Claims:I/We Claim:
1. A disinfecting doormat (100) comprising:
a metal film (102), wherein the metal film (102) is bactericidal;
speakers (104a-104d) configured to generate a pleasant tone;
a timer (106) configured to generate timing signal;
a battery (108) connected to the speakers (104a-104d) and the timer (106); and
a processor (110) connected to the speakers (104a-104d), the timer (106), and the battery (108), wherein the processor (110) is configured to:
receive the timing signals from the timer (106);
determine time based on the received timing signals;
compare the determined time with a predefined time of a user stored in a memory (112);
generate activation signal based on the determined time; and
activate the speakers (104a-104d) based on the activation signal.
2. The disinfecting doormat (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metal film (102) is of copper.
3. The disinfecting doormat (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predefined time is playtime of a user.
4. The disinfecting doormat (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the user is selected from, a child, a toddler, a teenager, an adult, or a combination thereof.
5. The disinfecting doormat (100) as claimed in claim 1, the disinfecting doormat (100) comprises a frame (114) and an anti-skid layer (116).
6. The disinfecting doormat (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the anti-skid layer (116) prevents the disinfecting doormat (100) from skidding.
7. The disinfecting doormat (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the frame (114) comprises a slot (118) configured to allow insertion and/or removal of the metal film (102).
8. The disinfecting doormat (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metal film (102) is bactericidal to at least one of, Escherichia coli, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus aureus, Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE), Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or a combination thereof.
9. The disinfecting doormat (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metal film (102) is at least about, 50% bactericidal, 80% bactericidal, 90% bactericidal, 95% bactericidal, 99% bactericidal.
10. The disinfecting doormat (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metal film (102) is virucidal to at least, one of, norovirus, coronavirus, influenza A virus, adenovirus, or a combination thereof.
Date: 5th April 2022
Place: Noida

Nainsi Rastogi
Patent Agent (IN/PA-2372)
Agent for the Applicant
, Description:BACKGROUND
Field of the invention
[001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to an apparatus for disinfecting shoes and particularly to a doormat capable of disinfecting shoes of a user entering a premise.
Description of Related Art
[002] It is important to disinfect disease-sensitive areas, such as hospitals, homes, offices, schools, gyms, nursing homes, daycare centers and assisted living facilities, in order to prevent infection and a spread of illness. Traditionally, before entering an indoor establishment, such as a home, office, or building, an entrant wipes his or her shoes (e.g., using a doormat, welcome mat, carpet, etc.). While the act of wiping shoes superficially removes some debris from sole of the shoe, there remains germs, debris, micro-organisms, bacteria, dirt, dust, and other such unsanitary matter. For instance, a sample of the shoes was found to have nine different species of bacteria including bacteria capable of causing stomach, eye, and lung infections. Often, coliform, a bacterium mostly derived from human and animal waste, can be found on footwear. Furthermore, in one research study, footwear was observed to transfer bacteria to tile floors in a house ninety percent of the time. Carpets are also known to harbor significant amounts of bacteria brought in from external sources. As compared to a toilet seat, which can be found to house thousands of bacteria, the footwear can harbor millions of bacteria. The amount of unsanitary matter present on a person's shoes is generally understood.
[003] Given the unsanitary nature of people's footwear, there exists a risk of transference of infection, bacteria, and viruses to indoor environments and the people who occupy such environments. For instance, children who often spend time on the floor playing are vulnerable to germs tracked into a home, especially provided some children are prone to placing hands in their mouth or using hands to rub their eyes. Generally, unsanitary material is easily tracked into homes, offices, and other spaces as a result of insufficient cleaning and disinfecting of footwear before entering a space.
[004] Currently, the existing mechanisms for cleaning footwear are insufficient for disinfecting the footwear. There is a significant need for a device or tool to better disinfect, clean, and remove unsanitary matter from a person's footwear in an efficient and convenient manner.
SUMMARY
[005] Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure provide a disinfecting doormat. The disinfecting doormat includes a metal film, wherein the metal film is bactericidal. The disinfecting doormat further includes speakers configured to generate pleasant music. The disinfecting doormat further includes a timer configured to generate timing signal. The disinfecting doormat further includes a battery connected to the speakers and the timer. The disinfecting doormat further includes a processor connected to the speakers, the timer, and the battery. The processor is configured to receive timing signals from the timer; determine time based on the received timing signals; compare the determined time with a predefined time of a user stored in a memory; generate activation signal based on the determined time; activate the speakers based on the activation signal.
[006] Further, the disinfecting doormat includes a frame comprising a slot configured to allow insertion and/or removal of the metal film. Furthermore, the disinfecting doormat includes an anti-skid layer, the anti-skid layer prevents the disinfecting doormat from skidding.
[007] Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a number of advantages depending on its particular configuration. First, embodiments of the present application provide a doormat. Next, embodiments of the present application provide a disinfecting doormat.
[008] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a bactericidal doormat.
[009] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a fungicidal doormat.
[0010] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a virucidal doormat.
[0011] These and other advantages will be apparent from the present application of the embodiments described herein.
