Method for tracking procedures performed on personal protection equipment and actions of individuals

• US 9,799,038 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2016
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Farioli Brioschi, Luca D., Ramirez Chaidez, Luis V., Ptasienski, Lawrence J., Anderson, Mark T., Hamerly, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhter, Sharmin
• Application Number:
  US15/237,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20170032379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 340 31, 340 52- 57, 340 592, 340 103, 340571-5731, 3405733, 3405734
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10415 the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM banking machines in general G07F19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

A method for tracking procedures performed on personal protection equipment (PPE) and actions of individuals includes the following steps. An article of PPE configured with a smart tag is provided to an individual prior to performance of a task. After the individual performs the task, the article of PPE is processed. Information is retrieved from the smart tag during at least one of: before, during and after processing the article of PPE. After the performance of the task, the individual'"'"'s data is read and the individual enters into a designated area.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first plurality of articles of personal protective equipment (PPE) associated with a first user, wherein each article of the first plurality of articles of PPE has a respective smart tag that includes an identifier of the respective article;

a second plurality of articles of PPE associated with a second user, wherein each article of the second plurality of articles of PPE has a respective smart tag that includes an identifier of the respective article;

a scanner configured to read each respective smart tag associated with one or more of the first and second pluralities of articles of PPE; and

a computing device communicatively coupled to the scanner, wherein the computing device;

receives, from the scanner and based on the first and second users entering a designated area, first and second pluralities of identifiers that correspond to the first and second pluralities of articles of PPE;

queries, based at least in part on an identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers that correspond to the first and second pluralities of articles of PPE, a database that includes a rule, regulation, or policy in association with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers of articles of PPE;

determines that the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers for the rule, regulation, or policy that was violated within the designated area is further associated with an identifier of the at least one of the first or second users; and

generates a notification based on the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy has occurred for the designated area by at least one of the first or second users.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification based on the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy is a report.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the report comprises at least one of access dates for an article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers, a maintenance date for the article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers, an indication that maintenance did not occur for the article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers, or the identifier of the at least one of the first or second users who further failed to perform a remedial or preventative action for the article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the report is a daily report for the at least one of the first or second users'"'"' access to a designated area when the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy occurred.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein to generate the notification based on the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy the computing device sends a warning to a remote computing device associated with the at least one of the first or second users, or associated with a supervisor of the at least one of the first or second users.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the warning is at least one of an audible of visual notification.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device from a scanner and based on first and second users entering a designated area, first and second pluralities of identifiers that correspond to the first and second pluralities of articles of PPE,

wherein the first plurality of articles of PPE are associated with the first user, wherein each article of the first plurality of articles of PPE has a respective smart tag that includes an identifier of the respective article,

wherein the second plurality of articles of PPE are associated with the second user, wherein each article of the second plurality of articles of PPE has a respective smart tag that includes an identifier of the respective article,

wherein the scanner is configured to read each respective smart tag associated with one or more of the first and second pluralities of articles of PPE;

querying, based at least in part on an identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers that correspond to the first and second pluralities of articles of PPE, a database that includes a rule, regulation, or policy in association with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers of articles of PPE;

determining that the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers for the rule, regulation, or policy that was violated within a designated area is further associated with an identifier of the at least one of the first or second users; and

generating a notification based on the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy has occurred for the designated area by at least one of the first or second users.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the notification based on the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy is a report.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the report comprises at least one of access dates for an article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers, a maintenance date for the article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers, an indication that maintenance did not occur for the article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers, or the identifier of the at least one of the first or second users who further failed to perform a remedial or preventative action for the article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the report is a daily report for the at least one of the first or second users'"'"' access to a designated area when the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy occurred.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the notification based on the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy comprises sending a warning to a remote computing device associated with the at least one of the first or second users, or associated with a supervisor of the at least one of the first or second users.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the warning is at least one of an audible of visual notification.

13. A computing device comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a memory comprising instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to;

receive, from a scanner and based on first and second users entering a designated area, first and pluralities of identifiers that correspond to the first and second pluralities of articles of PPE,

wherein the first plurality of articles of PPE are associated with the first user, wherein each article of the first plurality of articles of PPE has a respective smart tag that includes an identifier of the respective article,

wherein the second plurality of articles of PPE are associated with the second user, wherein each article of the second plurality of articles of PPE has a respective smart tag that includes an identifier of the respective article,

wherein the scanner is configured to read each respective smart tag associated with one or more of the first and second pluralities of articles of PPE;

query, based at least in part on an identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers that correspond to the first and second pluralities of articles of PPE, a database that includes a rule, regulation, or policy in association with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers of articles of PPE;

determine that the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers for the rule, regulation, or policy that was violated within a designated area is further associated with an identifier of the at least one of the first or second users; and

generate a notification based on the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy has occurred for the designated area by at least one of the first or second users.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the notification based on the violation of the rule, regulation, or policy is a report.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the report comprises at least one of access dates for an article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers, a maintenance date for the article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers, an indication that maintenance did not occur for the article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers, or the identifier of the at least one of the first or second users who further failed to perform a remedial or preventative action for the article of PPE associated with the identifier from the first and second pluralities of identifiers.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to send a warning to a remote computing device associated with the at least one of the first or second users, or associated with a supervisor of the at least one of the first or second users.