Foot/footwear sterilization system

• US 8,696,985 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hepco Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Hepco Medical LLC
• Inventors: Gil, Patricia Carol, Gil, Asher, Gil, Daniel, Knoth, Norman D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chorbaji, Monzer R
• Application Number:
  US13/970,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20130336839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 238 Days
• Field of Search: 422/1, 422/24, 422/32, 422/119, 422/186.3, 250/580, 250/455.11, 250/491.1, 250/504.R, 250/492.1, 66/88, 66/94
• US Class Current: 422/24
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0294 Electromagnetic, i.e. using electromagnetic radiation or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/00 Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor for contact lenses A61L12/00; atomisers for disinfecting agents A61M; sterilisation of packages or package contents in association with packaging B65B55/00; treatment of water, waste water, sewage or sludge C02F; disinfecting paper D21H21/36; disinfecting devices for water closets E03D; articles having provision for disinfection, see the relevant subclasses for these articles, e.g. H04R1/12
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• 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 2202/26 Textiles, e.g. towels, beds, cloths
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/18 Radiation A61L9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/20 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/00 Automatic systems in which deviations of an electric quantity from one or more predetermined values are detected at the output of the system and fed back to a device within the system to restore the detected quantity to its predetermined value or values, i.e. retroactive systems

Abstract

A foot/shoe sanitizing system includes a housing having at least one opening and at least one ultraviolet emitting device supported within the housing. The ultraviolet emitting devices direct ultraviolet light around and/or through the set of foot/shoe support bars towards the foot or shoe placed on the foot/shoe support bars. The ultraviolet emitting devices are controllably powered to emit ultraviolet light and/or ozone onto the foot/shoe. In a preferred embodiment, the ultraviolet emitting device emits light that includes short wavelength ultraviolet light, causing the formation of ozone in the area of the shoe, thereby killing pathogens that are not easily killed with ultraviolet light alone. The system detects the identity of a user and records/transmits usage of the system by the user for sanitizing enforcement and recording.

Claims

1. A foot/shoe sanitizing system comprising:

a housing having at least one opening;

at least one ultraviolet emitting device supported within the housing, the at least one ultraviolet emitting device directing ultraviolet light on a foot/shoe placed in the at least one opening;

a source of power interfaced to each of the at least one ultraviolet emitting device, the source of power operatively powering each of the at least one ultraviolet emitting device, thereby the at least one ultraviolet emitting device emits ultraviolet light; and

means for detecting an identification of a user of the foot/shoe sanitizing system.

2. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting comprises a bar code reader.

3. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting comprises an RFID reader.

4. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting comprises a magnetic card swipe.

5. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting comprises a pin entered on a keypad.

6. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one ultraviolet emitting device emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength below 240 nm, thereby causing O₂ molecules to split into two O₁ atoms and some of the O₁ atoms combining with other O₂ molecules to form ozone.

7. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless interface operatively interfaced to the means for detecting.

8. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 7, wherein a completion record is sent by the means for detecting through the wireless interface to a remote system.

9. A method of killing pathogens on a shoe, the method comprising:

providing a foot/shoe sanitizing system comprising;

a housing having at least one opening;

at least one ultraviolet emitting device supported within the housing, the at least one ultraviolet emitting device directing ultraviolet light on a foot/shoe placed in the at least one opening;

a source of power interfaced to each of the at least one ultraviolet emitting device, the source of power operatively powering each of the at least one ultraviolet emitting device, thereby the at least one ultraviolet emitting device emits ultraviolet light; and

means for detecting an identification of a user of the foot/shoe sanitizing system;

placing the shoe into one of the at least one opening;

obtaining an identification of the user from the means for detecting;

emitting ultraviolet light from the at least one ultraviolet emitting device, the ultraviolet light radiating at least one of the pathogens on the shoe;

the ultraviolet light killing at least one of the pathogens;

removing the shoe from the at least one opening; and

sending a completion record to a remote system through a network connection.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the network connection is a wireless network connection.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the completion record comprises the identification of the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote system stores the completion records in a log-file for later reporting.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote system is a time reporting system and the completion records for the user are required in order for the user to be recognized as at work.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one ultraviolet emitting device emit short wavelength ultraviolet light and the method further comprises exposing the shoes to ozone, wherein the ozone kills at least one of the pathogens on the shoe.

15. A foot/shoe sanitizing device comprising:

a housing having two openings, each of the openings sized to allow entry of a shoe;

a processor, the processor located within the housing;

at least one ultraviolet emitting device supported within the housing, the at least one ultraviolet emitting device directing ultraviolet light onto a shoe placed within the openings;

a source of power, power to each of the at least one ultraviolet emitting device controlled by the processor,

one or more shoe sensors, the shoe sensor(s) detect the presence of at least one shoe within one of the openings, the shoe sensor(s) are operatively coupled to the processor; and

an identification reading device interface to the processor.

16. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 15, wherein the identification reading device comprises a bar code reader.

17. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 15, wherein the identification reading device comprises an RFID reader.

18. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 15, wherein the identification reading device comprises a magnetic card swipe.

19. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 15, wherein the processor enables power to the at least one ultraviolet emitting device for a period of time after reading a user identification from the identification reading device and receiving a signal from an interlock sensor indicating that the interlock sensor detects the presence of the at least one shoe within one of the openings.

20. The foot/shoe sanitizing system of claim 19, wherein the processor records the user identification from the identification reading device and after the period of time, transmits a record including the user identification to a remote system.