ENHANCED MAINTENANCE ANTIVIRAL COATINGS FOR CABIN SURFACES

A protective enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating for interior components of a passenger cabin is disclosed. In embodiments, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating incorporates into the antiviral coating indicating agents, e.g., reflective or fluorescent compounds that combine with the antiviral coating without otherwise impeding its antiviral and/or antibacterial properties. The enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating is applied to external surfaces of the interior components of an aircraft cabin or other mobile platform especially prone to frequent physical contact by multiple individuals. The indicating agent reacts via reflectivity and/or fluorescence when ultraviolet (UV) band or otherwise specialized lighting is applied to the external surfaces. A lack of reflectivity or fluorescence may be interpreted as significant wear or damage to the antiviral coating, for which corrective actions may be taken.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to and claims the benefit of the earliest available effective filing dates from the following listed applications (the “Related Applications”) (e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other than provisional patent applications (e.g., under 35 USC § 120 as a continuation in part) or claims benefits under 35 USC § 119(e) for provisional patent applications, for any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the Related Applications).

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Said U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/037,267 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein is directed generally to aircraft and vehicle interiors and more particularly for antiviral protection for the external surfaces of passenger cabin components.

BACKGROUND

Aircraft passenger cabins may be prime spots or epicenters for the transmission of viruses, bacteria, or other pathogenic microorganisms from person to person, due to concentrating large groups of people in close proximity for long periods of time. Further, the passenger cabin may include multiple surfaces especially prone to physical contact by one or more passengers and thus particularly likely to serve as vectors for transmission via said personal contact. Antiviral and/or antibacterial coatings may provide resistance against viral transmission for these surfaces, but the said coatings may be relatively weak and liable to be eroded and/or compromised by sustained physical contact.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, an enhanced-maintenance protective antiviral coating for external surfaces of internal components within a passenger cabin or other like public space is disclosed. In embodiments, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating includes antiviral, antibacterial, and/or other components configured to destroy or reduce the effectiveness of pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and other like pathogenic microorganisms deposited upon a treated external surface. The coating includes indicating agents incorporated therein; when specialized light (e.g., incorporating specially selected reactive components) is applied to the external surface, the indicating agents reveal an absence or thickness change of the antiviral compound (which may be sufficiently severe to warrant replacement, repair, or other corrective action).

In some embodiments, the indicating agents include fluorescing agents capable of absorbing the specialized light.

In some embodiments, the indicating agents include reflective agents capable of partially or fully reflecting the specialized light.

In some embodiments, the indicating agents include reactive particles suspended within the antiviral compound.

In some embodiments, the specialized light induces fluorescence in the indicating agents.

In some embodiments, the specialized light includes visible light and/or ultraviolet (UV) spectral components.

In some embodiments, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral compound is a multilayer compound, wherein multiple types of indicating agents may be incorporated into the antiviral compound and applied to the external surface in a sequence of layers, such that the exact layer revealed to the specialized light (and the exact indicating agents incorporated thereinto) may reveal precise information about thickness changes to the antiviral coating.

In some embodiments, the varied layers of the enhanced-maintenance antiviral compound may react by fluorescing in specific colors to indicate the depth of wear to, or the remaining thickness of, the antiviral coating.

In some embodiments, the indicating agents are incorporated into a parasitic layer disposed beneath the antiviral coating, indicating the wearing away of the antiviral coating over a region or area by their fluorescence or reflectivity.

In some embodiments, the public space is a passenger cabin configured for transport of a group of passengers.

In some embodiments, the passenger cabin is disposed within an aircraft, a ground-based vehicle, or a water-based vehicle.

In some embodiments, the public space includes a classroom, theater, auditorium, office space, or other indoor interior space.

