Abstract:
An ozone cleaning system includes a cabinet defining a cleaning space, and an ozone generator disposed in fluid communication with the cleaning space and configured to produce and introduce ozone therein for cleaning items with ozone. An ozone neutralization unit is attached to the cabinet and includes an inlet and outlet tube each disposed within the cabinet. The ozone neutralization unit includes a heater/blower assembly in fluid communication with each tube and operable for heating and recirculating the ozone within the cleaning space. A method of operating the ozone cleaning system includes receiving an input to commence an ozone cleaning cycle, and then producing and introducing ozone into the cleaning space. The method proceeds by determining if the ozone cleaning cycle is complete, and then initiating and executing an ozone neutralization cycle to accelerate the rate of ozone neutralization after the ozone cleaning cycle is complete.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/937,948, filed Feb. 10, 2014, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/076,052, filed Feb. 10, 2014, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates generally to an ozone cleaning system for reducing and removing bacteria from a variety of items. The present disclosure also relates to a method of operating an ozone cleaning system. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    This section provides a general summary of background information and the comments and examples provided in this section are not necessarily prior art to the present disclosure. 
         [0004]    Sports equipment, such as hockey and football equipment, readily develops odors, mold, and mildew after repeated use which can be often difficult to clean and dry using residential washers and dryers. Correspondingly, there has been a growing concern with the ability to adequately clean sports equipment as the spread of bacteria from the sports equipment to a user can often lead to serious health issues. As such, various commercial ozone cleaning systems have been specifically developed to clean sports equipment with ozone. In addition, other commercial ozone cleaning systems have been developed to clean bacteria from large spaces within a building as well as from other personal items such as clothing. 
         [0005]    While commercial ozone cleaning systems of the type noted above operate satisfactorily for their intended purpose, these ozone cleaning systems are extremely large and fairly expensive to purchase and repeatedly operate. As such, these ozone cleaning systems are only feasible for commercial retailers, and thus are not readily available to the public for their personal use. Even in the instance that an ozone cleaning system is available to the public, it still requires that consumers commute to a commercial retailer to treat and clean their sports equipment and other personal items with the retailer&#39;s ozone cleaning system for a costly one-time fee. 
         [0006]    As such, a recognized need exists to make further improvements to ozone cleaning systems in an effort to reduce their size and affordability and thus provide more access for the average consumer to clean their personal items with an ozone cleaning system. To this end, a specific need exists to develop an ozone cleaning system that is sized to be easily and readily positioned within a home or a smaller commercial environment, such as a hospital, doctor office, or dentist office, and that also provides for more affordable and economical repeated use within these environments. Such an ozone cleaning system would be advantageous because it would increase the availability of cleaning other personal items besides sport equipment with ozone, such as household items, medical items, and dental items, and thus provides an average consumer with a more sanitary lifestyle. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    This section provides a general summary of the present disclosure and is not intended to be interpreted as a comprehensive and exhaustive disclosure of all contemplated aspects, advantages, features and configurations. 
         [0008]    It is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide an ozone cleaning system operable for reducing and eliminating bacteria from a variety of items. 
         [0009]    It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a method of operating such an ozone cleaning system. 
         [0010]    It is another aspect of the present disclosure to equip the ozone cleaning system with an ozone neutralization unit having a heated recirculation circuit. 
         [0011]    These and other aspects of the present disclosure are provided by an ozone cleaning system for cleaning a variety of items with ozone comprising: a cabinet having a plurality of panels each extending from a bottom portion to a top portion to collectively define a cleaning space of said cabinet; a lid pivotably attached along said top portion of said cabinet and movable from an open position to a closed position to enclose said cleaning space, said lid including a striker assembly disposed in interlocking relationship with a latch assembly of said cabinet in said closed position; an ozone generator disposed in communication with said cleaning space and configured to produce and introduce ozone therein when said lid is disposed in said closed position for cleaning items disposed within said cleaning space with ozone; and a manual emergency release plate disposed on an underside of said lid and interconnected to said latch assembly for allowing a user trapped inside said cleaning space to manually push up on said manual emergency release plate and escape from said cabinet. 
