Patent ID: 9731039
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: A61L

Claim:
1. Apparatus for sanitizing human footwear having an opening in which a person's foot is inserted to put on the footwear, comprising: a light source operable to receive electrical power from a power source and to emit radiation in a wavelength range that sanitizes the footwear by inhibiting growth of or destroying microorganisms present in an interior region of the footwear, the light source having a bulb portion and a base; a hollow forepart shaped to pass through the opening in the footwear and fit inside the footwear interior region, the hollow forepart configured in the form of a protective cage that includes multiple openings and receives the bulb portion of the light source; a rear part positioned behind and matable with the hollow forepart, the rear part configured in the form of a bulb carrier for receiving the base of the light source, and the rear part delivering electrical power from the power source to activate the light source and generate emission of the radiation; and control circuitry implementing a user safety function by providing a temporal operational sequence of sanitizing the footwear, the temporal operational sequence including a specified operating time window and the control circuitry operatively connected to a user-actuated power-on control so that, after a preliminary period that is initiated by user-actuation of the power-on control to activate the light source and is set to a duration sufficient to provide a safety delay against exposing the user to sanitizing radiation, the control circuitry provides the specified operating time window during which the radiation sanitizes the footwear.