Cold water ozone disinfection

• US 6,006,387 A
• Filed: 11/30/1995
• Issued: 12/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cyclo3pss Corp.
• Original Assignee: Cyclo3pss Textile Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Toney, Allyson T., McParlane, John B., Cooper, Theodore R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Application Number:
  US08/565,714
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 8/158, 68/13 R, 68/18 R, 68/183, 68/207, 422/186.12
• US Class Current: 8/158
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/202 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/40 Specific cleaning or washing processes
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/48 Medical, disinfecting agents, disinfecting, antibacterial, germicidal or antimicrobial compositions
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 35/001 using ozone
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 35/002 using bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 11/34 with oxygen, ozone or ozonides

Abstract

The invention includes a method of reducing the microbial population on a textile in a washing machine. The washing machine has an outer shell for containing fluids and an internal assembly for containing textiles. The method includes introducing a wash liquor into the internal assembly, thus contacting the textile with the wash liquor and wetting the textile. The wash liquor is then removed from the internal assembly and the outer shell at a first point. At a second point, a combination of ozone gas, oxygen and/or oxygen enriched air is mixed into the wash liquor being removed from the outer shell to form an ozonated wash liquor. This ozonated wash liquor is re-introduced into the outer shell and internal assembly thus contacting the textile with the ozonated wash liquor for a period of time.

Claims

1. A method of reducing the microbial content on a dyed textile to inactivate or limit the growth potential believed to be thereon without significantly altering or removing the dye, said method comprising:

contacting the dyed textile with a wash liquor at a temperature of about 50°

F. to about 140°

F., said wash liquor comprising an admixture of aqueous solution and surfactant, thus wetting the textile;

combining a gaseous mixture of ozone gas, air and/or oxygen and/or oxygen enriched air with the wash liquor to form an ozonated wash liquor containing from about 0.01 ppm to about 50 ppm ozone;

and re-contacting said ozonated wash liquor with the dyed textile for a period of time of about 3 minutes to about 60 minutes thus inactivating any microbes present on said dyed textile without decreasing the dyed textile'"'"'s color intensity significantly.

2. A method of sterilizing a dyed textile to kill an infectious agent believed to be thereon without significantly bleaching the dye, said method comprising:

contacting the dyed textile with a wash liquor at a temperature of about 50°

F. to about 140°

F., said wash liquor comprising an admixture of aqueous solution and surfactant, thus wetting the dyed textile;

removing wash liquor from the dyed textile;

combining a gaseous mixture of oxygen and ozone gas with the removed wash liquor to form an ozonated wash liquor containing from about 0.01 ppm to about 50 ppm ozone; and

re-contacting said ozonated wash liquor with the dyed textile for a period of time of about three to about sixty minutes thus killing any of said infectious agent on the dyed textile.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said infectious agent is selected from the group consisting of Salmonella choleraesuis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Clostridium sporogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus stearothermophilus, and mixtures thereof.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein the wash liquor'"'"'s temperature is maintained between about 60°

to 110°

F.

5. The method according to claim 2 wherein the ozonated wash liquor contains from about 5 ppm to about 30 ppm ozone.

6. The method according to claim 2 wherein said ozonated wash liquor is re-contacted with the dyed textile for a period of time of about five to about thirty minutes.