US 10,441,670 B2Granted

Storage device including ultraviolet illumination

AssigneeSensor Electronic Technology, Inc.

InventorsMichael Shur, Maxim S. Shatalov, Timothy James Bettles, Yuri Bilenko, Saulius Smetona, Alexander Dobrinsky, Remigijus Gaska, Igor Agafonov

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

Ultraviolet radiation is directed within an area. Items located within the area and/or one or more conditions of the area are monitored over a period of time. Based on the monitoring, ultraviolet radiation sources are controlled by adjusting a direction, an intensity, a pattern, and/or a spectral power of the ultraviolet radiation generated by the ultraviolet radiation source. Adjustments to the ultraviolet radiation source(s) can correspond to one of a plurality of selectable operating configurations including a storage life preservation operating configuration, a disinfection operating configuration, and an ethylene decomposition operating configuration.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a storage device including a plurality of storage areas, wherein a storage area in the plurality of storage areas includes at least one shelf for holding the at least one item, and wherein the storage area is at least partially defined by a plurality of layers including:
a transparent region fixed in the storage device, wherein the transparent region is configured to transmit ultraviolet radiation;
and
a reflecting region located in proximity to the transparent region, wherein the reflecting region is configured to reflect ultraviolet radiation within the storage area and prevent the ultraviolet radiation from exiting the storage area;
a set of ultraviolet radiation sources located within the storage area, wherein the set of ultraviolet radiation sources are configured to generate ultraviolet radiation into the storage area;
a set of sensing devices located within the storage area, wherein the set of sensing devices are configured to monitor a set of current conditions of at least one of:
the storage area or the at least one item, wherein the set of current conditions includes a set of visual attributes regarding a surface of the at least one item and a set of chemical attributes for the at least one item;
and
a control system configured to control the set of ultraviolet radiation sources within the storage area based on the set of current conditions.

6 more elements

A storage device comprising:

a plurality of storage areas located within a portion of the storage device, wherein a storage area in the plurality of storage areas includes at least one shelf for holding at least one item, and wherein the storage area is at least partially defined by a plurality of layers including:
a transparent region fixed in the storage device, wherein the transparent region is configured to transmit ultraviolet radiation;
and
a reflecting region located in proximity to the transparent region, wherein the reflecting region is configured to reflect ultraviolet radiation within the a storage area and prevent the ultraviolet radiation from exiting the storage area;
a set of ultraviolet radiation sources located within the storage area, wherein the set of ultraviolet radiation sources are configured to generate ultraviolet radiation into the storage area, wherein the ultraviolet radiation is contained within the storage area;
a set of sensing devices located within the storage area, wherein the set of sensing devices are configured to monitor a set of current conditions of at least one of:
the storage area or the at least one item, the set of sensing devices including a visual camera configured to capture an image of the at least one item, wherein the set of current conditions includes a visual attribute regarding a surface of the at least one item and a set of chemical attributes for the at least one item;
and
a control system configured to control the set of ultraviolet radiation sources within the storage area based on the set of current conditions.

6 more elements

A storage device comprising:

a plurality of storage areas, wherein a storage area in the plurality of storage areas includes at least one shelf for holding at least one item, wherein the at least one shelf includes a plurality of sub-compartments, and wherein the storage area is at least partially defined by a plurality of layers including:
a transparent region fixed in the storage device, wherein the transparent region is configured to transmit ultraviolet radiation;
and
a reflecting region located in proximity to the transparent region, wherein the reflecting region is configured to reflect ultraviolet radiation within the storage area and prevent the ultraviolet radiation from exiting the storage area;
a set of ultraviolet radiation sources located within the storage area, wherein the set of ultraviolet radiation sources are configured to generate ultraviolet radiation into the storage area;
a set of sensing devices located within the storage area, wherein the set of sensing devices are configured to monitor a set of current conditions of at least one of:
the storage area or the at least one item, the set of sensing devices including a visual camera configured to capture an image of the at least one item, wherein the set of current conditions includes a visual attribute regarding a surface of the at least one item and a set of chemical attributes for the at least one item;
and
a control system configured to control the set of ultraviolet radiation sources within the storage area based on the set of current conditions.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/388,394Filed 22 Dec 2016 · continuation in part
Priority: 28 Aug 2012
Published: US 2017/0100495 A113 Apr 2017
Granted: 15 Oct 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

A61L 2/10
Radiation: ultraviolet [UV] radiation
F25D 17/042
For circulating air, e.g. by convection: air treating means within refrigerated spaces
G01G 19/52
Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups: weighing apparatus combined with other…
G01N 27/121
Of a solid body in dependence upon absorption of a fluid; of a solid body in dependence upon reaction with a fluid , for detecting components in…:…

Family

Application61/694,229Us provisional application · filed 28 Aug 2012
Application61/694,232Us provisional application · filed 28 Aug 2012
Application14/012,682Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 28 Aug 2013
Application61/943,915Us provisional application · filed 24 Feb 2014
Application62/042,737Us provisional application · filed 27 Aug 2014
Application14/629,508Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 24 Feb 2015
US 9,034,271 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 19 May 2015
US 2017/0100495 A1Pre-grant publication · published 13 Apr 2017
US 9,919,068 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2014/0060095 A1Published application
US 2015/0165079 A1Published application
US 10,441,670 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key