WO2012009645A1

WO2012009645A1 - Method and apparatus for sanitizing items in a portable container using ultraviolet light

Info

Publication number: WO2012009645A1
Application number: PCT/US2011/044199
Authority: WO
Inventors: Perry Felix
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-07-16
Filing date: 2011-07-15
Publication date: 2012-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 2013-01-16

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for sanitizing items using a portable container. An ultraviolet light source is coupled to the portable container and is arranged to direct UV light into the portable container in a direction toward the item to be sanitized.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SANITIZING ITEMS IN A PORTABLE CONTAINER

USING ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to sanitizing items, and, more particularly, to sanitizing products using ultraviolet (UV) light in a portable container.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

In the course of day-to-day living, people come into contact with numerous products that have been handled or prepared in such a way that these products may have been exposed to germs, bacteria, viruses, molds, fungi, insect larvae or other undesirable and unsanitary conditions. In the course of consuming or even using these products, a person may become infected or otherwise made ill. For example, food products, such as meat, poultry, fish, cereal, water, etc., may be inadvertently exposed to contaminated conditions.

The food industry has attempted to limit the instances of contamination by reducing the likely sources of contamination. For example, frequent cleansing of food processing equipment with sanitizing or disinfecting agents may help to limit or reduce instances of contamination. However, even an occasional failure of the cleansing process can produce widespread contamination, as evidenced by infrequent reports of food product contamination and subsequent recalls. These instances are dangerous to the public, expensive to remedy, and damaging to the reputation of the offending company. Moreover, the sanitizing agents are often ineffective and are environmentally harmful to produce, store and dispose of. Consumer food products are also processed with various chemicals including fungicides and pesticides which are not earth, ozone & environmentally friendly

(i.e., not green). Further, sanitizing and/or disinfecting agents are expensive, and may cause illness in the consumer and/or work force if used improperly. Consumers are commonly cautioned to take extra care during food preparation to prevent initial contamination of food products and/or to prevent spreading contamination to unaffected food products. One method that is commonly suggested to consumers is to thoroughly cook food products, as high heat levels are known to kill many of the more common contaminants. Unfortunately, high heat levels can resort in food products that are over-cooked, and thus, less palatable. Moreover, even items that have been adequately sanitized may be transported to remote locations where additional or new contamination occurs. For example, mothers often prepare food items for their children and infants in advance of a trip. The items are then transported and consumed later at remote locations where they may become contaminated. These remote locations often do not have ready access to facilities where the items may be further sanitized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed subject matter is directed to addressing the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above. The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosed subject matter in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed subject matter. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of the disclosed subject matter. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosed subject matter or to delineate the scope of the disclosed subject matter. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is discussed later.

In one embodiment, a method is provided for sanitizing an item by exposing the item to ultraviolet light within a portable container.

In another embodiment, a portable container for sanitizing items placed therein includes a chamber, an ultraviolet (UV) light source, and a source of power. The chamber is capable of receiving a container of fluid to be sanitized, and the UV light source is located to introduce UV light into the chamber. The source of power is controllably coupled to the UV light source. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed subject matter may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:

Figure 1A conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of a sleeve that may be positioned about a water bottle to deliver sanitizing UV light therein;

Figure IB conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of the sleeve of Figure 1A in a collapsed or folded orientation, such as for storage;

Figure 1C conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of a water bottle that may be inserted within the sleeve of Figures 1A-1B;

Figure ID conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of a flexible battery that may be coupled with the sleeve of Figures 1A-1B;

Figure IE conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of an interior side of the sleeve of Figures 1A-1B with a plurality of UV light sources located thereon;

Figure 2A conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of a water bottle;

Figure 2B conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of a first alternative embodiment of a sleeve that may be positioned about the bottle of Figure 2A;

Figure 2C conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of a second alternative embodiment of a sleeve that may be positioned about the bottle of Figure 2A; Figure 2D conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of a third alternative embodiment of a sleeve that may be positioned about the bottle of Figure 2A;

