as) United States
`a2) Patent Application Publication 10) Pub. No.: US 2007/0102280 Al
`(43) Pub. Date: May 10, 2007
`
`Hunteret al.
`
`US 20070102280A1
`
`(54) AIR SUPPLY APPARATUS
`
`(76)
`
`Inventors: C. Eric Hunter, Jefferson, NC (US),
`Jocelyn L. Hunter, Jefferson, NC (US);
`Bernard L. Ballou JR., Raleigh, NC
`(US); John H. Hebrank, Durham, NC
`(US); Laurie E. MeNeil, Chapel Hill,
`NC (US)
`
`Correspondence Address:
`Richard S. Faust
`Suite 204
`8384 Six Forks Road
`
`Raleigh, NC 27615 (US)
`
`Continuation-in-part of application No. 11/412,231,
`filed on Apr. 26, 2006, now abandoned.
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 60/796,368, filed on May
`1, 2006.
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51)
`
`Int. CL
`(2006.01)
`co7c 1/00
`(2006.01)
`BOLT 19/12
`(52) US. Ce ceccccccssesssscssseesseesee 204/157.15; 422/186.3
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`May 15, 2006
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`In an airsterilization system that includes a UV kill chamber
`(21) Appl.No.:—11/434,552
`for sterilizing air that is to be supplied to users, the effec-
`tiveness of killing or neutralizing pathogensis increased by
`including not only a UV light source of a certain intensity
`but also including a particle filter and providing short
`duration high intensity UV radiation. In the case of a user
`specific system that includes a face mask to supply air to a
`specific user, exhaled air from the face mask may be
`sterilized as well, either by using the same kill chamber or
`by using a separate kill chamber.
`
`(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 11/268,936,
`filed on Nov. 8, 2005.
`Continuation-in-part of application No. 11/317,045,
`filed on Dec. 23, 2005.
`
`7 130
`
`EXHIBIT 1007
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`EXHIBIT 1007
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 1 of 22
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`US 2007/0102280 Al
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`2
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 2 of 22
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`US 2007/0102280 Al
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 4 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 6 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 7 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 8 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 9 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 10 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 11 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 12 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 13 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 14 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 15 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 16 of 22
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`US 2007/0102280 Al
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 17 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 18 of 22
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 19 of 22
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`US 2007/0102280 Al
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 20 of 22
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`US 2007/0102280 Al
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 21 of 22
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`US 2007/0102280 Al 7 ¢
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`Patent Application Publication May 10,2007 Sheet 22 of 22
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`US 2007/0102280 Al
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`US 2007/0102280 Al
`
`May 10, 2007
`
`AIR SUPPLY APPARATUS
`
`[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application
`Ser. No. 11/268,936 to Charles Eric Hunter, filed Nov. 8,
`2005; of Ser. No. 11/317,045 to Charles Eric Hunter filed
`Dec. 23, 2005; of the patent application Ser. No. 11/412,231
`entitled “Air Supply Apparatus”filed Apr. 26, 2006, and of
`provisional patent application 60/796,368 entitled “Air Sup-
`ply Apparatus”filed May 1, 2006.
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0002] The invention relates to an air supply system and
`applications of the air supply system to kill airborne organ-
`isms such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, also referred to as
`organic material, pathogens or biological contaminants
`using ultraviolet (UV) radiation. For purposesofthis appli-
`cation the term “killing” also includes any DNA or RNA
`destruction.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`In order to provide an effective sterilization respi-
`[0003]
`rator based on UV sterilization the present application
`recognizes the need to take into account air consumption
`rates by the user. The present invention therefore takes into
`consideration the peak respiration of a typical person under
`certain working conditions and factors in a maximum flow
`through the respirator. By way of example,
`the present
`invention deals with the design of the respirator that focuses
`on providing a safe supply of air for persons working in a
`pandemic environment performing moderate exercise. Mod-
`erate or light exercise is defined by NIOSH as work not
`exceeding 50 watts. This level of activity equates to the
`average adult walking at a rate of three miles per hour.
