HYGIENE COMPLIANCE MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20100332022A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOJO Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GOJO Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Curtis, Chip, WEGELIN, JACKSON W., Cartner, Todd J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,350,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/231
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A hygiene compliance monitoring system provides a dispenser that is associated with a data collection unit that collects dispensing events, such as the dispensement of material from the dispenser, which occurs during time segments of a predetermined duration. The hygiene event monitoring system also includes a portable data acquisition unit that is in wireless communication with the data collection unit of the dispenser. As such, when the data acquisition unit is brought within the range of reception of the data collection unit, the hygiene compliance data and time segment information are transmitted to the data acquisition unit and stored at a portable memory unit, which is removable. As such, the hygiene compliance data stored on the portable memory unit can be readily transferred to any desired computing device for analysis and report generation.

Claims

1. A hygiene compliance monitor for a dispenser maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance monitor comprising:

a dispenser controller that is coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from the dispenser when said actuator is actuated;

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit, such that said data collection unit generates at least one time segment of a predetermined duration, said data collection unit associating the number of actuations of said actuator with said time segment in which said actuations occurred; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with said data collection unit to receive the associated number of actuations and said time segments therefrom.

2. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said actuator comprises a proximity sensor.

3. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data acquisition unit includes a data port adapted to receive a removable portable memory unit to store the number of actuations and associated time segments.

4. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication is encrypted.

5. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data collection unit identifies engagements of said actuator that are separated by about 3 seconds or less as a single dispensement.

6. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data collection unit is placed into a sleep mode until said data acquisition unit is within the communication range of said data collection unit.

7. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data collection unit identifies the time associated with the start and stop of each said time segment.

8. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said data acquisition unit includes a user interface configured to set the duration of said at least one time segment.

9. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 8, wherein said data collection unit is associated with a dispenser identification code, such that when said identification code is entered at said keypad, said data acquisition unit acquires the number of actuations and said associated time segments.

10. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 8, wherein said data acquisition unit includes a display and a data acquisition memory unit, such that said data acquisition memory unit maintains a database of at least one room identification code that is associated with at least one dispenser identification code, wherein when said room identification code is entered at said keypad, said display presents said at least one dispenser identification code associated with said room identification code.

11. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 9, wherein said data acquisition unit includes a set button that when engaged in a predetermined sequence within the communication range of said data collection unit assigns said dispenser identification code to said data collection unit.

12. The hygiene compliance monitor of claim 1, wherein said time segment is identified by a start time and an end time.

13. A hygiene compliance monitor for a dispenser maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance monitor comprising:

a dispenser controller that is coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from the dispenser when said actuator is actuated;

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit and an internal clock,

said data collection unit associating at least one actuation of said actuator with a time stamp generated from said internal clock; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with said data collection unit, wherein said data acquisition unit is configured to wirelessly set said clock and is further configured to receive at least one piece of data indicating the associated time stamp information of said at least one actuation.

14. A hygiene compliance monitor for a dispenser maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance monitor comprising:

a dispenser controller that is coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from the dispenser when said actuator is actuated;

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit, said data collection unit collecting data from at least one actuation of said actuator; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with said data collection unit, wherein said data acquisition unit is configured to wirelessly program said data collection unit with location identifying information and is further configured to receive the collected data stored at said data collection unit.

15. A hygiene compliance system for a plurality of dispensers maintaining material to be dispensed, said hygiene compliance system comprising:

a plurality of hand hygiene compliance units, wherein each of said hand hygiene compliance units includes;

a dispenser controller coupled to an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from a dispenser within the plurality of dispensers when said actuator is actuated; and

a data collection unit adapted to be coupled to said dispenser controller, said data collection unit including a data collection memory unit, said data collection unit collecting data from at least one actuation of said actuator; and

a data acquisition unit in wireless communication with said plurality of data collection units within said plurality of hand hygiene compliance units, wherein said data acquisition unit is configured to wirelessly receive the collected data stored at said data collection unit within at least two of said hand hygiene compliance units within said plurality of said hand hygiene compliance units, wherein said two hand hygiene compliance units are located within a predetermined proximity to one another, and further wherein the data from said at least two hand hygiene compliance units is wirelessly received nearly simultaneously.

16. A method of hygiene compliance monitoring comprising:

providing a data collection unit maintained by a dispenser, said dispenser including an actuator to initiate the dispensement of material from a refill container;

wherein said data collection unit;

generates a plurality of time segments of a predetermined duration at said data collection unit;

monitors the engagement of said actuator;

associates the number of engagements of said actuator with the time segment in which said engagements occurred; and

stores the number of engagements and associated time segments at said data collection unit;

providing a data acquisition unit having a portable memory unit, said data acquisition unit configured to wirelessly communicate with said data collection unit; and

further wherein said data collection unit transfers the number of engagements and associated time segments to said portable memory unit.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

identifying the start and stop time of each said time segment.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

removing said portable memory unit from said data acquisition unit;

installing said portable memory unit at a remote computing device; and

generating a report based on the number of engagements and associated time segments stored at said portable memory unit.