         [0012]    In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the ozone cleaning system includes a controller disposed in electrical communication with the at least one ozone cell that is configured to monitor a current of the at least one ozone cell and determine an optimum operating frequency of the ozone generator using the monitored current. An ozone sensor is disposed in electrical communication with the controller and is in electrical communication with the cleaning space to detect a concentration level of ozone with the cleaning space of the cabinet. A visual display is disposed in electrical communication with the controller and is configured to provide operational feedback of the ozone cleaning system to a user and allow the user to interact with the ozone cleaning system. 
         [0013]    In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the ozone cleaning system includes an ozone neutralization unit comprising an inlet tube disposed within the cleaning space and having inlet ports, and an outlet tube disposed within the cleaning space and having discharge ports. A heater/blower assembly is in fluid flow communication with the inlet and outlet tubes, wherein the heater/blower assembly is operable to draw ozone from the cleaning space through the inlet ports, heat the ozone, and return the heated ozone to the cleaning space through the discharge ports, thereby establishing a recirculatory heat transfer system for accelerating the rate of ozone neutralization. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an ozone cleaning system constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the ozone cleaning system with its lid disposed in an open position to illustrate a manual emergency release plate; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the lid in the open position to more clearly illustrate the manual emergency release plate, as well as a striker assembly and a latch assembly of the ozone cleaning system; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a magnified perspective view of a portion of  FIG. 3 . more clearly illustrating the components of the striker assembly; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is magnified perspective view of a portion of  FIG. 3  more clearly illustrating the latch assembly; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an ozone generator constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the ozone cleaning system; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a flow diagram illustrating a method of operating the ozone cleaning system. 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is a front view of an ozone cleaning system constructed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure and which incorporates an ozone neutralization unit having a heated recirculation circuit; 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the ozone cleaning system of  FIG. 8  with its lid removed for additional clarity to illustrate the location of an internal ozone sensor; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is another perspective view of the ozone cleaning system shown in  FIG. 8  with its lid removed for additional clarity to illustrate the location of an external ozone sensor. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    Example embodiments of an ozone cleaning system constructed in accordance with the present disclosure will now be more fully described. Each of these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure is thorough and fully conveys the scope of the inventive concepts, features and advantages to those skilled in the art. To this end, numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices and mechanisms associated with the ozone cleaning system to provide a thorough understanding of each of the embodiments associated with the present disclosure. However, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, not all specific details described herein need to be employed, the example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and thus should not be construed or interpreted to limit the scope of the disclosure. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an ozone cleaning system  10  illustrating a cabinet  12  having a front panel  14 , a rear panel  16 , and a pair of side panels  18  each extending from a bottom portion  20  to an open top portion  22  of the cabinet  12 . Although the ozone cleaning system  10  will be described hereinafter in conjunction with a cabinet  12 , the features and method of the ozone cleaning system  10  described herein can also be incorporated into any other structure or a household appliance such as a washer, dryer, or dishwasher machine. As best shown in  FIG. 2 , each of the panels  14 ,  16 ,  18  collectively define an internal cleaning space  24  for receiving a variety of personal items to be cleaned and deodorized by ozone, such as medical devices, dental devices, cosmetic items, and various household items such as a tooth brush, a comb, toys, clothes, kitchen utensils, or any other personal items that can fit within the cleaning space  24 . A lid  26  is pivotably connected to the cabinet  12  along the top portion  22  of the cabinet  12 , and is movable from an open position, as shown in  FIG. 2 , to a closed position, as shown in  FIG. 1 . In an embodiment, the lid  26  is connected to the cabinet  12  using a hinge  28  which extends along the top portion  22  of the cabinet  12  adjacent the rear panel  16 . However, any other means of connecting the lid  26  to the cabinet  12  could be utilized without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. As also shown in  FIG. 2 , the lid  26  and/or the top portion  22  of the cabinet  12  can include sealing components such as, for example, silicone seals  30  or silicone caulking to hermetically seal the lid  26  with the cabinet  12  when the lid  26  is disposed in the closed position. This arrangement is advantageous because it takes up any manufacturing deficiencies that are present in the cabinet  12  or lid  26 . 
