METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TREATING ARTHROPOD INFESTATIONS IN

FURNISHINGS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/243,385, filed October 19, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to methods and devices for the treatment of arthropod infestations in furnishings including mattresses, other furniture including upholstered couches chairs, benches, banquets and the like upon which humans sit or sleep. As used herein, furnishings also include curtains and carpeting and other upholstery, linens, clothing and the like.

[0003] The invention is related to arthropods generally including arachnids (spiders) and insects such as fleas, lice and mites but in particular is directed to infestations of bedbugs which have become increasingly common in recent years.

[0004] The common bedbug (Cimex lectularius) feeds on human blood and lives in warm houses and particularly in or near beds and bedding. They are able to feed on their hosts without being noticed but their bites can result in skin rashes and allergic symptoms. While their presence was largely eliminated in the developed world their prevalence has increased with pesticide resistance and increased international travel. Bed bugs tend to congregate in colonies of adults, juveniles and eggs near beds or other furniture such as couches and in rugs, carpeting, drapes and other upholstered items.

[0005] The prevalence of bedbugs in major US cities is a major economic issue affecting hotels, dormitories and personal residences. Because it is believed that bedbugs can spread from one unit to another in multi-dwelling buildings there is an intense demand for methods by which rooms and furnishings can be decontaminated and bedbugs, including their larvae and eggs eliminated.

[0006] Because bedbugs tend to be resistant to pesticides, mechanical methods such as vacuuming them up and wrapping mattresses have been used. Heat is an effective means of killing bedbugs and their larvae and eggs. It has been reported that heating to a temperature of 113°F for two hours or to greater than 122°F for more than 2 minutes will kill bedbugs.

Accordingly, common clothes dryers can be used to kill bedbugs in laundry and linens deposited therein.

[0007] Other treatment methods include using forced air heaters to heat entire rooms but such methods are time-consuming because of the inherent insulative properties of furniture such as mattresses and pillows and as a result require many hours or even days of treatment. Thus, Hedman, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,690,148; 6,892,491 and 6,327,812 teach and describe methods of treating pests which comprises using heated air to heat an enclosed space to a temperature above that necessary to kill arthropods such as bedbugs, bedbug larvae, and eggs.

[0008] Brenner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,238 teaches and describes a biological vacuum device to enhance environmental quality in which a vacuum cleaner has a vacuum wand and a heated air exhaust tube. Heated air from the exhaust tube is used to flush bedbugs from their hiding places while the vacuum wand is used to collect them. The use of the device described in the '238 patent requires visual location and identification of arthropods and further requires the collected insects, which may still be alive, to be properly killed.

[0009] Of interest to the present invention is the disclosure of Ingle US 20140000648 which discloses a truck transportable system for cleaning and sanitizing mattresses for the elimination of bed bugs. The system comprises a conveyor system for transporting a mattress to be treated past multiple stations at which by the application of UV radiation, dry steam at a temperature of about 356°F and vacuuming followed by heating with infrared heaters producing a temperature of up to 265 °F.

[0010] Nevertheless, there remains a need for faster, easier and more effective methods of treating arthropod infestations in furnishings

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention provides methods and devices for treating insect infestations in furnishings by means of an electrically powered flat panel heater which is positioned adjacent to and preferably in physical contact with a major surface of furnishing to be treated and which irradiates the furnishing with infrared energy. Specifically, the invention provides a device for treating insect infestations, such as bedbugs, in furnishings such as mattresses, pillows, carpeting and upholstery comprising: a first heating area comprising an electrically powered flat panel heater capable of producing infrared heat energy for placement over a major dimension of a furnishing to be treated and at least one secondary heating area comprising an electrically powered flat panel heater capable of producing infrared heat energy for placement over a minor dimension of a furnishing to be treated.

[0012] The flat panel heater is provided with sufficient power to produce a temperature in excess of 120 °F throughout the entire treated furnishing. In this manner, any adult and larvae arthropods are killed along with any eggs present in the furnishing. The flat panel heater is preferably constructed such that is can be disposed around the adjacent and opposite sides ("sides" and "bottom") of the major surface of the furnishing which increases the efficiency of the treatment and further prevents the escape of any arthropods fleeing the heat treatment.

