Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ULTRAVIOLET SHIELDING DEVICE AND SYSTEMS
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17/492,890,
filed
on October 4, 2021 and claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent
Application No. 63/138,029, filed on 1/15/2021, entitled "Infinite Ultraviolet
Shielding
Devices, Systems, and Methods."
TECHNICAL FIELD
This application relates generally to device sanitization techniques and, more
lo particularly, to ultraviolet shielding techniques.
BACKGROUND
Biocontamination, including the spread of bacteria and viruses, has
traditionally been a threat to humans and animals. Bacteria, viruses, and
other
microorganisms that can cause serious illness or infectious diseases are
typically
spread by persons walking into contaminated areas and then transporting the
contaminants to other areas via the soles of their footwear. Such contaminants
are
then typically deposited from the soles of a person's footwear to previously
uncontaminated floor surfaces from which these contaminants further spread to
the
soles of other persons walking on the floor surfaces. This cycle can continue
until
contaminants are spread throughout a building or buildings as persons' with
contaminated soles move from place to place.
Eventually some persons will touch the soles of their shoes or floor surfaces,
or contaminants can become airborne, resulting in dangerous exposures to
anyone
within contaminated areas. Hospitals, other healthcare facilities, or
facilities having a
high density of people are especially vulnerable to contaminants due to a
significantly increased possibility that persons will be exposed to harmful
bacteria,
viruses, and other microorganisms. Biocontaminants have spread from the soles
of
contaminated shoes to various types of floor surfaces including cement floors,
wood
floors, and carpeted floors, which are often subsequently picked up directly
by
persons in contact with such floor surfaces or indirectly via their footwear
soles.
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Shoe sole cleaning, such as in residential environments, is largely limited to
manual debris removal via outdoor and indoor floor mats, which are typically
located
in close proximity to main entryways. These devices provide varying levels of
debris
removal from shoe soles. Due to their inherent design, they are incapable of
removing or eliminating disease-causing microscopic organisms and bio-
contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, and other harmful germs and spores
from
the shoe sole.
There are existing systems that provide for the reduction of pathogens from
the soles of shoes. However, these systems do not adequately prevent re-
contamination of footwear soles after the decontamination process. Also,
current
systems provide minimal to no ultraviolet (UV) light shielding to users during
the
decontamination process. Hence, there is a need to more effectively and safely
reduce or eliminate the likelihood of spreading bio-contaminants via the
footwear
soles of persons moving from place to place, while protecting individual users
from
potentially harmful UV rays. Aside from footwear, other devices are often
exposed to
contamination such as articles of clothing, handheld or user operated
equipment,
mobile devices, wearable items (e.g., jewelry), and vehicles. Unfortunately,
existing
systems that provide decontamination of the other types of devices either
provide
inadequate UV protection to users or are cumbersome to use.
Furthermore, UV-C light, at several peak wavelengths between 200 nm and
280 nm, has been proven to be highly effective and efficient in the
sanitization of
pathogens when properly exposed to surfaces and fluids in residential,
commercial,
and industrial applications. Unfortunately, direct exposure of UV-C light in
these
wavelengths can be extremely harmful to human skin and eyes.
Conventional UV-C sanitizing applications are typically executed while
humans are isolated from the harmful UV-C rays or when they are not present.
However, studies have shown that humans and human devices are transporters of
pathogens into and within facilities. Therefore, for many establishments, the
inability
to sanitize owners, patrons, vendors, and workers, or their personal
belongings or
devices, is undesirable.
Hence, there exists a need to provide enhanced pathogen sanitizing functions
for devices, which utilize UV-C light, whereby human presence should not be a
concern. This would effectively reduce the transportation of pathogens into
and
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throughout residential, commercial, and industrial facilities, and therefore
improve
the overall health and safety in these establishments.
SUMMARY
The application, in various implementations, addresses deficiencies
associated with cleaning and sanitizing devices used by humans.
This application describes exemplary systems, methods, and devices that
effectively remove and collect debris from various types of devices including,
but not
limited to footwear soles, and also effectively sanitize any side of a device
or bottom
lo of footwear (also referred to herein as a "sole" or "soles"). A device
may include,
without limitation, an article of clothing, handheld equipment, user-operated
equipment, a mobile device, computer, electronic consumer device, firearms,
wearable items (e.g., jewelry), a tent, a protective suit, a vehicle, an
autonomous
vehicle, an autonomous ariel vehicle (AAV), and so on. Footwear may include,
without limitation, shoes, sneakers, sandals, slippers, boots, and any type of
foot
apparel worn by users to protect their feet. The exemplary cleaning and
sanitizing
techniques described herein create a cleaner and healthier environment in
daily
living, recreational, and/or working areas. The exemplary systems, methods,
and
devices also incorporate techniques for screening a user from any UV light
that goes
beyond or escapes past the user's device including, without limitation,
deploying a
UV shield and/or controlling UV light emissions such that UV light is only
emitted
when a user's device is determined to be in a designated position.
In some implementations, the inventive systems, methods and devices herein
provide a fully integrated debris removal stage with a pathogen and/or
contaminant
sanitization stage. Such a two-stage process and/or sequence is advantageous
because debris collected on a portion of a device, e.g., footwear soles or
mobile
phone body, that may compromise or inhibit effective sanitization of the
device is
removed before the sanitization stage to eliminate any physical or line-of-
sight
barrier between a UV emitter and contaminants and/or pathogens on a device,
e.g.,
a footwear sole.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and independent
hospital reports claim that pathogens are commonly transported by devices,
such as
footwear, from one area to another. In various implementations, the systems,
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methods, and devices described herein promote a forward directional or one-way
travel path having an entrance and an exit for the user to move through the
footwear
sole cleaning and sanitization process. This advantageously eliminates the
possibility that users will re-contaminate their footwear soles by back-
tracking their
steps directly into the path of all previous users.
In certain implementations, the present disclosure includes a "digital" shield
system that protects users in close proximity to equipment that utilizes UV-C
light
during sanitizing applications. Such devices, systems, and/or methods
accurately
generate a 2-dimensional screen shape or shapes that precisely matches the
outline
lo of a sensed object that is in close proximity. The screen safely blocks
the user from
the UV-C light that is outside of the assumed shape or shapes while also
allowing
proper exposure of UV-C light to the assumed shape or shapes. In certain
configurations, the screen can assume any one of a plurality of shapes, i.e.,
assume
an infinite 2-dimensional shape form capability within a defined space.
In one aspect, a UV sanitizing device includes a sanitizing interface having a
top surface arranged to support a device positioned above the sanitizing
interface.
The sanitizing interface includes a translucent material arranged to allow UV
light to
pass through. The device includes at least one sensor arranged to detect a
shape of
a surface of the device facing the sanitizing interface. The UV sanitizing
device also
includes an adjustable UV emission interface, positioned adjacent to the
sanitizing
interface, arranged to adjustably conform to the shape of the first device
facing the
sanitizing interface, and arranged to emit the UV light toward the sanitizing
interface.
The adjustable UV emission interface may include at least one UV emitter
arranged to emit the UV light toward the device and through the sanitizing
interface.
The UV emission interface may include an array of UV emitters controllable by
a
processor and/or controller to selectively emit the UV light toward the device
being
sanitized. The array of UV emitters may include light emitting diode (LED)
emitters,
which may include, for example, a Mini-LED or Micro-LED. The UV emission
interface may include a UV shield having an array of cells configured to
selectively
allow or block the UV light emitted from one or more UV emitters.
In another aspect, a UV sanitizing system includes a sanitizing interface
having a top surface arranged to support a device positioned above the
sanitizing
interface. The sanitizing interface includes a translucent material arranged
to allow
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UV light to pass through. The system includes at least one shape sensor
arranged
to generate shape data associated with a detected shape of a surface of the
device
facing the sanitizing interface. The system also includes at least one UV
light emitter
arranged to emit UV light toward the first device and a shield panel
positioned
between the at least one UV light emitter and the sanitizing interface. The
shield
panel may include an array of screening cells. The system further includes a
controller arranged to: i) receive the shape data; ii) open a first portion of
the array of
screen cells and close a second portion of the array of screen cells in
response to
the received shape data; and iii) activate the at least one UV light emitter.
lo The first portion of the array of screen cells may include a first
plurality of
screen cells substantially opposing the surface of the device facing the
sanitizing
interface. The second portion of the array of screen cells may include a
second
plurality of screen cells that are not substantially opposing the surface of
the first
device facing the sanitizing interface. In some implementations, each of the
screening cells of the array of screening cells includes a liquid crystal
(LC). In some
configurations, the controller opens each of the screening cells of the first
portion of
the array of screen cells by selectively applying a power signal to each of
the
screening cells of the first portion of the array of screen cells. The
controller may
close each of the screening cells of the second portion of the array of screen
cells by
selectively removing a power signal to each of the screening cells of the
second
portion of the array of screen cells. The system may include a proximity
sensor or
sensors arranged to detect the presence of the first device when positioned
above
the sanitizing interface. The at least one shape sensor may include an optical
sensor and/or a mass sensor.