Figure 2E conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of a first embodiment of a UV light source that may be positioned adjacent an end surface of the various sleeves shown in Figures 2B-2D;

Figure 2F conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of a first embodiment of the UV light source of Figure 2E coupled with a power source;

Figure 2G conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of one embodiment of the power source of Figure 2F;

Figure 2H conceptually illustrates an orthogonal view of an alternative embodiment of the power source of Figure 2F; and

Figures 3A and 3B conceptually illustrate orthogonal views of alternative embodiments of contoured base adapters that may be located between the water bottle and the UV light source.

While the disclosed subject matter is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the disclosed subject matter to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Illustrative embodiments are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business- related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

The disclosed subject matter will now be described with reference to the attached figures. Various structures, systems and devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation only and so as to not obscure the present invention with details that are well known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the attached drawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples of the disclosed subject matter. The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e., a definition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning other than that understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition will be expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for the term or phrase.

Generally, in one embodiment of the instant invention, a portable container is configured to sanitize items placed therein. The portable container may take any of a wide variety of forms and be useful in a wide variety of applications. For example, the portable container may be a flexible bag, pouch, sack, purse, field medical pack, water bottle sleeve or holder, baby formula tote, first aid/medical pack, sanitary wipes container, money holder, dressing kit, emergency relief water sanitizing pouch, sleeve or container, etc. Ultraviolet (UV) light may be introduced into the portable container by any of a wide variety of sources, such as UV phosphor tape, plasma, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), vertical light emitting diodes (VLEDs), UV lasers, etc.

Power for these UV light sources may be obtained from batteries, such as strips or layers of the new generation quick charge flexible batteries by NEC or similar devices. Likewise, power could also be obtained from other sources suitable for the portable nature of the container, such as conventional batteries, solar cells, wind turbines, fuel cells and the like. It may also be useful to provide electrical connections such that the batteries within the portable container may be charged, or otherwise operated from convenient sources of electrical power, such as an AC outlet associated with a house or commercial building, or a power outlet associated with a vehicle. The new generation of green, flexible batteries is an excellent choice for the application as they can be layered within material forming the portable container or potentially used as the actual container wall itself. Moreover, these flexible batteries are capable of fast charging.

In an alternative embodiment of the instant invention, charging or direct power may be provided by solar power, such as solar cells. Solar chargers that may be advantageously employed in various embodiments of the instant invention may include a Single-crystal silicon, Polycrystal silicon (also known as multicrystal silicon), Ribbon silicon, Amorphous silicon or the like, which could be attached, integrated or connected as either a flexible or rigid substrate, component or device used to collect solar energy as used to charge the flexible batteries. Figures 1A-1E conceptually illustrate a first exemplary embodiment of the instant invention. Generally, a portable container 10 takes the form of a sleeve 12 that can be wrapped or extended around an item to be sanitized, such as a bottle of water 14. The sleeve 12 can be rigid or flexible and may be formed of one or more layers. An interior surface 16 of the sleeve 12 includes one or more optical devices 18 capable of emitting ultraviolet (UV) light therefrom and generally directed toward the bottle of water 14 when the bottle 14 is positioned within the sleeve 12. In one embodiment of the instant invention, the bottle of water 14 is formed from a material that allows the UV light to pass therethrough, exposing the contaminated water contained therein to the sanitizing effects of the UV light.

Electrical power for the optical devices 18 may be obtained from a flexible battery 20 that may be physically coupled to an exterior surface 22 of the sleeve 12 by gluing, sewing, buttoning, snapping or otherwise affixing the battery 20 to the sleeve 12. Additionally, the flexible battery 20 may include one or more electrical connectors 24 that are configured to couple with a mating connector 26 on the sleeve 12 so that electrical power may be transmitted from the battery 20 to the optical devices 18, such that they may be controllably energized to transmit UV light therefrom. In some embodiments of the instant invention, it may be useful to provide one or more additional electrical connectors 24 that may be electrically coupled with a source of electricity to charge the battery 20, or provide power directly to the optical devices 18.

