Dispense event verification for dispensers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10529167-B2
Application number	US-201514967714-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2015
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for dispense event verification. For example, a user verification component may be associated with a dispenser that is configured to dispense material, such as a sanitizer dispenser configured to dispense sanitizer. The user verification component may obtain user identification information associated with a user attempting to invoke the dispenser to perform a dispense event of material. The user identification information may be evaluated against a dispense access model (e.g., specifying levels of access to the dispenser for users, such as a first user being allowed to perform up to 10 dispense events of sanitizer every 45 minutes) to determine whether to facilitate or restrict the dispense event. In this way, dispensing of material that may be susceptible to abuse by users (e.g., prisoners, psychiatric ward patients, daycare children, etc.) may be monitored and/or restricted for the safety of such users.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for dispense event verification, comprising:
obtaining user identification information associated with a user attempting to invoke a dispenser to perform a dispense event of a hygiene material;
evaluating the user identification information against a dispense access model, wherein:
the dispense access model defines, for a first portion of a day, a first allowed level of access by the user to the dispenser, and defines, for a second portion of the day, a second allowed level of access by the user to the dispenser,
the second portion of the day is different than the first portion of the day,
the second allowed level of access is different than the first allowed level of access, and
the evaluating comprises:
determining a present time of day;
determining whether the user is allowed to perform the dispense event based upon the first allowed level of access when the present time of day corresponds to the first portion of the day; and
determining whether the user is allowed to perform the dispense event based upon the second allowed level of access when the present time of day corresponds to the second portion of the day;

responsive to the dispense access model indicating that the user is allowed to perform the dispense event, activating a pump to dispense the hygiene material;
responsive to the dispense access model indicating that the user is not allowed to perform the dispense event, restricting the dispense event; and
responsive to the user attempting to perform a threshold number of dispense events within a timespan, restricting the user from utilizing the dispenser for a timeout timespan.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
establishing a communication connection with a computing device; and
providing usage metrics of the dispenser over the communication connection to the computing device, the usage metrics comprising at least one of dispense event statistics, detected abuse, or an amount of remaining hygiene material.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
responsive to determining at least one of an attempted abuse of the dispenser, an unlocked status of the dispenser for a threshold timespan, or an actuation of the dispenser, providing at least one of a visible notification, an audible notification, an alarm trigger, or a lockout state for the dispenser.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hygiene material comprises soap.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hygiene material comprises hand sanitizer.

6. A system for dispense event verification, comprising:
a processor; and
memory comprising instructions that when executed by the processor perform operations, the operations comprising:
obtaining user identification information associated with a user attempting to invoke a dispenser to perform a dispense event of a hygiene material;
evaluating the user identification information against a dispense access model;
responsive to the dispense access model indicating that the user is allowed to perform the dispense event:
facilitating the dispense event by providing the user with access for hygiene material retrieval; and
responsive to determining that the user has removed a restricted hygiene material to which the user does not have permission to access, providing an alert specifying that attempted abuse has been detected;

responsive to the dispense access model indicating that the user is not allowed to perform the dispense event, restricting the dispense event; and
responsive to the user attempting to perform a threshold number of dispense events within a timespan, restricting the user from utilizing the dispenser for a timeout timespan.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the operations comprise:
defining a first rule specifying a first level of access for the user;
defining a second rule specifying a second level of access for a second user, the second level of access different than the first level of access; and
including the first rule and the second rule within the dispense access model.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein:
the dispense access model defines, for a first portion of a day, a first allowed level of access by the user to the dispenser, and defines, for a second portion of the day, a second allowed level of access by the user to the dispenser,
the second portion of the day is different than the first portion of the day,
the second allowed level of access is different than the first allowed level of access, and
the evaluating comprises:
determining a present time of day;
determining whether the user is allowed to perform the dispense event based upon the first allowed level of access when the present time of day corresponds to the first portion of the day; and
determining whether the user is allowed to perform the dispense event based upon the second allowed level of access when the present time of day corresponds to the second portion of the day.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein:
the dispenser comprises an enclosure housing the hygiene material, and
the operations comprise:
responsive to the dispense access model indicating that the user is allowed to perform the dispense event, providing the user with access inside the enclosure for the hygiene material retrieval.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the operations comprise:
providing a second alert based upon the user maintaining access inside the enclosure for an amount of time that exceeds an access time limit.

11. The system of claim 6 , wherein the operations comprise:
generating a user access metric for the user based upon interaction of the user with the dispenser; and
providing the user access metric through a dispenser security interface.

12. The system of claim 6 , wherein the operations comprise:
evaluating usage of the dispenser within a usage timespan to create a usage metric; and
responsive to the usage metric being indicative of the attempted abuse, at least one of restricting the dispense event or providing a second alert.

13. The system of claim 6 , wherein the operations comprise:
providing usage metrics of the dispenser, the usage metrics comprising at least one of dispense event statistics, detected abuse, or an amount of remaining hygiene material.

14. The system of claim 6 , wherein the operations comprise:
responsive to determining at least one of the attempted abuse of the dispenser, an unlocked status of the dispenser for a threshold timespan, or an actuation of the dispenser, providing at least one of a visible notification, an audible notification, an alarm trigger, or a lockout state for the dispenser.

15. The system of claim 6 , wherein the operations comprise:
providing a map depicting a location of the dispenser within a layout of a region within which the dispenser is disposed; and
providing a notification within the map at the location of the dispenser responsive to at least one of the dispense access model indicating that the user is not allowed to perform the dispense event or the user attempting to perform the threshold number of dispense events within the timespan.

16. The system of claim 6 , wherein the operations comprise:
monitoring a location of one or more hygiene materials within the dispenser using at least one of a camera or a radio frequency identification system mounted in the dispenser; and
determining that the user has removed the restricted hygiene material to which the user does not have permission to access based upon the monitoring.

17. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which when executed perform operations for dispense

Assignees

• Gojo Ind Inc

Inventors

• Khamphilapanyo Touby
• Kurchev Aaron
• Prediger Michael

Classifications

• G07F17/0092 Primary

  for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles (medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00) · CPC title

• G07F7/025

  by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered · CPC title

• G07F17/0014

  for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 (meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00) · CPC title

• G07F9/026

  for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty · CPC title

• G07F17/18

  for washing or drying persons · CPC title