# US 2019/0318606 A1 · Self-Check for Personal Protective Equipment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0318606 A1 - Document ID: US20190318606A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/340,714 - Filed: 2017-10-11 - Published: 2019-10-17 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-14 - Assignees: 3M Innovative Properties Company - Applicants: 3M Innovative Properties Company - Inventors: Kiran S. Kanukurthy; Steven T. Awiszus; Eric C. Lobner; Michael G. Wurm - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190318606A1 ## CPC - G08B 21/182: {Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold} - G08B 21/12: responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms - G08B 25/016: {Personal emergency signalling and security systems (emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12)} - G08B 25/10: using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} - G16H 40/63: for local operation - G16H 40/67: for remote operation - G16H 40/40: for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA ## Abstract In some examples, a system includes a plurality of articles of personal protected equipment (PPE) that are each assigned to a particular worker. The system may also include a data hub that detects an input that initiates a broadcast of diagnostic self-check messages; identifies, in response to the input, each article of PPE of the plurality of articles of PPE; broadcasts, based on identifying each article of PPE, the diagnostic self-check messages to the respective articles of PPE, wherein each article of PPE receives its respective self-check message at its communication component; in response to receiving a set of diagnostic acknowledgement messages from one or more of the plurality of articles of PPE that have performed a diagnostic self-check, determines whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy one or more self-check criteria; and performs one or more operations based on whether the self-check criteria are satisfied. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a plurality of articles of personal protected equipment (PPE) that are each assigned to a particular worker, wherein each article of PPE of the plurality of articles of PPE includes a respective communication component; a data hub assigned to the particular worker comprising a communication unit, 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: detect an input that initiates a broadcast of diagnostic self-check messages; identify, in response to the input, each article of PPE of the plurality of articles of PPE; broadcast, using the communication unit, based on identifying each article of PPE, the diagnostic self-check messages to the respective articles of PPE, wherein each diagnostic self-check message includes a command to perform a diagnostic self-check of one or more operating conditions of the respective article of PPE, and wherein each article of PPE receives its respective self-check message at its communication component; receive a set of diagnostic acknowledge messages from one or more of the plurality of articles of PPE that have performed the respective diagnostic self-check, wherein each diagnostic acknowledge message includes data indicating a respective state of the one or more operating conditions of a respective article of PPE; in response to receiving the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages, determine whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy one or more self-check criteria, each self-check criteria indicating a respective state of an operating condition corresponding to proper operation of the respective article of PPE; and perform one or more operations based at least in part on whether the one or more self-check criteria are satisfied. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein to perform one or more operations based at least in part on whether the one or more self-check criteria are satisfied, the memory of the data hub comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to generate an alert at the data hub, wherein the alert is at least one of an audible, haptic, or visual alert. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein to perform one or more operations based at least in part on whether the one or more self-check criteria are satisfied, the memory of the data hub comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to send a message to a remote computing device that indicates whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy one or more self-check criteria. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, further comprising the remote computing device, wherein the remote computing device, in response to receiving the message that indicates whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy the one or more self-check criteria, sends an indication to a computing device of a safety manager of the particular worker that indicates whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy one or more self-check criteria. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, further comprising the remote computing device, wherein the remote computing device determines an anomaly based at least in part the message from the data hub and a plurality of previously received messages that indicate whether diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy the one or more self-check criteria, and wherein the indication sent to the computing device of the safety manager of the particular worker is sent in response to the determining of the anomaly. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the input that initiates a broadcast of diagnostic self-check messages comprises a user input by the worker, a message received from a remote computing device, or an event generated by the data hub in response to at least one of a fall of the particular worker detected by the data hub, a physiological condition of the particular worker, a characteristic of the work environment, a time, or a location. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising determining a correlation between one or more of the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages and one or more other diagnostic acknowledge messages from one or more workers other than the particular worker. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a remote computing device, wherein the remote computing device, in response to receiving the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages, sends a message to the data hub that causes a change in the operation of at least one article of personal protected equipment (PPE) in the plurality of articles of PPE. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the input that initiates a broadcast of diagnostic self-check messages is received from a remote computing device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the input that causes the one or more computer processors to broadcast the diagnostic self-check messages comprises a physiological or a biometric condition of the particular worker, or a characteristic of a work environment of the particular worker. ### Claim 11 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: detect an input that initiates a broadcast of diagnostic self-check messages; identify, in response to the input, each article of PPE of a plurality of articles of PPE that are communicatively coupled to the computing device; broadcast, based on identifying each article of PPE, the diagnostic self-check messages to the respective articles of PPE, wherein each diagnostic self-check message includes a command to perform a diagnostic self-check of one or more operating conditions of the respective article of PPE, and wherein each article of PPE receives its respective self-check message at its communication component; receive a set of diagnostic acknowledge messages from one or more of the plurality of articles of PPE that have performed the respective diagnostic self-check, wherein each diagnostic acknowledge message includes data indicating a respective state of the one or more operating conditions of a respective article of PPE; in response to receiving the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages, determine whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy one or more self-check criteria, each self-check criteria indicating a respective state of an operating condition corresponding to proper operation of the respective article of PPE; and perform one or more operations based at least in part on whether the one or more self-check criteria are satisfied. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computing device of claim 11, wherein to perform one or more operations based at least in part on whether the one or more self-check criteria are satisfied, the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to generate an alert at a data hub, wherein the alert is at least one of an audible, haptic, or visual alert. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The computing device of claim 11, wherein to perform one or more operations based at least in part on whether the one or more self-check criteria are satisfied, the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to send a message to a remote computing device that indicates whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy one or more self-check criteria. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computing device of claim 13, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to, in response to receiving the message that indicates whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy the one or more self-check criteria, send an indication to a computing device of a safety manager of the particular worker that indicates whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy one or more self-check criteria. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computing device of claim 13, wherein the remote computing device determines an anomaly based at least in part the message from the data hub and a plurality of previously received messages that indicate whether diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy the one or more self-check criteria, and wherein the indication sent to the computing device of the safety manager of the particular worker is sent in response to the determining of the anomaly. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The computing device of claim 11, wherein the input that initiates a broadcast of diagnostic self-check messages comprises a user input by the worker, a message received from a remote computing device, or an event generated by the data hub in response to at least one of a fall of the particular worker detected by the data hub, a physiological condition of the particular worker, a characteristic of the work environment, a time, or a location. ### Claim 17 A method comprising: detecting, by a computing device, an input that initiates a broadcast of diagnostic self-check messages; identifying in response to the input, each article of PPE of a plurality of articles of PPE that are communicatively coupled to the computing device; broadcasting, based on identifying each article of PPE, the diagnostic self-check messages to the respective articles of PPE, wherein each diagnostic self-check message includes a command to perform a diagnostic self-check of one or more operating conditions of the respective article of PPE, and wherein each article of PPE receives its respective self-check message at its communication component; receiving a set of diagnostic acknowledge messages from one or more of the plurality of articles of PPE that have performed the respective diagnostic self-check, wherein each diagnostic acknowledge message includes data indicating a respective state of the one or more operating conditions of a respective article of PPE; in response to receiving the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages, determining whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy one or more self-check criteria, each self-check criteria indicating a respective state of an operating condition corresponding to proper operation of the respective article of PPE; and performing one or more operations based at least in part on whether the one or more self-check criteria are satisfied. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: generating, based at least in part on determining whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy the one or more self-check criteria, an alert at the computing device, wherein the alert is at least one of an audible, haptic, or visual alert. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: sending, based at least in part on determining whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy the one or more self-check criteria, a message to a remote computing device that indicates whether the set of diagnostic acknowledge messages satisfy one or more self-check criteria. ### Claim at position 20 20-23. (canceled)