In a further aspect, a UV sanitizing system includes a sanitizing interface
having a top surface arranged to support a device, e.g., footwear, positioned
above
the sanitizing interface. The sanitizing interface includes a translucent
material
arranged to allow UV light to pass through. The system includes at least one
shape
sensor arranged to generate shape data associated with a detected shape of a
surface of the device facing the sanitizing interface. The system also
includes a light
emitting panel having an array of UV light emitter cells arranged to emit UV
light
toward the sanitizing interface and a controller arranged to: i) receive the
shape data
and ii) activate a first portion of the array of UV light emitter cells and
deactivate a
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second portion of the array of UV light emitter cells in response to the
received
shape data.
In some implementations, the first portion of the array of UV light emitter
cells
includes a first plurality of emitter cells that substantially oppose the
surface of the
device facing the sanitizing interface. The second portion of the array of UV
light
emitter cells includes a second plurality of emitter cells that do not
substantially
oppose the surface of the device facing the sanitizing interface. Each of the
emitter
cells of the array of UV light emitter cells may include an LED (e.g., a Mini-
or Micro-
LED). In one configuration, the controller activates each of the emitter cells
of the
lo first portion of the array of UV light emitter cells by selectively
applying a power
signal to each of the emitter cells of the first portion of the array of UV
light emitter
cells. The controller deactivates each of the emitter cells of the second
portion of the
array of UV light emitter cells by selectively removing a power signal to each
of the
emitter cells of the second portion of the array of UV light emitter cells.
The system
may include a proximity sensor arranged to detect the presence of the first
device
when positioned above the sanitizing interface.
Any two or more of the features described in this specification, including in
this summary section, may be combined to form implementations not specifically
described in this specification. Furthermore, while this specification may
refer to
examples of systems, methods, and devices related to devices for humans, such
techniques also apply equally to cleaning and sanitizing devices associated
with
animals.
The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying
drawings and the following description. Other features and advantages will be
apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary sole debris cleaning and sanitization
system and/or device;
FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a computer system;
FIGS. 3A-3G show a series of user interface screen shots displayed to a user
as they operate the exemplary sole debris cleaning and sanitization systems of
FIGS. 1 and 4;
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FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a sole debris cleaning and sanitization system
and/or device that illustrates a users position before, during, and after the
debris
cleaning and sanitization process;
FIG. 5 shows a process for performing debris cleaning and sanitization;
FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C show a specification table for an exemplary
configuration of a debris cleaning and sanitization device;
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate positions of a lever-based UV shielding device
during a UV sanitization and/or decontamination process;
FIG 8 illustrates first and second positions of an elastic aperture UV
shielding
lo device;
FIGS. 9A and 9B shows side views of an aperture wall of the elastic aperture
UV shield device of FIG. 8 including a closed shield for small footwear and an
expanded shield for a larger footwear;
FIG. 10A shows a top view of a portion of the aperture wall of FIG. 9
including
a linkage bearing and wedge shape curtain foots;
FIG. 10B shows a side view of the linkage bearing of FIG. 10A.
FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate how the elastic aperture UV shielding device
expands and contracts depending on the size of footwear;
FIG. 12 shows an electric aperture UV shielding device including multiple film
layers;
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a UV sanitization system including a UV
shielding layer;
FIG. 14 shows a process for providing UV shielding;
FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate a shutter in the open or pass through position
and in a closed or blocking position;
FIG. 16A shows a row of shutters including power control signal inputs;
FIG. 16B shows an array of shutters arranged in multiple rows and columns;
FIG. 17A shows a UV sanitizing housing including optical sensors arranged to
detect the presence of an object such as footwear;
FIG. 17B shows the UV sanitizing housing of FIG. 17A when the UV emitter is
emitting light while a portion of the shutters are open to pass through UV
light toward
the footwear and another portion of the shutters are closed to block UV light
not
directed toward the footwear;
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FIG. 18 is an exploded view 1800 of multiple layers of a UV sanitizing device
illustrating how the optical sensor(s) 1802, 1804, and 1806 can detect the
shape of
footwear with a shield layer 1808 including an array of cell and/or shutters
1810.
The shield layer 1808 has a portion 1812 of cells that are open to pass
through UV
light toward the footwear while another portion 1814 of the cells and/or
shutters is
closed to block portions of UV light not directed toward the footwear from
passing
through the shield layer 1808;
FIG. 19 is an exploded view of multiple layers of a UV sanitizing device
illustrating how a mass sensing top layer detects the presence of footwear and
a
lo shield layer including an array of shutters with a portion of shutter
that are open to
pass through UV light toward the detected footwear while another portion of
the
shutters is closed to block UV light not directed toward the footwear from
passing
through the shield layer;
FIG. 20A shows a UV sanitizing housing including a mass sensing layer
arranged to detect the presence of an object such as footwear and an UV light
emitter layer;
FIG. 20B shows the UV sanitizing housing of FIG. 20A when a first portion of
the UV light emitters are emitting light and another portion of the UV light
emitters
are not emitting UV light;
FIGS. 21A and 21B are top down views of a UV sanitizing device showing a
portion of cells that are open and portion of cells that are closed depending
on the
shape of detected footwear or a portion of UV light emitter cells that are
activated
and portion of UV light emitter cells that are not activated depending on the
shape of
the detected footwear;
FIG. 22 shows a debris remover arrange to remove debris from a hand-held
device;
FIG. 23 shows a hand-held device positioned on the top surface of a sanitizer
interface; and
FIG. 24 shows a vehicle positioned above a top surface of a sanitizer
interface.
Like reference numerals in different figures indicate like elements.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The application, in various implementations, addresses deficiencies
associated with cleaning and sanitizing devices used by humans or animals.
This
application describes exemplary systems, methods, and devices that effectively
remove and collect debris from devices and also effectively sanitize a portion
of the
devices including, for example, the bottoms and/or soles of footwear. The
exemplary
cleaning and sanitizing techniques described herein create a cleaner and
healthier
environment in daily living, recreational, and/or working areas. The exemplary
systems, methods, and devices also incorporate techniques for screening a user
lo from any UV light that goes beyond or escapes past the user's device
including,
without limitation, deploying a UV shield and/or controlling UV light
emissions such
that UV light is only emitted when a user's device is determined to be in a
designated
position.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary sole debris cleaning and sanitization
system and/or device 100 including a debris cleaner 134 and sanitizer 148
within
housing 102. Housing 102 includes a top surface 104, a first side 106 that is
adjacent to a user entry portal 140, and a second side 108 that is adjacent to
a user
exit portal 142. A first railing 114 and second railing 116 extend along sides
144 and
146 respectively and may be mounted on top surface 104. In some
implementations, only one railing such as railing 116 is mounted on top
surface 104.
Railing 116 may include one or more rails such as rail 118 that may extend
horizontally or vertically to form railing 116. In one configuration, railings
114 and
116 define a pathway through which a user passes along from user entry portal
140
to user exit portal 142. Railing 114 and/or 116 may provide hand holding rails
such
as rail 118 to allow a user to support themselves while moving along the
pathway or
provide support while moving their feet to various positions along top surface
104.
Debris remover 134 may have one or more debris removal elements, e.g.,
brushes,
extending toward a debris removal opening 110 in top surface 104. The brushes
may be arranged to contact the footwear sole of a user while the footwear sole
is
positioned over the debris removal opening 110 and remove debris from the
footwear sole.
In one implementation, the debris removal opening 110 is in proximity or
substantially adjacent to the first side 106 and/or user entry port 140.
Stepping
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areas 130 may provide locations where a user can place one shoe while
contacting
their other shoe with the brushes of debris remover 134 or place both shoes
before
or after the debris removal brushes are rotated to remove debris from footwear
soles. In one implementation, the brushes of debris remover 134 are
stationary,
requiring a user to move the footwear against the brushes in an abrasive
manner to
remove debris on the footwear soles.
