FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system operable to diminish pathogens in a public space, and a method of providing a reduction of pathogens in a public space.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

A microorganism (also known as a microscopic organism) is an organism which is generally too small to be seen by the naked eye. However, these organisms may be easily identified using a magnifying instrument such as a microscope. These organisms occur naturally almost everywhere on earth - in air, water, soil and rock, plants, animals and even in the human body. Some microbes are biologically capable of living in very hot temperatures, while others can live in freezing cold temperatures. Some need oxygen to grow and stay alive, while others survive without any oxygen. Some microbes play an important role in keeping the human body healthy, while others play a role in breaking down a human’s immune system and may cause disease or infection. Disease-causing microbes are also called pathogenic microorganisms. These pathogenic microorganisms can cause chronic disease or infection and illness in the human body.

The human body is widely regarded as being vulnerable to infection by many different forms of pathogens. Pathogens must first initiate contact with the human body and then establish a focus of infection, in order to cause infectious disease. To establish an infection, the pathogens need to colonize the skin or the internal mucosal surfaces of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, or urogenital tracts and then overcome or bypass the innate immune defences associated with the epithelia and underlying tissues. In this regard, when a human has touched a surface which is infected with pathogens, this will generally be enough for the pathogens to establish a focus of infection in the human body.

Microorganisms and pathogens may be found almost everywhere and without proper care may cause illness and disease, especially within people with compromised immunity. Proper care in this context includes eradicating microorganisms in your surroundings as far as possible. It may also include reducing the number of microorganisms to acceptable levels to prevent illness and disease, where complete eradication is not possible. For example, during food preparation, microorganisms can be reduced through specific food preparation methods, cleaning the utensils used for food preparation, and/or by cold storage methods. It will further be appreciated that in some contexts such as hospitals dealing with immune-compromised individuals, complete sterility may be required.

Microorganisms can be spread to human beings in a variety of ways. Common ways in which microorganisms infect humans are by travelling through the air, passing directly from person to person, being present on a surface which has been contaminated by someone who is infected and spread directly from someone who may be a carrier of the microbe. When people sneeze or cough microbes spread everywhere and onto every surface around them. Other people will be infected by breathing the air containing these microbes or by touching the surfaces they have spread to. For example, this is the most common way for humans to be infected with cold and flu viruses or with the bacterium that cause tuberculosis. Touching objects or surfaces that have been contaminated with pathogens or contain microorganisms is one way of being indirectly exposed to disease-causing microbes. An example of this will be if a person who is sick, due to the presence of a certain bacterium that causes diarrhoea for example, uses the bathroom but does not wash their hands thereafter. Their hands will be contaminated with the bacteria and when they touch another surface it will become contaminated as well, unless these surfaces are cleaned or have gone through some process to reduce the microbial contamination. When a second person then comes along and touches the contaminated surface, the bacteria will transfer from the contaminated surface to the second person and contaminate them as well. If newly contaminated areas are not washed or sterilized, they could potentially enter a new host body and cause illness or disease. Transmission may also occur in a more direct way where, for example, a sick person shakes hands with a second person and passes pathogens on in that way.

People who are affected the most by pathogens are the ones with weaker immune systems, such as children, hospital patients, older people or people who are already ill and diseased. Although there are several existing methods in place to reduce microbial activity and reduce the transmission of pathogens, it will be appreciated that existing methods are not generally suited to public spaces in which many different people may be present. These existing methods may further be complicated to implement and may not reduce the pathogen activity instantaneously, as and when required.

It will be appreciated by those in the industry, that the electromagnetic spectrum consists of the full range of known electromagnetic waves, including gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves. All these wave forms are produced by various forms of oscillating charges or currents. It is widely known that electromagnetic waves are transverse waves which travel at the speed of light and involve electric and magnetic fields which oscillate at right angles to each other. Furthermore, it is generally known that ultraviolet (UV) light is a form of light that has a higher frequency (lower wavelength) than visible light. UV light has frequencies ranging from 800 THz to 30 PHz and wavelengths from 10 nm to 380 nm. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a known disinfection method that uses short- wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions. UVGI is generally used in a variety of applications, such as food, air, and water purification. UV-C light is weak at the Earth's surface as the ozone layer of the atmosphere blocks it. UVGI devices can produce strong enough UV-C light in circulating air or water systems to make them inhospitable environments to microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, molds and other pathogens. UVGI are known to be coupled with a filtration system to sanitize air and/or water. The application of UVGI to disinfection has been an accepted practice since the mid-20th century. It has been used primarily in medical sanitation and the sterilization of work facilities. Increasingly, it has also been employed to sterilize drinking and wastewater, as the holding facilities are enclosed and can be circulated to ensure a higher exposure to the UV. In recent years UVGI has found renewed application in air purifiers. The effectiveness of germicidal UV depends on the length of time a microorganism is exposed to UV, the intensity and wavelength of the UV radiation, the presence of particles that can protect the microorganisms from UV, and a microorganism’s ability to withstand UV during its exposure.

In many systems, redundancy in exposing microorganisms to UV is achieved by circulating the air or water repeatedly. This ensures multiple passes so that the UV is effective against the highest number of microorganisms and will irradiate resistant microorganisms more than once to break them down.

