초록 ▼

A method and device for destroying and inhibiting exposure to microbes and infection includes a first element and a second element, and a power source. At least one of the elements includes antimicrobial metal, which, when energized by the power source, produces ions that are lethal to microbes. The

A method and device for destroying and inhibiting exposure to microbes and infection includes a first element and a second element, and a power source. At least one of the elements includes antimicrobial metal, which, when energized by the power source, produces ions that are lethal to microbes. The device can be incorporated into virtually any useful object. During normal use of the object, electrical communication is established between the two elements, causing current supplied from the power source to flow through the antimicrobial metal. The two elements are configured and arranged to ensure that ions flowing from the antimicrobial metal flow through the region in which it is desired to kill microbes. The antimicrobial metal can be on the surface of the element, incorporated into the material making up the element, or provided in any other way that allows the antimicrobial effect to be achieved.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An antimicrobial device, comprising: a device body having a plurality of first elements and a plurality of second elements, at least one of the elements including an antimicrobial material, wherein the elements are aligned so that the first elements are adjacent to the second elements in more tha

1. An antimicrobial device, comprising: a device body having a plurality of first elements and a plurality of second elements, at least one of the elements including an antimicrobial material, wherein the elements are aligned so that the first elements are adjacent to the second elements in more than one location, wherein each of the adjacent first and second elements are separated from one another by a space, and wherein all first elements remain free from contact with all second elements;one or more insulators configured to electrically decouple the first and second elements from each other, said one or more insulators being positioned in the spaces directly between each of the adjacent first and second elements; andan electrical power supply configured to apply electric potential across the first and second elements;wherein said first and second elements are configured to be electrically coupled together by an object that comes into contact with said device body causing electrical current to flow between said first and second elements and causing emission of antimicrobial ions from the antimicrobial material toward the object. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial material is a metal-containing coating and is disposed on the external surface of at least one of the elements. 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial material comprises at least one of silver, copper, cadmium, gold, zinc, cobalt, nickel, palladium, manganese, chromium, an ionic form, an alloy, a composite, a mixture, a combination of silver and copper, a combination of silver and cadmium, a combination of copper and cadmium, and a combination of silver, cadmium, and copper, and wherein the ratio between any two metals included in the antimicrobial material ranges from about 1000:1 to 1:1000. 4. The device of claim 2, wherein the metal-containing coating is disposed in a pattern that includes interlocking stripes defining discontinuous regions of coating, wherein the distance between discontinuous regions of coating is selected to account for the diffusion distance of ions generated from the coating. 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more insulators are at least partially enclosed within the device body. 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial material contains metal and is formed of at least one of a wire, paint, ribbon, mesh, lattice, sheet, plate, and foil. 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the antimicrobial material is attached to the at least one of the first and second elements with at least one of welding and an adhesive. 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial material is non-uniformly disposed on the at least one of the first and second elements. 9. The device of claim 2, wherein the metal-containing coating has a thickness of about 1×10−9-5×10−3 meters. 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more insulators have a resistive value greater than a resistive value of an object that comes into contact with said device body causing electrical current to flow between said first and second elements and causing emission of antimicrobial ions from the antimicrobial material toward the object. 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device body is configured for incorporation within at least one of a textile, a filter, an item of medical equipment, an electronic device, an item of processing equipment for a consumable, a ventilation system component, a food preparation surface, a laboratory surface, a household surface, a personal care accessory, a hardware surface, and a surface configured for human or animal interaction. 12. The device of claim 1, wherein said first and second elements are configured to be electrically connected to one another by at least one of a human tissue, one or more microbes, a fluid, environmental humidity, a textile, and a food item. 13. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second elements, the one or more insulators, and the power supply are fixed in place relative to one another prior to an object coming into contact with said device body. 14. An antimicrobial device, comprising: a device body having a plurality of first elements and a plurality of second elements, wherein the elements are aligned so that the first elements are adjacent to and directly facing the second elements in more than one location, wherein each of the adjacent first and second elements are separated from one another by a space, and wherein all first elements remain free from contact with all second elements;a first metal component containing an antimicrobial metal disposed on at least one of the first elements;a power source having a first terminal in connection with at least one of the first elements and a second terminal in connection with at least one of the second elements; andone or more electrical insulators existing in a current path between the first terminal and the second terminal, said one or more insulators being positioned in the spaces directly between each of the adjacent first and second elements;wherein the first and second elements are configured to be electrically coupled together by an object that comes into contact with said device body, and wherein each of the first and second elements, the one or more insulators, and the power source are fixed in place relative to one another prior to the object coming into contact with said device body. 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the one or more insulators are configured to be sandwiched between the first and second elements. 16. The device of claim 14, wherein a neutral or negatively charged object with respect to the first metal component which comes into contact with the first metal component causes an electric potential between the first metal component and the at least one of the second elements. 17. The device of claim 14, wherein the first metal component is a metal-containing coating. 18. An antimicrobial device, comprising: a plurality of first elements and a plurality of second elements, each of the first and second elements extending in a same direction away from a base and spaced from one another such that the first and second elements do not contact one another;wherein the elements are aligned so that the first elements are adjacent to the second elements in more than one location, and wherein all first elements remain free from contact with all second elements;wherein each first element includes a first antimicrobial material, and each second element includes a second antimicrobial material; anda power source connected to the base, the power source having a first terminal in electrical communication with the plurality of first elements, and a second terminal in electrical communication with the plurality of second elements;one or more insulators, which can be synthetic or air or both, being positioned in the spaces directly between each of the adjacent first and second elements;wherein each of said first and second elements are configured to be electrically coupled together by an object that comes into contact with the first and second elements causing electrical current to flow between said first and second elements and causing emission of antimicrobial ions from at least one of the first and second antimicrobial materials toward the object. 19. The device of claim 18, wherein the base is configured to prevent a flow of current from the plurality of first elements to the plurality of second elements prior to an object electrically coupling the first and second elements together. 20. The device of claim 1, wherein the power supply is configured to deliver between about 10 micro-amperes and 1 milli-amperes of current.