[0013] According to a preferred aspect of the invention the flat panel heater is flexible and more preferably is a flexible film heater also referred to herein as a "mat." While a variety of flexible film heaters are known in the art carbon-based film heaters are particularly preferred for use according to the invention. Such heating films are typically disposed in protective polymer and cloth, including nonwoven fabric, covers and can have insulation layers as well as infrared reflective areas disposed on one side thereof in order to direct the heat in a desired direction. According to one embodiment of the invention the insulation (and reflective layer if included) can have small areas removed such that radiant energy is projected in both "upward" and "downward" directions.

[0014] The devices can also include non-heated portions which can be insulated or non- insulated and which can optionally comprise an infrared reflective layer to wrap sides, bottom or back (opposing) portions of the furnishing to be treated in order to increase the effects of the infrared heat energy applied by the device and/or trap arthropods fleeing the heat energy in the treated furnishing. Such non-heated covers are preferably characterized by at least 50% of the surface area of the first heating area.

[0015] The invention further provides methods of treating insect infestations in furnishings comprising the step of applying an electrically powered flat panel heater adjacent a substantial portion of a major dimension of a furnishing to be treated and applying electrical energy to the device to heat the furnishing to a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time to eradicate all the arthropods therein. The arthropods to be eradicated can be of any sort but preferably include insects such as fleas, mites, lice and in particular bedbugs.

[0016] According to one preferred aspect of the invention a method of treating insect infestations in furnishings is provided which comprises the step of applying the device having a primary and at least one secondary heating area adjacent to the furnishing to be treated by disposing the first heating area adjacent to a major dimension of the furnishing and at least one secondary heating area of the device to a minor dimension of the furnishing, applying electrical energy to the device to heat the furnishing to a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time to eradicate all the arthropods therein.

[0017] Furnishings susceptible to treatment by the present methods and devices particularly include mattresses. As used herein the term "mattress" is intended to include conventional mattresses, futons, box springs, pillows and other bedding materials useful for sleeping and which provide habitats for insect infestations. The methods and devices of the invention are also directed to furnishings other than mattresses including upholstered couches chairs, benches, banquets and the like upon which humans sit or sleep.

[0018] In many cases, arthropods such as bedbugs and others that feed upon humans are particularly drawn to such furnishings because of heat or carbon dioxide generated by humans when sitting or sleeping thereon. As used herein, furnishings also include curtains, carpeting, rugs, drapes and other upholstery along with bed linens, towels, and clothing which can represent sanctuaries for arthropods when the most preferred habitats for arthropods are treated.

[0019] The devices of the invention are preferably flexible and utilize flexible film heaters which allow the devices to be designed so as to closely conform to the furnishing to be treated. Thus, when the furnishing to be treated is a mattress one preferred method involves placing a first heating area over a first major dimension of the furnishing which in the case of a mattress is the top or bottom of the mattress with one or more secondary heating areas is disposed against the sides or opposing side of the mattress. While the invention is particularly directed to the treatment of mattresses which are relatively long and wide versus their thickness those of skill in the art would appreciate that other furnishings are differently shaped. Thus, while a device for treatment of mattresses might comprise a relative long and wide first heating area for placement against the "top" or " bottom" of a mattress and smaller, differently proportioned secondary heating areas for placement against the "sides" of a mattress. In the case of other types of furniture and furnishings the flexible heating panels could be sized and shaped in other configurations so as to most effectively heat those furnishings to temperatures and for time periods sufficient to kill arthropods including adults, larvae and eggs therein.

[0020] According to a further aspect of the invention it has been found that the flat panel heaters need not be directly applied to the insect infested furnishings. Instead, the infrared heat energy emitted by the flat panel heaters is capable of desiccating and killing the arthropods at a distance and in a manner wherein the average air temperature of the room containing the infected furnishings need not be heated to in excess of 120°F.