`NIOSH sets the peak respiration at 85 SLM under these
`conditions where the air consumption in minute-liters is 25.
`
`[0004] The embodiments discussed below target essential
`workers and their families that will be performing only
`moderate exercise, not first responders or members of our
`military that perform exercise at levels of 150 watts and
`greater. It will, however, be appreciated that the approach
`described is scalable to high-end applications or any other
`applications.
`
`[0005] The specifications for the respirator apparatus tar-
`geting the essential worker and their families are:
`
`[0006] Maximum Flow—220 SLM (this is through the
`filter to the mask)
`
`[0007] Peak Respiration—90 SLM(1.5 liters per Second)
`{with S<10 E-11}
`
`[0008] Power Consumption—7 watts
`
`[0009] Battery Charge—8 hours (based on a degraded 70
`watt-hour battery pack)
`
`[0010] Weight—2.5 Ibs. (battery and UV chamber weight
`is 1.5 Ibs.)
`
`[0011] The most complete attempt to model the elimina-
`tion of active airborne pathogens using UVClight is Math-
`ematical Modeling of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation for
`Air Disinfection by Kowalski et al, in the Journal: Quanti-
`tative Microbiology 2, 249-270, 2000. The paper outlines a
`classical approach to dealing with pathogen population
`decay defined by the equation S=e(-kIt). Where S is the
`
`fraction of the pathogen population that survives exposure,
`I
`is the intensity in microwatts per square cm, k is the
`standard rate constant for a particular pathogen expressed in
`square cm per micro joule and t is the exposure time in
`seconds.
`
`[0012] As outlined by Kowalski et al, research with 8
`known pathogens,
`including three viruses, has shown a
`secondary population that survives after the initial exposure.
`This population is dealt with using the classical approach by
`assigning a second rate constant k2 and adding the decay of
`this population to the first using the same equation S=e(-
`k2It). Information regarding the values for K2 is limited,
`only being available for 8 pathogens. Reasons for a second-
`ary survival population can be ascribed to one or more of
`several possibilities, including 1) higher resistance to UVC
`2) clustering of pathogens and 3) non-optimum chamber
`design where intensity (photon flux)
`is wildly uneven.
`(Intensity being high nearest to the lamp and much lower
`elsewhere). In the past, dose studies were typically per-
`formed by projecting UVC light onto pathogens on a sur-
`face. It is therefore likely that under these conditions reasons
`1 and/or 2 are primarily responsible for the secondary
`survival population of pathogens.
`
`[0013] The third reason, however, suggests that actual
`results in UVC systems to date have been poor; since all
`known systems have utilized a design where air flows past
`a round lamp having a photon flux that varies dramatically
`based on the lamp radius and the distance from the lamp. In
`fact, someliterature, incorrectly teaches that intensity drops
`as a square from the distance to the lamp, not even consid-
`ering the lamp radius {as the radius approacheszero the ratio
`of X1 (the intensity beside the lamp)/X2 (the intensity at
`some distance away from the lamp) goesto infinity}. More
`sophisticated attempts to model the intensity field (such as
`Kowalski et al) deal with more than 15 variables many of
`which are difficult to measure or predict, and even these
`models show a wide variation in intensity with current
`chamber designs.
`
`[0014] Most importantly, prior art systems have not pro-
`vided an evaluation or determination of the success of air
`
`sterilization systems and have made no attempts at measur-
`ing low pathogen concentrations. The fact that these systems
`have dramatic variations in effectiveness as shown both in
`
`demonstations and through the use of models means that
`secondary effects such as k2 that were measured on a planar
`surface have not been addressed in prior art systems.
`
`[0015] The present invention seeks to address some of
`these issues by making useof a sterilization or kill chamber
`that includes a pump, a fan, or a blower in which the flow
`rate is contolled. In order to address the secondary survival
`of pathogens due to uneven UV intensity, the present inven-
`tion further proposes providing a high intensity radiation
`zone.