[0012] The preceding is a simplified summary to provide an understanding of some embodiments of the present disclosure. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the present disclosure and its various embodiments. The summary presents selected concepts of the embodiments of the present disclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the present disclosure are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The above and still further features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1A illustrates a diagram depicting a perspective view of a disinfecting doormat, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 1B illustrates a rear view of the disinfecting doormat, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 1C illustrates a side view of the disinfecting doormat, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates components of a processor of the disinfecting doormat, according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including but not limited to. To facilitate understanding, like reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate like elements common to the figures. Optional portions of the figures may be illustrated using dashed or dotted lines, unless the context of usage indicates otherwise.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The following description includes the preferred best mode of one embodiment of the present disclosure. It will be clear from this description of the disclosure that the disclosure is not limited to these illustrated embodiments but that the disclosure also includes a variety of modifications and embodiments thereto. Therefore, the present description should be seen as illustrative and not limiting. While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, it should be understood, that there is no intention to limit the disclosure to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined in the claims.
[0020] “In any embodiment described herein, the open-ended terms "comprising," "comprises,” and the like (which are synonymous with "including," "having” and "characterized by") may be replaced by the respective partially closed phrases "consisting essentially of," consists essentially of," and the like or the respective closed phrases "consisting of," "consists of, the like.”
[0021] As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” designate both the singular and the plural, unless expressly stated to designate the singular only.
[0022] FIG. 1A illustrates a diagram depicting a perspective view of a disinfecting doormat 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In order to prevent pathogens from entering or being passed through disease sensitive settings, such as hospitals, homes, offices, schools, gyms, nursing homes, daycare centers, assisted living facilities, and other similar spaces, and to overcome problems with existing sanitization apparatus, the present disclosure describes the disinfecting doormat 100 comprising copper. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the disinfecting doormat 100 may be positioned in front of, behind, or within an entryway of a home or apartment. In another exemplary scenario, the disinfecting doormat 100 may be used as a foot and/or shoe disinfecting doormat 100 before an individual enters a room within a hospital. Further, the disinfecting doormat 100 comprises a metal film 102, speakers 104a-104d, a timer 106, a battery 108, a processor 110, and a memory 112.
[0023] According to embodiments of the present invention, the metal film 102 is made up of copper. The metal film 102 provides biocidal properties, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 provides antimicrobial properties. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 provides bactericidal properties. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 is bactericidal to, but not limited to, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterobacter aerogenes. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 is bactericidal to resistant bacteria, such as, but not limited to, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and/or Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE). According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 provides fungicidal properties. In some embodiments, the copper prevents the growth of fungi and fungal spores. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 may be configured to degrade DNA of microorganisms when in or after contact. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 interferes with cellular respiration and/or metabolic functions of microorganisms when in or after contact. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 provides virucidal properties. In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 is virucidal to norovirus, coronavirus, influenza A virus, adenovirus.
[0024] In some embodiments, the metal film 102 is bactericidal. In this context, “bactericidal,” when referring to the metal film 102, is a film that has properties that meet standards set by an appropriate regulatory body. A bactericidal metal film 102 having such properties is considered to meet standards regardless of whether the regulatory body has provided official notification to that effect. In some embodiments, bactericidal refers to the metal film 102 is at least 50% (or about 50%), at least 60% (or about 60%), at least 70% (or about 70%), at least 80% (or about 80%), at least 90% (or about 90%), at least 95% (or about 95%), at least 99% (or about 99%), at least 99.5% (or about 99.5%), at least 99.9% (or about 99.9%) or at least 99.99% (or about 99.99%) bactericidal, or any range between any of these values. In some embodiments, the degree (e.g., percent) of the bactericidal properties may be accomplished by the metal film 102 is less than 1 second (or about less than 1 second), 30 seconds (or about 30 seconds), 1 minute (or about 1 minute), 30 minutes (or about 30 minutes), 1 hour (or about 1 hour), 2 hours (or about 2 hours), 3 hours (or about 3 hours) or 4 hours (or about 4 hours), or any range between any of these values.
[0025] Further, the metal film 102 is at least one sheet of elemental copper. In some embodiments, the elemental copper is hard, nonporous copper. In some embodiments, the elemental copper sheet is a CuVerro® copper sheet. In some embodiments, the metal film 102 is secured to the disinfecting doormat 100 by glue. In some embodiments, the metal film 102 is secured to the disinfecting doormat 100 by fasteners. In some embodiments, the metal film 102 is secured to the disinfecting doormat 100 by a frame 114, such as being gripped or held in place by the frame 114. In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal film 102 may be disposed of or housed within the frame 114, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0026] The frame 114 may be made up of a material, such as, but not limited to, an iron, an aluminum, a wood, a fiberglass, a hardened plastic, a chromed steel, a stainless steel, and so forth. Embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the material for the frame 114 of the disinfecting doormat 100 including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the disinfecting doormat 100 may be of different shapes and sizes, such as, but not limited to, a cuboid, a cube, a cylindrical, a hexagonal, a square, and so forth. In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the disinfecting doormat 100 may be rectangular in shape with dimensions of 30 cm x 40 cm. Embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any of the shapes and the size of the disinfecting doormat 100 including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0027] Further, the frame 114 may be configured to house the speakers 104a-104d, the timer 106, the battery 108, the processor 110, and the memory 112. The speakers 104a-104d (hereinafter referred to as the speakers 104) may be configured to generate a sound. In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the sound may be a pleasant tone that may be generated by the speakers 104 to attract a user such as, but not limited to, a toddler, a child, a teenager, and so forth. The pleasant tone may be generated by the speakers 104 to attract the user. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the speakers 104 may be, but not limited to, an electro-dynamic speaker, an in-wall speaker, a flat panel speaker, a plasma arc speaker, a piezoelectric speaker, and so forth. Embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the speakers 104 including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the speakers 104 may be a buzzer that may be enclosed in the frame 114 of the disinfecting doormat 100. Similarly, the buzzers may also be configured to generate the pleasant tone.
