Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an apparatus for sanitizing a surface that in use typically experiences a high volume of contact with different persons. The surface can, for example, be a countertop at a retail outlet where there is contact between a service provider and a customer, a surface inside a vehicle used for public transport, a vending machine, a parking ticket payment point, an automatic bank teller, and the like.

Background to the Invention

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated measures to be put in place in public spaces to protect people against infection.

The use of sneeze or splatter screens to create a physical barrier between service providers and customers and regular sanitizing of surfaces exposed to a high volume of contact with different persons has become part of our daily lives.

In some instances, it is not possible to effectively use sneeze screens or to sanitize surfaces regularly either due to the high volume of exposure of a surface or because it does not lend itself to regular sanitizing with a liquid sanitizer or use of a sneeze screen.

In addition, manual sanitizing of surfaces with a sanitizing liquid is both time consuming and expensive and may damage the surface being sanitized.

The inventor therefore believes, that a need exists for providing an apparatus for effectively and regularly sanitizing a surface in need thereof without having to do so manually.

In the specification that follows, the term “adequately sanitized” is to be understood as meaning that 99.99 % of viruses and bacteria present have been destroyed. Summary of the Invention

According to the invention, there is provided a sanitizing apparatus including:

- a housing configured to in use be mounted to a support surface so that the housing is arranged in a spaced-apart relationship relative to a target surface to be sanitized;

- one or more sanitizing light sources arranged in the housing which emit a sanitizing light so as to expose an area of the target surface to a sanitizing light;

- one or more visible light sources arranged in the housing which emit a visible light, wherein the visible light sources are arranged so that the area of the target surface illuminated by them substantially matches the area of the target surface exposed to the sanitizing light;

- a measuring device for measuring a distance between the sanitizing light sources and the target surface; and

- a microprocessor arranged in electrical communication with the measuring device and the sanitizing light sources; wherein, based on the distance between the sanitizing light sources and the target surface and an intensity of the sanitizing light sources, the microprocessor calculates a minimum exposure time to the sanitizing light sources after which the target surface has been adequately sanitized.

The microprocessor may de-activate the sanitizing light sources after at least the minimum exposure time has been reached.

The apparatus may include one or more motion and/ or heat sensors that may be calibrated to sense when an object (typically a hand of a service provider or customer) enters the area of the target surface that is exposed to the sanitizing light.

The motion and/ or heat sensors may be arranged in electrical communication with the sanitizing light sources, the visible light sources, and the microprocessor. The microprocessor may transmit a signal to the sanitizing light sources to de-activate them when an object is sensed in the area of the target surface that is in use exposed to the sanitizing light. In this manner, potential exposure of the object to UVC light is inhibited.

The motion and/ or heat sensor may be selected from the group including: an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

Once the object is removed from the area of the target surface that is in use exposed to the sanitizing light and is longer sensed, the microprocessor may transmit a signal to the sanitizing light sources to activate them.

The sanitizing light sources may remain active for at least the minimum exposure time and may thereafter be de-activated following receipt of a signal from the microprocessor.

Calibration of the motion and/or heat sensors may take place when the apparatus is first used and may be repeated automatically at pre-determined time intervals, for example, every two minutes.

The housing may be provided with one or more magnets on an exterior surface thereof to permit mounting of the housing to a ferromagnetic support surface.

Alternatively, a ferromagnetic bracket may be mounted to the support surface and the housing may be attached to the bracket via its magnets.

In yet a further embodiment, the support surface may be sufficiently thin so that a housing may be located on either side thereof with magnets of the respective housings facing each other, thereby mounting both housings to the support surface on opposite sides thereof. This makes the housing readily displaceable along the height of the support surface.

The housing may be configured to act as a parabolic reflector to project the sanitizing light towards the target surface and to ensure that the light intensity is substantially the same across the entire area of the target surface exposed to the sanitizing light.

Side walls, end walls, and a top wall of the housing may be opaque. The housing may be elongate in shape. The support surface may be any surface located in proximity to a surface requiring sanitization. For example, the support surface may be a sneeze screen and the target surface may be a counter top.

The housing may be manufactured from any suitable opaque material such as, for example, a synthetic plastics material or aluminium. The housing may have a bottom wall manufactured from a transparent material or it may have an open-ended bottom.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the housing is manufactured from aluminium.

The opaque walls of the housing may inhibit scattering of the sanitizing light whilst their configuration as a parabolic reflector may project the sanitizing light towards the target surface.

The sanitizing light sources may in use emit UVC light having a wavelength of between 200 and 280 nm, preferably 254 nm. The UVC light sources may be one or more arrays of LED UVC lights.