`
`[0016] The use of pumps, fans, and blowers to move fluids
`is known.For instance air in rooms is commonly circulated
`by making use of ceiling mounted or standing fans. These
`typically include a numberofsettings for manually adjusting
`the fan speed to suit the user’s preferences. However, in the
`case of pumps, blowers or fans mounted in a housing or
`conduit in order to moveair through the housing or conduit,
`no known system automatically adjusts power to the pump,
`bloweror fan or adjust shutters or other mechanismssuch as
`
`24
`
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`
`

`

`US 2007/0102280 Al
`
`May 10, 2007
`
`[0022] While Wen, U.S. patent application publication
`2003/0111075 Al describes a gas mask that kills bacteria, it
`does so using chemical agents. Wen makesuseofa filtration
`apparatus containing an active stage and a passive stage, the
`active stage containing at least one chemical agent to kill
`ambient bacteria and viruses.
`
`[0023] The present invention seeks to address these issues
`and seeks to provide not only sterile air to the user by means
`of a portable face-mask arrangement but also proposes
`sterilization of air exhaled by the user.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0024] According to the invention there is provided an air
`sterilization system, comprising a UV light source for pro-
`viding UV lightof a predefined intensity, a blower having an
`input and an output, a filter, e.g., a HEPA filter mounted at
`the input or output of the blower, the air pressure or air flow
`rate of the air supply being automatically adjusted to account
`for changes in the demand the system further comprising
`meansfor radiating pathogens with high intensity UV light
`in a high intensity zone, wherein the high intensity lightis
`of a higher intensity than the predefined intensity. The high
`intensity light may be created by a UV beam magnifier such
`as a UV lensorby a separate high powerlight source. It will
`be appreciated that providing a high intensity zone with high
`intensity light exposure is applicable to both user specific
`devices that make use of face masks, as well as to multi-user
`systems such as air ductsterilization systems.
`
`a butterfly valves in order to achieve constant flow or
`constant pressure as external factors vary and therefore seek
`to impact the flow rate or air pressure. The present invention
`proposes a system in which flow rate or air pressure in the
`system is controlled to keep flow rate or pressure substan-
`tially constant.
`
`In the field of air purification much work has been
`[0017]
`done to filter out particles, e.g., filters in air duct systems
`found in many forced air home heating units. Filters are also
`used to filter out harmful particles in face masks as is
`discussed below. In the case of biological contaminants,
`considerable work has also been done in sterilizing water
`using mercury vapor lamps, and the use of vacuum UV
`sources to kill biological contaminants in air has also been
`considered. For instance, Brais, U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,740
`discloses a chemical air purification and biological purifi-
`cation using UV sources, and making use of a turbulence
`generator mounted within the housing. Air purification by
`means of UV is also discussed in Kaura, U.S. Pat. No.
`6,623,544B1. In this patenttheair is treated with mechanical
`filters (including electrostatic filters), ionization of energetic
`ions, and UV light radiation. The PAPR madeby 3M,on the
`other hand, comprises an air purifier making use of chemi-
`cals to kill biological pathogens.
`
`Showdeen, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,289 also
`[0018]
`discussesthesterilization of articles by means of UV lamps
`mounted in a chamber.
`
`[0019] However, the prior art systems making use of UV
`sources to kill biological contaminants in air do not consider
`controlling the flow rate past the UV radiation source in
`order to control the UV dosage to which the contaminants
`are exposed or controlling the pressure in a kill or steriliza-
`tion chamber. Moreparticularly, they do not consider mov-
`ing the air past a UV source using a pump, fan or blower and
`adjusting the flow rate of the air by adjusting power to the
`pump, fan or blower. Thus the prior art also does not
`consider power saving, by automatically adjusting powerto
`the pump, fan or blower in response to changing demands,
`whichis particularly important in portable devices.