Sanitizer 148 may have one or more sanitizing elements, e.g., a UV emitter
that emits UV light, directed toward one or more sanitizing interfaces 112 on
top
surface 104. The UV emitter or emitters may include one or more UV-LEDs (e.g.,
lo Mini-LEDs or Micro-LEDs) and/or UV mercury lamps. The emitted UV light
and/or
rays may include wavelengths from about 100 to 380 nm. The UV emitter or
emitters may include at least one of a UV-A emitter (e.g., emitting UV light
having
about 320 to 400 nm wavelengths), a UV-B emitter (e.g., emitting UV light
having
about 280 to 320 nm wavelengths), and a UV-C emitter (e.g., emitting UV light
having about 200 to 280 nm). The sanitizing elements will be substantially
aligned
with a footwear sole while the footwear sole is positioned over the one or
more
sanitizing interfaces 112 to remove contaminants from the footwear sole. In
one
implementation, the one or more sanitizing interfaces 112 are positioned
laterally on
top surface 104 between debris removal opening 110 and the second side 108
and/or user exit portal 142 of the housing 102. Sanitizing interfaces 112 may
include
a transparent, semi-transparent, or translucent material that passes through
UV light
emitted from the one or more UV emitters toward a footwear sole or soles
positioned
over one or more sanitizing interfaces 112. A sanitizing interface may include
glass,
plexiglass, plastic, grates, and/or a material configured to allow UV light to
pass
through. The one or more sanitizing interfaces 112 may reside within and/or
define
one or more sanitization areas. The sanitization areas may be shaped to form
an
outline of, for example, shoes or other footwear as illustrated in FIG. 1. Top
surface
104 may include a stop area 136 to accommodate high-heeled shoes.
Housing 102 may include one or more sensors 128 arranged to generate
sensor data based on a detected position of a footwear sole, detected position
of a
user, detected temperature of a component of system 100, detected presence of
debris on a footwear sole, and/or a detected presence of a contaminant on a
footwear sole, In one implementation, sensors 128 are arranged to detect the
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presence and/or position of footwear soles within the sanitization areas
defined by
sanitization interfaces 112. Although not shown in FIG. 1, system 100 may
include
other sensors in proximity to debris removal opening 110 to detect when
footwear is
in proximity and/or in contact with debris remover 134. Another sensor may
monitor
the amount of debris collected in debris removal drawer 138. Drawer 138 may
store
debris removed from footwear and provide for convenient removal and disposal
of
the debris. Proximity sensors may be positioned at the user entry portal 140
and/or
user exit portal 142 to detect when a user enters or exits the pathway of the
system
respectively. Sensors may include, without limitation, optical sensors,
pressure
lo sensors, sonic sensors, haptic sensors, and temperature sensors.
Housing 102 may include a user interface arranged to provide one or more
cues to a user during operations of the device. The user interface may include
display 120, one or more visual indicator elements on top surface 104, and one
or
more audio speakers that may issue audio commands and/or beeps to a user to
perform certain actions during the cleaning and sanitization process. The cues
may
include an instruction to a user to position their footwear sole or soles over
the debris
removal opening 110, position their footwear sole or soles over the sanitizing
interfaces 112, enter and/or step onto portions of top surface 104 such as,
for
example, stepping areas 130 when the user enters user entry portal 140, and/or
exits or step off top surface 104 via user exit portal 142. System 100 may
include a
phone caddie 122 and/or storage container which may be arranged to hold a
user's
phone and/or may be configured to clean and sanitize the user's phone.
System 100 may include a controller, e.g., controller 410 of FIG. 4, arranged
to: i) receive sensor data from the one or more sensors such as sensors128; i)
control operations of the debris remover 134 and/or sanitizer in 148 response
to the
received sensor data, and iii) send cue instructions associated with the one
or more
cues to the user interface for display to a user via, for example, display
120. The
controller may include a computer system.
FIG. 2 includes a block diagram of a computer system 200 for performing the
functions of a computer such as for the controller associated with FIG. 1
and/or
controller 410 of FIG. 4. The exemplary computer system 200 includes a central
processing unit (CPU) 202, a memory 204, and an interconnect bus 206. The CPU
202 may include a single microprocessor or a plurality of microprocessors for
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configuring computer system 200 as a multi-processor system. The memory 204
illustratively includes a main memory and a read only memory. The computer 200
also includes the mass storage device 208 having, for example, various disk
drives,
tape drives, etc. The main memory 204 also includes dynamic random access
memory (DRAM) and high-speed cache memory. In operation, the main memory
204 stores at least portions of instructions and data for execution by the CPU
202.
The mass storage 208 may include one or more magnetic disk or tape drives
or optical disk drives or solid state memory, for storing data and
instructions for use
by the CPU 202. At least one component of the mass storage system 208,
lo preferably in the form of a disk drive, solid state, or tape drive,
stores the database
used for processing sensor data and/or controlling operations of system 100
and/or
400. The mass storage system 208 may also include one or more drives for
various
portable media, such as a floppy disk, flash drive, a compact disc read only
memory
(CD-ROM, DVD, CD-RW, and variants), memory stick, or an integrated circuit non-
volatile memory adapter (i.e. PC-MCIA adapter) to input and output data and
code to
and from the computer system 200.
The computer system 200 may also include one or more input/output
interfaces for communications, shown by way of example, as interface 210
and/or
transceiver for data communications via the network 212 (or network 104 of
FIG. 1).
The data interface 210 may be a modem, an Ethernet card or any other suitable
data
communications device. To provide the functions of a computer 102, the data
interface 210 may provide a relatively high-speed link to a network 212, such
as an
intranet , or the Internet, either directly or through another external
interface. The
communication link to the network 212 may be, for example, optical, wired, or
wireless (e.g., via satellite or cellular network). Alternatively, the
computer system
200 may include a mainframe or other type of host computer system capable of
Web-based communications via the network 212. The computer system 200 may
include software for operating a network application such as a web server
and/or
web client.
The computer system 200 may also include suitable input/output ports, that
may interface with a portable data storage device, or use the interconnect bus
206
for interconnection with a local display 216 and keyboard 214 or the like
serving as a
local user interface for programming and/or data retrieval purposes. The
display 216
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and/or display 120 may include a touch screen capability to enable users to
interface
with the system 200 by touching portions of the surface of the display 216.
Remote
operations personnel may interact with the system 200 for controlling and/or
programming the system from remote terminal devices via the network 212.
The computer system 200 may run a variety of application programs and
store associated data in a database of mass storage system 208. One or more
such
applications may include a cleaning and sanitization process that controls
various
components of system 100 and/or provides cue to a user to perform certain
actions
during the cleaning and sanitization process.
lo The components contained in the computer system 200 may enable the
computer system to be used as a server, workstation, personal computer,
network
terminal, mobile computing device, and the like. As discussed above, the
computer
system 200 may include one or more applications that enable cleaning and
sanitization of a footwear sole or soles. The system 200 may include software
and/or hardware that implements a web server application. The web server
application may include software such as HTML, XML, WML, SGML, PHP (Hypertext
Preprocessor), CGI, and like languages.
The foregoing features of the disclosure may be realized as a software
component operating in the system 200 where the system 200 includes UNIX
workstation, a Windows workstation, a LINUX workstation, or other type of
workstation. Other operating systems may be employed such as, without
limitation,
Windows, MAC OS, and LINUX. In some aspects, the software can optionally be
implemented as a C language computer program, or a computer program written in
any high level language including, without limitation, JavaScript, Java, CSS,
Python,
PHP, Ruby, C++, C, Shell, C#, Objective-C, Go, R, TeX, VimL, Perl, Scala,
CoffeeScript, Emacs Lisp, Swift, Fortran, or Visual BASIC. Certain script-
based
programs may be employed such as XML, WML, PHP, and so on. The system 200
may use a digital signal processor (DSP).
As stated previously, the mass storage 208 may include a database. The
database may be any suitable database system, including the commercially
available Microsoft Access database, and can be a local or distributed
database
system. A database system may implement Sybase and/or an SQL Server_ The
database may be supported by any suitable persistent data memory, such as a
hard
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disk drive, RAID system, tape drive system, floppy diskette, or any other
suitable
system. The system 200 may include a database that is integrated with the
system
200, however, it is understood that, in other implementations, the database
and
mass storage 208 can be an external element.
In certain implementations, the system 200 may include an Internet browser
program and/or to be configured to operate as a web server. In some
configurations,
the client and/or web server may be configured to recognize and interpret
various
network protocols that may be used by a client or server program. Commonly
used
protocols include Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol
(FTP),
lo Telnet, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and Transport Layer Security
(TLS), for
example. However, new protocols and revisions of existing protocols may be
frequently introduced. Thus, in order to support a new or revised protocol, a
new
revision of the server and/or client application may be continuously developed
and
released.
The computer system 200 may include a web server running a Web 2.0
application or the like. Web applications running on system 200 may use server-
side
dynamic content generation mechanisms such, without limitation, Java servlets,
CGI,
PHP, or ASP. In certain embodiments, mashed content may be generated by a web
browser running, for example, client-side scripting including, without
limitation,
JavaScript and/or applets on a wireless device.
In certain implementations, system 100, 200, and/or 400 may include
applications that employ asynchronous JavaScript + XML (Ajax) and like
technologies that use asynchronous loading and content presentation
techniques.
