Abstract:
A sanitizing system for use with monitors, particularly including touchscreen monitors, includes an ultraviolet light source positioned about a periphery of the monitor and configured to transmit light toward the monitor. A sensor detects the presence of an object such as a human finger in the close vicinity or in contact with the monitor in order to stop the operation of the lights.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/885,408 filed Oct. 1, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to systems and methods for sanitizing monitors, particularly including monitors configured with a touch-screen input. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Widespread use of shared touchscreen displays is common in retail and healthcare applications. These touchscreens are cleaned infrequently and consequently can harbor infectious pathogens, which are transmitted from person to person when they use the touchscreen. Frequent cleaning is impractical and cannot be performed often enough to keep the contamination levels in check. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to a sanitizing system for use with monitors, particularly including touchscreen monitors. In a preferred version of the invention, a monitor includes an ultraviolet light source positioned about a periphery of the monitor and configured to transmit light toward the monitor. One or more such UV sources may be used, to ensure complete coverage of the monitor and to provide a desired intensity of light shining toward the monitor. 
         [0005]    In some versions of the invention, a motion sensor or proximity sensor is provided in order to detect the presence of an object such as a human finger in the close vicinity of the monitor or actually touching the monitor screen. In one example, the sensor is in the form of an infrared light transmitter and receiver positioned on opposite sides of the monitor to detect an object in the path between the transmitter and receiver. 
         [0006]    In other versions, the sensor may monitor different parameters such as heat or optical changes in the region of the monitor that would indicate the presence of a person touching the surface of the screen. 
         [0007]    In yet other versions, the sensor is the touchscreen itself, with programming instructions responding to the initial touch detected by the touchscreen and operating an appropriate UV light sanitizing cycle in response to the detected touch. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a representative touchscreen monitor having a sanitizing system, shown on a representative stand or kiosk. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the monitor and sanitizing system of  FIG. 1 , as viewed along plane A-A from  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a preferred implementation of a touchscreen monitor sanitizing system. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of a preferred touchscreen monitor sanitizing method. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0013]    A preferred touchscreen sanitizing system is incorporated into a system having a touchscreen monitor which, in a typical use, is placed in a location for use by the general public or by many people. With reference to  FIG. 1 , a stand or kiosk  30  may be configured to support a touchscreen monitor  10  that is attached to the kiosk. Most preferably, the screen is surrounded by a bezel  20 , including left and right bezel sides  21 ,  22 . In some implementations, the monitor may be recessed below a surrounding frame or housing, and therefore may not have a snugly surrounding bezel as with the preferred and illustrated version. 
         [0014]    As best seen in  FIG. 1 , and the sectional view of  FIG. 2 , the preferred version of the invention is one in which the monitor  10  includes a shallow bezel  20 , either attached to an existing touchscreen or built into the existing touchscreen. The touchscreen  10  may be configured as an LCD, LED, or any other form of display configured to present images and information and also to detect contact on the screen associated with those images. 
         [0015]    The bezel  20  houses one or more UVC lamps, preferably configured to be extremely thin and long UVC fluorescent lamps of  3 - 5  mm in thickness. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , each of the left side bezel  21  and right side bezel  22  includes a UVC light source  31 ,  33  configured to produce UVC light that may be directed through an optional associated lens  32 ,  34  to orient the light toward the surface of the touchscreen monitor  10 . 
         [0016]    The lamps are positioned so that there is no direct illumination from the lamp to the user&#39;s eyes, as UVC can be harmful to the eyes. The positioning is most preferably within the bezel  20  or a form of shield that blocks the light from direct transmission to the eyes of a user. In the illustrated example, the UVC sources and accompanying lenses are recessed beneath the bezel sides  21 ,  22  in order to shield the light from being directed toward the eyes. 
         [0017]    In one version of the invention, a long, rod-shaped optic lens transmissive to 254 nm light is placed in front of each lamp to focus the light in a sheet across the touchscreen surface. Thus, the illustration of  FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken through the rod-shaped lenses  32 ,  34 , which may extend along each of the two bezel sides  21 ,  22  substantially along the entire length between the top and bottom of the bezel. There may be two lamp/lens pairs ( 31 ,  32  and  33 ,  34 ) as in the illustrated version, and they may be placed on the long axis of the display at the top and bottom, at the left and right, or along all four sides. 
         [0018]    The UVC lamps are configured to illuminate the touch screen during periods of inactivity. While the touchscreen is not being used, a continuous low level of UVC light illuminates the touchscreen surface to kill pathogens. 
