Self-sterilizing user input device
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsRobert Warren Gruen, James F. St. George
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Technologies are described herein for providing sterilization of a touchscreen or other tactile input surface of a user input device. A self-sterilizing user input device includes a touchscreen for receiving tactile user input and an ultraviolet (UV) light source that emits UV light onto a touchscreen at a sterilization wavelength. A controller selectively activates and deactivates the UV light source according to whether a user is at or near the user input device. According to one aspect, the user input device includes a backlight to illuminate the touchscreen. The UV light source is positioned with the backlight to provide the UV light from a rear side of the touchscreen.
Claims20
A self-sterilizing user input device, comprising:
- a touchscreen configured to receive tactile user input;
- an ultraviolet (UV) light source configured to emit UV light onto the touchscreen at a sterilization wavelength;
- and
- a controller operative to selectively activate and deactivate the UV light source according to user presence.
The self-sterilizing user input device of clam 13, wherein the at least one predefined sterilization criteria comprises time of day, status of a UV protective shield, or proximity of a user to the user input device.
A computer-implemented method of sterilizing a user input device, comprising:
- determining that a user is not within a proximity of the user input device (200, 400);
- in response to determining the user is not within the proximity of the user input device, emitting UV light from a UV light source of the user input device, the UV light emitted at a sterilization wavelength onto a touchscreen of the user input device;
- determining that the user is within the proximity of the user input device;
- and
- in response to determining that the user is within the proximity of the user input device, preventing emission of the UV light.
A self-sterilizing user input device, comprising:
- a housing;
- a touchscreen positioned within a front aperture of the housing and configured to receive tactile user input;
- a backlight positioned between a rear surface of the housing and the touchscreen, the backlight configured to illuminate the touchscreen;
- a UV light source positioned proximate to the backlight between the rear surface of the housing and the touchscreen, the UV light source configured to emit UV light onto the touchscreen at a sterilization wavelength from a rear side of the touchscreen;
- and
- a controller positioned within the housing and operative to selectively activate and deactivate the UV light source according to user presence.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.