These techniques may include, without limitation, XHTML and CSS for style
presentation, document object model (DOM) API exposed by a web browser,
asynchronous data exchange of XML data, and web browser side scripting, e.g.,
JavaScript. Certain web-based applications and services may utilize web
protocols
including, without limitation, the services-orientated access protocol (SOAP)
and
representational state transfer (REST). REST may utilize HTTP with XML.
The systems 100, 200, and/or 400 may also provide enhanced security and
data encryption. Enhanced security may include access control, biometric
authentication, cryptographic authentication, message integrity checking,
encryption,
digital rights management services, and/or other like security services. The
security
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may include protocols such as I PSEC and IKE. The encryption may include,
without
limitation, DES, 3DES, AES, RSA, and any like public key or private key based
schemes.
Generally, the inventive debris cleaning and sanitization process may include
a sequence of stages where certain operations and/or user actions are
performed.
First, debris removal brushes of debris remover 134 and/or 406 engage and/or
are
activated by controller 410 upon a detected presence of a user's footwear
within the
vicinity of debris removal opening 110. Narrow heeled shoes may be
accommodated via placement of a high heel in designated stop area 136. A brush
lo motor that was driving and/or rotating the brushes of debris remover 134
disengages
when the footwear is detected by a sensor as being removed from the brushes
and/or the debris removal opening 110. In one implementation, the duration in
which
the one or more brush motors are engaged is by default, infinite while a
sensor
detects that footwear is in the vicinity of the debris removal opening 110.
This
duration may be established during the system commissioning.
As debris accumulates in debris removal drawer 138, it may be discarded
when full, which may be monitored for available capacity by a controller such
as
controller 410 via a drawer sensor. In some implementations, system 100 and/or
400 prompts, via a user interface such as interface 412 and/or display 120 for
debris
removal periodically, such as once daily. Custom drawer liners may line drawer
138
to simplify the debris removal process. After debris removal, a user places
their
shoes on sanitization areas defined by sanitization interfaces 112. An LED
indication may provide proper placement feedback to a user of the shoe
position(s).
One or more LED indicators may be placed adjacent to the sanitization areas
and/or
display 120 may provide a graphical image of LED indicators such as shown in
FIG.
3A-3C of indicators surrounding the sanitization areas. A red indicator may
indicate
that footwear placement is not properly aligned with sanitization interfaces
112 while
a green indicator may indicate proper alignment of footwear. Audio, visual,
and/or
haptic commands and/or feedback may be provided alternatively or additionally
to
the user to effect proper footwear alignment via, for example, interface 412.
Footwear placement indicators may be activated and deactivation by controller
410
based on sensor data received from sensors such as sensors 128 that indicator
the
presence or absence of footwear in certain locations on the top surface 104.
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Once proper alignment is achieved, UV sanitization of footwear soles is
activated by, for example, controller 410. The duration of sanitization may be
configured by default by the manufacturer, by a controller such as controller
410,
remotely by a remote programmer, and/or manually by a user. In one
implementation, the sanitization duration, e.g., the duration that UV emitters
are
activated and emit UV light, may be about 8 ¨ 10 seconds. The range of UV
emitter
activation duration may be adjustable from 1 second up to 180 seconds, or
longer.
In one implementation, an LED indication of the sanitization process is
provided
while sanitization occurs. A UV ray shield such as UV shield 124 may protect
the
lo user from direct UV light rays that escape past the user's footwear
during
sanitization. The UV shield 124 may be foldable toward and away from the user
and/or pathway. Controller 410 may engage a motor to deploy UV shield 124
before
UV emitter activation and retract UV shield 124 after UV emitter activation.
UV
shield 124 may also function as a gate to inhibit a user from exiting via the
user exit
portal 142 until the sanitization function is completed.
When sanitization is complete, UV light(s) and emitters turn off and/or are
instructed to turn off by controller 410 and the sanitization LED indication
ceases. A
user may be visually and/or audibly prompted to exit the machine top surface
104 at
the opposite end from which he/she entered, i.e., via the user exit portal
142. A
display such as display 120 and/or speaker may provide visual and/or audio
confirmation and feedback to a user, as well as provide function, stage,
and/or error
status information to the user. Audio feedback may include simulated voice
phrases
and/or one or more audio beeps.
FIGS. 3A-3G show a series of user interface screen shots 300, 316, 320, 340,
350, 360, and 380 displayed to a user as they operate the exemplary sole
debris
cleaning and sanitization systems 100 and/or 400 during various stages of the
cleaning and sanitization process. FIG. 3A includes a screen shot 300 of
display
120 indicating that system 100 and/or 400, i.e., the unit, is ready for
cleaning and
sanitization of a user's footwear sole(s). FIG. 3B includes a screen shot 316
of
display 120 including a shoe size menu or table 318. Display 120 may via, for
example, a touchscreen, enable a user to input their footwear size to the
system 100
and/or 400. System 100 and/or 400 may use the inputted footwear size to
configure
sanitizer 404 to emit UV light over an area toward the footwear sole over an
area
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corresponding to the sole size. FIG. 30 includes a screen shot 320 of display
120
indicating when the system 100 and/or 400 is operating in the sole debris
removal
stage. FIG. 3D includes a screen shot 340 of display 120 indicating when the
system 100 and/or 400 is operating in the sanitization stage. FIG. 3E includes
a
screen shot 350 indicating that system 100 and/or 400 has completed the
sanitization stage by, for example, removing an illumination within a footwear
outline
352 and/or illuminating a yellow color icon of indicator 312. FIG. 3F includes
a
screen shot 360 of display 120 showing a troubleshooting information page or
table
362 regarding status of systems 100, 200, and/or 400. FIG. 3G includes a
screen
lo shot 380 of display 120 showing programmable settings associated with
various
components of systems 100, 200, and/or 400 in table 382.
Screen shot 300 of FIG. 3A may include a footwear position image 302 in a
first section 304 and a sanitization status based on indicators 306 in section
308.
Footwear position image 302 shows that no footwear is engaged with debris
remover
134 and/or 406. Section 308 may include a timer indicator 310 that indicates
to a
user the duration and/or remaining amount of time that UV emitters will be
activated.
Indicator 310 may include an analog clock image, counter, and/or status bar
that
indicates a remaining amount of time that sanitization will be activated.
Screen shot
300 may include one or more status indicators 312 that indicate status of the
system
and/or whether system 100 and/or 400 is ready to perform a stage of the
cleaning
and sanitization.
For example, different colored indicators may be used to indicate different
stages and/or different statuses of systems 100 and/or 400. For example, a
green
indicator 312 may be illuminated when the system 100 and/or 400 is ready to
operate and/or a particular stage is ready to be initiated or is in operation.
Status
indicators may be illuminated according to table 362 of FIG. 3D. Screen shot
300
may include one or more selectable icons 314 that enable a user to navigate to
various screens or return to a "Home" screen, navigate to a troubleshooting
page,
navigate to a system configuration page, and/or navigate to an information
and/or
search page. Screen shots 320 and 340 may have the same or similar visual
indicators and/or images as screen shot 300. Screen shots 320, 340, 360 and
380
may also include navigation and/or system icons 314. Screen shot 380 may also
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include a settings table 382 that enables a user to configure certain setting
such as,
for example, UV emitter activation duration.
In one implementation, system 100 and/or 400 may operate to perform
footwear sole(s) cleaning and sanitization according to the follow operations.
Display 120 and/or user interface 412 may illuminate a "Ready" LED and/or
indicator
such as green indicator 312, indicating that system 100 and/or 400 is ready
for use.
A user may then place one foot onto sole debris remover 134 and/or debris
removal
surface (brush area) at debris removal opening 110. One or more sensors may
sense the presence of the user's footwear In response to detecting the
footwear,
lo display 120 may have a debris removal stage indicator and/or LED start
blinking.
After about a 1 second delay, controller 410 may initiate the debris removal
process
by engaging and/or activating one or more brush motors. Display 120 and/or
interface 412 may change the illumination of the debris removal stage
indicator
and/or LED from blinking to solid illumination on display 120. Display 120 via
screen
shot 320 may show position image 322 indicating that the footwear is engaged
and/or in the vicinity of debris remover 134.
The debris removal process continues until one or more sensors sense that
the foot and/or footwear is no longer present and/or within the vicinity of
debris
remover 134 or the process has timed out. Once the debris remover timer has
timed
out or the absence of footwear is detected and sensor data of such status is
received
by controller 410, controller 410 may deactivate the brush cleaning motors to
stop
the debris cleaning brushes from rotating. Also, the debris removal indicator
and/or
LED may be turned off and the "Ready" indicator and/or LED is illuminated.