         [0027]    In one preferred embodiment, the cabinet  12  and the lid  26  are each constructed out of ozone resistive plastics, such as polycarbonate, high density polyethylene materials, or the like. The use of ozone resistive plastics is advantageous because it reduces the overall cost of the ozone cleaning system  10  while acting to isolate ozone disposed within the cleaning space  24  from being exposed to a user located externally to the ozone cleaning system  10 . In addition, each of the panels  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20  or portions of any one of the panels  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20  can be constructed out of a transparent material to allow a visual confirmation and monitoring of the personal items disposed within the cleaning space  24  of the cabinet  12 . 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the lid  26  includes a striker assembly  32  disposed on an underside of the lid  26  and the cabinet  12  includes a latch assembly  34  disposed on an inside of the front panel  14  and within the cleaning space  24 . As mentioned previously, the lid  26  is pivotable between the open position and the closed position to permit access to and enclose the personal items within the cleaning space  24 . When the lid  26  is disposed in the closed position, the striker assembly  32  is disposed in interlocking relationship with the latch assembly  34  to lock the lid  26  and prevent the lid  26  from opening without manual intervention. The lid  26  can also include a manual latch button  38  to allow a user to manually release the striker assembly  32  from the latch assembly  34 . In a further embodiment, the striker assembly  32  and/or the latch assembly  34  could also include an electronic lock to prevent the opening of the cabinet  12 , even in the presence of a manual intervention, once an ozone cleaning cycle of the ozone cleaning system  10  has begun. The electronic lock is advantageous because it can prevent the exposure of an operator/user to unsafe ozone levels, and can also be a pre-requisite to any ozone cleaning cycle, i.e. the ozone cleaning cycle will not begin until the electronic lock is activated. In an embodiment, the ozone cleaning system  10  can also include a limit switch built into either the striker assembly  32  or latch assembly  34  to provide a signal which indicates that the lid  26  is closed and the ozone cleaning cycle can commence. As will be described in more detail below, an ozone cleaning cycle of the ozone cleaning system  10  cannot commence until the lid  26  is locked and the lid  26  will be prevented from opening until an entire cleaning cycle has completed. In an additional embodiment, the ozone cleaning system  10  could also include a pop-up feature to indicate that the lid  26  is in the open position. 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the striker assembly  32  includes an activation tab  40 , a striker lever  42 , and a cable  44 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the latch assembly  34  includes a latch lever  46 . In an embodiment, the latch assembly  34  includes a power release latch. With further reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the ozone cleaning system  10  can also include a manual emergency release plate  48  disposed on an underside of the lid  26 . The manual emergency release plate  48  is interconnected to either the striker assembly  32  or the latch assembly  34  and designed to release the striker assembly  32  from the latch assembly  34 , and override any electronic lock therebetween, in the event that someone is locked within the cleaning space  24  of the cabinet  12 . In an embodiment, the manual emergency release plate  48  could be interconnected to an assembly similar to the “Over Travel Hood Latch” of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/981,201, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In an alternative embodiment, the manual emergency release plate could be interconnected to a power lock/unlock latch capable of overriding the electronic lock. Such a power lock/unlock latch could be used if the ozone cleaning system  10  did not include a manual release button  38  disposed on an outside of the cabinet  12 , or the manual release button  38  was designed such that it was not capable of overriding the electronic lock. One such example of a power lock/unlock latch is disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/930,699, entitled a “Door Latch Assembly For Motor Vehicles”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0030]    The manual emergency release plate  48  operates such that if someone is trapped within the cleaning space  24 , the trapped occupant can simply push up on the manual emergency release plate  48 , and the manual emergency release plate  48  will automatically release the latch assembly  34  from the striker assembly  32  to allow the trapped occupant to escape. For example, when a trapped occupant pushes up on the manual emergency release plate  48 , the manual emergency release plate  48  will pull the cable  44  which is attached to the striker lever  42 , causing the striker lever  42  to rotate. The activation tab  40 , which is attached to the striker lever  42 , also follows this rotation of the striker lever  42 . The activation tab  40  will then push on the latch lever  46  of the latch assembly  34  to release the striker assembly  32  therefrom. Since the cleaning space  24  of the cabinet  12  is likely dark when the lid  26  is disposed in the closed and locked position, the manual emergency release plate  48  is designed to cover approximately 90% of the underside of the lid  26  such that if an occupant was locked inside, all they would need to do is push up on the lid  26  to release the lock. 