[0021] This can be advantageous where it is desired to conserve energy and avoid subjecting the contents of a room to higher temperatures. Accordingly, methods are provided for treating insect infestations in a room containing furnishings comprising the step of positioning an electrically powered flat panel heater in a room to be treated and applying electrical energy to the device to heat furnishings within the room to a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time to eradicate all the arthropods therein. While average air temperatures in the room can be elevated to extremely high temperatures such as 140°F or higher they need not be. In fact, disposing the electrically powered flat panel heater(s) in a manner that infrared heat energy is radiated throughout the treated room and onto the various furnishings allows eradication of the insect infestation without increasing the average temperature in the room in excess of 120°F or even more preferably in excess of 110°F. It is important to note that the air temperature at certain locations in the room might exceed such an average temperature based on proximity to the heater or the effects of convection or reflected radiation but that efficacy of the method does not rely upon having a high overall air temperature and that the overall average air temperature can be less than when relying upon methods such as forced air blower heating systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Fig. 1 depicts a device of the invention wrapped around a bed mattress to be treated for insect infestation;

[0023] Fig. 2 depicts a device of the invention laid out in a flat configuration;

[0024] Fig. 3 depicts a cross-sectional view of a device according to the invention; and [0025] Fig. 4 depicts a device of the invention laid out in a flat configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The devices of the invention are particularly suited to treatment of insect infestations in mattresses which are highly susceptible to infestation with arthropods such as bedbugs and which because of their thickness and materials are highly insulative and resistant to heating by conventional methods such as convective (forced air) heating of entire rooms. A major limitation of conventional heating methods using forced air relates to the fact that forced air will not readily penetrate cloths and beds or carpeting tack strips and thus requires many hours or days to decontaminate a room. Alternatively, arthropods such as bedbugs survive in those insulated areas and will eventually re-infest a room and its furnishings.

[0027] According to one aspect of the invention, the radiative mats when applied to a mattress will heat the mattress to over 120 °F and then radiates infrared wave lengths to the room in the 175 °F degree range. The mat heats to a surface temperature of 175 °F and is self -regulated with many thermistors. According to one embodiment of the invention the mat is disposed on a mattress with a layer of insulation disposed on the bed side so that it directs the heat to the room and the insulator has small squares of insulation removed in a pattern that lets heat and infrared through the mat to the bed side. This is beneficial because the mat does not have to be flipped over. The bed side will maintain a temperature of 125-130 °F and the outer cover will be 175°F which enhances the infrared effect. It uses the mattress as an insulator. It also leaves more time to heat the bed. Infrared seeks the coldest thing in the room. Thus, after a few minutes the bed is warm and the mat radiates to the room. The infrared is then absorbed by all the organic matter in the room. On a king sized bed the radiation quickly heats the room. When tested in conjunction with a forced air system and it heated the room 50% faster providing significant advantages to convective heating systems.

[0028] The infrared radiation generated by the devices of the invention will be reflected by metals but tends to penetrate organic matter and be absorbed by living beings within the furnishings. As such, the infrared waves penetrate all parts of the room including tack strips on the carpet and curtains. [0029] According to an alternative aspect of the invention, thin elongated mats such as those which are 5 inches wide and 10 or more feet long can be laid upon the tack strip of the carpet and are capable of heating the tack strip to 150°F in ten minutes or less.

[0030] Use of the devices of the invention also provide significant improvements over current treatments in which clothes, linens and furnishings such as mattresses are removed from homes, dormitories and hotel lodgings for off-site treatment because of the risk of contaminating other areas of the lodging during the removal process.

[0031] Forced air systems are particularly ineffective at heating laundry containers ("baskets") because of the inherent insulative properties of the clothing, linens and other laundry therein. Such laundry containers can be effectively treated for insect infestations by alternative embodiments of the invention such as those in which a drum such as a conventional 55 gallon drum is lined with electrically powered heating panels all the way around the inner barrel. The barrel is rolled on its side and cloths and linens are placed inside. Casters used to transport the barrel to the treatment area can then be used to rotate the barrel in the manner of a clothes dryer. The agitation of the clothes causes the linens to quickly heat up so as to kill any arthropods therein. Alternatively, small elongated heating strips (such as those 5 inches in width and several feet in length can be stuffed in the cloths to greatly speed up the heating process in a sitting laundry basket. Alternatively, small elongated heating strips (such as those 5 inches in width and several feet in length can be stuffed in the cloths to greatly speed up the heating process in a sitting laundry basket. These methods are particularly useful in multiunit residential facilities such as hotels, dormitories and apartment buildings where transport of the infected items can cross-contaminate uninfected portions of the facility.