In a further aspect, a method for maintaining a public interior area comprising multiple surfaces associated with frequent or continual physical contact by multiple individuals is disclosed. In embodiments, the method includes providing an enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating by adding fluorescent, reflective, and/or reactive dyes or other indicating agents to an antiviral or antimicrobial coating. The method includes applying the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating to the external surfaces associated with frequent or continual physical contact, e.g., toilet lids, walls and panels, faucets, light switches, door/panel handles, buttons, seating components. The method includes applying specialized lighting to the coated surfaces to check the status of any antiviral or antimicrobial coatings applied thereto. The method includes detecting changes in fluorescence or reflectivity indicative of significant damage or wear to the coated external surfaces. The method includes taking corrective actions with respect to any detected areas of damage or wear, e.g., reapplying the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating to the areas of damage or wear, reapplying the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating uniformly or non-uniformly to the damaged or worn external surface, or replacing the damaged or worn external surface or its embodying component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The aircraft lavatory100, and other interior areas of an aircraft cabin, may be areas of especially high potential danger for transmission of viruses (e.g., COVID-19 or other types of respiratory viruses), bacteria, and other pathogenic microorganisms from one person to another. While the inventive concepts disclosed herein may be implemented within any mobile platform or public interior space, commercial aircraft provide a particularly strong opportunity for application. Aircraft passenger cabins congregate large groups of people in close proximity under recirculating air systems for longer periods of time than do most ground-based vehicles. Within any one flight, individual passengers and/or crewmembers may originate from dozens or even hundreds of locations around the world, which may include epidemiological epicenters. The aircraft lavatory100may be occupied and used by several dozen individuals over the course of a flight and may include numerous objects and/or surfaces especially likely to experience physical contact from multiple passengers, e.g., toilet lids102, interior walls and panels104, faucets106, door/panel handles108, or buttons110(e.g., for flushing the toilet112).

Referring also toFIG. 2, an aircraft seating environment200is disclosed. Similarly toFIG. 1, in embodiments the aircraft seating environment200may include individual passenger seats202, headrests204, armrests206(which may be shared between adjacent seats), and aircraft monuments208including, e.g., an access door210(with access handle/latch212) for the aircraft lavatory100ofFIG. 1. These locations may be especially susceptible to physical contact by one or more passengers throughout the course of a flight (as opposed to, e.g., cabin ceilings) and may thus be prime candidates for viral or bacterial transmission via physical contact.

In embodiments, the toilet lids102, interior walls and panels104, faucets106, headrests204, armrests206, access handle/latch212, and/or other external surfaces particularly prone to physical contact may be partially or fully coated with an enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating (214) infused with indicative agents to facilitate service and replacement. For example, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214may indicate to the cabin crew and/or maintenance team if, and precisely where, the antiviral coating has eroded or otherwise worn from the surface onto which it has been applied (and thus if, and where, the antiviral coating should be serviced (e.g., repaired, reapplied, replaced). In some embodiments, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214may be applied to the external surfaces of interior components within the passenger cabins of other passenger and transit vehicles (e.g., railway cars, buses, trolleys, ferries, passenger ships, cable cars, funiculars) or within indoor public spaces configured for the concentration of populations in close proximity for extended periods, e.g., classrooms, office spaces, theaters and auditoriums.

Referring toFIGS. 3A and 3B, in embodiments an external surface300e.g., of a toilet lid102, interior wall or panel104, faucet106, headrest204, armrest206, access handle/latch212, and/or other interior component within the passenger cabin) may have an enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214applied thereto. Over time, especially after sustained physical contact, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214may experience wear (302). For example, the disinfectant components of the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214may lose potency over time. More commonly, however, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214may be reduced in thickness as the coating is abraded or erodes from the external surface300.

In embodiments, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214may incorporate one or more indicating agents combined into, or commingled with, the disinfectant components of the antiviral coating. For example, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214may include fluorescent dyes or agents mixed by any appropriate processes into the antiviral coating in such a way as not to impede its antiviral properties. The enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214may appear invisible or otherwise normal under standard interior lighting (e.g., indistinguishable from the untreated external surface). However, the cabin crew or maintenance team may quickly inspect the external surface300and enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214by illuminating the antiviral coating with a dedicated light source304.

In embodiments, the dedicated light source304may emit specialized light (306a-b) partially or fully within the ultraviolet (UV) band (e.g., in addition to visible light components) or incorporating other specially selected spectral components to which the indicating agents are reactive, such that the indicating agents react to the emitted light and indicate a status (e.g., a presence, an absence, a thickness change) of the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214. The presence, absence, or thickness change of the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214may be full or partial. For example, the specialized light306a-bmay induce fluorescence in the indicating agents within the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214, which may absorb the specialized light306b, re-emitting the absorbed light (308) at a slightly different wavelength. The crew or maintenance team member, scanning the external surface300with the dedicated light source304, may view the re-emitted light/fluorescence308e.g., in a specific color, or otherwise as an indication that the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214remains intact (e.g., fully intact, or sufficiently intact). In some embodiments, the indicating agents may be partially or fully reflective in nature.

In embodiments, when the dedicated light source304is directed toward a portion of wear (302) the absence of enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214(and thus the absence of indicating agents) will be reflected in an appearance, under specialized light306a, different from the re-emitted light/fluorescence308. For example, the lack of fluorescence or reflectivity may indicate damage to, or erosion of, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214sufficient to warrant service or replacement.

