Personal sanitizing device

#This application relates to the fields of personal and/or wearable sanitizing or sanitation devices for protecting against bacteria and/or viruses.

#Despite advances in medical technology, various types of bacteria and viruses still cause many illnesses and deaths around the world. Many of these illnesses are contracted by breathing in airborne particles or droplets that contain the bacteria or virus. In other cases, they make contact with the face and are eventually inhaled, ingested, or transferred through touching of the face. Many of these illnesses involve respiratory infections which cause millions of deaths every year and can be particularly difficult when a pandemic occurs. Facemasks are commonly used in medical environments and are also often used by the general population when there is a risk of infection. Facemasks are also used to attempt to reduce the chances that an affected person infects others in his or her proximity.

#Many types and grades of facemasks are used. Examples of common facemasks include simple disposable facemasks, surgical facemasks, N95 masks, and respirators. Facemasks have a number of drawbacks. First, they are typically uncomfortable and can make the wearer hot or sweaty underneath the mask. Second, they make it difficult to hear or understand the wearer's spoken words. Third, they must be periodically cleaned, disposed of, and/or replaced. Fourth, they typically work by trapping the bacteria or virus and must be handled carefully to avoid inadvertent transfer from the mask itself. Further, depending on the situation, facemasks may present awkward or uncomfortable situations when some people wear them and others do not. Finally, there may be negative aspects or connotations associated with wearing a facemask in some situations. Improvements in personal, wearable sanitizing devices are desired.

#In the drawings, FIG. 1A illustrates a personal sanitizing device.

#FIG. 1B illustrates components of a personal sanitizing device.

#FIG. 2A illustrates a front view of an alternate embodiment of a personal sanitizing device.

#Ultraviolet (UV) light refers to the region of the electromagnetic spectrum between visible light and X-rays. UV light is typically referred to as light having a wavelength falling between 10 and 400 nanometers (nm). UV light is not visible to the human eye because it has a shorter wavelength and higher frequency than the light human eyes and/or brains perceive as visible. UV light is typically categorized into several different subtypes. UV-A light (320-400 nm) is UV light with the longest wavelength, and the least harmful to humans. It is more commonly known as “black light.” It is often used to cause objects to emit fluorescence (a colored glowing effect) in artistic and celebratory designs. Many insects and birds can perceive this type of UV radiation visually, along with some humans in rare cases, such as in cases of Aphakia (missing optic lens). UV-B light (290-320 nm) causes sunburns with prolonged exposure along with increasing the risk of skin cancer and other cellular damage. About 95% of all UV-B light is absorbed by the ozone in Earth's atmosphere. UV-C light (100-290 nm) is almost completely absorbed by Earth's atmosphere. When studying light passing through outer space, scientists often use a different set of UV subtypes dealing with astronomical objects. The first three are similar to the categorization most commonly used in Earth sciences: Near Ultraviolet (NUV) light (300-400 nm), Middle Ultraviolet (MUV) light (200-300 nm), and Far Ultraviolet (FUV) light (100-200 nm).

#The germicidal effect of UV light on bacteria and viruses is primarily due to the formation of thymine, thymine-cytosine (pyrimidine), and cytosine dimers in DNA. UV radiation with wavelengths in the range of 200-295 nm, sometimes referred to as the bactericide or germicide range, has been found to be very effective for sanitizing. UV-C light is commonly used as a disinfectant for food, air, and/or water to kill microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids in cells. It is sometimes used for treating surfaces, rooms, equipment surfaces, water, and air flowing through a duct or channel. UV-C is generally understood to be safer for human exposure than other ranges of UV light. The absorption length of UV-C radiation in human skin is extremely short such that almost no UV-C radiation can reach the living cells in the skin. In other words, most or all of the absorption occurs in the dead cell layers. In some cases, wavelengths in the specific range of 200-210 nm have been found to be very effective in these applications. In particular, some tests have found 207 nm UV light to be very effective in these applications.

#FIG. 1A illustrates a personal sanitizing device 100 that is wearable by a user. Personal sanitizing device 100 includes glasses 105 which may or may not include lenses. In some cases, personal sanitizing device 100 may be implemented with the user's existing glasses, frame, or eyewear, whether the eyewear is for vision correction, protection, or otherwise. In other examples, personal sanitizing device 100 may be implemented with a dedicated, customized, or application-specific set of eyewear or glasses. In yet other examples, personal sanitizing device 100 may be implemented on a pair of smart glasses, such as GOOGLE GLASS. While this example illustrates the sanitizing features installed on glasses 105, attachment to glasses is not necessary and the sanitizing elements may be attached to another personal item, or to no item at all.