`
`[0025] Further, according to the invention there is pro-
`vided an air sterilization system for providing a sterile air
`supply to a face mask, comprising a face mask having an air
`input and an air output, a kill chamber that
`includes a
`housing having an input for receiving air from the atmo-
`sphere and an output connectedto the input of the face mask,
`a UV light source, a pump, fan or blower for generating an
`air stream, anda particle filter, e.g. a HEPA filter mounted
`on the housing, wherein air pressure or air flow rate of the
`air supply is automatically adjusted to account for changes
`in the demand, and wherein the system includes one or both
`of a UV beam magnifier and a second input to the housing
`[0020] Furthermore, the prior art systems do not ensure
`connected to the output from the face mask. The system may
`that biological contaminants passing through a kill or ster-
`measure the flow rate of the air stream or air pressure using
`ilization chamberor throughasterilization zone, e.g., a UV
`a sensor anduse the sensor signal to control the flow rate of
`radiation zone providedin an air duct system of a house, ship
`said air stream or the air pressure in the air stream. The flow
`or aircraft, receive an adequate amountof radiation to render
`rate or pressure may be controlled by controlling power to
`them harmless. Nor do they optimize power usage in por-
`the pump, fan or blower or may be controlled by adjusting
`table devices, or consider the possible harmful byproducts of
`a manually controlled or an electronically controlled valve
`UV radiation, such as ozone and carbon monoxide.
`mounted in the housing or conduit or mounted upstream or
`downstream of the housing or conduit, or by adjusting both
`the pump, fan or bloweras well as such a valve.In particular,
`flow rate may be adjusted to provide for substantially
`constant flow, or pressure may be adjusted to provide a
`substantially constant pressure. The valve may include a
`hole to bleed air through the valve or may be adapted to
`alwaysbeat least partially open to ensure a slight positive
`pressure. The system may be a portable system in which
`power to the pump, fan or blower and any electronically
`controlled valve are powered by at
`least one battery.
`Changesin pressure caused by the inhaling and exhaling of
`the user may be adjusted for to provide a constant air flow
`rate or constant air pressure system.In particular, a pressure
`sensor mounted in the housing or conduit, or in the mask
`maybe used to provide a pressure signal for use in adjusting
`
`[0021] Also thereis no art that teaches actively destroying
`biological contaminants in a face mask assembly using
`ultraviolet radiation. When it comes to the field of face
`masks, masks with various types of filters are commonly
`known. Wadsworth, et al., U.S. patent application publica-
`tion 2005/0079379 A1, for instance, describes an improve-
`ment on such a face mask using a two-layer or multi-ply
`barrier fabric having at least one barrier fabric layer which
`is impermeable to liquids but allows moisture vapor to pass
`through the micropores and in which the layers may contain
`an antimicrobial agent. Kirollos, et al., U.S. patent applica-
`tion publication 2004/0223876, in turn, describes exposure
`protection equipment
`such as a respiratory protection
`device, which includes a detector for indicating the presence
`of a target substance.
`
`25
`
`25
`
`

`

`US 2007/0102280 Al
`
`May 10, 2007
`
`power to the pump, fan or blower and/or to control an
`electronically controlled valve, in order to provide air to the
`user on demand, thereby providing a positive pressure in the
`mask while avoiding excessive pressure build-up during
`exhaling or low exertion by the user, while ensuring sufii-
`cient air flow during inhaling irrespective of the level of
`exertion of the user. Thus, in a constant pressure system of
`the invention, one embodiment provides for adjusting a
`valve to accommodate pressure changes due to inhaling and
`exhaling by a user (since the system of the invention seeks
`to maintain constant pressure). As the valve changes, flow
`rate changes, which impacts how hard the pump, fan or
`blower has to work (since the air has to be accelerated from
`zero on the upstream side of the pump, fan, or blower, to the
`particular flow rate needed on the downstream side of the
`pump,fan, or blower.) In cases where powerto a blower or
`fan is adjusted, preferably a fan or blower designed to have
`low inertia is used e.g. through the use of graphite compo-
`nents and further providing means for quickly stopping the
`fan when air flow is not required. The stopping may be
`achieved through the use of an electrically activated micro
`brake. The fan or blower may make use of multiple motors
`of the same or different power that can be individually
`activated to optimize power consumption by powering only
`a chosen number of motors or a motor of the chosen power
`for a desired flow rate.
