# US 12,008,885 B2 · Washroom use determination system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,008,885 B2 - Document ID: US12008885B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/256,495 - Filed: 2019-06-26 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-29 - Assignees: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. - Applicants: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. - Inventors: Frederick J. Williams, Jr.; Reilly Howell; Babak R. Ghazi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008885B2 ## CPC - G08B 21/245: {Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands} - G01J 5/0025: {Living bodies (ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00)} - G01J 5/0066: {for hot spots detection} - G06Q 10/04: Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" (market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202) - G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management - H04N 23/23: from thermal infrared radiation - A47K 2010/3226: {collecting data of usage} - G01J 2005/0077: {Imaging} - G08B 21/0415: {detecting absence of activity per se} - G08B 21/0469: {Presence detectors to detect unsafe condition, e.g. infrared sensor, microphone (G08B21/0476 takes precedence)} - G08B 29/04: Monitoring of the detection circuits - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - A47K: SANITARY EQUIPMENT; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR, e.g. TOILET ACCESSORIES ## Abstract A system having a washroom controller configured to communicate with one or more hygiene dispensers in the washroom; a thermal sensor configured detect thermal events at the entrance and communicate data describing the thermal events to the washroom controller; and a data processing apparatus configured to access the data from the washroom controller and analyze the data to determine a number of thermal events over a given time period and a number of dispenses from the at least one of the one or more hygiene dispensers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: communicating, from a hygiene dispenser in a washroom to a washroom controller, use data describing dispense events from the hygiene dispenser, wherein a dispense event defines an actuation of the hygiene dispenser, by a number of occupants that entered in the washroom, to dispense consumable product; detecting, by a thermal sensor, thermal events proximate an entrance of the washroom; communicating, from the thermal sensor to the washroom controller, thermal data describing the thermal events; analyzing the use data and thermal data to determine a number of dispense events and the number of occupants that entered in the washroom, wherein the use data indicates information about expected amount of remaining consumable product after the dispense events; and comparing the number of dispense events to the number of occupants; and in response to determining that the number of occupants differs from the number of dispense events, including the expected amount of remaining consumable product, by a predetermined measure, providing a communication specifying that the hygiene dispenser is malfunctioning, based on that the expected amount of remaining product is less than or equal to a current amount of the remaining consumable product; wherein the predetermined measure is a statistical measure quantifying a relationship between dispenser use and occupant visits and indicating the period of time the hygiene dispenser has been malfunctioned. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the number of dispense events to the number of occupants comprises, comparing, by a data processing apparatus, the number of dispense events to the number of occupants. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal sensor comprises an array of infrared sensors. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the use data and the thermal event data comprises interpolating the thermal event data to generate interpolated thermal data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein interpolating the thermal event data to generate the interpolated thermal data comprises removing noise from the interpolated thermal data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein removing the noise from the interpolated thermal data comprises determining an average background temperature. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, comprising detecting thermal hot zones in the washroom wherein a thermal hot zone is an area in the washroom that has a temperature higher than surrounding areas in the washroom. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, comprising analyzing, by a data processing apparatus, data to determine a time duration that one of the thermal hot zones has not moved and in response to determining the time duration exceeds a threshold, sending a message to an administrator. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the entrance is a door. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the entrance is an open threshold.