When not in use, the sleeve 12 may be collapsed or folded, as shown in Figure IB, into a space-saving configuration for storage and transportation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the size of the sleeve 12 may be adjusted to fit snuggly around a wide variety of items to be sanitized by forming the sleeve 12 from flat panels that may be wrapped around the bottle 14 and secured by buttons, snaps, hookless fasteners, such as Velcro, or similar temporary fastening devices.

It is envisioned that the optical devices 18 may take on a variety of forms. In one embodiment, a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) or vertical light emitting diodes (VLEDs) may be employed to deliver UV light within the portable container 10. In some embodiments of the instant invention it may be useful to combine the VCSELs and/or VLEDs with an optical system, such as a Fresnel Lens, to distribute the UV light throughout the portable container 10. The VCSELs are deployed on the inner surfacel6 of the portable container 10. Alternatively, where the container 10 takes the form of a more complete enclosure, including sides, a bottom and a top, the optical devices 18 may be deployed on each or at least some of these surfaces as well. Additionally, the optical devices 18 may be deployed singularly, or arranged in strips or arrays to provide UV light over a substantial portion of the portable container 10 with sufficient energy density to provide acceptable levels of sanitization within the portable container 10. Additionally, the VCSELs may be arranged in arrays or panels that are oriented in slightly different directions such that substantial overlapping coverage of the portable container 10 is effected.

In an alternative embodiment of the instant invention, Fresnel lenses or micro-lenses may be disposed adjacent to the optical devices 18. The Fresnel Lenses would act to direct the UV light throughout the portable container 10 at various angles and directions to provide substantial overlapping coverage. In one embodiment, Fresnel lens strips or panels may be affixed to or otherwise constructed adjacent the top, bottom, back and/or side walls of the portable container 10. The Fresnel lens strips or panels can be illuminated by a variety of UV light sources or methods. In one exemplary embodiment, conventional backlighting of the Fresnel lenses can be achieved by using UV lamps contained in a reflective light fixture or housing located above or behind the Fresnel lenses within the portable container 10. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other UV lighting technology and solutions may be used in the alternative, such as phosphorous light strips, UV Electro-luminescent tape, VCSEL/VLED panels, or through backlighting by illumination of a clear substrate, such as acrylic or glass with sufficient thickness as to carry greater concentrations of UV light energy pumped in or projected into the bottle 14 by the use of UV LED strips or UV laser diode strips.

Each of these various embodiments of the backlit Fresnel lenses may be combined with a reflective mirrored backing with or without the formation of angles on the reflective surface to control the direction of the UV light energy or to cause an increase in the angles of incidence. In addition, the Fresnel lenses may be illuminated by the use of a wafer panel or wafer strip with a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) combined with a micro lens array as produced in a postage-stamp-sized chip containing hundreds of solid state micro-cavity lasers or UV VCSELs, which may be grouped in series or in parallel to form UV laser strips or UV laser panels to project through the Fresnel lenses into the portable container 10. The Fresnel lenses may be designed and installed for optimal UV light distribution with either a concentration to increase penetration or for maximum distribution of the UV light to flood the portable container 10 with UV light energy, to produce a positive or negative focus, and in some instances to produce both positive & negative focus from a single Fresnel lens, as is available through custom manufacturing of the Fresnel lens, to collimate the UV light and to cause divergence of the UV light energy within the portable container for substantial efficiency and effectiveness in the sanitizing process. In some embodiments it may be useful to provide a non-UV option that would assist a person using the sanitizer by providing visible light for illumination in poorly lit

environments or at night. The instant invention may include a white light source, such as visible LEDs, for illumination in combinations with UV light or separate as applied for illumination of hand bags, purses, back packs, medical/first aid kits, etc.

