Granted Patent B2

US 12,374,209 · App. 18/007,223 · Granted Jul 29, 2025

Inventors: Darin K. Thompson (Huntersville, NC); Craig M. Parkulo (Midland, NC); David A. Amero (Calgary, CA)

Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company

G08B21/0446G08B25/10G10L13/02H04R3/00H04R2420/07

Abstract

Claims (41)

1. A system for use with a personal protective equipment (PPE) article, the system comprising:

a memory configured to store a user identification associated with a user of the PPE article;

a safety module configured to selectively generate an alert signal based on a motion status of the user of the PPE article;

a transceiver unit configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data;

a location device configured to generate a location signal indicative of a location of the user of the PPE article; and

a controller communicably coupled to the memory, the safety module, the location device, and the transceiver unit, the controller configured to:

retrieve the user identification from the memory upon receiving the alert signal from the safety module;

convert the user identification into a speech data;

transmit the speech data through the transceiver unit;

receive the location signal from the location device upon receiving the alert signal from the safety module; and

convert the location of the user into a location speech data and transmit the location speech data through the transceiver unit.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to convert the user identification into the speech data using a text-to-speech converter.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver unit comprises a two-way radio that allows transmission of the speech data through a communication channel.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the two-way radio comprises a push-to-talk switch such that the two-way radio is configured to wirelessly transmit data upon activation of the push-to-talk switch, and wherein the controller is further configured to activate the push-to-talk switch before transmitting the speech data through the communication channel.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to merge the location speech data with the speech data corresponding to the user identification.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a remote speaker microphone communicably coupled to the controller and the transceiver unit, the remote speaker microphone configured to receive the speech data from the controller and transmit the speech data through the transceiver unit.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to wirelessly transmit the speech data to an external device through the communication channel.

8. A personal protective equipment (PPE) system, the PPE system comprising:

a memory configured to store a user identification associated with a user of the PPE system;

a safety module configured to selectively generate an alert signal based on a motion status of the user of the PPE system;

a transceiver unit configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data;

a location device configured to generate a location signal indicative of a location of the user of the PPE system; and

a protection device comprising a controller communicably coupled to the memory, the safety module, the transceiver unit, and the location device, the controller configured to:

retrieve the user identification from the memory upon receiving the alert signal from the safety module;

convert the user identification into a speech data;

transmit the speech data through the transceiver unit;

receive the location signal from the location device upon receiving the alert signal from the safety module; and

convert the location of the user into a location speech data and transmit the location speech data through the transceiver unit.

9. The PPE system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to convert the user identification into the speech data using a text-to-speech converter.

10. The PPE system of claim 8 , wherein the transceiver unit comprises a two-way radio that allows transmission of the speech data through a communication channel.

11. The PPE system of claim 10 , wherein the two-way radio comprises a push-to-talk switch such that the two-way radio is configured to wirelessly transmit data upon activation of the push-to-talk switch, and wherein the controller is further configured to activate the push-to-talk switch before transmitting the speech data through the communication channel.

12. The PPE system of claim 8 , further comprising a remote speaker microphone communicably coupled to the controller and the transceiver unit, the remote speaker microphone configured to receive the speech data from the controller and transmit the speech data through the transceiver unit.

13. The PPE system of claim 8 , wherein the transceiver unit is configured to wirelessly transmit the speech data to an external device through a communication channel.

14. A method for use with a personal protective equipment (PPE) article, the method comprising:

receiving an alert signal from a safety module based a motion status of a user of the PPE article;

retrieving, via a controller, a user identification associated with the user of the PPE article from a memory;

converting, via the controller, the user identification into a speech data;

transmitting the speech data through a transceiver unit, wherein the transceiver unit is configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data;

receiving a location signal from a location device indicative of a location of the user of the PPE article upon receiving the alert signal from the safety module; and

converting the location of the user into a location speech data and transmitting the location speech data through the transceiver unit.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the transceiver unit comprises a two-way radio that allows transmission of the speech data through a communication channel.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (14)