In recent weeks, applications have been published directed to creative sanitation solutions such as a self-sanitizing doorknob. Methods of sanitization continue to be an area of innovation in the pandemics sector, with applications publishing this week from Johnson Controls (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 20200348038) and NxGen Partners (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 20200345873). Johnson Controls, a major HVAC producer, is looking to build cleaner HVAC systems by running infection probability models for a building and using that data to inform sanitation design parameters for its HVAC systems. For example, Johnson Controls says that the system can provide suggestions for disinfection lighting within the HVAC system or air filter ratings for specific areas for the HVAC system. The hope is that smarter HVAC design will prevent infection in one area of a building from potentially spreading to other areas, contributing to lower basic reproduction numbers for an outbreak.
NxGen Partners is a Dallas-based incubator with a number of patents in a variety of sectors, including blockchain technology, communications, and spectroscopic cancer diagnosis. The latest invention uses radiation beams in order to kill viruses, specifically COVID-19. NxGen is looking to tune the frequency of radiation in order to destroy the capsid of specific viruses. The idea is for the device to be embedded in a small flashlight or a cell phone and to overcome the dangers of using ionizing radiation for sterilization.
The sterilization category of the pandemics sector continues to grow not only in the raw number of patents and applications, but also in scope, as new companies entering the category tap into unpatented technologies in the area. For example, in addition to air filtration and radiation-based solutions, the sanitation sector also includes inventions directed to ultrasonic cavitation, disinfectant sprays, specialized autoclaves, plasma screens, and more. As cases begin to again rise at an alarming pace in the US, safe bets can be placed that the sanitation category will only continue to evolve and expand in the coming months.
For more updates on the development of sanitation solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic, check out the free interactive visual Pandemics Patent Forecast® offered by Magic Number.