`
`[0026] The pressure sensor may belocated near or on the
`maskto limit errors due to pressure drops along the delivery
`tube. The sensor can provide a voltage or current output.
`Preferably the signal is a mixed signal device wherein a
`small voltage signal is digitized to ensure accuracy of the
`transmitted signal. Preferably multiple sensors are used that
`can be averaged or where high and low values are thrown
`out to ensure repeatability and stability of the signal. The
`sensors may be temperature controlled to avoid errors due to
`changes in ambient temperature. The system may also be
`used in conjunction with an ultraviolet (UV) light source to
`kill or destroy biological pathogens. The natureof thefilter
`may be chosen to limit clusters or clumpsof the particular
`biological pathogen(s) that the UV light source is intended
`to kill or destroy. Typically a filter capableoffiltering 0.1 pm
`diameter or smaller pathogens is used. In order to address
`biological contaminants with a higher resistance to UV
`radiation (secondary survival rates of pathogens), a high
`intensity zone may be defined at the input or output to the
`housing or conduit or any other location in the housing or
`upstream or downstream of the housing and may include a
`small hole or passage e.g., a 0.3 cm? hole through which the
`air is passed and which defines a high intensity zone. The
`UV beam magnifier create the high intensity radiation by
`focusing the UV beam onthe high intensity zone e.g. on the
`0.3 cm? hole. Thus the means for radiating pathogens with
`high intensity UV light may comprise a beam magnifier,
`which typically includes a lens madeof high transmissivity
`material such as silicon dioxide. The high intensity zone
`may include a highly reflective cylinder extending from the
`hole to define a channelto ensure sufficient exposure time to
`the air passing through the high intensity zone (or to ensure
`exposure to a pulse in the case of a flash lamp, discussed
`below). Instead of a UV mercury vapor lamp, a UV laser or
`a flash lamp (e.g., xenon or xenon-mercury flash lamp
`produced by Perkin Elmersuch as the RSL3100) producing
`a high intensity burst of UV lightor other energy source may
`be used. In such a case, the beam magnifier may in some
`
`embodiments be used with the UV laser or flash lamp. The
`system is typically a portable system and may be powered by
`one or more replaceable or rechargeable batteries, e.g.,
`lithium ion batteries. Air exhaled by the user may be
`sterilized by channeling the exhaled air to the second input
`of the housing or maybesterilized by supplying the exhaled
`air to a separate kill chamber.
`
`Still further, according to the invention, there is
`[0027]
`provided a method of reducing pathogens in an air stream,
`comprising exposing the air stream to a first intensity UV
`radiation for a first predefined period of time, and exposing
`the air stream to an elevated intensity of UV radiation that
`is higher than said first intensity. The elevated intensity may
`include a range of elevated intensities and exposure to the
`elevated intensity may be for a duration that is less than the
`first predefined period of time, and may include the time
`during which the air stream passes through a high intensity
`zone. UV radiation for a first predefined period of time may
`be defined by the time that it takes the air stream to pass
`through a certain region, e.g.,
`through a housing. The
`elevated intensity may be provided by a beam magnifier,
`e.g., a UV lens. The high intensity zone may comprise a
`channel through which the air stream is forced to pass or
`may comprise part of the housing.