Turning now to Figures 2A-2H, additional embodiments are shown and described. Figure 2A shows a conventional bottle 200 having transparent sidewalls and a transparent bottom surface to allow UV light energy to be transmitted therethrough. Figure 2B shows a bottle cover 202 that may be constructed from a rigid, semi-rigid or generally flexible material for receiving the bottle 200 therein. In one embodiment, the cover 202 may have a generally circular cross sectional configuration similar in diameter to that of the bottle 200 to allow the bottle 200 to be at least partially inserted therein. The cover 202 may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials, including metals, plastics, fabrics, mylar, etc. When constructed from a flexible or semi-rigid material, the bottle cover 202 may be collapsed, folded, rolled up, or otherwise reduced in size to facilitate storage and transportation of the bottle cover 202 until such time as it is needed to sanitize water. Figures 2C and 2D illustrate an embodiment of the bottle cover 202 that is formed from a relatively flexible fabric that may be closed at a first end portion 203, such as by a drawstring positioned above or about a top surface of the bottle 200 so as to substantially enclose the bottle 200 within the bottle cover 202.

The bottle cover 202 may also be constructed to include a bottom surface 204 that receives a bottom region of the bottle 200 thereagainst. In one embodiment, the cover 202 may include a source of UV light 206 that forms a portion of or is attached to the bottom surface 204 or is separate from but located within the cover 202 and adjacent the bottom surface 204 such that the UV light source 206 is adjacent the water bottle 200 and positioned to deliver UV light into the bottle 200. The orientation of the UV light source 206 is positioned so that UV light passes into the bottle 200 and sanitizes the water, either directly or indirectly. For example, the light source 206 may be positioned to direct UV light through the end portion of the bottle 200 along a direction generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the bottle 200. A reflective material may be attached to or used to form at least a portion of an interior surface or liner of the cover 202 such that any UV light passing through and out of the bottle 200 will be reflected back into the bottle, thereby providing additional sanitizing effect on the water contained in the bottle 200.

The UV light source 206 may take any of a variety of forms, including a plurality of UV-LEDs 208 located on a wafer 210. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of a variety of UV light sources may be used. For example, Ultraviolet (UV) light may be introduced into the cover 200 by any of a wide variety of sources, such as UV phosphor tape, plasma, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), vertical light emitting diodes (VLEDs), UV lasers, and the like.

Electrical power for the UV light source 206 may be provided by any of a variety of sources, such as, an AC outlet, a battery, a photovoltaic cell, a hand-operated electrical generator, a power cell, and the like. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 2F and 2G, one or more wafers 212, having batteries 214 contained or formed therein, may be physically stacked and electrically coupled with UV-LEDs 208 in the UV wafer 206 to energize the UV- LEDs 208 for a period of time sufficient to adequately sanitize the water in the bottle 200. In some embodiments, it may be useful to have electrical contacts 215 formed on a surface of the wafers 210, 212 that may be electrically connected together when the wafers 210, 212 are stacked or otherwise assembled together so that electrical power may be controllably transferred from the batteries 214 to the UV-LEDs 208. In an alternative embodiment, an additional wafer 216 containing one or more photovoltaic cells 218 thereon may be deployed in the wafer stack in electrical contact with the batteries 214 so as to provide supplemental or main charging of the batteries 214. It is envisioned that the photovoltaic cells may be employed while the water is being sanitized, or alternatively, between sanitizing episodes to ensure that the batteries 214 are sufficiently charged to provide adequate power to the UV light source 206.