System
100 and/or 400 may include an E-Stop (emergency stop) button that a user may
select on a support handle and/or rail 118 to deactivate the brush cleaning
motors.
A user may then place one foot onto one or more of the UV sanitizer
interfaces 112 and/or sanitization areas. Sensors such as sensor 128 may
detect
the presence of the user's shoe and send sensor data to controller 410 while
display
120 may illuminate a sanitization stage indicator and/or LED that blinks on
display
120. Green/Red Arrows may indicate correct/incorrect shoe sole positioning
with
respect to the one or more sanitizing interfaces 112 on display 120 and/or via
indicator elements on top surface 104. When a shoe is properly positioned, the
green position arrows change from red to green and hold.
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The user may then place their second foot onto the remaining sanitization
area of the sanitizing interfaces 112. Sensors 128 may then detect the
presence of
the second shoe and send sensor data to controller 410 to indicate the
presence of
the second shoe in the vicinity of sanitizing interfaces 112. Green/Red Arrows
may
indicate correct/incorrect shoe sole positioning via display 120 and/or via
indicator
elements on top surface 104. When the second shoe is properly positioned, the
green position arrows illuminate and hold. After both shoes are properly
positioned,
sanitization stage indicator and/or LED of display 120 blinks rapidly for
about 2
seconds. After two seconds, the sanitization stage indicator and/or LED
illuminates
lo solid and a sanitization graphic is engaged on display 120. UV
sanitization emitters
may be activated and/or engaged for the prescribed and/or configured duration.
When the UV sanitizing process is complete, the UV Emitters are shut off by
controller 410, sanitization indicators and/or LED indication ends, the
sanitization
graphic turns off, and the Ready indicator and/or LED is illuminated.
Whenever controller 410 in response to, for example, sensor data, detects a
fault, display 120 and/or interface 412 may illuminate a red indicator and/or
LED
and/or warning icon to indicate to a user that a fault has occurred. This may
include
a motor failure, overheating, UV emitter failure, and the like. System 100
and/or 400
may include optional cell phone sanitization and charging functions that may
operate
independently from sole cleaning and sanitizing functions. Display 120 and/or
interface 412 may include representative icons that will be displayed
accordingly
during the respective phone functions. In certain configurations, both UV
sanitization
and debris cleaning are not operated simultaneously. In one implementation, no
functions can be performed while system 100 and/or 400 is in a fault mode
and/or
stage. System 100 and/or 400 may prompt a user to discard collected debris
from
debris collection drawer 138 periodically such as once daily.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a footwear sole debris cleaning and sanitization
system and/or device 400 that illustrates a users position before 422, during
424,
and after 426, the debris cleaning and sanitization process. System 400
includes a
housing 402 having a footwear sanitizer 404, debris remover 406, sensors 408,
a
controller 410, a user interface 412, and data interface 414. Housing 402 may
include a top surface 420 and/or 104 on which a user may stand in, for
example,
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position 424. System 400 may also include user entry portal 416 and user exit
portal
418.
User entry portal 416 may include a gate or other movable barrier that allows
a user to step onto top surface 420, but prevents the user from stepping back
off the
top surface to position 422 to prevent possible re-contamination of the user's
footwear. The barrier may include, without limitation, a swing arm, a railing,
a single
swinging panel, dual swinging panel, and a turn-style. The barrier may be
configured to swing inwardly toward user exist portal 418 from a substantially
perpendicular orientation with respect to a railing such as railing 116, to a
lo substantially parallel orientation with respect to railing 116 to allow
a user to enter
the pathway on top surface 420. The barrier, however, may not be configured to
swing backwards toward position 422 to prevent a user from back tracking from
top
surface 420 through the user entry port 416. The barrier may be mounted on
and/or
extend from railing 114 and/or 116. The barrier may be mounted independently
on
housing 402. User exit portal 418 may include a similar barrier as described
with
respect to user entry portal 416 to possibly prevent a user from stepping on
top
surface 420 from user exit portal 418 and/or to prevent a user from
prematurely
exiting the top surface 420 before the sanitization process is completed. As
previously discussed, UV shield 124 may also function as a barrier to prevent
an
improper entry or a premature exit by a user.
FIG. 5 shows a process 500 for performing debris cleaning and sanitization.
Process 500 includes: providing a housing 102 and/or 402 (Step 502) and
configuring the housing 102 and/or 402 to have: a top surface 104 and/or 420
arranged to support a user while standing on the top surface 104 and/or 420, a
first
side 106 positioned adjacent to a user entry portal 140 and/or 416, and a
second
side 108 positioned on an opposing side of the housing 102 to the first side
106
where the second side 106 is positioned adjacent to a user exit portal 142
and/or
418 (Step 504); mounting at least one railing 114 and/or 116 on the top
surface 104
and/or 420 (Step 506); extending the at least one railing 114 and/or 116
between the
first side 106 and the second side 108 of the housing 102 and/or 402, where
the at
least one railing 114 and/or 116 defines a pathway through which the user
passes
along from the user entry portal 140 and/or 416 to the user exit portal 142
and/or 418
(Step 508); removing debris from the footwear sole using a debris remover 134
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406 having one or more debris removal elements extending toward a debris
removal
opening 110 in the top surface 104 and/or 420 (Step 510); configuring the one
or
more debris removal elements to contact the footwear sole while the footwear
sole is
positioned over the debris removal opening 110 (Step 512); and positioning the
debris removal opening 110 in proximity to the first side 106 of the housing
102
and/or 402 (Step 514).
Process 500 further includes: removing contaminants from the footwear sole
using a sanitizer 148 and/or 404 having one or more sanitizing elements
directed
toward one or more sanitizing interfaces 112 in the top surface 104 and/or 420
(Step
lo 516); aligning the one or more sanitizing elements with the footwear
sole while the
footwear sole is positioned over the one or more sanitizing interfaces 112 and
removing contaminants from the footwear sole (Step 518); positioning the one
or
more sanitizing interfaces 112 laterally on the top surface 104 and/or 420
between
the debris removal opening 110 and the second side 108 of housing 102 and/or
402
(Step 520); generating sensor data from one or more sensors such as sensors
128
based on at least one of a detected position of the footwear sole, detected a
position
of the user, detected temperature of the device, detected presence of debris
on the
footwear sole, and detected presence of a contaminant on the footwear sole
(Step
522); controlling operations of at least one of the debris remover 134 and/or
406 and
sanitizer 148 and/or 404 in response to the sensor data (Step 524); sending
cue
instructions associated with the one or more cues to a user interface 412
including
display 120 (Step 526); and providing the one or more cues to the user during
operations of the system via the user interface 412, where the one or more
cues
includes an instruction to the user to position the footwear sole over at
least one of
the debris removal opening 110 and the sanitizing interfaces 148.
FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C show a specification table 600 for an exemplary
configuration of a debris cleaning and sanitization system such as system 100
and/or
400.
FIGS. 7A through 14 describe various systems, devices, and techniques for
providing UV shielding to users while having their footwear sanitized and/or
decontaminated using UV light.
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate positions 700 and 750 of a lever-based UV
shielding device 702 during a UV sanitization and/or decontamination process.
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Device 702 includes a footwear surface platform 704, footwear surface platform
link
706, lever 708 w/ mid-fulcrum 720, an articulating link 710, a guide link 712,
and UV-
C shield 714.
In operation, as a footwear 716 presses in downward direction 718 on
platform 704, as illustrated in FIG. 78, platform 704 also moves in the
downward
direction 718, pushing link 706 downward. This causes lever 708 to pivot in a
counter-clockwise direction around fulcrum 720 which pushes links 710 and 712
in
an upward direction 722, resulting in UV-C shield 714 moving upward and
rotating in
direction 724 into a position surrounding and/or adjacent to a portion of
footwear
lo 716.
FIG 8 illustrates a top down view 806 of a first position with a relaxed cable
802 and a second position with an expanded cable 804 of an elastic aperture UV
shielding device 800. Device 800 has a tensioning component 808 including a
tension springs 810 and 812 along with pulleys 814 to provide tension on the
relaxed
cable 802 and expanded cable 804 such that the device 800 substantially
conforms
to the perimeter of a sole of footwear. Hence, the relaxed cable 802 position
may
conform to a smaller sized shoe, while the expanded cable 804 may conform to a
larger sized shoe by expanding in direction 820. The relaxed cable 802 and/or
expanded cable 804 may include linkage wall sections 816 and link bearings
818.
