleaning areas, each of the PMDs being in close proximity to one of the sources of running water and one of the wastewater receptacles;

each PMD comprising one or more pairs or indicator readers, one or more dispenser openings, a system control device, one or more soap dispensers, one or more dispenser controllers, one or more soap storage tanks, a mobile power source, and one or more attachment means;

one or more pairs of indicator readers located within each of the PMDs, proximate to the soap dispenser, such that the space between the indicator readers constitutes a dispenser opening through which the hands of the monitored individual are inserted in order to access the soap dispenser;

an identification-indicator device that is worn by each monitored individual, such that when the monitored individual enters or leaves the lavatory area through one of the doors and/or openings, the identity sensor that is proximate to the door and/or opening senses the identification-indicator device and transmits the identity of the monitored individual who has passed through the door to a system control device; and

such that when the hands of the monitored individual are placed in the dispenser opening, the indicator readers sense the presence of the identification-indicator device and transmit two signals;

(i) an indication signal to the system control device indicating that the monitored individual has washed his/her hands, and (ii) an activation signal to a dispenser controller, which dispenser controller responds to the signal by activating the soap dispenser to deposit a hand wash solution on the hands of the monitored individual;

an alarm that generates a warning signal whenever the system control device has received transmissions from the identity sensor(s) indicating that the monitored individual has entered and exited from the enclosed area without the system control device also having received an indication signal from the indicator reader(s) that the monitored individual has washed his/her hands; and

wherein the dispenser controller comprises a motor and a helical screw conveyor, and wherein the activation signal causes the motor to be activated for a designated time interval, and wherein the motor has a shaft which rotates when the motor is activated, and wherein the shaft is coupled to the helical screw conveyor by a gearing means, such that when the motor is activated by the activation signal, the helical screw conveyor rotates for the designated time interval, thereby drawing a set quantity of hand wash solution out of a storage tank that is fluidly connected to the dispenser controller, and such that the set quantity of hand wash solution dispensed is determined by the system control device based on the rotational speed of the motor, the gear ratio, the designated time interval, and the depth and pitch of the thread of the helical screw conveyor.

3. A method for monitoring cleaning of the hands of one or monitored individuals, comprising:

sensing the identity of the monitored individual as he/she enters and exits a lavatory area;

transmitting to a system control device an identification signal identifying the monitored individual who has entered and exited the lavatory area;

detecting the presence of an indicator device worn on or about the hands of the monitored individual when he/she is in a cleaning area and his/her hands are positioned in a portable monitoring dispenser (PMD) between two paired indicator readers;

there being is a space between the indicator readers that constitutes a dispenser opening through which the hands of the monitored individual are inserted in order to access a soap dispenser in the PMD;

transmitting an indicator signal to a system control device when the indicator device is detected within the dispenser opening by the two paired indicator readers;

transmitting an activation signal to a dispenser controller, which dispenser controller responds to the signal by activating the soap dispenser to deposit a hand wash solution on the hands of the monitored individual;

generating a warning whenever the system control device has received an identification signal without having received a hand washing signal; and

wherein the dispenser controller comprises a motor and a helical screw conveyor, and wherein the activation signal causes the motor to be activated for a designated time interval, and wherein the motor has a shaft which rotates when the motor is activated, and wherein the shaft is coupled to the helical screw conveyor by a gearing means, such that when the motor is activated by the activation signal, the helical screw conveyor rotates for the designated time interval, thereby drawing a set quantity of hand wash solution out of a storage tank that is fluidly connected to the dispenser controller, and such that the set quantity of hand wash solution dispensed is determined by the system control device based on the rotational speed of the motor, the gear ratio, the designated time interval, and the depth and pitch of the thread of the helical screw conveyor.