Systems and methods for monitoring surface sanitation

• US 9,069,390 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Typesoft Technologies Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Typesoft Technologies Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Marsden, Randal J., Hole, Steve, Closson, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US13/355,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 200/5.A, 200/333
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/28 Devices for testing the effectiveness or completeness of sterilisation, e.g. indicators which change colour apparatus involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M1/34; methods involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards

Abstract

An intelligent touch-sensitive surface that is easy to clean, that self-monitors when it has become contaminated, and can discern when it has been cleaned. The surface incorporates a plurality of sensors that detect events that contribute to contamination and/or cleaning, including, but not limited to, detecting users'"'"' touches, movement of the surface, when liquid is present on the surface, when there has been a change of users, time passage since the last cleaning, and how well the surface was wiped. The surface then reports its cleaning status to software residing on a host computer, which in turn can transfer the information to a host server. In this way, the cleaning status of each surface can be monitored remotely and/or logged.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a touch surface having a plurality of sensors to generate one or more signals in response to contact with the touch surface; and

a processing device, in signal communication with the plurality of sensors, to interpret a first contact indicated, at least in part, by a first signal generated by a first one of the sensors as an activation of a user-selected key on a keyboard, and to interpret a second contact as a wiping motion indicated, at least in part, by a second signal generated by the first one of the sensors as a cleaning action with respect to the touch surface, wherein the processing device is configured to suspend operation of the keyboard during the cleaning action.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device determines whether the touch surface has reached a contaminated state based on one or more of the following events:

whether the one or more signals are identified by the processing device as human touches and the identified human touches exceed a predefined threshold;

whether the processing device determines that a user of the touch surface is different from a previous user of the touch surface;

whether the processing device determines the touch surface has moved more than a predefined amount based on one or more received motion signals;

whether the processing device determines that time since a previous cleaning event exceeds a predefined time threshold;

whether the processing device determines a proximity event has occurred based on a received proximity detection signal;

or whether the processing device determines that baseline readings of the one or more signals exceeds a predefined threshold.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device determines a contamination level of the touch surface based at least in part on the one or more signals generated by the plurality of sensors, the system further comprising an illumination component to illuminate the touch surface in at least one of a time-varying color or a time-varying intensity according to the contamination level of the touch surface.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a display device, integrated with the touch surface and in signal communication with the processing device, wherein the processing device is further configured to issue an alert when the touch surface has been determined to reach a contaminated state, wherein the alert comprises at least one of a visual alert outputted by the display device, an audible alert outputted by the speaker or a tactile alert outputted by the tactile feedback device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further to suspend functional operation of the touch surface when the touch surface has been determined to reach a contaminated state.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display device disposed visibly beneath the touch surface and coupled to the processing device, wherein the processing device is further to render a keyboard image on the display device and to determine a time-varying contamination level based on the one or more signals generated by the plurality of sensors and to visibly alter the keyboard image over time in accordance with the time-varying contamination level.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device to interpret the first contact as an activation of a user-selected key and to interpret the second contact as a cleaning action with respect to the touch surface comprises a programmed processor to determine, based at least in part on the first signal, that a keystroke has occurred with respect to the user-selected key, and to determine, based at least in part on the second signal, that a wiping motion has occurred with respect to the touch surface.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing device suspends functional operation of the touch surface when the wiping motion has been determined to occur.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further to determine that a liquid is present on the touch surface following generation of the second signal, and wherein interpreting the second contact as a cleaning action with respect to the touch sensor comprises determining, based at least in part on the second signal, that a wiping motion has occurred with respect to the touch surface in conjunction with determining that the liquid is present on the touch surface following generation of the second signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing device comprises a programmed processor to determine that the liquid is present on the touch surface based, at least in part, on non-uniformity of the signals generated by the plurality of sensors.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the programmed processor is further to determine what tape of liquid is present on the touch surface based on the signals generated by the plurality of sensors and rate of evaporation information for a plurality of liquids.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise capacitive sensors.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to determine a completeness of a cleaning of the touch surface by one or more of:

determining whether a number of determined wiping motions exceeds a predefined number of determined wiping motions;

determining an area of the touch surface covered by the determined wiping motions;

determining whether a liquid was used based on the one or more signals;

or determining what type of liquid was used based on the one or more signals and evaporation information.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising an illumination component configured to illuminate the touch surface at one of various colors or intensities based on the determined completeness of touch surface cleaning.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a display device disposed beneath the touch surface and coupled to the processing device, wherein the processing device is configured to render a keyboard image on the display device and to visibly alter the keyboard image over time according to the completeness of touch surface cleaning.

16. A method of operation within a computing device having a touch-sensitive surface populated by an array of sensors, the method comprising:

generating first and second touch-indicative signals within a first sensor of the array in response to respective first and second user contacts with the touch-sensitive surface;

interpreting the first user contact as a user input with respect to an image rendered on a display of the computing device and revising the image rendered on the display in response;

interpreting the second user contact as a cleaning action with respect to the touch-sensitive surface based, at least in part, on the second touch-indicative signal and revising a value indicative of a contamination level of the touch-sensitive surface in response; and

suspending operation of the keyboard during the cleaning action.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein interpreting the first user contact as a user input with respect to an image rendered on the display of the computing device and revising the image in response comprises interpreting the first user contact as a keystroke with respect to a key of a keyboard depicted in the rendered image and displaying a corresponding alphanumeric character within the rendered image.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein interpreting the second user contact as a cleaning action with respect to the touch-sensitive surface comprises detecting, based at least in part on the second touch-indicative signal, a wiping of the touch-sensitive surface.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein revising the value indicative of the contamination level comprises revising the value to indicate a reduced contamination level, the method further comprising altering a visible aspect of a keyboard depicted in the display to reflect the reduced contamination level.

20. A computing device comprising:

a touch-sensitive surface populated by an array of sensors;

a display;

means for generating first and second touch-indicative signals within a first sensor of the array in response to respective first and second user contacts with the touch-sensitive surface;

means for interpreting the first user contact as a user input with respect to an image rendered on a display of the computing device and revising the image rendered on the display in response, and further for interpreting the second user contact as a wiping motion indicative of a cleaning action with respect to the touch-sensitive surface based, at least in part, on the second touch-indicative signal; and

a means for suspending operation of the touch-sensitive surface during the cleaning action.