`
`Still further, according to the invention, there is
`[0028]
`provided a method of providing protection against airborne
`pathogens, comprising (a) providing a face mask for chan-
`neling air to a user, and (b) sterilizing the air that
`is
`channeled to the user, using UV radiation. The method may
`include sterilizing the air exhaled by said user. The method
`may include controlling the flow rate or pressure of air
`channeled to the user. The peressure may be controlled to
`maintain substantially constant pressure during inhaling and
`exhaling by the user and during changes in exertion by the
`user. The air stream provided by the blower/fan/ pump or the
`pressure may be controlled by controlling at least one of a
`flapper valve and the blower, fan or pump.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 shows a simplified representation of one
`[0029]
`embodiment of a portable sterilization apparatus of the
`invention;
`
`FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of part of a
`[0030]
`sterilization apparatus of the invention;
`
`FIG. 3 shows yet another embodiment of part of a
`[0031]
`sterilization apparatus of the invention;
`
`FIG. 4 shows yet another embodiment of part of a
`[0032]
`sterilization apparatus of the invention;
`
`FIG. 5 shows a user wearing yet another embodi-
`[0033]
`ment of a portable sterilization apparatus of the invention;
`
`FIG. 6 showsa longitudinal section through part of
`[0034]
`another embodiment of a sterilization apparatus of the
`invention;
`
`[0035]
`
`FIG. 7 is a top view of the embodimentof FIG. 6;
`
`FIG. 8 showsa cross section through the apparatus
`[0036]
`of FIG. 6 along the line A-A;
`
`FIG. 9 showsa side view of the apparatus of FIG.
`[0037]
`6 connected to a mask shown in three dimensions;
`
`26
`
`26
`
`

`

`US 2007/0102280 Al
`
`May 10, 2007
`
`[0038] FIG. 10 is a three dimensional view of another
`embodiment of a mask assembly of the invention;
`
`[0039] FIG. 11 is a three dimensional view of another
`embodiment of a mask assembly of the invention;
`
`[0040] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of one embodiment
`of the electronic circuitry of the invention;
`
`[0041] FIG. 13 is a three dimensional view of another
`embodiment of a kill chamber of the invention;
`
`[0042] FIG. 14 is section through part of the embodiment
`of FIG. 13;
`
`[0043] FIG. 15 is a section through another part of the
`embodiment of FIG. 13;
`
`[0044] FIG. 16 shows one embodimentof a kill chamber
`and power supply in duplicate, housed in a fanny pack,
`
`FIG. 34 shows one embodiment of a support
`[0062]
`arrangementfor supporting the apparatus and clothing items
`inside the chamberof FIG.31,
`
`FIG. 35 showsa longitudinal section through part
`[0063]
`of yet another embodimentof a sterilization apparatus of the
`invention,
`
`FIG. 36 shows a longitudinal section through part
`[0064]
`of yet another embodimentof a sterilization apparatus of the
`invention,
`
`FIG. 37 shows a longitudinal section through part
`[0065]
`of yet another embodimentof a sterilization apparatus of the
`invention, and
`
`[0066] FIGS. 38-44 show longitudinal sections through
`parts of three other embodimentsofa sterilization apparatus
`of the invention
`
`[0045] FIG. 17 shows another embodimentof a kill cham-
`ber and power supply housed in a fanny pack,
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`[0046] FIG. 18 is a section through part of another
`embodiment of a kill chamber of the invention,
`
`[0047] FIG. 19 is a section through part of yet another
`embodiment of a kill chamber of the invention,
`
`[0048] FIG. 20 is a simplified cross section through one
`embodiment of a kill chamber of the invention,
`
`[0049] FIG. 21 is a simplified cross section through
`another embodiment of a kill chamber of the invention,
`
`[0050] FIG. 22 is a cross section through part of another
`embodiment of a kill chamber of the invention,
`
`[0051] FIG. 23 is a simplified cross section through yet
`another embodiment of a kill chamber of the invention
`
`showing the use of a fan or blower,
`
`[0067] As mentioned above, the present invention defines
`an air supply system providing an air stream, the system
`including a filter and a means for moving the air, e.g., a
`pump, fan, or blower, as well as meansfor controlling either
`the flow rate of the air stream or the air pressure. In contrast,
`prior art devices make use of constant high flow rates which
`prevents use of good HEPAfilters due to the large pressure
`drop. Also, they produce a large positive pressure causing
`constant expulsion of air and are therefore typically used
`with visor-like masks that allow air to freely pass from the
`mask. Since they are not on-demand systems they will
`potentially expose the user to more contaminated air. The
`present invention, on the other hand, makes use of a con-
`trolled air flow system to avoid these drawbacks. The
`embodiments of the present application, further include
`meansfor killing or destroying organic contaminants in the
`air stream by radiating the air stream with UV radiation.