         [0019]    The intensity of the UVC light is designed to kill pathogens at a rate greater than which they are deposited on the touchscreen, ensuring a continuously low level which reaches zero after a period of time. Although a frequently used touchscreen will still have some pathogens immediately after being touched, lower concentrations of pathogens result in a lower chance of infectious disease transfer than higher levels of pathogens. 
         [0020]    Since UVC light can also be harmful to the skin, preferred examples of the invention include a controller or other component to cease illumination of the screen when the touch screen is in use. One version incorporates an infrared sensor to detect use of the screen, as shown in the example of  FIG. 2 . As illustrated, one or more IR light transmitters  40  is placed on one side of the touchscreen (such as on a first side  21  of the bezel) and one or more IR light receivers  41  is placed on the opposite side of the touchscreen (such as on the second opposite side  22  of the bezel). In this version, when a finger  50  or any other object breaks the plane of the IR light  42  (and therefore touches the screen or is in the vicinity of the UVC light), the UVC lamps are turned off. In the illustrated example, an array of infrared sources and sensors is focused to form an invisible grid that senses the presence of a finger. When an object such as a finger breaks the path between a sensor and a source of IR light, the system shuts down the UVC lamps immediately. The lamps remain off thereafter during touchscreen activity. After a period of inactivity, a timer expires and turns the lamps back on. 
         [0021]    In another version, the microprocessor associated with the touch screen detects contact of an object (such as a finger) with the screen, and in response to screen contact the controller issues a command to turn off the light. After a period of inactivity, a timer causes the UVC lamps to turn back on. This version would preferably not include an IR sensor, and instead would rely on the sensors already incorporated into a touch screen. In some versions the IR sensor may be preferable because it could more readily be incorporated into an existing system. 
         [0022]    Yet other versions of the invention may incorporate motion sensors or other forms of contact or proximity sensors to detect a user&#39;s finger coming into contact with, or close proximity to, the screen. Such sensors may detect changes in heat or light in the vicinity of the screen. As another example, a light sensor may detect the presence of a person in close proximity with the screen, even without the person&#39;s hand yet moving toward the screen. In such a version, the processor may cease illumination of the UVC lamp after a detection of such presence (as a function of a lower detected light level), and resume illumination after the detected light level has returned to an expected background level indicating no one is present. 
         [0023]    In the illustrated version, the IR detector is shown as being relatively closer to the display than the UVC lamp, positioned between the UVC lamp and the display. In other versions the IR light and detector may be reversed with respect to the UVC lamp, such that the UVC lamp is positioned between the display surface and the IR detector. 
         [0024]    The timer and UVC lamp controller  63  is preferentially implemented in a microprocessor  60 , such as shown in  FIG. 3 , following a process as illustrated in the flow diagram of  FIG. 4 , in which a memory  60  associated with the processor  60  contains stored programming instructions enabling the processor to implement the steps of the flow diagram. The processor is preferably in communication with the UV lamps (e.g.,  31 ) to control the operation of the lamps, and likewise in communication with the sensor such as the IR detector  41  or the other heat, light, or other proximity or touch sensors as described above. 
         [0025]    Initially, the UVC light sources are illuminated and remain in the illuminated state as described above while no contact or proximity is detected. At a first block  100 , the processor  60  evaluates whether the sensor (such as the IR receiver  41 ) has detected the presence of an object such as a finger close to the touchscreen. So long as there are no objects close to or touching the screen, the system remains in this continued state of illuminating the UVC light and monitoring for contact. 
         [0026]    In one version, once contact is detected, the process proceeds to a next block  110  in which the processor turns off the UVC light. With the light turned off, in the preferred version the process proceeds to a next block  120  to implement a delay before turning the light back on again. In one example, a timer, such as operated by the programming instructions, begins a count for 60 seconds each time a proximity or contact is detected, counting down (or up) for as long as there is no contact or proximity thereafter. Each contact or proximity begins a fresh count. 
         [0027]    Once the count is completed, the processor directs the UVC lamps to illuminate again as long as there is no contact. Thus, after the delay cycle  120  has completed, the process queries whether there is contact or proximity detected at a next block  130 . If there is no such contact or proximity, the process proceeds to a next block  140  in which the UVC light sources are illuminated again. Thereafter, the process continues to monitor for contact by returning to the original block  100  to monitor for contact. 
         [0028]    Other enhancements to the touchscreen sanitizer include a UVC sensor to measure UV output and detect a faulty bulb, giving a failure indication such as an audible alarm or the illumination of an LED or other visual indicator. 
         [0029]    While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.