FIGS. 9A and 98 show side views of an aperture wall of the elastic aperture
UV shield device 800 of FIG. 8 including a closed shield for smaller footwear
and an
expanded shield for a larger footwear. FIG. 9A shows a front (inside) view 900
of a
portion of an elastic aperture linkage wall 902, cable 912, and a tension
spring 904
of, for example, device 800 in a relaxed position. Wall 902 has a link two-
piece
pocket curtain system 906 including curtain foot 908 and linkage wall 910 that
is
repeated along the wall 902 to enable wall 902 to expand or contract while
maintaining a uninterrupted physical UV shield along the wall 900. View 900
shows
wall 902 in a relaxed position and spring 904 is in an expanded position while
a
larger portion of linkage wall 910 is overlapped by adjacent curtain feet 910.
FIG. 9B
shows a front (inside) view 950 of a portion of an elastic aperture linkage
wall 902,
cable 912, and a tension spring 904 of, for example, device 800 in an expanded
position_ Wall 902 has a link two-piece pocket curtain system 906 including
curtain
foot 908 and linkage wall 910 that is repeated along the wall 902 to enable
wall 902
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to expand or contract while maintaining a uninterrupted physical shield along
the wall
900. View 950 shows wall 902 in an expanded position and spring 904 is in a
contracted position while a smaller portion of linkage wall 910 is overlapped
by
adjacent curtain feet 910, i.e., more of linkage wall 910 is visible between
its
adjacent curtain feet 910.
FIG. 10A shows a top down view 1000 of a portion of aperture wall 902 of
FIG. 9 including a linkage bearing 1002, wedge shaped curtain feet 1004, and
linkage walls 1006. The wedge shaped curtain feet 1004 provide a continuous UV
shield along the curving perimeter of footwear.
lo FIG. 108 shows a side view 1050 of the link bearing 1002 and
curtain foot
1004 of FIG. 10A. View 1050 illustrates how a curtain foot 1004 includes a
foot
extension 1010 that extends outwardly toward an outside area 1006 away from
footwear. Link bearing 1002 allows a portion of aperture wall 902 in proximity
to link
bearing 1002 to move towards outside area 1006 or toward inside area 1008 that
may be adjacent to footwear.
FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate how the elastic aperture UV shielding device
expands and contracts depending on the size of footwear. FIG. 11A includes a
view
1100 of a smaller shoe 1102 adjacent to link bearings 1002 while aperture wall
902
is in a relaxed position. FIG. 11B includes a view 1150 of a larger shoe 1152
adjacent to link bearings 1002 while aperture wall 902 is in an expanded
position.
In operation, a footwear edge, e.g., footwear 1100, will contact each of the
link
bearings 1002 causing the bearings 1002 to deflect according to the footwear
1100
size. A cable, such as cable 912, unites all components of aperture wall 902
to
promote a harmonized deflection reaction. Aperture wall 902 includes a pocket
curtain having a repeating two-piece wall system 906 that is self-collapsing.
The
smaller linkage wall section 908 slides into adjacent larger wall sections
and/or
curtain feet 1004. Curtain feet 1004 include foot extensions 1010 that slide
and/or
extend laterally and block excess UV light emitted from a UV emitter from
reaching a
user. The cable spring resistance and cable pulley and/or tension system 808
may
be located below a surface of, for example, platform 808 and/or top surface
420.
System 808 may be replaced with an integrated spring system that is similar to
that
of an elastic metallic watch band. Link bearings 1002 may be spaced
appropriately
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along the curtain wall 902 to best mirror and/or correspond to footwear 11 02
or 1152
contours and/or their footwear sole perimeters.
FIG. 12 shows an exploded view of an electric aperture UV shielding device
1200 including multiple film layers. Device 1200 may include a top layer 1202
having
304 stainless steel (304 SS) with a largest footwear size cutout 1214,
tempered
glass 1204, polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) film 1206 including a
"medium
range footwear size" cutout 1216, dielectric material 1208 including
insulating
material between adjacent layers of PDLC film1206 and 1210, and PDLC film 1210
that may include a "smallest footwear size" cutout 1218, and a UV-C emitter
1212.
lo One or more of layers 1202 through 1210 may form a sanitizing interface
arranged to
allow UV light to pass through from emitter 1212 toward footwear positioned
above a
top surface of layer 1202. In some implementations, a sanitizing interface may
be
positioned above layers 1202 through 1210 where layers 1202 through 1210 form
a
UV shield.
In operation, when a shoe size is selected either automatically or by a user
via
user interface 120 that falls into the "largest" category, neither of the PDLC
films
1206 and 1210 are energized. This allows UV light from emitter 1212 to pass
through all of the shapes and/or films 1206 and 1210, and pass through cutout
1214
to impact the sole of a shoe for UV sanitization. A third PDLC film may be
included
to compensate for shoes that have heel designs such as a lady's dress shoe. If
so,
such an implementation may include an additional layer of dielectric material.
When
a shoe size is selected that falls into the "medium" category, PDLC film 1206
is
energized. This allows UV light from emitter 1212 to pass through the medium
sized
shape cutout 1216. When a shoe size is selected that falls into the "smallest"
category, PDLC film 1210 is energized. This allows UV light from emitter 1212
to
pass through only the smallest shape cutout 1218.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a UV sanitization system 1300 such as
may be implemented in sanitizer 404 or system 100 including a UV light source
layer
1302, UV light blocking layer 1304, and a footwear sensing layer 1306 that may
be in
contact with a user's footwear 1308. Footwear sensing layer 1306 may be
arranged
to detect the presence and/or size of footwear 1308 positioned above layer
1306.
Footwear sensing layer 1306 may include a touchscreen and/or touch-sensitive
surface arranged to sense the footwear 1306 size and/or position. Layer 1306
may
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include a resistive touchscreen, capacitive touchscreen, a projected
capacitive
touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, and/or a surface acoustic wave (SAW)
touch
screen. Light blocking layer 1304 may include switchable glass to control the
transmission of UV light from a UV light source in layer 1302 toward footwear
1308.
UV light blocking layer 1304 may include a planar array of microshutters
arranged to
selectively allow UV light to pass through toward footwear 1308 while
selectively
blocking UV light that would otherwise escape past footwear 1308 and possibly
toward a user's body. Switchable glass of layer 1304 may include passive or
active
elements. For example, microshutters are active elements that close or open to
lo block or allow light to pass through respectively. Layer 1304 may
include
electrochromic switchable glass. Microshutters may include microblinds.
Microshutters may be based on curling electrodes and/or microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS). System 1300 may include an additional translucent and/or
transparent layer positioned above layer 1306 and arranged to act as a
sanitizing
interface.
In operation, light source layer 1302 may include one or more UV light
emitters arranged to emit UV-A, UV-B, and/or UV-C light 1310 toward footwear
1308. Layer 1306 senses the presence and/or size of footwear 1308. Layer 1306
may sense the area of the sole of footwear 1308 in contact with or close
proximity to
a top surface of layer 1306. Layer 1306 may provide sensor data to controller
1312
and/or controller 410. Based on the sensor data received, controller 1312 or
410
may send instructions to layer 1304 and/or various elements thereof (e.g.,
shutters)
to selectively activate (e.g., open) shutters to allow UV light to pass
through and
toward the sole of footwear 1308 while selectively de-activating (e.g., close)
shutters
to block UV light in areas of the top surface of layer 1306 that are not in
contact with
or in close proximity to the sole of footwear 1308. Controller 1312 and/or 410
may
also control activation of the one or more UV light emitters of UV light
source layer
1302 based on the detected presence of footwear 1308.
FIG. 14 shows a process 1400 for providing UV shielding including:
supporting first footwear, such as footwear 1102, positioned above a
sanitizing
interface such as interface 112 (Step 1402); detecting a presence of the first
footwear 1102 using one or more sensors 408 (Step 1404); in response to
detecting
the presence of the first footwear, positioning an adjustable UV shield such
as UV
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shield 1200 adjacent to the sanitizing interface 112 (Step 1410); and
conforming the
adjustable UV shield 1200 substantially to a shape of the first footwear 1102
positioned above the sanitizing interface 112 including positioning a first
perimeter of
the adjustable UV shield 1200 in close proximity laterally to a perimeter of a
sole of
the first footwear 1102 (Step 1412), emitting UV light from an UV emitter such
as
emitter 1212 toward the first footwear 1102 (Step 1406); passing the UV light
through a translucent material of the sanitizing interface 112 (Step 1408).
FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate a cell and/or shutter 1500 in a closed or
blocking
position 1502 and in an open or pass through position 1504 respectively. When
lo switch 1508 is open, there is no voltage potential difference across the
cell 1500
and, therefore, the elements 1510 are not aligned, which blocks the UV light
1506
from passing through the cell 1500. When switch 1508 is closed, there is a
voltage
potential across the cell 1500 which causes the elements 1510 to be aligned in
parallel to, thereby, allow the UV light 1506 to pass through the cell 1500.
