Apparatus for sterilizing mail and textile articles

Abstract

An apparatus for sterilizing various articles includes a cabinet defining a chamber and having a door coupled to the cabinet for selectively sealing the chamber in an airtight manner. The apparatus includes a vacuum pump in communication with the chamber for withdrawing air from the chamber and any respective article placed therein, e.g. a pillow, the vacuum pump causing a reduced air pressure within the chamber. The apparatus further includes an ozone generator in communication with the chamber for introducing ozone into the chamber and into any respective article placed therein. Still further, the apparatus includes an ozone filter in communication with the chamber and having a non-consumable catalyst for converting the ozone into oxygen.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 964,183 entitled Method and Apparatus for Sterilizing Mail and Textile Articles filed Oct. 13, 2005, which claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 883,242 entitled Method and Apparatus for Sterilizing Mail and Textile Articles filed Apr. 27, 2004, which claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 223,919 filed Aug. 20, 2002 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,029) entitled Method and Apparatus for Sterilizing Mail, which claimed the benefit of U.S. Application No. 60 / 337,648, filed Dec. 7, 2001, entitled Device To Sterilize Anthrax Spores Being Sent Through The Mail.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to decontamination and sterilization devices and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for sterilizing articles of mail that may be tainted with anthrax or other pathogens.[0003]A single letter contaminated with anthrax or similar pathogens...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]A method and apparatus for sterilizing mail according to the present invention includes a chamber defining an airtight enclosed space and having an entrance and exit through which mail may be conveyed. A vacuum pump is coupled to the chamber for withdrawing air from the chamber and an article of mail therein. This withdrawal of air reduces the air pressure in the chamber. An ozone gas generator is also coupled to the chamber and is capable of introducing ozone therein after all gases have been removed by the vacuum pump. Introducing ozone into the low pressure environment causes the ozone to permeate the article of mail very quickly as the ozone seeks to diffuse in even concentration throughout the chamber. Ozone is an unstable molecule that reacts with organic matter such as bacteria and viruses. This reaction destroys critical components of organisms, thereby being an effective sterilizing agent against anthrax within an article of mail. The highly reactive property of ozone makes sterilization very quick compared to other disinfectant methodologies. Following sterilization, the ozone is withdrawn from the chamber by another operation of the vacuum pump or with another fan such that the ozone is collected in an ozone filter. The filter includes a non-consumable catalyst such as manganese dioxide which converts the ozone into oxygen. The apparatus may be implemented using a single chamber or using multiple chambers connected by airlocks (multi-stage implementation).

[0009]Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which sterilizes articles of mail quickly and without exposure of persons to harsh or harmful chemicals.

[0010]Still another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which sterilizes articles of mail without damaging the articles of mail.

[0011]Yet another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which sterilizes mail without generating excessive heat or pollution.

Problems solved by technology

A single letter contaminated with anthrax or similar pathogens can cause serious health issues or even death to humans.

Anthrax in a single letter can cross-contaminate other articles of mail, postal sorting equipment, and the like.

This is a significant problem in view of the 680 million pieces of mail handled by the U.S. Postal Service every day.

Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices are not suitable for sterilizing mail at the initial point of mail deposit or without damaging the mail.

More particularly, the use of steam heat or intense dry heat would irreversibly damage mail.

Further, chemical sterilization with ethylene oxide gas avoids the damages associated with heat sterilization but requires long cycle times and the handling of harsh chemicals.

These disadvantages would be unacceptable for use in mass mail processing.

Sterilization with gamma radiation, while effective, would be prohibitively expensive for use in the decentralized mail processing and delivery industry.

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