`[0052] FIG. 24 isasimplified cross section through part of
`yet another embodiment of a kill chamber of the invention
`[0068] For ease of understanding someof the concepts and
`showing the use of a fan or blower,
`elements that will be discussed with respect to FIGS. 37-40,
`the present invention includes embodiments and description
`from earlier filed applications that the present application
`claims priority from. One such previously discussed
`embodimentof a portable air sterilization apparatus of the
`invention is shown in FIG. 1, which showsa face mask 100
`connected to a kill chamber 110 by meansof a flexible
`delivery tube 120. The face mask 100 includes a one-way
`intake valve 122 and a one-way exhaust valve 124. The face
`mask 100 fits over a person’s nose and mouth with the
`exhaust valve 124 sending the exhaled air into the atmo-
`sphere. The intake valve 122 allows the person to inhale
`sterilized air. The one-way valves 122, 124 ensure that the
`person breathessterilized air while eliminating the used air
`to the atmosphere. As will be discussed in greater detail
`below with respect to FIGS. 37-40, the embodiments of the
`present invention include the possibility of radiating the
`exhaled or used air with UV radiation instead of simply
`venting it to the atmosphere. Valves 122, 124 may be simple
`flapper valves, over center flapper valves, or electrically
`actuated valves. In one embodiment, the valve open area
`was chosen correspond approximately to the cross-section of
`a human trachea (about 3-5 cm’). The delivery tube 120
`which is preferably made of a flexible material is chosen to
`have a similar cross-section (3-5 cm?).
`In a preferred
`
`[0053] FIG. 25 is a simplified cross section through part of
`yet another embodiment of a kill chamber of the invention
`showing the use of a fan or blower,
`
`[0054] FIG. 26, shows a method of making a housing for
`a kill chamber,
`
`[0055] FIG. 27 shows another method of making a hous-
`ing for a kill chamber,
`
`[0056] FIG. 28 shows an embodimentof a pair of gloves
`of the invention,
`
`[0057] FIG. 29 shows another embodiment of a pair of
`gloves of the invention packaged in a sealed plastic bag,
`
`[0058] FIG. 30 showsa pad for removing gloves used with
`the apparatus of the invention,
`
`[0059] FIG. 31 shows a three dimensional view of a
`decontamination chamber of the invention,
`
`[0060] FIG. 32 shows an embodimentof the side and back
`panels of the chamber of FIG. 31,
`
`[0061] FIG. 33 shows an embodiment of the upper and
`lower panels of the chamber of FIG. 31,
`
`27
`
`27
`
`

`

`US 2007/0102280 Al
`
`May 10, 2007
`
`embodiment, the mask 100, valves 122, 124, and delivery
`tube 120 are designed to be removable from the kill chamber
`or sterilizer chamber 110 to facilitate washing, and are
`preferably madeof a dishwasher safe material. By providing
`for quick release connectors or otherwise providing connec-
`tors that allow the kill chamber, delivery tube or hose, and
`face mask to be readily separated from each other,
`the
`various parts allow for easy exchange of worn out parts or
`use of components from another apparatus. In one embodi-
`ment,
`the apparatus may include eye protection such as
`glasses or goggles, or a flip-down transparent visor as
`indicated by reference numeral 130. The visor 130 of this
`embodimentincludes a heads-up display and a receiver 190
`for receiving external feed for displaying information on the
`display 130. The receiver 190 may be a wireless receivere.g.
`a WiFi receiver for receiving wireless Internet feed or
`cached content
`information feeds.
`In the embodiment
`shown, an air pump 170 is included in the chamber 110 to
`provide a positive pressure within the mask 100 thereby
`ensuring that the surrounding air is not inadvertently drawn
`into the mask 100 along its sides where it abuts the user’s
`face. The pump 170 also serves to ease the inhaling process
`by providing an air flow toward the mask 100. One such
`pump is a diaphragm pump, e.g. 7010/-2.2