Field of the Invention The present invention relates to hand washing apparatus, and to related method. Background to the Invention

Bacteria resistant to antibiotics are increasingly common, and the presence of such bacteria in hospitals can present a risk to certain patients. Rigorous adherence to hygiene best-practices, e.g. proper hand washing by hospital staff, can reduce the risk of transferring bacteria to patients. However, it is difficult to ensure that stipulated best practices are adhered to by staff, and there may not be an obvious direct link between incidence of patient infection and non- adherence to hygiene best practices.

It is an aim of preferred embodiments of the present invention to address the problems mentioned above, or other problems associated with known hand washing apparatus.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a hand washing apparatus comprising:

a clean water delivery means for supplying clean water to hands, a drying means for supplying air in order to hands to dry hands, and a waste air disposal means for preventing air from the drying means from escaping directly from the hand washing apparatus.

Suitably, the waste air disposal means is arranged to receive air from the drying means and pass the air to a waste air cleaning means. Suitably, the waste air disposal means allows air to escape from the hand washing apparatus after passing through the waste air cleaning means. Suitably, the waste air cleaning means comprises a filter, preferably a micro filter. Suitably, the drying means is arranged to blow hot air to blow and evaporate water from hands.

Suitably, the clean water delivery means comprises a plumbed-in water supply. Suitably the hand washing apparatus further comprises a waste water disposal means. Suitably, the waste water disposal means comprises a controlled outlet drain coupled to plumbing to carry waste fluid away from the hand washing apparatus. Suitably, the hand washing apparatus further comprises a non-contact cleaning means. Suitably the non-contact cleaning means comprises an ultrasonic emitter operable to provide a low-level ultra sonic agitation within the hand washing apparatus. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of operating a hand washing apparatus, the method comprising:

supplying clean water to hands;

supplying air in order to hands to dry hands, while preventing the supplied air from escaping the hand washing apparatus.

Brief Introduction to the Drawings

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front schematic view of a hand wash apparatus according to a first example embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 shows schematic overview of components of the hand washing apparatus of

Figure 1.

Description of Preferred Embodiments Figures 1 and 2 show a hand washing apparatus 10 intended to be used by hospital staff or visitor for hand washing. As shown in Figure 1 the hand washing apparatus 10 comprises a front panel 1 in which two hand apertures 2 are formed. A display unit 3 is provided in a position visible to users of the hand washing apparatus 10, and in this example embodiment the display unit is comprises a liquid crystal display. As shown in Figure 1 the display unit 3 is conveniently mounted on the front panel 1 above the hand apertures 2. Also shown in Figure 1 is a detection unit 4. The detection unit 4 is also conveniently mounted on the front panel 1 , and in this example embodiment the detection unit 4 comprises an rf-id badge detector.

To use the hand washing apparatus 10 a user inserts his/her hands through the hand apertures 2, and a number of hand washing process steps are performed. The hand washing process steps will now be described in more detail, with reference to Figure 2.

Figure 2 shows components of the hand washing apparatus 10 including a clean water delivery means 20 and a waste water disposal means 30. The clean water delivery means 20 comprises a plumbed-in water supply and the waste water disposal means 30 comprises a controlled outlet drain 32 coupled to plumbing to carry waste fluid away from the hand washing apparatus 10. Also shown in Figure 2 are a master control unit 40, a water temperature controller 42, a cleaning fluid reservoir 44, a mixing valve 46, spray units 47, a non-contact cleaning means 48, a drying means 50, a waste air disposal means 52 and a waste air cleaning means 54.

The operation of the hand washing apparatus 10 will now be described in more detail. The hand washing apparatus 10 is approached by a user, who carries an rf-id badge recognisable by the detection unit 4. Characteristic information of the rf-id badge identified by the detection unit 4 is logged in the master control unit 40. The response of the master control unit 40 is to trigger commencement of a washing operation, in which water is delivered from the clean water delivery means 20, heated or cooled to a washing temperature as appropriate in the temperature controller 42, mixed in the mixing valve 46 with liquid soap from the cleaning fluid reservoir 44 and delivered to the users hands positioned within the hand apertures 2 by the spray units 47. At this time the non-contact cleaning means 48, which in this embodiment comprises an ultrasonic emitter, is operated, and provides a low-level agitation to the water/soap mix. The user rubs his/her hands together, and after a predetermined time the master control unit 40 controls the mixing valve to supply only water to the spray units 47 for hand rinsing. After a predetermined rinsing period the controlled outlet drain 42 is operated to allow fluid to exit the hand washing apparatus down the waste water disposal means 30. The master control unit 40 closes the controlled outlet drain 42 and then controls the drying means 50 and the waste air disposal means 52 to operate. Hot air is blown from the drying means 50 to blow and evaporate water from the user's hands. The waste air disposal means 52 draws air from around the hands through the waste air cleaning means 54, which in this embodiment comprises a micro filter. The waste air disposal means 52 and waste air cleaning means 54 work together to remove bacterial content from the air and to prevent potentially contaminated air from otherwise escaping directly from the hand washing apparatus 1.

Once the user's hands are dry the drying means 50 and the waste air disposal means 52 cease operation and the hand washing operation is complete. The display unit 3 is suitably arranged to display messages throughout the hand washing operation, under the control of the master control unit 40. Messages displayed by the display unit 3 suitably confirm to the user exactly what the hand washing apparatus is doing, and what the user is required to do during each part of the hand washing operation. In another example embodiment the hand washing apparatus 1 further comprises a cleanliness detector (not shown) arranged to detect a disclosing agent contained in liquid soap from the cleaning fluid reservoir 44. The cleanliness detector will only allow the master control unit 40 to indicate on the display unit 3 that a successful hand washing operation has taken place if it detects below a threshold level of disclosing agent present on washed hands. Also not shown in the figures are other detectors operable to detect the presence of hands in the washing apparatus, operation of the outlet drain, valve and temperature controller etc, to ensure correct operation of the apparatus and hand washing compliance by users. To allow managers of the facility in which the hand washing apparatus 1 is installed to monitor the operation of the hand washing apparatus 10, the master control unit 40 comprises data recording apparatus to log the times of activation and the identity of users. The data recording apparatus can output information to a computer either wirelessly or through a wired connection over an interface 60.

The hand washing apparatus described are suitable for use in hospitals or other environments where hygiene is important, e.g. kitchens or industrial food preparation areas. The hand washing apparatus described offer hygiene advantages, in particular by not allowing drying air from the apparatus to escape, therefore reducing the spread of infection from the apparatus.

Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments . The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.