Turning now to Figures 3A-3B, alternative embodiments of contoured base adapters 300, 302 are shown. Conventional water bottles 200 are commonly constructed having an irregular or non-planar base 304. Thus, it may be useful in some embodiments to include the contoured base adapters 300, 302, which have an irregularly shaped upper surface 306 that mates with the irregular base 304 of the conventional water bottle 300. A relatively planar lower surface of the adapters 300, 302 engages the wafer 210 and aids in accurately and efficiently coupling the UV light from the UV-LEDs 208 into the bottle 200 to reduce undesirably reflecting, refracting, or otherwise scattering the UV light before it enters the bottle 200. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that controlled distribution of the UV light within the bottle 200 is desired to achieve adequate sanitization of the water, and thus, it may be useful in some embodiments to controllably direct or scatter the UV light throughout the bottle 200 or to provide a mechanism that cycles or moves the UV light in predicted or random patterns to provide substantial coverage of the interior of the bottle 200 with UV light. The upper surface 306 of the contoured base adapters 300, 302 may be constructed having a series of raised elements 310 that are configured and oriented to engage corresponding recesses in the bases 304 of the water bottle 200. The contoured base adapters 300, 302 may be constructed from an of a variety of materials, such as plastic, wood, metal and the like and may be entirely transparent or may include openings or transparent regions so as to allow UV light to be projected therethrough and into the bottle 200. In some embodiments, it may be useful to employ various lenses to controllably focus or scatter the UV light and distribute the UV light throughout the bottle 200. Lenses useful for this purpose may be deployed in the contoured based adapters 300, 302 or in other intermediate wafers. Alternatively, a specially constructed bottle 200 that has optical devices formed or attached thereto may likewise be employed for controllably directing the UV light into the bottle 200.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the disclosed subject matter may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope of the disclosed subject matter. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.

Claims

CLAIMS WHAT IS CLAIMED:

1. A method for sanitizing an item, comprising:

placing the item within a portable container containing an ultraviolet light source; and energizing the ultraviolet light source.

2. A portable container for sanitizing items placed therein, comprising:

a chamber capable of receiving a container of fluid to be sanitized; an ultraviolet (UV) light source located to introduce UV light into the chamber; and a portable source of power that is controllably coupled to the UV light source.

3. A portable container, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the chamber is a substantially cylindrical sleeve and the UV light source is coupled to a first end portion of the sleeve.

4. A portable container, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the UV light source is oriented to deliver UV light generally along a longitudinal axis of the sleeve.

5. A portable container, as set forth in claim 4, wherein an interior surface of the

cylindrical sleeve includes regions of reflective material disposed thereon and adapted to receive and reflect UV light from the UV light sources.

6. A portable container, as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a contoured based located adjacent the light source and having a surface configured to mate with an exterior surface of the container of fluid.

7. A portable container, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the cylindrical sleeve is adapted to be substantially collapsed for storage.

8. A portable container, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the UV light

comprised of a plurality of UV light sources.

9. A portable container, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the plurality of UV light sources are distributed across a surface of a first disc adapted to be coupled to an end portion of the cylindrical sleeve.

10. A portable container, as set forth in claim 9, further comprising a power source coupled to the first disc.

11. A portable container, as set forth in claim 9, wherein the power source is comprised of one or more batteries.

12. A portable container, as set forth in claim 9, wherein the power source is comprised of one or more photovoltaic cells.

13. A portable container, as set forth in claim 9, wherein the power source is comprised of one or more batteries located within a second disc that is adapted to be coupled to the UV light source.

14. A portable container, as set forth in claim 9, wherein the power source is comprised of one or more photovoltaic cells located within a second disc that is adapted to be coupled to the UV light source.

15. A portable container, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the chamber is a sheet of

material that is of a generally flexible planar construction with a plurality of UV light sources coupled to an interior surface thereof, the flexible planar construction allowing the sheet of material to be wrapped around a substantial portion of a container.

16. A portable container, as set forth in claim 15, wherein the UV light sources are

oriented to deliver UV light generally radially through the container.

17. A portable container, as set forth in claim 16, wherein the interior surface of the sheet of material includes regions of reflective material disposed thereon and adapted to receive and reflect UV light from the UV light sources.

18. A portable container, as set forth in claim 15, further comprising a power source coupled to the UV light sources.

19. A portable container, as set forth in claim 18, wherein the power source is a flexible battery.