The above notwithstanding, the world still faces a problem in not being able to reduce pathogens in industry, hospitals and domestic environments easily. The use of UV light, although very useful in killing pathogenic activity, remains inaccessible to many people and is not easy to use daily and/or on the required surface(s) as/when needed.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a system operable to diminish pathogens in a public space, and a method of providing a reduction of pathogens in a public space which provides the advantages and addresses all the issues and deficiencies described above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided system operable to diminish the number of pathogens in a public space, the system including one or more of the following: a disinfection and/ or sterilisation means;

a means of applying said disinfection and/ or sterilisation means to a variety of surfaces in a public space; and wherein said system is operable to reduce the number of pathogens on said one or more variety of surfaces, in use.

In an embodiment of the invention, said public space includes but is not limited to domestic, industrial and public spaces.

In an embodiment of the invention, said disinfection and/ or sterilisation means may include but is not limited to the use of any agent, chemical, alcohol and/or lightwave emissions that destroy forms of harmful microorganisms, pathogens and viruses. In an example embodiment said disinfection and/or sterilisation means is provided in the form of an ultraviolet wavelength emission means.

In an embodiment of the invention, said system is provided in the example form of a stationary device. In this embodiment, said stationary device is operable to be affixed to an existing mechanism, including but not limited to one or more of the following examples: a guardrail on a stairwell, a handrail on an escalator, the buttons on a lift, a door on a public restroom, door handles, a conveyor belts, public transport interiors, any public airport surfaces/areas and/or other public areas where a surface is touched by humans In this embodiment, said stationary device is operable to destroy forms of harmful microorganisms, pathogens and viruses by emitting any agent, chemical, alcohol and/or lightwave emissions. In an embodiment of the invention, an example form of the use of said stationary device to reduce pathogens on one or more surfaces located in close proximity thereto is by directing one or more different ultraviolet wavelengths in the range of 185 to 255 nanometres to said one or more surfaces. In this embodiment, said stationary device may be located in close proximity to one or more of the following: an escalator or conveyor belt or industrial machinery and/or surface or hospital appliance and/or surface or airport surfaces including but not limited to any public railings and handles. In this embodiment, said stationary device contains one or more safety features operable to stop said one or more wavelengths from being harmful to human beings.

In an embodiment of the invention, said device is provided in the example form of a mobile handheld device scanner.

In an embodiment of the invention, said handheld device scanner is operable to reduce microorganisms on one or more surfaces by directing one or more different frequencies of wavelengths in the form of ultraviolet light in the range of 185 to 255 nanometres onto said surface. In this embodiment, said ultraviolet light is provided in the example form of light-emitting-diodes (LED’s). In this embodiment, said handheld device scanner is operable to be used to reduce pathogens wherever needed and over any desired object or surface. In this embodiment, said handheld device scanner is operable to scan the desired surface for a desired period of time needed to kill pathogens by way of a string of light-emitting-diodes and/or tubular light-emitting-diodes placed in the desired area, in use.

In an embodiment of the invention, said handheld device scanner contains one or more safety features operable to stop said wavelengths from being harmful to human beings. In this embodiment, said safety features includes but is not limited to positioning the handheld device scanner in a way that it covers the surface area required but not human skin, in use. In this embodiment, said positioning of the handheld device scanner is in the example form of the control room area of an escalator, away from human contact, in use.

In an embodiment, said means of emitting different frequencies of wavelengths in the range of 185 to 255 nanometres is operable to reduce microbial activity and growth including but not limited to killing viruses such as the coronavirus and the like. In this embodiment of the invention, said means of emitting different frequencies of wavelengths in the range of 185 to 255 nanometres reduces microbial activity and growth when being directed to one or more surfaces and/or appliances.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing a reduction of pathogens in a public space, the method including one or more of the following steps: pointing a device toward a desired surface area; emitting wavelengths in the form of light-emitting-diodes over the desired surface area; and reducing the number of pathogens and/or microbial activity and growth on the surface area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wavelength emitting device, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a method of providing a reduction of microorganisms, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The following description of the invention is provided as an enabling teaching of the invention. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that many changes can be made to the embodiment described, while still attaining the beneficial results of the present invention. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present invention can be attained by selecting some of the features of the present invention without utilizing other features. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications and adaptations to the present invention are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances and are a part of the present invention. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present invention and not a limitation thereof.

In Figure 1 , the system to reduce microorganisms is generally described with reference to numeral 100.

The system 100 includes a device, in the example form of a mobile handheld device, 102, which when activated and pointed over one or more different surfaces on an object, 106, will emit wavelengths, 104, at a specific frequency in the range of 185 to 255 nanometres After exposed to wavelengths, 104, at a specific frequency in the range of 185 to 255 nanometres , the surface on the object, 106, will then have reduced microbial activity and a reduction in pathogenic activity.

In Figure 2, a method of providing reduction of microorganisms, in accordance with embodiments of the invention, is generally described with reference to numeral 200.

At block 202, the method 200 includes the step of pointing the device at the desired surface area where a reduced microbial activity is sought.

At block 204, the device directs multiple ultraviolet wavelengths at a number of predetermined frequencies in the range of 185 to 255 nanometres towards said desired surface area. At block 206, the exposed surface area has a reduced number of microorganisms and pathogenic activity.