Infection control apparatus

• US 10,456,493 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SRFC Bio Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Allied Bioscience, Inc.
• Inventors: Grossman, Craig, Grossman, Ingrida, Grossman, Gavri
• Primary Examiner(s): Conley, Sean E
• Application Number:
  US16/013,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20180369438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/18 Liquid substances or solutions comprising solids or dissolved gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/22 Phase substances, e.g. smokes, aerosols or sprayed or atomised substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/14 Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/15 Biocide distribution means, e.g. nozzles, pumps, manifolds, fans, baffles, sprayers
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/16 Mobile applications, e.g. portable devices, trailers, devices mounted on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/25 Rooms in buildings, passenger compartments
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/04 Determining presence or kind of microorganism; Use of selective media for testing antibiotics or bacteriocides; Compositions containing a chemical indicator therefor C12Q1/6897 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/06 Quantitative determination
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6869 Methods for sequencing
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6888 for detection or identification of organisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10475 arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for controlling hospital acquired infections by targeting critical control points for pathogen transfer. An infection control apparatus comprises an asset tagging unit; a spraying unit; a power supply unit; optionally a DNA/RNA sequencing unit; and a computing unit comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with program instructions for controlling the asset tagging unit and the spraying unit to perform a method of infection control in the facility. In general, the apparatus is used to identify which assets are critical control points for pathogen transfer and to treat those assets with a residual self-sanitizing coating.

Claims

1. An infection control apparatus comprising:

an asset tagging unit;

a spraying unit;

a power supply unit;

a DNA/RNA sequencing unit; and

a computing unit comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with program instructions for controlling the asset tagging unit, the spraying unit and the DNA/RNA sequencing unit, to perform a method of infection control in a facility.

2. The infection control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program instructions control the power supply unit.

3. The infection control apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cabinet physically enclosing at least a portion of the apparatus.

4. The infection control apparatus of claim 3, wherein the cabinet further comprises a set of wheels to mobilize the infection control apparatus as a cart.

5. The infection control apparatus of claim 3, further comprising external indicia positioned outside of the cabinet and controlled by the program instructions, the external indicia further comprising an LED screen or indicator lights.

6. The infection control apparatus of claim 3, wherein the cabinet further comprises at least one hinged door.

7. The infection control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computing unit comprises a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a tablet.

8. The infection control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the asset tagging unit further comprises an RFID reader and a plurality of RFID tags, each tag readable by the RFID reader and each tag associated with an asset located inside the facility, and wherein the program instructions further comprise RFID asset management software that provides instruction to the RFID reader.

9. The infection control apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of RFID readers stationed around the inside of the facility capable of obtaining and transmitting the location of each one of the plurality of RFID tags to the non-transitory computer-readable medium upon command from the RFID asset management software.

17. A method of infection control in a facility containing a plurality of assets capable of changing locations within the facility, the method comprising:

providing the infection control apparatus of claim 1;

creating a unique asset record for each asset;

associating each asset record with a unique asset identifier comprising either a printed barcode label or an RFID tag;

physically tagging each asset with its associated asset identifier by attaching the barcode label or the RFID tag to the asset;

swabbing a surface of each asset with a surface testing swab to obtain a measure of pathogen contamination on the surface of the asset;

obtaining the location of each asset;

inputting the location of each asset and the measure of pathogen contamination on the surface of the asset to the computing unit as a first set of data;

repeating the swabbing and obtaining steps for each asset after a period of time, and inputting the location of each asset and the measure of pathogen contamination on the surface of the asset to the computing unit as a second set of data;

analyzing the data sets to determine which assets meet predetermined criteria to be categorized as critical control points within the facility; and

spraying each asset categorized as a critical control point with a residual self-sanitizing coating composition delivered from the spraying unit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the data sets further comprise DNA/RNA sequencing of the pathogen contamination on the surface of the asset.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein obtaining the location of each asset comprises instructing a plurality of RFID readers stationed around the inside of the facility to obtain the location of each RFID tag and to transmit the asset locations to the non-transitory computer-readable medium.

10. An infection control apparatus comprising:

an asset tagging unit;

a spraying unit;

a power supply unit; and

a computing unit comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with program instructions for controlling the asset tagging unit and the spraying unit to perform a method of infection control in a facility,

wherein the asset tagging unit comprises a barcode printer, a barcode reader, and a plurality of barcode labels printed by the barcode printer, each label readable by the barcode reader and each label associated with an asset located inside the facility.

11. The infection control apparatus of claim 10, wherein the spraying unit further comprises a tank module and a spray module.

12. The infection control apparatus of claim 11, wherein the tank module further comprises at least two tanks, each tank further comprises at least one of a weight sensor, a liquid level float, and an optical sensor controlled by the program instructions.

13. The infection control apparatus of claim 12, wherein the spray module comprises (i) at least one spray gun;

(ii) an air compressor and at least two compressed air supply lines, each compressed air supply line connecting the air compressor and each of the at least two tanks in fluidic communication to pressurize each tank; and

(iii) at least two chemical supply lines, each chemical supply line connecting one of the at least two tanks and the at least one spray gun in fluidic communication.

14. The infection control apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of the compressed air supply lines and the chemical supply lines are managed on retractable hose reels.

15. The infection control apparatus of claim 12, wherein the spray module comprises a fluidic pump having an inlet and an outlet, a spray gun, a chemical supply line, and a switchable valve controlled by the program instructions, wherein the at least two tanks are in fluidic communication with the switchable valve, the switchable valve is in fluidic communication with the inlet of the fluidic pump, and the chemical supply line provides fluidic communication between the outlet of the fluidic pump and the spray gun.

16. The infection control apparatus of claim 15, wherein the chemical supply line is on a retractable hose reel.