         [0031]    As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the ozone cleaning system  10  includes an ozone generator  50  disposed in communication with the cleaning space  24  of the cabinet  12 , and in the preferred embodiment, is attached to the inside of the front wall  14  of the cabinet  12 . However, the ozone generator  50  could also be attached to any of the walls  14 ,  16 ,  18  without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. As best shown in  FIG. 6 , the ozone generator  50  includes at least one ozone cell  52 , such as corona discharge cell or an ultra-violet cell, with the number of ozone cells  52  depending on the ozone concentration levels that are required within the cleaning space  24 . In the preferred embodiment, the ozone cell(s)  52  are designed to produce at least ozone concentration levels up to 100 ppm, with a target of 50 ppm, within the cleaning space  24 . As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the ozone generator includes a vent  54  disposed in communication with the ozone cell(s)  52  to allow the ozone produced by the ozone cell(s)  52  to pass into the cleaning space  24 . In addition, a fan (not expressly shown) is disposed between the ozone cell(s)  52  and the vent  54  to circulate the ozone within the cleaning space  42  as well as cool the ozone cell(s)  52 . 
         [0032]    As best shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the ozone cleaning system  10  also includes a controller  56  that is disposed on an outside surface of the cabinet  12  and in electrical communication with the ozone generator  50 . If the ozone generator  50  is disposed on an inside of the front wall  14 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , the controller  56  is preferably disposed next adjacent the ozone generator  50  on an outside of the front panel  14 . The mounting of the controller  56  on an outside of the cabinet  12  is advantageous because it isolates, and thus protects, the controller  56  and its associated electronics from the ozone introduced into the cleaning space  24  by the ozone generator  50 . In an embodiment, the electronic locking mechanism and the fan motor can also be isolated, and thus protected, from the ozone produced within the cleaning space  24 . 
         [0033]    As best shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the ozone cleaning system  10  includes a visual display  58  in electrical communication with the controller  56  to provide operational feedback to a user and allow the user to interact with the ozone cleaning system  10 . For example, the visual display  58  could provide lighting to indicate a start of an ozone cleaning cycle, provide an indication of a time remaining in the ozone cleaning cycle, provide an indication of an ozone concentration during the ozone cleaning cycle, as well as providing an indication of an end of the ozone cleaning cycle. As such, the visual display  58  can be used to provide an indication to an operator of the status of the ozone cleaning cycle. In an embodiment, the visual display  58  could also include a touch screen display to allow an operator to initiate an ozone cleaning cycle of the ozone cleaning system  10 . 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the ozone cleaning system  10  can also include an ozone sensor  60  disposed in electrical communication with the controller  56  and in communication with the cleaning space  24  to detect an amount or concentration level of ozone within the cleaning space  24 . This feedback from the ozone sensor  60  could then be used by the controller  56  to regulate the amount of ozone production by the ozone generator  50 . For example, the ozone sensor  60  could be utilized to automatically increase or decrease ozone production by the ozone generator  50  for purposes of maintaining a specific ozone concentration within the cleaning space  24 . One suitable ozone sensor could be a MQ131 ozone sensor from Winsen Sensor, however other ozone sensors could be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, the ozone sensor  60  could be used to determine when the electronic lock could be released to allow the lid  26  of the ozone cleaning system  10  to be opened. For example, the ozone sensor  60  could be used to detect when an ozone concentration level of 0 ppm is present in the cleaning space  24  after completion of the ozone cleaning cycle, and used to keep the lid  26  locked until the ozone is no longer present in the cleaning space  24 . Accordingly, the electronically controlled locking function, as regulated by the ozone sensor  60 , ensures that any ozone which remains in the cleaning space  24  has been reverted back to oxygen before the lid  26  can be opened by the operator. 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  is an example of a block diagram of the ozone generator  50  of the subject disclosure which incorporates two ozone cells  52 ,  52 ′. However, as previously mentioned above, the subject ozone cleaning system could also include only a single ozone cell, in which the duplicate parts for the second ozone cell would be omitted from the subject ozone generator block diagram. However, as shown in  FIG. 6 , in the event that two ozone cells  52 ,  52 ′ are utilized, each of the ozone cells  52 ,  52 ′ can be controlled independently. In view of the similarity between the control circuit for each of the ozone cells  52 ,  52 ′, prime numbers are used in the drawings to identify the components of the second ozone cell  52 ′ that are common with or similar to the components of first ozone cell  52  described hereafter. 