[0032] In addition to treating individual furnishings for infestations, the radiative mats of the invention can be used to treat entire rooms which have been infested with arthropods such as bedbugs. According to one method an entire room can be covered with mats with the radiation directed downward in order to first heat the floor including any rugs and carpeting. As disclosed, the mats are also effective in decontaminating underneath tack strips in a manner that is difficult to carry out with forced air heating. When the floor reaches a temperature of 150°F for a period of about 20 minutes or more the mats can be turned over such that that the infrared radiation is then primarily directed upward heating up the room and its contents. At this point, mats are placed onto any mattresses and other upholstered furniture to kill any arthropods residing thereon and therein leaving no refuge for the arthropods as the entire room is quickly heated to 120°F and above.

[0033] Further, while the radiative mats of the invention can be used alone to treat insect infestations they can also be used to also enhance existing systems of forced air. When the mat is on in an average hotel room the forced air system reaches 120 °F significantly faster than would without the mat.

[0034] According to one aspect of the invention the radiative mats are sized in order to correspond to the major surface of a furnishing such as a mattress. Mattresses come in various sizes but the widths and lengths of those mattresses (but not their thicknesses) are standardized according to the market in which they are sold. Thus, in the US market "Twin" mattresses have width and length dimensions of 39 in x 75 in (99 cm x 191 cm) or 39 in x 80 in (99 cm x 203 cm) for an "extra-long single", "Full or double" mattresses have a width and length of 54 in x 75 in (137 cm x 191 cm); "Queen" 60 in x 80 in (152 cm x 203 cm); "King" 76 in x 80 in (193 cm x 203 cm) and "California king" 72 in x 84 in (183 cm x 213 cm).

[0035] One advantage of the embodiment of the present invention comprising a flexible radiative mat is that a given size mat can be used to de-infest a mattress which has a lesser width and length than the mat by wrapping the mattress around the sides and even back surface of the mattress to be treated. It is strongly preferred that all or substantially all of the major dimension (top or bottom) of the furnishing to be treated have a heating aspect of the radiative mat disposed against it in order to ensure that there exist no "cold spots" in the furnishing to be treated. Thus, as an alternative to the use of a single very large mat, two or even more mats can be used to treat a mattress or other furnishing having major dimensions greater than a single mat. In this context it should be noted that two radiative mats in a "twin" or "extra-long single" size can be used to provide full or substantially full coverage for larger Queen or King sized mattresses.

[0036] Flat panel heaters are available in a wide variety of formats. Traditional flat panel heaters comprise resistant wires or metallic conductors laid in a pattern on a non-conductive substrate. Particularly preferred heaters are flexible film heaters but a particularly preferred flat panel heater is a heating film which is typically based on a carbon film with metallic conductors for conducting electricity through the film. Such films are well known and available commercially.

[0037] Fig. 1 depicts a perspective view of a device according to the invention wrapped around a mattress to be treated by heating thereof and Fig. 2 depicts a view of an alternative device of the invention laid out in a flat configuration. Fold lines between different heating areas are disclosed and it can be seen how the device can be wrapped around a rectangular furnishing such as a mattress to apply heat to a top or bottom face of the mattress and the sides thereto.

[0038] Fig. 3 depicts a cross-section view of device (10) according to the invention which comprises outer layers (12) which can be fabricated from plastic films, non- woven fabrics and the like provided that such components are resistant to heat. Such outer layers can comprise one or more sub-layers and provide structural strength to the radiative mat while protecting the electrical and heating components therein. The outer layers are preferably flexible and must be resistant to heat. Those of ordinary skill in the art would be capable to selecting any of a variety of materials for their fabrication. Disposed within the outer layers (12) is a heating film layer (14) which can constitute any of a variety of commercially available heating films but which preferably comprises a carbon-based heating film. The device further comprises an insulation layer (16) disposed between the heating film layer and one outer film layer. The device can also optionally comprise a layer having a reflective surface (18) between the heating film (14) and the outer layer (12). The device further comprises a wiring connection (20) connected to an electrical power source (not shown) which provides power to the device and further preferably comprises a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor (22) which regulates the temperature of the heater when it is turned on.

