Patent Application
20140000648
None
No part of the invention disclosed herein was the subject of federally sponsored research or development.
None
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention disclosed herein is the cleaning and sanitizing of mattresses in both the commercial and residential setting. The invention disclosed herein is a mobile system incorporating ultraviolet light, dry steam, vacuum suction and infrared heat to kill and remove insects, bacteria and debris commonly found on residential and commercial bed mattresses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mattresses have been developed to enhance the comfort enjoyed by the individual while sleeping in bed. Mattresses are made from many different materials and may be of different sizes as well. With use, mattresses can become dirty and infested with parasites such as dust mites and bed bugs as well as bacteria such as Staphylococcus. Dust mites are microscopic insects related to other mites, and ticks, in the class Arachnida, which also includes spiders, scorpions, harvestmen (daddy-longlegs) and similar eight-legged creatures. Classification of mites is ever evolving but are currently placed in the order Astigmata, family Pyroglyphidae, and genus Dermatophagoides. The two most common species are 1) Dermatophagoides farina, the North American house dust mite and 2) Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, the European house dust mite. Both species inhabit dwellings where humans live and where the humidity is optimal for the mite life cycle. Dust mites are infamous for causing allergies in people who sleep on mite infested mattresses. A protein in the mite fecal pellet causes asthma, or aggravates existing asthma symptoms. Dust mite material can also cause eczema whereby the skin becomes dry, itchy, red and scaly. One of the obstacles to removing mites from infested mattresses is that they are literally too small to be seen with the naked eye. Adult dust mites range in size from 250-300 microns and dust mite larvae and nymphs are even smaller making them invisible to the naked eye. Dust mites can be seen with a microscope, but such an instrument is not commonly found in the home or in a commercial setting such as a hotel, dormitory, nursing home and/or hospital. Further, microscopes require specific training on the part of the operator in order to be used properly. Dust mites can infest a used mattress in enormous numbers. Typically, the number of dust mites in an infested mattress range from 100,000 to ten million per mattress. Dust mites feed almost exclusively on dead skin cells which people shed daily by the thousands. Mattresses are the chief place where the majority of house dust mites reside. However, mites can also be found on pillows, overstuffed furniture, even rugs and carpeting. Mites can also be found where household pets sleep.
In addition to dust mites inhabiting mattresses, bed bugs can also infest mattresses. Bed bugs feed on the blood of people. The bed bug will bite the victim and ingest the victim's blood. Bed bugs can live for more than a year without feeding. The bites themselves are painless, but may leave itchy, red scars which are apparent the next morning. Typical symptoms of bed bug bites are small red spots on the skin in rows of three or more. Some people who are bitten by bed bugs demonstrate no symptoms whatsoever, while others can have severe skin reactions. People become increasingly sensitive to bed bug bites with repeated exposure to bed bug bites over time. Bed bugs are much larger in size than dust mites ranging in size from 1.5-7 millimeters. At this size, the bed bugs are visible to the naked eye and visual inspection of an infested mattress may reveal the presence of bed bugs but not dust mites because of their small size. Bed bugs live on mattresses but are only active at night. During the day the bed bug may hide, often under the buttons on mattresses, or in the seams along the edge of the mattress. Bed bugs can also be found in the slots formed by the bed frame. Bed bugs have also been found behind headboards, pictures and posters on the wall and behind peeling wallpaper, among other locations. In contrast dust mites are small enough to slip easily between the threads in the fabric of a mattress pad or the mattress itself.
In addition to bed bugs, dust mites and other insects, the mattress may be contaminated with bacteria such as those of the genus Staphylococcus. These bacteria are classified as Gram positive bacteria and are resistant to drying. Staphylococci are small in size (1-3 microns) and are present on the skin of most people in enormous numbers. The bacteria are shed from the skin of an individual onto the mattress where the bacteria can survive for some time. Bacteria such as Staphylococcus can cause a broad spectrum of illness ranging from abscesses and pustules to blood infection and death. These organisms are also becoming alarmingly resistant to many antibiotics.
Efforts have been undertaken to remove the insects and bacteria from infested mattresses. Efforts to remove bacteria have met with limited success mainly because of the enormous numbers of bacteria present on the mattress. To remove bacteria from a mattress, the mattress is usually scrubbed with an antibacterial agent which is allowed to remain in contact with the mattress until the antibacterial agent has evaporated and the mattress is dry. This method of decontamination does not eliminate the bacteria but reduces the number of bacteria by about a factor of 10.
Efforts to remove insects such as bed bugs and dust mites have centered around the use of special protective covers which are placed on the mattress to separate the insects from the sleeping individual. Clearly, this method acts only as a barrier to contact between the insects and the individual and does not kill or remove the insects from the mattress. Removal of dust mites is critical to preventing illness from dust mites because it is the digestive proteins found in the fecal pellet which causes illness and may be allergenic long after the dust mite has expired. What is needed in the art is a system and method which kills and removes insects and bacteria from a mattress.
The invention disclosed herein is a system and method which kills and removes insects and bacteria from a mattress. Specifically, the system and method which kills and removes insects and bacteria from a mattress is composed of several steps. The first step is to irradiate the mattress in UV light. The second step in the system and method disclosed herein is to clean the mattress with dry steam using distilled water of approximately 356° F. The third step is to remove any unwanted waste and debris left behind by the bed bugs and mites by a vacuum plenum. The fourth step is to heat the mattress with infrared heaters up to a temperature of 265° F. to dry any moisture created by the dry steam while killing any bed bugs and dust mites which may have survived the previous three steps. The fifth step is again a vacuum step to remove any remaining debris. The aforementioned UV lights, dry steam apparatus, vacuums and infrared heaters are mounted to an enclosed frame which is mounted to a box van or truck cab chassis or enclosed trailer which can be transported to a home, hospital, dormitory, hotel or other location where mattresses need to be cleaned and sanitized. Electric power is supplied to the components of the system and method by a gas or diesel powered generator. The mattress to be cleaned and sanitized is placed inside the trailer and the devices are activated and do their assigned functions automatically.
A better understanding of the system and method for cleaning and sanitizing mattresses may be had by examination of the following drawings/figures:
The invention disclosed herein is a system and method for cleaning and sanitizing mattresses which in one embodiment consists of ultraviolet lights, dry steam, vacuum, infrared heaters and an electrical power source such as a gas or diesel powered generator. In a preferred embodiment, the ultraviolet lights, dry steam, vacuum, infrared heaters are situated in a contained movable enclosure such as an enclosed trailer capable of being towed by a car or pickup truck. The components of the system to clean and disinfect mattresses may also be contained within a closed truck or van for transport to the work site. The electrical generator is situated outside of the truck or trailer enclosure. An opening in the side of the truck or trailer enclosure permits the operator to insert the mattress inside the enclosure containing the components of the cleaning and sanitizing system. The operator inserts the mattress and starts the generator which provides power to the cleaning and sanitizing system. A conveyor system moves the mattress to each of the components of the cleaning and sanitizing system.
As shown in
The conveyor system 8 is shown in
The orientation of the components of the system and method for cleaning and sanitizing mattresses 10 is shown in
The system and method for cleaning and sanitizing mattresses disclosed herein is susceptible to many different embodiments. The size and number of the various components can vary to accomplish the same goals with respect to other items such as pillows, blankets, chair and sofa cushions, dog beds, clothing, luggage and a myriad of other items. All of these other embodiments are incorporated into this specification as limited by the claims appended hereto.
