Apparatus and method for monitoring hygiene

• US 9,558,648 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Simoniz USA Incorporated (Simoniz)
• Original Assignee: Simoniz USA Incorporated (Simoniz)
• Inventors: Douglas, Joel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US14/479,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.1, 340/539.12, 340/501, 340/10.1, 340/573.1, 340/541, 340/573.4, 340/500, 340/529, 340/539.11, 340/603
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

Method and apparatus for monitoring and reporting hand washing at a sanitizing station employs a sensor for signaling the dispensing of a sanitizer from a dispenser and a sensor module detecting the direction of passage of an individual into and out of a portal, such as the entrance to a sanitary area. The apparatus operates in a normal mode and a bypass mode. In the normal mode, the apparatus responds to the sensor indicating that an individual has not dispensed sufficient sanitizer to mitigate the spread of germs from care giver/health care worker to patient, and sounds an alarm when the individual passes through the portal in a particular direction, for example into or out of the sanitary area. Separate signals can be generated and recorded for each direction of passage through the portal. In the bypass mode, the alarm is not sounded and allows passage into and out of the sanitary area when a sanitary condition is not needed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring hygiene, comprising:

a dispensing device positioned outside an area requiring sanitary conditions for dispensing a sanitizer;

a first sensor associated with the dispensing device, said first sensor being activated when sanitizer has been dispensed;

a second sensor disposed to view a portal to the area requiring sanitary conditions for detecting when an individual has passed through the portal, said second sensor viewing a side of the portal proximal the dispensing device;

a third sensor disposed to view the portal to the area requiring sanitary conditions for detecting when an individual has passed through the portal, said third sensor viewing a side of the portal distal the dispensing device; and

a programmed controller connected with said first sensor, the second sensor, and third sensor;

the controller having programming logic that compares the activation times of said first, second and third sensors and activates a perceptible able-to-pass signal for a pre-determined period of time after activation of the first sensor, and in the absence of the able-to-pass signal without a time delay produces an alert signal and an unsafe passage signal in case the second sensor is activated before the third sensor, or in case the third sensor is activated before the second sensor, produces an alert signal and an unsafe passage signal after a time delay during which the first sensor has not been activated.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first sensor is not activated unless a certain quantity of sanitizer is dispensed.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a counter for storing the number of unsafe passage signals.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a first counter for storing the number of unsafe passages inwardly through the portal and a second counter for storing the unsafe passages outwardly through the portal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller also produces a safe passage signal when an individual has passed through the portal and has activated the first sensor associated with the dispenser.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further including a counter for storing the number of safe passage signals.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second sensor and third sensor are fixed to a platform and are aimed so that their fields of view do not intersect.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, where the platform is positioned inside a housing so that it is rotatable about an axis.

9. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said first sensor is selected from the group consisting of a mechanical switch, an ultrasonic detector, an optical switch, an infrared detector, a magnetic switch, a pressure-activated switch, and a conductive switch.

10. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said second sensor is selected from the group consisting or a mechanical switch, an ultrasonic switch, an optical switch, an infrared detector, a magnetic switch, a pressure-activated switch, and a conductive switch.

11. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said third sensor is selected from the group consisting or a mechanical switch, an ultrasonic switch, an optical switch, an infrared detector, a magnetic switch, a pressure-activated switch, and a conductive switch.

12. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the first sensor is in wireless communication with the controller with a wireless communication link.

13. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the second sensor is in communication with the controller with a wireless communication link.

14. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the first sensor is in communication with the controller with a wired conductive element.

15. An apparatus for monitoring hygiene practices of personnel, comprising:

a dispensing device for dispensing a sanitizer;

a first sensor associated with the dispensing device, said first sensor being activated when a quantity of sanitizer has been dispensed;

a sensor module for detecting when an individual has passed through a portal and producing signal indicative of the direction of passage through the portal, said sensor module including a second sensor having a view of the portal proximal the dispensing device and a third sensor having a view of the portal distal the dispensing device, said second and third sensors being mounted to a common platform that is rotatable about a vertical axis;

an alarm device;

a controller in communication with the first sensor, the sensor module, and the alarm device, and activating the alarm device and generating an unsafe passage signal indicating an individual has passed through the portal in a specific direction of passage without activating said first sensor.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the sensor module has two sensors activated in one and an opposite sequence depending upon the direction of passage through the portal.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the controller has a bypass mode in which the controller is unresponsive to individuals passing through the portal.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 further including a storage device for recording the number of safe passages of individuals through the portal without an unsafe passage signal.

19. The apparatus recited in claim 15 further including a storage device for recording the number of unsafe passage signals.

20. The apparatus recited in claim 19 wherein the storage device includes a counter for recording the number of unsafe passage signals in one direction through the portal.

21. The apparatus recited in claim 20 wherein the storage device includes another counter for recording the number of unsafe passages in the opposite direction through the portal.

22. A method for monitoring and enhancing hygiene, comprising:

providing a first sensor in association with a dispensing device that dispenses a sanitizer, the sensor being activated to produce a signal when a quantity of sanitizer has been dispensed;

providing a bi-directional sensing module to detect when an individual has passed through a portal associated with a sanitary area and the direction of passage of the individual through the portal;

activating a perceptible able-to-pass signal in response to activation of the first sensor prior to passage of an individual through the portal into the sanitary area;

immediately activating an alarm device in response to the bi-directional sensing module to signal an unsafe passage when an individual passes through the portal into the sanitary area without a signal from the first sensor; and

activating an alarm device after a time delay in response to the bi-directional sensing module to signal an unsafe passage when an individual passes through the portal exiting the sanitary area without a signal from the first sensor.

23. The method for monitoring as defined in claim 22 further including recording the number of unsafe passages of an individual through the portal in a specific direction.

24. The method for monitoring as defined in claim 22 further including recording the number of unsafe passages of an individual through the portal in one direction, and separately recording the number of unsafe passages of an individual through the portal in the opposite direction.

25. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the first sensor is activated to produce a signal when a specific quantity of sanitizer has been dispensed.

26. The method recited in claim 22 further including recording the number of times an individual passes through the portal with a signal from the first sensor.