[0039] Fig. 2 depicts a version of the device of the invention (20) for treatment of "queen size" mattresses which are 60" x 80" in size. The device (20) has a first heating area (22) which is 60" x 80" in size and is designed to cover a major dimension of the furnishing to be treated. The first heating area is connected to a plurality of secondary heating areas (24) which are 20" x 80" in size or 20" x 60" in size and are thus capable of being folded over secondary dimensions (sides) of a furnishing to be treated which in this case is a Queen Size mattress. As depicted in Fig. 4 the first heating area (22) can be disposed against the top, or bottom, of a mattress while secondary heating areas (24) can be folded over the four sides of the mattress to be treated. Each of the primary and secondary heating areas can be fabricated in the manner disclosed in Fig. 3 and are energized with electricity to produce heat and are controlled by one or more thermistors disposed on each primary and secondary heating area.

[0040] The primary and secondary heating areas can be powered together or separately and can use multiple electrical sources in order to avoid overloading the circuits from which they are powered. According to one embodiment of the invention the first heating area which a surface of 33.3 square feet uses 1133 watts of power when energized and the secondary heating areas represent 38.8 square feet and uses 1322 watts of power. The surface temperature of the mat will quickly get to 120°F and hold at 130°F based at which point the infrared energy will penetrate the mattress based on its construction. A dense mattress such as those containing significant amounts of dense foam will resist heat for hours while a spring type mattress will take 30 minutes or less. Nevertheless, it is preferred to maintain the mat on the mattress for at least an hour. It is also advisable to separate a mattress from box springs underneath because the box spring portion of a mattress can also be infested. With the air gap thus created the gap is rapidly heated in minutes. This also helps heat the upper mattress because more surface area is exposed to heat and infrared.

[0041] According to a further aspect of the invention it has been found that the flat panel heaters need not be directly applied to the insect infested furnishings. Instead, the infrared heat energy emitted by the flat panel heaters is capable of desiccating and killing the arthropods at a distance and in a manner wherein the average air temperature of the room containing the infected furnishings need not be heated to in excess of 120°F.

[0042] This can be advantageous where it is desired to conserve energy and avoid subjecting the contents of a room to higher temperatures. Accordingly, methods are provided for treating insect infestations in a room containing furnishings comprising the step of positioning an electrically powered flat panel heater in a room to be treated and applying electrical energy to the device to heat furnishings within the room to a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time to eradicate all the arthropods therein. While average air temperatures in the room can be elevated to extremely high temperatures such as 140°F or higher they need not be. In fact, disposing the electrically powered flat panel heater(s) in a manner that infrared heat energy is radiated throughout the treated room and onto the various furnishings allows eradication of the insect infestation without increasing the average temperature in the room in excess of 120°F or even more preferably in excess of 110°F.

[0043] Those of ordinary skill would be able to determine the number and wattage of heaters to be used and the appropriate time of treatment by determining the size of the room and number and bulk of furnishings disposed therein. Thus a 800 square foot room will typically require a higher energy input and/or longer treatment time than a 400 square foot room as would a room with a higher, rather than lower, ceiling.

[0044] According to one example, a typical 400 square foot hotel room had live bed bugs in jars randomly placed around the room. The room was treated according to a prior art method of using a forced air blower to heat the room and its furnishings. A direct fired propane forced air heater rated at up to 500,000 BTU was used to heat the room and it took 2 hours to heat the room to 140°F. At 4 hours half of the bed bugs were killed but it required 6 hours to kill all the bedbugs.

[0045] A similar room was then treated according to the invention using sufficient flat plate heating mats to use the 20 amps at 240 volts of electrical power (4800 watts) directly available in the room. Two electrically powered flat panel heating mats were placed on the two beds and a third was placed on the floor. The room reached 93 °F in two hours at which point all the bed bugs were killed. This experiment demonstrates that the insects are killed by the radiant energy and not by the heat per se and that it is possible to treat typical house, apartment, hotel and dormitory rooms with available electrical power and without requiring an external power source.

[0046] It is anticipated that numerous variations and modification of the embodiments of the invention described above will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art when apprised of the teachings of the present specification. Accordingly, only such limitations as appear in the appended claims should be placed thereon.