Patent ID: 6706243
Filing Date: 2004-03-16
Classification: A61L,B08B

Abstract:
A hand cleaning apparatus comprising:a hand-cleaning volume, the hand-cleaning volume being sized to receive a human hand; a mechanical-cleaning device, including a pressurized gas source positioned to direct a flow of pressurized gas into the hand-cleaning volume, a source of pressurized gas in communication with an inlet of the pressurized gas source, a pressurized gas activator intermediate the source of pressurized gas and said pressurized gas source, and a gas-source vent communicating with the hand-cleaning volume and being operable to remove pressurized gas from the hand-cleaning volume; a chemical-cleaning device, including a first source of a first cleaning solution an activating nebulizer operable to emit an activated cleaning mist into the hand-cleaning volume, the activating nebulizer including a vaporizer which creates a mist of the first cleaning solution, an activator which activates the mist of the first cleaning solution, the activator being selected from the group consisting of a plasma source and an ionizer, the vaporizer and the activator being located outside of the hand-cleaning volume, and means for causing the activated mist of the first cleaning solution to flow into the hand-cleaning volume; and a controller operable to activate the mechanical-cleaning device and to activate the chemical-cleaning device in response to the receipt of a human hand in the hand-cleaning volume and during different time periods in which a human hand is present in the hand-cleaning volume.