Hygiene compliance monitoring system

• US 8,350,706 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOJO Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GOJO Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Wegelin, Jackson W., Cartner, Todd J., Curtis, Chip
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/494,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/540, 340/541, 340/567, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 340/517, 340/523, 340/526, 4 3/9, 4 5/2, 422/2, 422/3, 422/26, 422/28, 422/123, 422/124, 700/236, 700/238, 222/39, 222/52, 222/222, 222/223
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A hygiene compliance monitoring system provides a dispenser that is associated with a data collection unit that collects dispensing events, such as the dispensement of material from the dispenser, which occurs during time segments of a predetermined duration. The hygiene event monitoring system also includes a portable data acquisition unit that is in wireless communication with the data collection unit of the dispenser. As such, when the data acquisition unit is brought within the range of reception of the data collection unit, the hygiene compliance data and time segment information are transmitted to the data acquisition unit and stored at a portable memory unit, which is removable. As such, the hygiene compliance data stored on the portable memory unit can be readily transferred to any desired computing device for analysis and report generation.

Claims

1. A hygiene compliance monitor for a dispenser maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance monitor comprising:

a dispenser controller that is coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from the dispenser when said actuator is actuated;

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit having a storage memory, such that the storage memory of said data collection unit is divided into a plurality of successive time segments of a predetermined time duration, wherein said data collection unit associates the number of actuations of said actuator with said time segment in which said actuations occurred; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with said data collection unit to receive the associated number of actuations and said time segments therefrom.

2. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said actuator comprises a proximity sensor.

3. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data acquisition unit includes a data port adapted to receive a removable portable memory unit to store the number of actuations and associated time segments.

4. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication is encrypted.

5. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data collection unit identifies actuations of said actuator that are separated by about 3 seconds or less as a single dispensement.

6. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data collection unit is placed into a sleep mode until said data acquisition unit is within the communication range of said data collection unit.

7. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data collection unit identifies the time associated with the start and stop of each said time segment.

8. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data acquisition unit includes a user interface configured to set the duration of said at least one time segment.

9. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 8, wherein said data collection unit is associated with a dispenser identification code, such that when said identification code is entered at said keypad, said data acquisition unit acquires the number of actuations and said associated time segments.

10. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 9, wherein said data acquisition unit includes a set button that when engaged in a predetermined sequence within the communication range of said data collection unit assigns said dispenser identification code to said data collection unit.

11. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 8, wherein said data acquisition unit includes a display and a data acquisition memory unit, such that said data acquisition memory unit maintains a database of at least one room identification code that is associated with at least one dispenser identification code, wherein when said room identification code is entered at said keypad, said display presents said at least one dispenser identification code associated with said room identification code.

12. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said time segment is identified by a start time and an end time.

13. A hygiene compliance monitor for a dispenser maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance monitor comprising:

a dispenser controller that is coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from the dispenser when said actuator is actuated;

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit and an internal clock, said data collection memory unit having a storage memory divided into a plurality of successive time segments of a predetermined time duration, such that said data collection unit associates the number of actuations of said actuator with said time segment in which said actuations occurred, and wherein said data collection unit associates said at least one actuation of said actuator with a time stamp generated from said internal clock; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with said data collection unit, wherein said data acquisition unit is configured to wirelessly set said clock and is further configured to receive at least one piece of data indicating the associated said time segment and said time stamp information of said at least one actuation.

14. A hygiene compliance monitor for a dispenser maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance monitor comprising:

a dispenser controller that is coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from the dispenser when said actuator is actuated;

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit having a storage memory, such that the storage memory of said data collection unit is divided into a plurality of successive time segments of a predetermined time duration, wherein said data collection unit associates the number of actuations of said actuator with said time segment in which said actuations occurred; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with said data collection unit, wherein said data acquisition unit is configured to wirelessly program said data collection unit with location identifying information and is further configured to receive the data stored at said data collection unit.

15. A hygiene compliance system for a plurality of dispensers maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance system comprising:

a plurality of hand hygiene compliance units, wherein each of said hand hygiene compliance units includes;

a dispenser controller coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from a dispenser within the plurality of dispensers when said actuator is actuated; and

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit, said data collection memory unit having a storage memory, such that said storage memory of said data collection unit is divided into a plurality of successive time segments of a predetermined time duration, wherein said data collection unit associates the number of actuations of said actuator with said time segment in which said actuations occurred; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with each said data collection unit within said plurality of hand hygiene compliance units, wherein said data acquisition unit is configured to wirelessly receive the data stored at each said data collection unit that are located within a predetermined proximity to one another nearly simultaneously.

16. A method of hygiene compliance monitoring comprising:

providing a data collection unit maintained by a dispenser, said dispenser including an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from a refill container;

wherein said data collection unit;

provides a storage memory;

divides said storage memory into a plurality of time segments of a predetermined duration;

monitors the actuation of said actuator;

associates the number of actuations of said actuator with the time segment in which said actuations occurred; and

stores the number of actuations and associated time segment at said storage memory;

providing a data acquisition unit having a portable memory unit, said data acquisition unit configured to wirelessly communicate with said data collection unit; and

transferring the number of actuations and associated time segments to said portable memory unit.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

identifying the start and stop time of each said time segment.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

removing said portable memory unit from said data acquisition unit;

installing said portable memory unit at a remote computing device; and

generating a report based on the number of actuations and associated time segments stored at said portable memory unit.

19. A hygiene compliance monitor for a dispenser maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance monitor comprising:

a dispenser controller that is coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from the dispenser when said actuator is actuated;

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit having a storage memory, such that the storage memory of said data collection unit is divided into a plurality of time segments of a predetermined time duration, wherein said data collection unit associates the number of actuations of said actuator with said time segment in which said actuations occurred; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with said data collection unit to receive the associated number of actuations and said time segments therefrom.

20. A hygiene compliance monitor for a dispenser maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance monitor comprising:

a dispenser controller that is coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from the dispenser when said actuator is actuated;

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit having a storage memory, such that data is stored within the storage memory of said data collection unit and said data is divided into a plurality of time segments of a predetermined time duration, wherein said data collection unit associates the number of actuations of said actuator with said time segment in which said actuations occurred; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with said data collection unit to receive the associated number of actuations and said time segments therefrom.