Methods of and system for generating antimicrobial wipes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10897894-B2
Application number	US-201615753565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2016
Priority date	Aug 31, 2015
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

Exemplary methods of and system for generating an antimicrobial wipe to clean and disinfect a surface contaminated with bacteria, viruses, spores, fungi, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the method includes applying non-thermal plasma to a moistened wipe to activate a liquid in the wipe. In some embodiments, the method includes applying non-thermal plasma to a liquid and then applying the activated liquid to a wipe. In one embodiment of a system for generating an antimicrobial wipe the system includes a housing having an opening; a supply of wipes disposed within the housing; a non-thermal plasma generator disposed within the housing; a power supply electrically coupled to the non-thermal plasma generator; and a feed system disposed within the housing, wherein the feed system moves one or more wipes from the supply of wipes past the plasma generator and out of the opening. As the feed system moves the wipes past the plasma generator, the plasma generator applies non-thermal plasma to the wipes.

First claim

We claim:

1. A dispenser system for generating and dispensing one or more wet wipes that have antimicrobial properties; comprising:
a dispenser housing having an opening;
a supply of one or more wipes disposed within the dispenser housing;
a non-thermal plasma generator disposed within the dispenser housing;
a power supply electrically coupled to the non-thermal plasma generator;
a reservoir for holding a supply of water or water with one or more additives located within the dispenser housing;
the supply of the water or water with one or more additives located in the reservoir;
wherein the water or water with one or more additives has properties that change when contacted by non-thermal plasma such that the water or water with one or more additives after being contacted by the non-thermal plasma non becomes activated water or activated water with one or more additives that contains one or more of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, nitrates, nitrites, peroxynitrious add, peroxynitrite, hydroxyl radicals or other active species;
wherein the power supply is configured to provide power to the non-thermal plasma generator to generate the non-thermal plasma;
wherein the non-thermal plasma generator is positioned in a location configured so that the non-thermal plasma generated from the non-thermal plasma generator contacts the water or water with one or more additives;
wherein the one or more wipes are impregnated with one of the water or water with one or more additives or one of the activated water or activated water with one or more additives to become the one or more wet wipes;
wherein if the one or more wet wipes are impregnated with the water or water with one or more additives, the non-thermal plasma generated by the non-thermal plasma generator contacts the one or more wet wipes and the water or water with one or more additives; and
a feed system disposed within the dispenser housing, wherein the feed system moves the one or more wipes wetted with the activated water or activated water with one or more additives out of the opening;
wherein the one or more wet wipes dispensed contain the one or more of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, nitrates, nitrites, peroxynitrious acid, peroxynitrite, hydroxyl radicals or other active species when dispensed out of the opening in the housing.

2. The dispenser system of claim 1 wherein the one or more wipes are pre-moistened with the supply of the water or water with one or more additives prior to being placed within the housing.

3. The dispenser system claim of 1 wherein the supply of the one or more wipes is a roll of the one or more wipes.

4. The dispenser system of claim 1 further comprising one or more nozzles fluidly coupled to the supply of the water or water with one or more additives and disposed within the dispenser housing, wherein the one or more nozzles are arranged to spray the water or water and one or more additives onto the one or more wipes to moisten the one or more wipes.

5. The dispenser system of claim 4 wherein the one or more nozzles are positioned to spray the activated water or activated water with one or more additives onto the one or more wipes after the plasma generator applies the non-thermal plasma to the water or water with one or more additives to generate the activated water or activated water with one or more additives.

6. The dispenser system of claim 4 wherein the one or more nozzles are positioned to spray the water or water with one or more additives onto the one or more wipes before the non-thermal plasma generator applies the non-thermal plasma to the one or more wipes.

7. The dispenser system of claim 1 further comprising a sensor that senses a condition of the one or more wipes, and wherein the system discontinues applying the non-thermal plasma to the one or more wipes when the sensed condition reaches a threshold value.

8. A dispenser system for generating one or more wipes having antimicrobial properties, comprising:
a dispenser housing having an opening;
a non-thermal plasma generator disposed within the dispenser housing;
a power supply electrically coupled to the non-thermal plasma generator;
one or more wet wipes;
wherein the one or more wet wipes contain a water or water with one or more additives;
wherein the water or water with one or more additives is liquid that has properties that change when contacted by non-thermal plasma such that the water or water with one or more additives after being contacted by the non-thermal plasma contains one or more of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, nitrates, nitrites, peroxynitrious acid, peroxynitrite, hydroxyl radicals or other active species;
wherein the non-thermal plasma generator is positioned proximate the one or more wet wipes and is configured so that the non-thermal plasma generated from the non-thermal plasma generator contacts the one or more wet wipes for a period of time to activate the water or water with one or more additives so that the water or water with one or more additives contain the one or more of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, nitrates, nitrites, peroxynitrious acid, peroxynitrite, hydroxyl radicals or other active species; and
wherein the dispenser system has a dispense mechanism to dispense the one or more wet wipes that contains the one or more of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, nitrates, nitrites, peroxynitrious add, peroxynitrite, hydroxyl radicals or other active species out of the dispenser housing.

9. The dispenser system of claim 8 further comprising a timer.

10. The dispenser system of claim 9 wherein the timer is used to determine the length of time to apply the non-thermal plasma to the one or more wet wipes.

11. The dispenser system of claim 9 wherein the timer is used to alert a user to status of the one or more wet wipes.

12. The dispenser system of claim 11 wherein the status of the one or more wet wipes is indicative of the efficacy of the one or more wet wipes.

13. The dispenser system of claim 12 wherein the status of the one or more wet wipes is the one or more wet wipes have sufficient antimicrobial or sporicidal activity.

14. A wet wipes dispensing device for dispensing wet wipes having antimicrobial or sporicidal properties comprising:
a dispenser housing;
a reservoir;
a supply of water or water with one or more additives located within the reservoir;
wherein the water or water with one or more additives have properties that change when contacted by non-thermal plasma such that the water or water with one or more additives after being contacted by the non-thermal plasma contains one or more of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, nitrates, nitrites, peroxynitrious acid, peroxynitrite, hydroxyl radicals or other active species;
a plurality of wipes located within the dispenser housing;
a non-thermal plasma generator;
wherein the non-thermal plasma generator is positioned close to at least a portion of the water or water with one or more additives from the supply of the water or water with one or more additives and is configured so that the non-thermal plasma generated by the non-thermal plasma generator will contact the at least a portion of the water or water with one or more additives used to wet one or more of the plurality of wipes;
a power supply configured for providing power to the non-thermal plasma generator to cause the non-thermal plasma generator to generate the non-thermal plasma proximate the at least a portion of the water or water with one or more additives from the supply of the water or water with one or more additives;
wherein upon contact of the at least a portion of the water or water with one or more additives with the non-thermal plasma, the at lea

Assignees

• Gojo Ind Inc

Inventors

• Tsai Tsung-Chan
• Louis Jeffrey S
• Pappas Antonakas Daphne
• Kalghatgi Sameer
• Gray Robert L

Classifications

• A61L2103/05

  Living organisms or biological materials · CPC title

• A61L2/02

  using physical processes · CPC title

• A61L2/18

  Liquid substances · CPC title

• H05H1/2406

  using dielectric barrier discharges, i.e. with a dielectric interposed between the electrodes · CPC title

• H05H2245/36

  Sterilisation of objects, liquids, volumes or surfaces · CPC title