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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9996841-B2
Application number	US-201715789395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2017
Priority date	May 18, 2007
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a plurality of articles of PPE, with a smart tag attached to at least one article of PPE, wherein the smart tag carries an identifier of the at least one article of PPE and maintenance information related to the article of PPE;
a scanner configured to read the smart tag that is attached to the at least one article of PPE, wherein when the scanner detects the smart tag the scanner receives the identifier of the at least one article of PPE; and
a computing device communicatively coupled to the scanner, wherein the computing device:
receives, from the scanner, the identifier of the at least one article of PPE;
queries, based at least in part on the identifier, a datastore to determine whether the article of PPE requires maintenance at an upcoming date; and
in response to a determination by the computing device that the article of PPE requires maintenance at an upcoming date, generates an output comprising updated maintenance information related to the article of PPE.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device sends the updated maintenance information related to the article of PPE that is written to the smart tag.

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

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the historical information comprises an association between the identifier of the at least one article of PPE and one or more of a date or time that maintenance was previously performed on the at least one article of PPE.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein to generate the output, the computing device generates a notification based at least in part on a determination that the worker failed to perform the maintenance at the upcoming date.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein to generate the notification based at least in part on the determination that the worker failed to perform the maintenance at the upcoming date the computing device sends a warning to a remote computing device associated with the at least one of the worker, or associated with a supervisor of the worker.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the warning is at least one of an audible of visual notification.

8. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device and from a scanner, an identifier of at least one article of PPE included in a plurality of articles of PPE, wherein a smart tag is attached to the at least one article of PPE, wherein the smart tag carries an identifier of the at least one article of PPE and maintenance information related to the article of PPE, wherein the scanner is configured to receive the identifier of the at least one article of PPE when the scanner detects the smart tag;
querying, based at least in part on the identifier, a datastore to determine whether the article of PPE requires maintenance at an upcoming date; and
in response to determining that the article of PPE requires maintenance at an upcoming date, generates an output comprising updated maintenance information related to the article of PPE.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising sending the updated maintenance information related to the article of PPE that is written to the smart tag.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising maintaining historical information about the at least one article of PPE and a requirement determined by the computing device to perform maintenance at the upcoming date is based at least in part on the historical information.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the historical information comprises an association between the identifier of the at least one article of PPE and one or more of a date or time that maintenance was previously performed on the at least one article of PPE.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising wherein generating the output comprises generating a notification based at least in part on a determination that the worker failed to perform the maintenance at the upcoming date.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein generating the notification based at least in part on the determination that the worker failed to perform the maintenance at the upcoming date further comprises sending a warning to a remote computing device associated with the at least one of the worker, or associated with a supervisor of the worker.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the warning is at least one of an audible of visual notification.

15. 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, from a scanner, an identifier of at least one article of PPE included in a plurality of articles of PPE, wherein a smart tag is attached to the at least one article of PPE, wherein the smart tag carries an identifier of the at least one article of PPE and maintenance information related to the article of PPE, wherein the scanner is configured to receive the identifier of the at least one article of PPE when the scanner detects the smart tag;
query, based at least in part on the identifier, a datastore to determine whether the article of PPE requires maintenance at an upcoming date; and
generate an output comprising maintenance information related to the article of PPE in response to a determination that the article of PPE requires maintenance at an upcoming date.

16. The computing device 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 send the updated maintenance information related to the article of PPE that is written to the smart tag.

17. The computing device 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 maintain historical information about the at least one article of PPE and a requirement determined by the computing device to perform maintenance at the upcoming date is based at least in part on the historical information.

18. The computing device of claim 17 , wherein the historical information comprises an association between the identifier of the at least one article of PPE and one or more of a date or time that maintenance was previously performed on the at least one article of PPE.

19. The computing device 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 generate a notification based at least in part on a determination that the worker failed to perform the maintenance at the upcoming date.

20. The computing device of claim 19 , wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to send a warning to a remote computing device associated with the at least one of the worker, or associated with a supervisor of the worker.

21. The computing device of claim 20 , wherein the warning is at least one of an audible of visual notification.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Farioli Brioschi Luca D
• Ramirez Chaidez Luis V
• Ptasienski Lawrence J
• Anderson Mark T
• Hamerly Michael E

Classifications

• G07C9/257

  electronically (G07C9/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G07C9/28

  the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence · CPC title

• G06F16/22

  Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures · CPC title

• G06Q10/06398

  Performance of employee with respect to a job function · CPC title

• G06F16/951

  Indexing; Web crawling techniques · CPC title