Patent ID: 8466433

Claim:
Apparatus for sanitizing human footwear having an opening through which a person inserts his foot for placement inside a footwear interior region to put on the footwear, comprising: a light source emitting radiation in a wavelength range that sanitizes the footwear by inhibiting growth of or destroying microorganisms present in the footwear interior region 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 skeletal structure that includes multiple windows; a heel part positioned behind the hollow forepart and configured to cause obstruction of the opening after the hollow forepart is fitted inside the footwear interior region, the heel part delivering electrical power from a power source to activate the light source and generate emission of the radiation; a support for the light source to set it in a sanitization position to direct the radiation through the multiple windows of the hollow forepart to the footwear interior region; and safety switch circuitry operable to prevent unwanted outside exposure to radiation escaping from the footwear interior region, the safety switch circuitry including a movement sensing device and causing interruption of emission of radiation from the light source upon detection by the movement sensing device of dislodgment of the light source from the sanitization position during emission of the radiation.