WO2008155793A2

WO2008155793A2 - Sterilization device for spectacles

Info

Publication number: WO2008155793A2
Application number: PCT/IT2008/000416
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marcello Butironi
Original assignee: Sterilizer Italia Srl
Priority date: 2007-06-20
Filing date: 2008-06-20
Publication date: 2008-12-24
Also published as: ITRM20070143U1; WO2008155793A3

Abstract

A sterilization device for spectacles that comprises a sterilization chamber (1) equipped inside with at least one purposely provided rotating support or rotating carousel (2) on which said spectacles are distributed and with a plurality of cold bactericidal and/or fungicidal lamps (3) for sterilization of said spectacles.

Description

STERILIZATION DEVICE FOR SPECTACLES

*****

The present invention relates to a sterilization device for spectacles.

More specifically, said device comprises a sterilization chamber equipped with rotating means for housing a plurality of spectacles, and a plurality of cold bactericidal and/or fungicidal lamps.

Currently known and available on the market are devices for sterilization of commonly used instruments, which do not, however, enable positioning in a rational way of a plurality of three-dimensional elements such as frames for spectacles and at the same time extraction a single item without interfering with the others .

Consequently, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a sterilization device for spectacles comprising a sterilization chamber equipped inside with at least one purposely provided rotating support or rotating carousel, on which said spectacles are distributed, and a plurality of cold bactericidal and/or fungicidal lamps for sterilization of said spectacles, appropriately positioned in order not to leave any areas of shade.

A better understanding of the invention will emerge from the ensuing detailed description, with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof purely by way of example.

In the drawings :

Figures 1 and 2 are two 3D views of the device forming the subject of the invention from beneath and above, respectively.

With reference to the figures, a sterilization device for spectacles is provided, comprising a sterilization chamber 1 equipped inside with at least one purposely provided rotating support or rotating carousel 2 for housing said spectacles and a plurality of cold bactericidal and/or fungicidal lamps 3 for sterilization of said spectacles, arranged so as not to leave any areas of shade. In order to sterilize the spectacles present in the sterilization chamber, said rotating carousel 2 is designed to be set in rotation to enable the range of each of said lamps 3 to cover all the surfaces of said spectacles during rotation of the rotating carousel itself, both on the side facing outwards and on the side facing inwards.

In the example described, the rotating carousel 2 comprises :

- a bottom resting base 4; and - one or more vertical uprights 5 fixed to said base 4, each equipped with a plurality of arms 6 for enabling housing of said spectacles.

It is preferable for each upright 5 to be fixed in a removable way to said resting base 4 to enable resting of elements to be sterilized also directly on the resting base 4.

The arms 6 are positioned in such a way as to enable extraction of a single pair of spectacles from the sterilization chamber 1, without interfering with the adjacent spectacles.

It is evident that in the case where in the sterilization chamber 1 two or more rotating carousels 2 are present, these are positioned at a distance from one another such that the spectacles set on each arm 6 of a carousel 2 will not interfere either with those set on each arm 6 of a further nearby upright 5, set on the same rotating carousel, or with those set on each arm 6 of each upright 5 of a further rotating carousel 2 set in the vicinity.

In the example illustrated in Figure 1, the cold bactericidal and/or fungicidal lamps 3 (UV lamps) are set vertically at the corners of the sterilization chamber 1, and horizontally along the top wall, preferably diagonally.

It is preferable for the walls of said sterilization chamber to be reflecting surfaces that are able to reflect the rays emitted by the lamps 3 towards the spectacles to be sterilized.

The sterilization device is equipped with an access hatch 7, the internal surface of which is also reflecting.

In addition, said hatch 7 can be made of purposely designed material transparent to visible light so that the spectacles in the sterilization chamber 1 can be visible from outside. According to a peculiar characteristic of the invention, the latter is equipped with means for prolonging automatically the time of exposure as the efficiency of the lamps 3 diminishes.

Another characteristic of the invention lies in the fact that said sterilization device is equipped with an automatic safety mechanism designed to turn off the device itself when a user opens the hatch 7.

A further characteristic is that said sterilization device envisages a light and/or acoustic warning in the event of malfunctioning. Advantageously, the invention so far described offers the user the possibility of donning a pair of sterilized spectacles, the user no longer having the preoccupation of any bacteria and/or fungi that may be present on said pair of spectacles after other persons have previously tried them on from possibly causing infection.

The present invention has been described and illustrated according to a preferred embodiment thereof, but it is understood that any person skilled in the branch may make equivalent modifications and/or replacements thereto, without thereby departing from the sphere of protection of the present industrial patent right.

Claims

1. A sterilization device for spectacles, characterized in ^• that it comprises a sterilization chamber (1) equipped inside with at least one purposely provided rotating support or rotating carousel (2) for housing said spectacles and with a plurality of cold bactericidal and/or fungicidal lamps (3) for sterilization of said spectacles appropriately- positioned in order not to leave any areas of shade; said rotating carousel (2) being designed to be set in rotation to enable the range of each of said lamps (3) to cover all the surfaces of said spectacles during its rotation.

2. The device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said rotating carousel (2) comprises:

- a bottom resting base (4), and

- one or more vertical uprights (5) fixed to said base (4), each equipped with a plurality of arms (6) for enabling housing of said spectacles.

3. The device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that each upright (5) is fixed in a removable way to said resting base (4) to enable resting of elements to be sterilized directly on the resting base (4) .

4. The device according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, characterized in that said arms (6) are positioned so that extraction from the sterilization chamber (1) of a single pair of spectacles will not interfere with the adjacent spectacles.

5. The device according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, characterized in that the rotating carousel comprises a number of uprights (5) on the resting base (4) , which are positioned at a distance such that the extraction of a single pair of spectacles does not interfere with the spectacles located on the arms (6) of each adjacent upright (5) .

6. The device according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, characterized in that in the sterilization chamber (1) are present two or more rotating carousels (2), which are positioned at a distance from one another such that the spectacles set on each arm (6) of each upright (5) of a rotating carousel (2) will not interfere either with those set on each arm (6) of a further nearby upright (5), set on the same rotating carousel, or with those set on each arm (6) of each upright (5) of a further carousel set in the vicinity.

7. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sterilization chamber (1) is eguipped with walls, the surfaces of which are reflecting to reflect the rays emitted by the lamps (3) towards the spectacles to be sterilized.

8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with an access hatch (7), the internal surface of which is reflecting.

9. The device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said hatch (7) is made of material transparent to visible light so that the spectacles in the sterilization chamber (1) are visible from outside.

10. The device according to Claim 8 or Claim 9, characterized in that it is equipped with an automatic safety mechanism, designed to turn off the device itself when a user opens the hatch (7) . "

11. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with means for prolonging automatically the time of exposure as the efficiency of the lamps (3) is reduced.

12. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it envisages a light and/or acoustic warning in the event of malfunctioning .

13. A sterilization device for spectacles substantially as described and illustrated herein in the annexed plates of drawings.