Alternatively, the sanitizing light sources may in use emit Far-UVC light having a wavelength of between 207-222 nm, preferably 222 nm. The Far-UVC light sources may be filtered excilamps.

As UVC light can penetrate the human skin and may cause cancer as well as cateracts, Far-UVC light is preferably used as it does no penetrate the human skin and is effective at a low intensity of 2 mJ/cm ² .

The visible light sources may emit light forming part of the visible light spectrum and may be in the form of one or more conventional LED lights or light strips arranged in communication with the microprocessor. Two different colors of LED lights may be provided, typically red and green.

When the sanitizing light sources are active, LED lights having a first color, typically red, may be activated by the microprocessor. Once at least the minimum exposure time for adequate sanitization as calculated by the microprocessor has passed and the sanitizing light sources have been de-activated, the red LED lights may be de-activated and LED lights having a second color, typically green, may be activated following receipt of a signal from the microprocessor, thereby providing a visual indication that the sanitization process has been completed.

An LCD screen reading “SANITIZATION IN PROGRESS” when the sanitizing lights are active and “SANITIZATION COMPLETE” immediately following de-activation of the sanitizing lights may be provided and arranged in communication with the microprocessor.

The green LED lights may remain active for a predetermined time such as, for example, 30 seconds after which they may be de-activated following receipt of a signal from the microprocessor.

In the event that the color of the LED lights does not change from the first color (red) to the second color (green) at all, this serves as an indication that the sanitizing light sources are located too far away from the target surface to effect adequate sanitization of the target surface. In such a case, the housing may be moved closer to the target surface until adequate sanitization of the target surface can take place.

The visible light sources may serve as a visual indicator of the area of the target surface that has been exposed to the sanitizing light as the area of the target surface illuminated by the visible light sources substantially matches the area of the target surface exposed to the sanitizing light. A consumer can therefore see which area of the target surface has been sanitized.

Matching of the area of the target surface exposed to the sanitizing light with the area of the target surface exposed to visible light may take place when the apparatus is first used and may be repeated at pre-determined time intervals, for example, every two minutes.

The measuring device may be an ultrasonic sensor. The ultrasonic sensor may measure the distance between the sanitizing light sources and the target surface at preselected time intervals, e.g. every 120 seconds. The apparatus may include a first electrical connector for in use connecting the apparatus to a source of electrical power and a second electrical connector for connecting it to a second (or more) apparatus, thereby providing the second apparatus with electrical power as well.

Alternatively, the apparatus may be provided with re-chargeable batteries as a source of electrical power.

The apparatus may further include a wireless charger arrangement mounted in the housing. When two apparatus are mounted to a sneeze screen, a wireless transmitter may be located on a first side of the sneeze screen and a wireless receiver may be located on a second side of the sneeze screen for supplying power to all elements located on that side of the screen. In this manner, only one apparatus needs to be connected to a source of electrical power on the first side of the sneeze screen.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will now be described by way of the following, non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of a sanitizing apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the sanitizing apparatus of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a side view of the sanitizing apparatus of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the sanitizing apparatus of Figure 1 .

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates an embodiment of a sanitizing apparatus in accordance with the present invention.

The sanitizing apparatus 10 includes an elongate housing 12 configured to in use be mounted to a support surface so that the housing is arranged in a spaced-apart relationship relative to a target surface to be sanitized. One or more sanitizing light sources 14 are arranged in the housing 12. In use, the sanitizing light sources 14 emit a sanitizing light so as to expose the target surface to a sanitizing light.

One or more visible light sources 16 are arranged in the housing 12 as can best be seen in Figure 4. In use, the use visible light sources 16 emit a visible light. The visible light sources 16 are arranged so that the area of the target surface illuminated by them in use substantially matches the area of the target surface exposed to the sanitizing light.

Measuring devices 18 for measuring a distance between the sanitizing light sources 14 and the target surface are also arranged in the housing 12.

A microprocessor 20 is arranged in communication with the measuring devices 18 and the sanitizing light sources 14.

In use, based on the distance between the sanitizing light sources 14 and the target surface and an intensity of the sanitizing light sources 14, the microprocessor 20 calculates a minimum exposure time after which the target surface has been adequately sanitized.

The housing 12 is provided with one or more magnets (not shown) arranged in a recess 22 defined in a rear wall 24 of the housing 12 to permit mounting of the housing 12 to a ferromagnetic support surface.

Alternatively, a ferromagnetic bracket is mounted to the support surface and the housing 12 is attached to the bracket via its magnets.

