Mercury release alerting

• US 7,806,072 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Moskowitz, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US12/325,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20100132607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 116/214, 362/96, 362/101, 422/119, 340/605
• US Class Current: 116/214
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/042 by using materials which expand, contract, disintegrate, or decompose in contact with a fluid G01M3/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/40 using smoke, fire or coloured gases

Abstract

Methods provide an alert to the release of mercury. A sealed container containing an odor-producing agent is provided proximate to a sealed breakable enclosure containing mercury, the container and/or the breakable enclosure physically separating the agent from the mercury. In response to a breaking of the breakable enclosure, the agent produces an odor as a function of the breaking, the odor providing an alert to a release of the mercury. Service methods are also provided, for example wherein a service provider provides the sealed breakable enclosure containing mercury and deploys the odor-producing agent. Articles of manufacture, systems, articles and programmable devices are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for providing an alert to the release of mercury, comprising:

providing a sealed breakable enclosure containing mercury; and

deploying an odor-producing agent within a sealed container, the container proximate to the enclosure, at least one of the breakable enclosure and the container physically separating the agent from the mercury;

wherein in response to a breaking of the breakable enclosure the agent produces an odor as a function of the breaking, said odor provides an alert to a release of the mercury.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising suppressing the release of mercury by:

deploying a mercury-suppressing and odor-producing agent within the sealed container;

wherein the agent automatically mixes with the mercury as a function of the breaking; and

the agent fixes the mercury into a solid form as a function of the mixing.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the breakable enclosure containing mercury is selected from the group consisting of a breakable light bulb configured to emit light in response to an electrical energy input, a thermometer, a pressure gauge, a light switch, a barometer, and a thermostat.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising a service provider providing the sealed breakable enclosure containing mercury and deploying the agent within the sealed container.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the agent further comprises an organic sulfur compound, the organic sulfur compound producing the odor.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the agent further comprises a powder selected from the group consisting of sulfur, copper, and zinc.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the agent further comprises an odor-producing organic compound selected from the group consisting of a monomeric dithiocarbamate, a polymeric dithiocarbamate, a sulfurized olefin, a mercaptan, a thiophene, a thiophenol, a mono organic acid, a dithio organic acid, a monoester and a dithioester.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the agent further comprises an inorganic compound selected from the group consisting of a sulfide, an alkali metal thiosulfate, an alkaline earth metal thiosulfate, an iron thiosulfate, an alkali metal dithionite and an alkaline earth metal dithionite.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising the agent changing color as function of mixing with the mercury.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising forming the container as a product packaging configured to contain the breakable light bulb for disposal.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising forming the container as an outer bulb about and encompassing the breakable light bulb, the agent deployed within a space between an outer surface of said breakable enclosure and an inner surface of the outer bulb container.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

forming the breakable light bulb with an inner bulb material;

forming the outer bulb container with an outer bulb material stronger than the inner bulb material such that a force strong enough to break the outer bulb container will also break the breakable light bulb.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

forming the breakable light bulb with a glass structure; and

deploying the agent in a thin container layer on an outside surface of the glass structure.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the thin container layer is a plastic layer or a paint layer.

15. The method of claim 5 wherein the deploying comprises deploying the container within the sealed breakable enclosure, further comprising:

providing an integrity detection system in communication with the breakable enclosure and the agent container, the integrity detection system configured to detect the breaking of the breakable enclosure; and

automatically releasing the agent from the container for the automatic odor producing and mixing with the mercury as a function of the integrity system detecting the breakable enclosure breaking.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

deploying a thin conductive transparent mesh applied on a surface of the bulb enclosure and in communication with the integrity detection system comprises;

the transparent mesh providing a signal to the integrity detection system in response to the breaking of the breakable enclosure; and

the agent container automatically releasing the agent from the container as a function of an instruction from the integrity detection system response to the signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the deploying the container comprises deploying a tubular transparent mesh container on a surface of the bulb enclosure and in communication with the integrity detection system, further comprising automatically releasing the agent from the tubular transparent mesh container for the automatic odor producing and the mixing with the mercury as a function of the integrity system detecting the breakable enclosure breaking.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising a service provider providing the integrity detection system in communication with the breakable enclosure and the agent container, the service provider provided integrity detection system configured to automatically release the agent from the container for the automatic odor producing and the mixing with the mercury as a function of the breakable enclosure breaking signal.

19. A method for providing an alert to the release of mercury, comprising:

producing computer executable program code;

storing the code on a computer readable medium; and

providing the program code to be deployed and executed on a programmable device, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the programmable device, cause the programmable device to;

determine a breaking of a sealed breakable enclosure containing mercury; and

release an odor-producing agent from a sealed container proximate to the enclosure in response to the determined breaking of the breakable enclosure;

wherein at least one of the breakable enclosure and the container physically separate the agent from the mercury; and

wherein the agent produces an odor as a function of the breaking, said odor providing an alert to a release of the mercury.

20. A device configured to provide an alert to the release of mercury, comprising:

a sealed breakable enclosure containing mercury; and

a sealed container containing an odor-producing agent, the container deployed proximate to the enclosure wherein at least one of the breakable enclosure and the container physically separates the agent from the mercury;

wherein in response to a breaking of the breakable enclosure the agent produces an odor as a function of the breaking, said odor providing an alert to a release of the mercury.