Referring now toFIG. 3C, in embodiments the external surface300amay be implemented and may function similarly to the external surface300ofFIGS. 3A and 3B, except that within the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214, the indicating agents (310) may appear (e.g., under the specialized light306a-b,FIGS. 3A-B) as particles suspended in the antiviral coating (as opposed to, e.g., seamless incorporation with the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214).

Referring now toFIG. 4, a method400of service is disclosed. The method400may be implemented within the aircraft lavatory100ofFIG. 1, the aircraft seating environment200ofFIG. 2, or any other public interior area of a vehicle or mobile platform incorporating external surfaces of interior components associated with frequent or continual physical contact by multiple individuals.

At a step402, cabin crew (or, e.g., maintenance personnel or interior suppliers) may combine one or more indicating agents (e.g., fluorescent, reflective, reactive) with or into an antiviral or/and antimicrobial coating.

At a step404, the cabin crew may apply the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating to one or more external surfaces of interior components (e.g., as disclosed above inFIGS. 1 and 2and accompanying text).

At a step406, the cabin crew may apply ultraviolet or otherwise specialized lighting to the applied enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating, checking for changes in its fluorescence and/or reflectivity.

At a step408, the observing cabin crew may recognize areas of reduced or eliminated fluorescence and/or reflectivity as areas of damage or wear to the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating.

At a step410, the observing cabin crew may take a variety of corrective actions in response to detected damage or wear: reapplying the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating locally to damaged or worn areas, reapplying the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating (e.g., uniformly or non-uniformly) to the entire external surface, or replacing the affected external surface or internal component.

Referring toFIG. 5A, in embodiments the external surface500may be implemented and may function similarly to the external surface300ofFIG. 3A, except that the external surface500may have applied thereto a series of layered enhanced-maintenance antiviral coatings214a-d.

In embodiments, the series of layered enhanced-maintenance antiviral coatings214a-dmay be applied in succession over the external surface500. For example, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214amay be fashioned by adding a first indicating agent to the antiviral coating, such that the antiviral coating has a distinct appearance (e.g., a generally red color). Similarly, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214bmay be fashioned by adding a second indicating agent to the antiviral coating, such that the antiviral coating has an appearance distinct from the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214a(e.g., a yellow color).

In embodiments, the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214bmay be applied over the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214a, and the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coatings214c-d(having, e.g., generally green and blue appearances, respectively).

Referring also toFIGS. 5B and 5C, in embodiments the external surfaces500aand500bmay be implemented and may function similarly to the external surface500ofFIG. 5A, except that the external surfaces500a-bmay sustain wear (302) or damage. In embodiments, when the specialized light306a-bis applied to the external surfaces500a-b, the wear302or damage may be revealed more precisely by the reflectivity or fluorescence308a-cemitted thereby. For example, referring in particular toFIG. 5B, blue and green fluorescence308a-bmay be respectively associated with minimal or minor damage or wear respectively revealing the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coatings214dand214c. Similarly, referring in particular toFIG. 5C, significant damage or wear revealing the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214amay be associated with red fluorescence308c, and severe or total damage or wear may erode or abrade the enhanced-maintenance antiviral coating214a-dentirely, revealing the original component surface502(e.g., via the absence of fluorescence or reflectivity) when the specialized light306is applied to the external surface.

In embodiments, the external surface600may incorporate a parasitic layer602under an antiviral coating604. For example, the parasitic layer602may incorporate fluorescent or reflective indicators in one or more layers adjacent to the original component surface502. The external surface600may otherwise be implemented similarly to the external surfaces300,500ofFIGS. 3A, 3B, and 5A, except that when specialized light306ais applied thereto, the lack of fluorescence and/or reflectivity may be interpreted as a lack of damage or wear. Similarly, if damage or wear (302) to the antiviral coating604is present, only then may the parasitic layer602exhibit fluorescence or reflectivity (308) when specialized light306bis applied thereto.

Referring toFIG. 7, in embodiments the external surface700may be implemented and may function similarly to the external surface600ofFIG. 6, except that the external surface700(e.g., of an interior component as described above) may embed or otherwise incorporate indicating agents310directly into a surface layer702. For example, if damage or wear (302) occurs to the antiviral coating604, the surface layer702below may exhibit fluorescence or reflectivity (308) when specialized light306is applied thereto.

CONCLUSION