         [0036]    With further reference to  FIG. 6 , the ozone generator  50  includes a power supply  62  electrically connected to a first current sensor amplifier  64 . In an embodiment, the power supply  62  is a 12V power supply and the first current sensor amplifier  64  monitors current to ensure components within the ozone generator  50  do not draw too much current for preventing damage to the power supply  60 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the first current sensor amplifier  62  is electrically connected to a first High Voltage (HV) amplifier  66  which is electrically connected to a first High Voltage (IIV) transformer  68 . In an embodiment, the first HV amplifier  66  applies voltage for FET&#39;s, and the first HV transformer  68  steps up the voltage for the ozone generator  50  from 12 Volts to 6,000 Volts. The first HV transformer  68  is electrically connected to the first ozone cell  52  which is used to create ozone within the cleaning space  24 , preferably through a corona discharge effect. The first ozone cell  52  is then electrically connected to a second current sensor amplifier  70  which measures, current being used by the ozone cell  52 . The second current sensor amplifier  70  is electrically connected to the controller  56  and feeds the current being used by the first ozone cell  52  to a 10-bit analog to digital converter disposed within the controller  56 . 
         [0037]    As further shown in  FIG. 6 , the controller  56  is electrically connected to the first HV amplifier  66  and has a pulse width modulating (PWM) hardware module to control the operating frequency of the ozone generator  50 . As will be described in more detail below, the controller  56  monitors the current of the first ozone cell  52  to determine/search for the optimum operating frequency of the ozone generator  50 . As will be understood from the entirety of the subject disclosure, the controller  56  also controls the ozone cleaning and neutralization cycles, controls the electronic lock operation, senses ozone concentration levels within the cleaning space  24 , auto-tunes the ozone cells  52 ,  52 ′, and detects the lid  26  position. Although not expressly shown, a supercapacitor could be used in the circuitry of the ozone generator block diagram to provide temporary memory retention in the event of a power failure for the ozone generator  50 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 7  is a flow chart illustrating the various steps or operations associated with an example method  99  for operating the ozone cleaning system  10 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the method  99  includes the steps or operations illustrated by block  100  for setting up general times and port directions, block  102  for setting up analog to digital inputs, and block  104  for setting up pulse width modulation (PWM) for LF zone signal generation. In a preferred embodiment, each of these steps would occur prior to delivery of the ozone cleaning system  10  to a consumer. Once the ozone cleaning system  10  is installed within a home, doctor&#39;s office, dentist&#39;s office, or the like, the method  99  proceeds to block  106  indicating the step of waiting for a user input at the ozone cleaning system  10 , such as the pressing of a capacitive sensing button or the pressing of a visual indicator on the visual display  58 . Once the ozone cleaning system determines, as shown by determination block  108 , that the user has pressed a function button, the method  99  proceeds to block  110  whereat the controller  56  turns on the ozone signal amplifier(s)  70 , and then to block  112  whereat the controller  56  monitor a current being delivered to the ozone cell(s)  52 . As noted in  FIG. 6 , the optimum operating current is determined by the ozone cell(s)  52  and the on board power supply. 