In some
implementations, each shutter and/or cell 1500 includes a miniaturized polymer-
dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) and/or PDLC-like device that becomes
transparent
when an electric current is supplied to it. Each shutter and/or cell 1500 may
contain
a layer with droplets of polarized, light-blocking microscopic elements and/or
liquid
crystals (LC) 1510. In the natural (non-energized/no voltage applied/no
current)
state, these LC elements 1510 are randomly arranged within each cell 1500 and
do
not permit passage of UV-C light. However, when energized with an appropriate,
low
DC voltage, the LC components and/or elements 1510 align themselves in the
cell
and create open slits through which the UV-C light passes.
FIG. 16A shows a row 1600 of cells 1602 through 1612 including power
control signal input lines 1614 through 1624. In this configuration, all of
the cells
1602 through 1612 share a common return or negative input line 1626. A voltage
and/or current applied via control signal input lines 1614 through 1624 may be
controlled by a microprocessor and/or controller 1312. Controller 1312 may,
for
example independently control each cell 1602 through 1612 by switching
voltages
and/or current on each control signal input line 1614 through 1624. For
example, to
place cell 1602 in an open and/or pass through state, controller 1312 applies
a
voltage and/or current to cell 1602 via input line1614 that creates a current
through
cell 1602 between input line 1614 and return line 1626 to align its LC
elements to
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allow light to pass through the cell 1602. Controller 1312 can selectively set
any of
cells 1602 through 1612 to a closed state by removing a voltage and/or current
applied to a selected cell via its respective input line 1614 through 1624.
While the
cells 1602 through 1612 include LC elements, other types of cells and/or
shutters
may be used including, for example, microelectromechanical (MEMS) based
shutters.
FIG. 16B shows an array 1650 of cells and/or shutters arranged in multiple
rows 1652 and columns 1654. In some implementations, array 1650 includes a
tightly arranged array of miniature cells 1656 that can be individually
actuated by a
lo processor such as controller 1312 to be either opened or closed based on
their X-Y
coordinate location in the array 1650. Controller 1312 may access a table
and/or
database in a memory such as memory 204 that maps each cell of the array 1650.
Each entry of the table may store a 1 for an open or activated cell and a 0
for a
closed or deactivated cell. Each entry may be set based on shape data received
from at least one shape sensor that detects the shape of a surface of footwear
facing
a sanitizing interface. Controller 1312 may review the table to determine
which cells
of array 1656 to open or close for screening cells or to activate or
deactivate for light
emitter cells. For example, cell 1656 is the fifth cell in row 1 of array
1650. Hence,
its X-Y coordinates in the table may be (5,1).
FIG. 17A shows a UV sanitizing housing 1700 during a footwear detection
phase including optical shape sensors 1 702 and 1704 arranged to detect the
presence of an object such as footwear 1710. FIG. 17B shows the UV sanitizing
housing 1700 when the UV emitter 1714 is emitting UV light 1724 while a
portion
1720 of the shutters and/or cells 1718 are open to pass through the UV light
1724
toward footwear 1710 while another portion 1722 of the shutters and/or cells
1718
are closed to block UV light 1724 not directed toward the footwear 1710. The
shape
sensors 1702 and 1704 are able to detect the 2-dimensional extent of the shape
of
the object that is in close proximity to the top surface of housing 1700 using
optical
detection signals 1726 and 1728 respectively. Housing 1700 includes a
sanitizing
interface 1706 including a top surface 1708 arranged to support footwear 1710
positioned above the sanitizing interface 1706. The sanitizing interface 1706
may
include a translucent material arranged to allow UV light to pass through
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The shape sensors 1702 and 1704 may generate shape data associated with
a detected shape of a surface 1712 of the footwear 1710 facing the sanitizing
interface 1706. Housing 1700 includes at least one UV light emitter 1714
arranged
to emit UV light toward footwear 1710. Housing 1700 further includes a shield
panel
1716 positioned between UV light emitter 1714 and sanitizing interface 1706.
The
shield panel 1716 may include an array of screening cells 1718. Although not
shown
if FIGS. 17A and 17B, the housing 1700 may include a controller such as
controller
1312 arranged to: i) receive the shape data from sensors 1702 and 1704; ii)
open a
first portion 1720 of the array of screen cells 1718 and close a second
portion 1722
lo of the array of screen cells 1718 in response to the received shape
data; and iii)
activate UV light emitter 1714 once the array of screen cells are configured
in
response to the shape data. Housing 1700 may include a proximity sensor 1730
arranged to detect the presence of footwear 1710 when positioned above
sanitizing
interface 1706, and determine when to start or end the sanitizing process.
In operation, a user places their shoe and/or footwear 1710 (or other object)
on the defined sanitization areas and/or sanitizing interface 1706. Proximity
sensor
1730, which may be located on or about top surface 1708, senses the presence
of
footwear 1710 and activates the optical detection sensors 1702 and 1704. All
screen
cells 1718 are energized and/or opened to permit the optical detection of
footwear
1710 located above sanitizing interface and/or shield screen layer 1706. The
shape
sensor(s) 1702 and 1704 capture the shoe sole and/or bottom surface 1712 of
footwear 1720 as two-dimensional shape data and transmit the shape data to
controller 1312.
Controller 1312 analyzes and/or processes the shape data and/or information
and determines which screening cells 1718 within the array 1716 are to be
energized
with prescribed voltage to open the cell, or de-energized to close the cell
and block
the UV-C light from UV emitter 1714. The appropriate cells 1718 within the two-
dimensional shape form opposing the bottom surface 1712 of footwear 1710 are
energized to permit UV-C light passage and other cells not opposing the bottom
surface 1712 are de-energized to safely block UV-C light passage from being
transmitted toward the user. The UV-C emitter(s) 1714 is switched on for a
predetermined period of time and sanitization of bottom surface 1712 of
footwear
1710 occurs. When complete, UV-C emitter(s) 1714 is turned off by controller
1312
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and the energized cells 1718 of portion 1720 are de-energized. The sanitizing
cycle
is complete.
FIG. 18 is an exploded view 1800 of multiple layers of a UV sanitizing device
illustrating how the optical sensor(s) 1802, 1804, and 1806 can detect the
shape of
footwear. The multiple layers include a shield layer 1808 having an array of
cells
and/or shutters 1810. The shield layer 1808 has a portion 1812 of cells that
are
open to pass through UV light toward the footwear while another portion 1814
of the
cells and/or shutters is closed to block portions of UV light not directed
toward the
footwear from passing through the shield layer 1808. The multiple layers may
lo include sanitizing interface and/or surface layer 1816 and a bottom
protective layer
1818.
FIG. 19 is an exploded view 1900 of multiple layers of a UV sanitizing device
illustrating how a mass sensing top layer 1902 detects the presence and/or
shape of
footwear. The multiple layers include a shield layer 1904 having an array of
cells
and/or shutters 1906 with a portion 1908 of the cells 1906 that are open to
pass
through UV light toward the detected footwear while another portion 1910 of
the cells
1906 is closed to block UV light not directed toward the footwear from passing
through the shield layer 1904. The multiple layers may include layers 1912 and
1914 above and below shield layer 1904 and a bottom protective layer 1916.
Mass
sensing top layer 1902 may include weight sensing elements, capacitive sensing
elements, and/or other elements arranged to detect an object in close
proximity to
layer 1902.
FIG. 20A shows a UV sanitizing housing 2000 including a mass sensing layer
2002 arranged to detect the presence of an object such as footwear 2010. The
mass
sensing layer 2002 includes at least one mass shape sensor 2006 arranged to
detect the 2-dimensional extent of the shape of footwear 2010 that is in close
proximity the sanitizing interface 2004. Sanitizing interface 2004 includes a
top
surface 2008 arranged to support footwear 2010 positioned above the sanitizing
interface 2004. The sanitizing interface 2004 may include a translucent
material
arranged to allow UV light to pass through. The at least one shape sensor 2006
is
arranged to generate shape data associated with a detected shape of a surface
2012 of footwear 2010 facing the sanitizing interface 2004. A light emitting
panel
2014 includes an array 2016 of UV light emitter cells 2018 arranged to emit UV-
C
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light toward the sanitizing interface and/or top layer 2004. Although not
shown in
FIGS. 20A and 20B, a controller such as controller 1312 is arranged to: i)
receive the
shape data and ii) activate a first portion 2020 of the array 2016 of UV light
emitter
cells 2018 and deactivate a second portion 2022 of the array 2016 of UV light
emitter
cells 2018 in response to the received shape data.
FIG. 20B shows the UV sanitizing housing 2000 when the UV emitter panel
2014 is emitting UV light while a portion 2020 of the UV light emitter cells
2018 are
activated to emit UV light toward footwear 2010 and another portion 2022 of
the UV
light emitter cells 2018 are deactivated and do not emit UV light. Housing
2000 may
lo include a proximity sensor 2024 arranged to detect the presence of
footwear 2010
when positioned above sanitizing interface 2004.