[0028] According to embodiments of the present invention, the timer 106 may be configured to generate timing signals. The timer 106 may further be configured to calculate the time and display it using a display. The timer 106 may be connected to the processor 110, according to embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the speakers 104 and the timer 106 may be operated using the battery 108, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery 108 may be a rechargeable battery.
[0029] Further, the processor 110 may be configured to receive and process data associated with the disinfecting doormat 100, in an embodiment of the present invention. According to embodiments of the present invention, the processor 110 may be, but not limited to, a Programmable Logic Control unit (PLC), a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a computing device, a development board, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the processor 110 including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies that may be capable of processing the received data.
[0030] According to embodiments of the present invention, the memory 112 may be configured for storage and retrieval of data associated with the disinfecting doormat 100. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the memory 112 may be configured to store a predefined time of the user. The predefined time, may be, but not limited to, a playing time, a homecoming time, or a combination thereof. According to embodiments of the present invention, the memory 112 may be, but is not limited to, a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Programmable read-only memory (PROM), an Erasable Programmable read only memory (EPROM), an Electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the memory 112 including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0031] FIG. 1B illustrates a diagram depicting a rear view of the disinfecting doormat 100, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The disinfecting doormat 100 may be used upon an entry of a premise, because of which the disinfecting doormat 100 needs to provide anti-skid properties to prevent any accidental fall of the user. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the disinfecting doormat 100 comprises an anti-skid layer 116, that may be configured to provide anti-skid properties. The anti-skid layer 116 may be made up of a material, such as, but not limited to, a Dycem®, a polyester, a polypropylene, a vinyl, an anti-skid paint, a Rocbinda, and so forth. Embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the material for the anti-skid layer 116. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the anti-skid layer 116 may have anti-slip patterns (as shown in FIG.1B). The anti-slip patterns may be, but not limited to, a waver, a hatch, a daisy, and so forth. Embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the anti-slip patterns.
[0032] FIG. 1C illustrates a side view of the disinfecting doormat 100, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The frame 114 comprises a slot 118 positioned to allow the insertion and/or removal of the metal film 102. The slot 118 may have curved or beveled edges. The slot 118 may also be configured to secure the metal film 102 in position within the frame 114.
[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates components of the processor 110 of the disinfecting doormat 100, according to embodiments of the present invention. The processor 110 may comprise a doormat configuration module 200, a data collection module 202, a data processing module 204, a speaker control module 206, according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0034] According to embodiments of the present invention, a switch (not shown) may be configured to generate an activation signal when the user of the disinfecting doormat 100 activates an ignition key. The activation signal may enable the doormat configuration module 200 that may be configured to activate the speaker 104 and the timer 106 of the disinfecting doormat 100. The timer 106 may be configured to generate timing signals representing time. Further, the doormat configuration module 200 may be configured to transmit the received sensed signals from the timer 106 to the data collection module 202, in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] According to embodiments of the present invention, the data collection module 202 may be configured to receive the sensed signals from the doormat configuration module 200. Further, the data collection module 202 may be configured to store the received sensed signals onto the memory 112 of the disinfecting doormat 100. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the data collection module 202 may be further configured to transmit the received sensed signals to the data processing module 204.
[0036] The data processing module 204 may be configured to process the received sensed signals from the timer 106 to determine the time. In an embodiment of the present invention, the memory 112 of the disinfecting doormat 100 may be configured to store a predefined time. In an exemplary scenario, if the data processing module 204 determines that the determined time is same as the predefined time stored in the memory 112, then the data processing module 204 may be configured to generate an activation signal. The predefined time may be, but not limited to, a playing time, a homecoming time, and so forth. The activation signal may be transmitted to the speaker control module 206.
[0037] The speaker control module 206 may be connected to the speakers 104 that may be configured to generate a pleasant tone. In an exemplary scenario, if the speaker control module 206 receives the activation signal generated from the data processing module 204, then the speaker control module 206 may enable the speaker 104 to the pleasant tone that may attract the user to use the disinfecting doormat 100.
[0038] While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and various embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
[0039] This written description uses examples to disclose the disclosure, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined in the claims and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with substantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.