         [0039]    Since the ozone cells  52 ,  52 ′ may have different characteristic impedances, the subject method includes method steps to match the specific characteristic impedances of the ozone cells  52 ,  52 ′ to the respective high voltage amplifier  66 ,  66 ′. Put another way, the subject method includes steps to electronically self-adjust the ozone optimization process. Accordingly, the subject method proceeds to determination block  114  whereat the controller  56  determines if the frequency is at an optimum setting, and if it is not, proceed to block  116  whereat the controller  56  increases or decreases the ozone signal frequency as required. 
         [0040]    The method determines the optimum operating frequency by monitoring the current, keeping in mind that the operational current has to be kept below the power supply maximum output current. In more detail, since the ozone cell impedance tolerance varies by up to 10%, the controller  56  gradually ramps up the frequency from approximately 14 kHz to 16 kHz. While this is happening, the analog to digital converter monitors the current. At the resonant frequency the current dips, and thus this is the dip that the controller  56  is monitoring. The controller  56  records this dip and sets the operational frequency of the ozone cell  52  to the now known resonant frequency. 
         [0041]    Once this optimum frequency setting has been established by the controller  56 , the method proceeds to block  118  whereat the user selected clean cycle is executed to begin producing ozone within the cleaning space  24  using the ozone generator  50 . In an example embodiment, the user could select either a “surface clean” cycle or a “deep clean” cycle by way of the visual display  58 , with each of these cycles varying based on cycle time and/or targeted ozone concentration within the cleaning space  24 . As the ozone is produced and introduced into the cleaning space  24 , the ozone acts to break down various forms of bacteria that may be present on the personal items disposed within the cabinet  12 . Once selected, the method proceeds to determination block  120  whereat the controller  120  determines if the selected ozone cleaning cycle is finished, for example by determining if the required time has elapsed for the selected ozone cleaning cycle. 
         [0042]    If the clean cycle is complete, the controller  56  proceeds, as shown by block  122 , to initiate and execute a neutralization cycle for allowing the ozone present within the cabinet  12  to revert back to oxygen. In one embodiment of the ozone cleaning system  10 , the neutralization cycle may simply consists of allowing the cabinet  12  to remain closed and latched for a predetermined period of time to allow all of the ozone to revert back to oxygen naturally. In addition, and as mentioned above, the neutralization cycle could also continue until the ozone sensor  60  senses 0 ppm of ozone within the cabinet  12 . 
         [0043]    Method  99  subsequently moves to determination block  124  whereat controller  56  determines whether or not the ozone neutralization process has finished. Once the neutralization cycle is finished, for example by determining if the required time has elapsed or the ozone sensor  60  indicates 0 ppm of ozone within cabinet  12 , the lid  26  may be released and opened to permit removal of the sanitized and cleaned items. 
         [0044]    In another embodiment of the ozone cleaning system  10 , a catalyst could also be introduced into the cleaning space  24  to neutralize the ozone and speed up the neutralization cycle. In any event, once the neutralization cycle is complete, the user is only then able to unlock the lid  26  and remove the personal items from the cabinet  12 . The ozone cleaning system  10  then proceeds to await another user input from the user to commence a subsequent cleaning cycle. 
         [0045]    Referring now to  FIG. 8 , an alternative embodiment of an ozone cleaning system  200  is shown. In general, ozone cleaning system  200  is substantially similar in structure and function to ozone cleaning system  10  with the exception that a neutralizer unit  202  has been integrated for the purpose of accelerating the neutralization cycle and reducing the time required to revert the ozone back to oxygen. Based on the similarity of most components, the components of ozone cleaning system  200  that are similar to those of ozone cleaning system  10  will be identified by common reference numerals. 