In operation, an optical or mass detection sensor(s) 2006 detects the 2-
dimensional extent of the shape of the bottom surface 2026 of footwear 2010
that is
in close proximity to the top surface 2008 of sanitizing interface 2004.
Controller
1312 interfaces with a memory such as memory 204 which may contain firmware
and/or a database that understands the two-dimensional shape of the bottom
surface 2026 defined in shape data provided by sensor(s) 2006 and directs
portion
2020 of the array 2016 of UV light emitter cells 2018 to be activated while it
directs
portion 2022 of the array 2016 of UV light emitter cells 2018 to be
deactivated. Each
of the UV light emitter cells 2018 may include a Micro- or Mini-LED UV-C
emitter.
The quantity, size, density, and arrangement depend on the application. This
system and/or housings 1700 and 2000 can be duplicated one or more times to
sanitize multiple surfaces simultaneously. The sensor technology selection may
depend upon the sensing needs of the object to be sanitized. The system
defined
space is scalable up or down by adding sensor and UV-C LED components.
In operation, a user places their footwear 2010 (or other object) on the
defined
sanitization areas and/or sanitizing interface 2004. Proximity sensor 2024,
which
may be located on or about surface 2008, senses a presence of a shoe and/or
footwear 2010 (or other object) and activates the optical or mass detection
sensor(s)
2006. The sensor(s) 2006 capture the shoe sole or bottom surface 2026 (or
other
object) two-dimensional shape, generate shape data, and transmit the shape
data to
controller 1312. Controller 1312 processes and/or analyzes the shape data and
determines which UV light emitter cells 2018 are to be energized and de-
energized.
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The appropriate UV light emitter cells 2018 within and/or opposing the two-
dimensional shape form are energized to emit the sanitizing UV-C light toward
the
bottom surface 2026 of footwear 2010. When complete, the UV light emitter
cells
2018 are turned off by controller 1312and the sanitizing cycle is complete.
FIGS. 21A and 21B are top down views 2100 and 2150 respectively of a UV
sanitizing device showing a portion 2102 of screening cells 2106 that are open
and
portion 2104 of screening cells 2106 that are closed depending on the size
and/or
shape of detected footwear or a portion 2102 of UV light emitters that are
activated
and portion 2104 of UV light emitters 2106 that are not activated depending on
the
lo size of the detected footwear.
FIG. 22 shows a debris remover 2200 arrange to remove debris from a hand-
held device 2202. The hand-held device 2202 may include a mobile phone. Debris
remover includes a housing 2204 having a debris remover unit 2206. The debris
remover assembly 2206 may include one or more brushes. As shown in FIG. 22,
the
assembly 2206 may include one or more rotary brushes arrange to rotate and
remove debris from a portion of device 2202 in contact with assembly 2206. A
user
may move and/or slide device 2202 along the top surface 2208 of debris remover
2200 and over assembly 2206 that, in turn, may rotate and remove debris from
device 2202. The debris may be collected in cavity 2210 for later removal.
Assembly 2206 may be motor driven. Debris remover 2200 may have one or more
sensor that detect the presence of device 2202 in proximity to debris remover
2200.
A controller such as controller 200 or 410 may control activation and/or
deactivation
of assembly 2206 based on sensor data from the one or more sensors indicating
the
presence or absence of device 2202 in proximity to the debris remover 2200.
FIG. 23 shows a sanitizer device 2300 with a hand-held device 2302
positioned on the top surface 2304 of the sanitizer device 2300. The sanitizer
device
2300 may include multiple layers such as a shield layer 2304 having an array
of cells
and/or shutters with a portion of the cells that are open to pass through UV
light
toward the detected hand-held device 2302 while another portion of the cells
is
closed to block UV light not directed toward the hand-held device 2302 from
passing
through the shield layer 2304. The multiple layers may include layers 2306 and
2308 above and below shield layer 2304 and a bottom protective layer 2310.
Mass
sensing top layer 2312 may include weight sensing elements, capacitive sensing
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elements, and/or other elements arranged to detect an object such as device
2302 in
close proximity to layer 2312. The arrangement and operation of device 2300 is
similar to the arrangement and operations of the UV sanitizing device of FIG.
19.
FIG. 24 shows another UV sanitizing system 2400 arrange to sanitize a
portion of another device, e.g., a vehicle 2402, positioned above a top
surface 2404
of a housing 2406 the sanitizer system 2400. The arrangement and operations of
system 2400 may be similar to the arrangement and operations of the UV
sanitizer
systems of FIGS. 19 and 23. However, the housing 2406 is sized to support
and/or
provide UV emissions and shield for relatively larger devices such as vehicle
2402.
lo In some instances, only a portion of device and/or object, e.g.,
the tires of
vehicle 2402, heels of a shoe, or legs of a chair and so on, may contact the
top
surface of a housing such as housing 2406 or be in sufficient proximity to a
sensor to
be detected. In some implementations, a controller such as controller 1312 is
arranged to: i) receive the shape data from a shape sensor such as sensor
2006, ii)
predict and/or determine the shape of a device based on the shape data, and
ii)
activate a first portion 2020 of the array 2016 of UV light emitter cells 2018
and
deactivate a second portion 2022 of the array 2016 of UV light emitter cells
2018 in
response to the received shape data or, with respect to FIG. 17, when the UV
emitter
1714 is emitting UV light 1724 configure a portion 1720 of the shutters and/or
cells
1718 to be open to pass through the UV light 1724 toward footwear 1710 while
configuring another portion 1722 of the shutters and/or cells 1718 to be
closed to
block UV light 1724 not directed toward the footwear 1710. In some
implementations, a shape sensor may only detect the tires of a vehicle. Based
on
the shape data, the controller 1312 may interpret the received shape data
based on
known characteristics of the detected shape associated with the tires to
predict
and/or determine that a vehicle is positioned adjacent to and/or over the
housing to
selectively control activation and/or de-activation of light emitter cells
and/or shutters
to emit UV light according to the predicted and/or determined shape of the
object,
e.g., the shape of the vehicle. A data store such as memory 204 or storage 208
may
include a look up table that correlates detected shapes with predicted shapes
of
objects based on known characteristics of the detected shape or shapes. The
controller 1312 and processor may compare the shape data with the table and,
if a
match is detected, determine that the shape data is associated with a
particular
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device and/or object, e.g., a vehicle, and configure the sanitizing interface
to emit UV
light toward the object based on the stored shape data for the whole vehicle
instead
of just for the detect shape of the tires. Such implementations may also
enable
compensation by controller 1312 for situations where a sensor fails, resulting
in
incomplete or inaccurate shape data. Controller 1312 may be able to predict
the
correct shape of the device and/or object and configure the sanitizing
interface to
more accurately emit UV light toward the device and/or object. In some
implementations, a portion of the sanitizing interface, such as described with
respect
to FIGS_ 17A ¨ 24, is arranged substantially vertically and/or adjacent to a
portion of
lo a side of an object so as to selectively emit UV light toward a portion
of a side of an
object according to a detected side profile and/or shape of a portion of the
object. In
this way, a portion of a side of an object may be sanitized while minimizing
exposure
to the emitted UV light to anyone or thing on the other side of the object.
In some implementations, the sanitizing interface and/or UV emission
interface may include one or more alignment indicators arranged to enable
alignment
of a device and/or object adjacent to the sanitizing interface. An alignment
indicator
may include a marking on a top surface of the sanitizing interface or a
marking that is
visible to an operator viewing the sanitizing interface. For example, the
making may
be etched within or on the bottom of a panel of the sanitizing interface, but
remain
visible to an operator and/or user. Alignment indicators may include one or
more
lights emitted from the sanitizing interface. The one or more lights may be in
the
visible spectrum to enable an operator to see the indicators. The one or more
alignment indicators may indicate a center position or area or other location
adjacent
to the sanitizing interface for placement of a device and/or object.
In any of the implementations described herein, the sanitizing interface may
include a removable cover arranged to protect the sanitization interface
during
transport or storage, or to prevent inadvertent UV emissions from the device
or
system when operations are not intended. The cover may be removed from the
sanitizing interface before its intended operations. In some implementations,
the
cover remains connected to a housing of the device or system while being
removed
from the sanitizing interface, i.e., the cover has an open and closed position
with
respect to the sanitizing interface_
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Elements or steps of different implementations described may be combined to
form other implementations not specifically set forth previously. Elements or
steps
may be left out of the systems or processes described previously without
adversely
affecting their operation or the operation of the system in general.
Furthermore,
various separate elements or steps may be combined into one or more individual
elements or steps to perform the functions described in this specification.
Other implementations not specifically described in this specification are
also
within the scope of the following claims.
What is claimed is:
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