In yet a further embodiment, the support surface could be a sneeze screen which is sufficiently thin so that a housing 12 can be located on either side thereof with rear walls 24 and magnets of the respective housings 12 facing each other, thereby mounting both housings 12 to the sneeze screen.

The housing 12 is configured to act as a parabolic reflector to project the sanitizing light towards the target surface and to ensure that the light intensity is substantially the same across the entire area of the target surface exposed to the sanitizing light. Accordingly, rear wall 24, front wall 26, side walls 28, and a top wall 30 of the housing 12 are opaque and inner walls 32 form a taper.

The support surface can be any surface located in proximity to a surface requiring sanitization. For example, the support surface can be a sneeze screen and the target surface can be a counter top.

The housing 12 is manufactured from any suitable opaque material such as, for example, a synthetic plastics material or aluminium. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the housing is manufactured from aluminium.

The opaque walls 24, 26, 28 and 30 of the housing 12 inhibit scattering of the sanitizing light whilst their configuration as a parabolic reflector projects the sanitizing light towards the target surface.

The sanitizing light sources 14 in use emit UVC light having a wavelength of between 200 and 280 nm, preferably 254 nm. The UVC light sources are typically arrays of LED UVC lights.

The visible light sources 16 emit light forming part of the visible light spectrum and are in the form of one or more conventional LED lights arranged in communication with the microprocessor 20 and which are provided in two different colors.

When the sanitizing light sources 14 are active, the color of the LED lights 16 are initially a first color, typically red. Once at least the minimum exposure time for adequate sanitization as calculated by the microprocessor 20 has passed and the sanitizing light sources 14 are no longer active, the color of the LED lights 16 change to a second color, typically green, under influence of the microprocessor 20, thereby providing a visual indication that the sanitization process has been completed. The green LED lights 16 remain active for a pre-determined amount of time, typically 30 seconds after which the are de-activated by the microprocessor.

In addition, the visible light sources 16 serve as a visual indicator of the area of the target surface that has been exposed to the sanitizing light as the area of the target surface illuminated by the visible light sources 16 substantially matches the area of the target surface exposed to the sanitizing light. A consumer can therefore see which area of the target surface has been sanitized.

Matching of the area of the target surface exposed to the sanitizing light with the area of the target surface exposed to visible light takes place when the apparatus 10 is first used and is repeated at pre-determined time intervals, for example, every two minutes.

In the event that the color of the LED lights 16 does not change to the second color at all, this serves as an indication that the sanitizing light sources 14 are located too far away from the target surface to effect adequate sanitization of the target surface. In such a case, the housing 12 should be moved closer to the target surface until adequate sanitization of the target surface can take place.

The measuring devices 18 are ultrasonic sensors. The ultrasonic sensors measure the distance between the sanitizing light sources 14 and the target surface at pre-selected time intervals, e.g. every 120 seconds.

The apparatus 10 includes a motion and/ or heat sensor 34 (not shown) that is calibrated to sense when an object (typically a hand of a service provider or customer) enters a predetermined zone around the area of the target surface that is in use exposed to the sanitizing light.

Calibration of the motion and/or heat sensors takes place when the apparatus 10 is first used and is repeated at pre-determined time intervals, for example, every two minutes.

The motion and/ or heat sensor 34 is arranged in electrical communication with the sanitizing light sources 14, the visible light sources 16, and the microprocessor 20. The microprocessor 20 transmits a signal to the sanitizing light sources 14 to de-activate them when an object is sensed in the predetermined zone around the area of the target surface that is in use exposed to the sanitizing light.

In this manner, potential exposure of the object to UVC light is inhibited.

The motion and/ or heat sensor is selected from the group including: an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor. Once the object is removed from the predetermined zone around the area of the target surface that is in use exposed to the sanitizing light and can no longer be sensed, the microprocessor 20 transmits a signal to the sanitizing light sources 14 to re-activate them for at least the minimum exposure time. The apparatus includes an electrical connector 36 at each of its ends for in use connecting the apparatus 10 to a source of electrical power. The source of electrical power is an external power source, such as a battery pack.

The apparatus 10 further includes a DC jack plug link 38 arranged in each of its side walls 28 to allow two or more apparatus 10 to be electrically connected to each other in series, thereby providing all connected apparatus 10 with electrical power.

The apparatus 10 can optionally include an LCD screen (not shown) arranged in communication with the microprocessor 20. The LCD screen displays wording indicating when sanitization of the target surface is in process and when sanitization has been completed. It is to be appreciated, that the invention is not limited to any specific embodiment or configuration as hereinbefore generally described and/or illustrated.