         [0046]    Neutralizer unit  202  includes an inlet tube  204 , an outlet tube  206 , an inlet coupler tube  208 , an outlet coupler tube  210 , and a heater/blower assembly  212 . Inlet tube  204  is disposed within cleaning space  24  against an inner surface of one of side panels  18  in a generally vertical orientation. Inlet tube  204  has an upper end closed by an inlet cap  214 , a lower end installed within an inlet joint tube  216 , and a plurality of inlet ports  218 . Inlet joint tube  216  has a first end which extends through and is sealed relative to bottom panel  20  of cabinet  12  and which is configured to accept and retain the lower end of inlet tube  204  therein. As seen, a second end of inlet joint tube  216  extends outwardly from bottom panel  20  to be located external to cleaning space  24 . Similarly, outlet tube  206  is disposed within cleaning space  24  against an inner surface of the other one of side panels  18  in a generally vertical orientation. Outlet tube  206  has an upper end closed by an outlet cap  220 , a lower end installed within an outlet joint tube  222 , and a plurality of discharge ports  224 . Outlet joint tube  222  has a first end which extends through and is sealed relative to bottom panel  20  of cabinet  12  and which is configured to accept and retain the lower end of outlet tube  206  therein. A second end of outlet joint tube  222  extends outwardly from bottom panel  20  to be located external to cleaning space  24 . 
         [0047]    Heater/blower assembly  212  is shown to be installed below bottom panel  20  of cabinet  12  and define an inlet  230  and an outlet  232 . Inlet coupler tube  208  is interconnected between the second end of inlet joint tube  216  and inlet  230  of heater/blower assembly  212 . Likewise, outlet coupler tube  210  is interconnected between the second end of outlet joint tube  222  and outlet  232  of heater/blower assembly  212 . Heater/blower assembly  212  is schematically shown to include a blower unit (B)  234  and a heater unit (H)  236 . Ozone within internal chamber  24  is drawn into heater/blower assembly  212  upon actuation of blower unit  234  via an inlet flow path comprised of inlet ports  218 , inlet tube  204 , inlet joint tube  216 , and inlet coupler tube  208 . While not limited thereto, blower unit  234  may include an electric motor and fan assembly that is controlled by controller  56 . It is contemplated that the flow characteristic of blower unit  234  can be variably controlled during the ozone neutralization process. 
         [0048]    The ozone drawn into heater/blower assembly  212  by blower unit  234  subsequently flows through heater unit  236  where its temperature is increased to accelerate the ozone neutralization process. While not limited thereto, heater unit  236  may include an electric heater coil that is controlled by controller  56 . As such, heater unit  236  acts as a heat exchange device configured to transfer heat to the ozone flowing through heater/blower assembly  212 . The heated ozone is discharged from outlet  232  of heater/blower assembly  212  and returned to chamber  24  via an outlet flow path comprised of outlet coupler tube  210 , outlet joint tube  222 , outlet tube  206  and discharge ports  224 . It is contemplated that the temperature of the ozone/air mixture flowing through heater/blower assembly  212  will be capable of being increased from ambient to about 58° C. Furthermore, this recirculatory system not only accelerates ozone reversion based on the increased temperature, but also due to the increased flow characteristic within, around and through chamber  24 . Arrow  240  indicates the inlet flow direction while arrow  242  indicates the outlet flow direction with respect to heater/blower assembly  212 . 
         [0049]    In accordance with example cycle times for the neutralization cycle, it is contemplated that heater/blower assembly  212  would run for about 22 minutes following completion of the ozone generation process for the “surface clean” cycle and for about 40 for the “deep clean” cycle. 
         [0050]      FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate ozone cleaning system  200  with lid  26  removed for additional clarity to show the location of an internal ozone sensor  60 A and an external ozone sensor  60 B. In particular, internal ozone sensor  60 A is shown associated with ozone generator  50  while external ozone sensor  60 B is shown associated with controller  56 . To provided clearance for neutralizer unit  202 , cabinet  12  is shown in  FIGS. 8-10  to be mounted on front legs  250  and rear legs  252 . Extension devices, such as struts  254  are also shown for interconnecting a portion of lid  26  to cabinet  12  to provide a counterbalance against the weight of lid  26 . 
         [0051]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that blower unit  234  of heater/blower assembly  212  associated with neutralizer unit  202  can include any suitable device capable of establishing an airflow circuit between inlet tube  204  and outlet tube  206 . Likewise, this disclosure contemplates any suitable heat transfer device for use as heater unit  236  that is capable of transferring heat to the air/ozone flowing therethrough. While noted as being controlled by controller  56 , a separate control unit can be used for heater/blower  212  assembly if so desired or applicable to another configuration. 
         [0052]    The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.