Personal protection equipment system

• US 10,803,467 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2019
• Issued: 10/13/2020
• 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:
  US16/571,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20200013072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 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) configured for use by a user, wherein a transceiver is configured with at least one article of PPE of the set of PPE, and wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate according to a protocol; and

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;

select data that corresponds to processing of the at least one article of PPE after the user has performed a task while using the at least one article of PPE, wherein processing of the at least one article of PPE includes at least one of cleaning or maintenance of the at least one article of PPE;

apply the selected data to at least one of a rule, condition, or policy associated with the at least one article of PPE, the at least one of the rule, condition, or policy indicative of whether the at least one article of PPE was properly processed;

determine, based at least in part on application of the selected data to the rule, condition, or policy associated with the at least one article of PPE, whether the at least one of the rule, condition, or policy was violated for the at least one article of PPE configured for use by the user; and

perform at least one operation based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred for the at least one article of PPE.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein an output of the at least one operation performed based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred comprises a report.

3. The system of claim 2, 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, a result of an evaluation 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.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the report indicates the user'"'"'s access to a designated area where the violation of the rule, condition, or policy occurred.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein to perform the at least one operation based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred, the memory comprises instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to send a message to another computing device.

6. 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.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein to perform the at least one operation based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred, the memory comprises instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to generate at least one of an audible or visual output.

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

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

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is physically attached to the at least one article of PPE.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the data that corresponds to the at least one article of PPE comprises data that corresponds to processing the at least one article of PPE after the user performs a task.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the data corresponds to the user of the at least one article of PPE.

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

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of PPE consists of the at least one article of PPE and the at least one article of PPE is an article of respiratory protection equipment.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to write, based on the selected data, status information to the transceiver as to whether the at least one article of PPE underwent a specified maintenance procedure.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to communicate the status information to at least one of a local computing device or a remote computing device.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein at least one of the local computing device or the remote computing device generates a report including an identification the articles of PPE in the set of PPE that did not undergo the specified maintenance procedure.

18. 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;

select data that corresponds to at least one article of PPE in a set of PPE configured for use by a user, wherein a transceiver is configured with the at least one article of PPE in the set of PPE, wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate according to a protocol, wherein the selected data corresponds to processing of the at least one article of PPE after the user has performed a task while using the at least one article of PPE, and wherein processing of the at least one article of PPE includes at least one of cleaning or maintenance of the at least one article of PPE;

apply the selected data to at least one of a rule, condition, or policy associated with the at least one article of PPE, the at least one of a rule, condition, or policy indicative of whether the at least one article of PPE was properly processed;

determine, based at least in part on application of the selected data to the rule, condition, or policy associated with the at least one article of PPE, whether the at least one of the rule, condition, or policy was violated for the at least one article of PPE configured for use by the user; and

perform at least one operation based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred for the at least one article of PPE.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein an output of the at least one operation performed based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred comprises a report.

20. The computing device of claim 19, 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, a result of an evaluation 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.

21. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the report indicates the user'"'"'s access to a designated area where the violation of the rule, condition, or policy occurred.

22. The computing device of claim 18, wherein to perform the at least one operation based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred, the memory comprises instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to send a message to another computing device.

23. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the memory comprises instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to communicate the data to another computing device.

24. The computing device of claim 18, wherein to perform the at least one operation based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred, the memory comprises instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to generate at least one of an audible or visual output.

25. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the computing device comprises a display and the computing device is configured to communicate using the Internet.

26. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate using a Wi-Fi network protocol.

27. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the transceiver is physically attached to the at least one article of PPE.

28. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the data that corresponds to the at least one article of PPE comprises data that corresponds to processing the at least one article of PPE after the user performs a task.

29. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the data corresponds to the user of the at least one article of PPE.

30. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the data is received via a scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device.

31. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the set of PPE consists of the at least one article of PPE and the at least one article of PPE is an article of respiratory protection equipment.

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

select data that corresponds to at least one article of PPE in a set of PPE configured for use by a user, wherein a transceiver is configured with the at least one article of PPE in the set of PPE, wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate according to a protocol, wherein the selected data corresponds to processing of the at least one article of PPE after the user has performed a task while using the at least one article of PPE, wherein processing of the at least one article of PPE includes at least one of cleaning or maintenance of the at least one article of PPE;

apply the selected data to at least one of a rule, condition, or policy associated with the at least one article of PPE, the at least one of the rule, condition, or policy indicative of whether the at least one article of PPE was properly processed;

determine, based at least in part on application of the selected data to the rule, condition, or policy associated with the at least one article of PPE, whether the at least one of the rule, condition, or policy was violated for the at least one article of PPE configured for use by the user; and

perform at least one operation based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred for the at least one article of PPE.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, 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.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of the computing device to communicate the data to another computing device.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the data is received via a scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein an output of the at least one operation performed based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred comprises a report.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 36, 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, a result of an evaluation 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.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the report indicates a user'"'"'s access to a designated area where the violation of the rule, condition, or policy occurred.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein to perform the at least one operation based on whether the violation of the rule, condition, or policy has occurred, the memory comprises instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to send a message to another computing device.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the computing device comprises a display and the computing device is configured to communicate using the Internet.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate using a Wi-Fi network protocol.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the transceiver is physically attached to the at least one article of PPE.

43. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the data that corresponds to the at least one article of PPE comprises data that corresponds to processing the at 1 east one article of PPE after the user performs a task.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the data corresponds to the user of the at least one article of PPE.

45. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the set of PPE consists of the at least one article of PPE and the at least one article of PPE is an article of respiratory protection equipment.