Personal protection equipment system

• US 10,223,700 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2018
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• 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 H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhter, Sharmin
• Application Number:
  US15/984,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20180276681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 288 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 set of personal protective equipment (PPE) associated with a user, wherein a smart tag is configured with at least one article of PPE of the set of PPE, and wherein the smart tag comprises at least one of a transmitter or a receiver configured to communicate data according to a protocol;

a computing device comprising a memory and one or more computer processors, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to;

receive, via wireless communication and from the at least one of the transmitter or the receiver according to the protocol, an identifier of the smart tag for the at least one article of PPE;

query, based at least in part on the identifier received from the at least one of the transmitter or the receiver according to the protocol, a datastore to determine whether the user associated with the article of PPE has failed to perform at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE; and

perform at least one operation based at least in part on a determination that the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device refrains from issuing the set of PPE to the user unless the computing device determines that remedial or preventative actions for all of the PPE have been performed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device maintains historical information about the at least one article of PPE, and wherein a requirement determined by the computing device to perform the remedial or preventative action is based at least in part on historical information.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the historical information comprises a date or time that corresponds to at least one of calibration, cleaning, inspection, or maintenance of the at least one article of PPE.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device generates a report that indicates the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the article of PPE.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the report comprises at least one of an access date for the at least one article of PPE, a maintenance date for the at least one article of PPE, an indication that maintenance did not occur for the at least one article of PPE, or an identifier of the user who failed to perform an action for the at least one article of PPE.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein to perform the at least one operation based at least in part on the determination that the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE, the computing device sends a message to another computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein to perform the at least one operation based at least in part on the determination that the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE, the computing device generates at least one of an audible or visual output.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a display and the computing device is configured to communicate using the Internet.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the smart tag is configured to communicate using a Wi-Fi network protocol.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the smart tag is physically attached to the at least one article of PPE.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device receives data that corresponds to the at least one article of PPE.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device receives data that corresponds to the user associated with the at least one article of PPE.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE comprises training for the at least one article of PPE.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to communicate the data to another computing device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the data is received via a scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device.

17. 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, via wireless communication and from at least one of a transmitter or a receiver according to a protocol, an identifier of a smart tag for at least one article of personal protective equipment (PPE), wherein the at least one article of PPE is included in a set of PPE associated with a user, wherein the smart tag is configured with the at least one article of PPE, and wherein the smart tag comprises at least one of the transmitter or the receiver configured to communicate data according to the protocol;

query, based at least in part on the identifier received from the at least one of the transmitter or the receiver according to the protocol, a datastore to determine whether the user associated with the article of PPE has failed to perform at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE; and

perform at least one operation based at least in part on a determination that the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device refrains from issuing the set of PPE to the user unless the computing device determines that remedial or preventative actions for all of the PPE have been performed.

19. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device maintains historical information about the at least one article of PPE, and wherein a requirement determined by the computing device to perform the remedial or preventative action is based at least in part on historical information.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the historical information comprises a date or time that corresponds to at least one of calibration, cleaning, inspection, or maintenance of the at least one article of PPE.

21. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device generates a report that indicates the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the article of PPE.

22. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the report comprises at least one of an access date for the at least one article of PPE, a maintenance date for the at least one article of PPE, an indication that maintenance did not occur for the at least one article of PPE, or an identifier of the user who failed to perform an action for the at least one article of PPE.

23. The computing device of claim 17, wherein to perform the at least one operation based at least in part on the determination that the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE, the computing device sends a message to another computing device.

24. The computing device of claim 17, wherein to perform the at least one operation based at least in part on the determination that the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE, the computing device generates at least one of an audible or visual output.

25. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device comprises a display and the computing device is configured to communicate using the Internet.

26. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the smart tag is configured to communicate using a Wi-Fi network protocol.

27. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the smart tag is physically attached to the at least one article of PPE.

28. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device receives data that corresponds to the at least one article of PPE.

29. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device receives data that corresponds to the user associated with the at least one article of PPE.

30. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE comprises training for the at least one article of PPE.

31. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory comprises instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to communicate the data to another computing device.

32. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the data is received via a scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of a computing device to:

receive, via wireless communication and from at least one of a transmitter or a receiver according to a protocol, an identifier of a smart tag for at least one article of personal protective equipment (PPE), wherein the at least one article of PPE is included in a set of PPE associated with a user, wherein the smart tag is configured with the at least one article of PPE, and wherein the smart tag comprises at least one of the transmitter or the receiver configured to communicate data according to the protocol;

query, based at least in part on the identifier received from the at least one of the transmitter or the receiver according to the protocol, a datastore to determine whether the user associated with the article of PPE has failed to perform at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE; and

perform at least one operation based at least in part on a determination that the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of the computing device to refrain from issuing the set of PPE to the user unless the computing device determines that remedial or preventative actions for all of the PPE have been performed.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of the computing device to maintain historical information about the at least one article of PPE, and wherein a requirement determined by the computing device to perform the remedial or preventative action is based at least in part on historical information.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein the historical information comprises a date or time that corresponds to at least one of calibration, cleaning, inspection, or maintenance of the at least one article of PPE.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of the computing device to generate a report that indicates the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the article of PPE.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the report comprises at least one of an access date for the at least one article of PPE, a maintenance date for the at least one article of PPE, an indication that maintenance did not occur for the at least one article of PPE, or an identifier of the user who failed to perform an action for the at least one article of PPE.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein to perform the at least one operation based at least in part on the determination that the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of the computing device to send a message to another computing device.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein to perform the at least one operation based at least in part on the determination that the user failed to perform the at least one remedial or preventative action for the at least one article of PPE, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of the computing device to generate at least one of an audible or visual output.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the computing device comprises a display and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of the computing device to communicate using the Internet.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the smart tag is configured to communicate using a Wi-Fi network protocol.

43. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the smart tag is physically attached to the at least one article of PPE.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of the computing device to receive data that corresponds to the at least one article of PPE.

45. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of the computing device to receive data that corresponds to the user associated with the at least one article of PPE.

46. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the at least one remedial or preventative action required for the at least one article of PPE comprises training for the at least one article of PPE.

47. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, further encoded with instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to communicate the data to another computing device.

48. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the data is received via a scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device.