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

• US 9,996,812 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2017
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• 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): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhter, Sharmin
• Application Number:
  US15/789,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20180060784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 235 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: H05K 999/99 dummy group
• 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 one or more of the first or second pluralities of articles of PPE; and

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

accesses a set of worker profiles, wherein each of the worker profiles corresponds to at least one of a common task set or a common job function, and wherein each worker profile corresponds to a different set of articles of PPE;

receives, from the scanner, a plurality of identifiers that corresponds to one or more of the first plurality of articles of PPE associated with the first user or the second plurality of articles of PPE associated with the second user;

compares the plurality of identifiers to the worker profile that is associated with both of the first and second users; and

generates an output based at least in part on whether at least one identifier of the plurality of identifiers satisfies the worker profile.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device accesses a database that includes data indicating each of the first and second users are associated with the same common task set or common job function.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein to compare the first plurality of identifiers to the worker profile that is associated with both of the first and second users the computing device at least performs an accountability check for each article of the first plurality of articles of PPE with the worker profile or performs an accountability check for each article of the second plurality of articles of PPE with the worker profile.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein to generate the output based at least in part on whether at least one of the first and second pluralities of identifiers satisfies the worker profile the computing device outputs at least one of a warning or recommendation.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the warning is at least one of an audible or optical notification.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device further accesses an individual-specific profile that is unique to a third user and is associated with a different set of articles of PPE than the worker profile.

7. A method comprising:

accessing, by a computing device, a set of worker profiles, wherein each of the worker profiles corresponds to at least one of a common task set or a common job function, and wherein each worker profile corresponds to a different set of articles of PPE,

wherein a first plurality of articles of PPE is 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,

wherein a second plurality of articles of PPE is 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;

receiving, from the scanner, a plurality of identifiers that corresponds to one or more of the first plurality of articles of PPE associated with the first user or the second plurality of articles of PPE associated with the second user;

comparing the plurality of identifiers to the worker profile that is associated with both of the first and second users; and

generating an output based at least in part on whether at least one identifier of the plurality of identifiers satisfies the worker profile.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

accessing a database that includes data indicating each of the first and second users are associated with the same common task set or common job function.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein comparing the first plurality of identifiers to the worker profile that is associated with both of the first and second users comprises at least performing an accountability check for each article of the first plurality of articles of PPE with the worker profile or performing an accountability check for each article of the second plurality of articles of PPE with the worker profile.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the output based at least in part on whether at least one of the first and second pluralities of identifiers satisfies the worker profile further comprises outputting at least one of a warning or recommendation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the warning is at least one of an audible or optical notification.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the computing device further accesses an individual-specific profile that is unique to a third user and is associated with a different set of articles of PPE than the worker profile.

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;

access a set of worker profiles, wherein each of the worker profiles corresponds to at least one of a common task set or a common job function, and wherein each worker profile corresponds to a different set of articles of PPE,

wherein a first plurality of articles of PPE is 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,

wherein a second plurality of articles of PPE is 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;

receive, from the scanner, a plurality of identifiers that corresponds to one or more of the first plurality of articles of PPE associated with the first user or the second plurality of articles of PPE associated with the second user;

compare the plurality of identifiers to the worker profile that is associated with both of the first and second users; and

generate an output based at least in part on whether at least one identifier of the plurality of identifiers satisfies the worker profile.

14. 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 access a database that includes data indicating each of the first and second users are associated with the same common task set or common job function.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein to compare the first plurality of identifiers to the worker profile the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to at least perform an accountability check for each article of the first plurality of articles of PPE with the worker profile or perform an accountability check for each article of the second plurality of articles of PPE with the worker profile.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein to generate the output the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to output at least one of a warning or recommendation.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the warning is at least one of an audible or optical notification.

18. 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 access an individual-specific profile that is unique to a third user and is associated with a different set of articles of PPE than the worker profile.