APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR INFECTIOUS VIRUS MITIGATION

Abstract

The present invention offers infectious virus mitigation apparatus that utilize one or more 3-dimensional porous metal substrate that impart virus mitigation effect. Fluid that contains or may contain infectious virus traverses through said substrate to achieve virus mitigation effect. Additional virus mitigation effect can be achieved by subjecting said virus mitigation apparatus to suitable wavelength(s) of light that enhance total virus mitigation effect and/or utilizing contoured cover glazing to induce fluid dynamics that can enhance total virus mitigation effect per pass of said fluid through said apparatus. The utility includes a wide variety of practical uses such as filtration of air, water, blood, and other fluids that contain or may contain infectious virus such as coronavirus.

Claims

1. A coronavirus mitigation apparatus comprising of: a substrate, said substrate comprises porous metal, in which said porous metal comprises substantially inter-connected strands of metal, said porous metal further comprises a substantially open lattice work of air pores between said substantially inter-connected strands of metal, wherein said inter-connected strands of metal being configured to form a substantially singular object with said open lattice work of air pores, in which said porous metal further comprises a porosity of approximately 85% to 98%, and said open lattice work of air pores comprises a pore size of approximately 0.1 mm to 10 mm, said porous metal further comprises a volume density of approximately 0.1 to 3 grams per cubic centimeter, wherein said porosity, pore size, and density of said porous metal being configured to enable a fluid to substantially traverse throughout said open lattice work of air pores between said inter-connected strands of metal of said substrate, and wherein said fluid contains or may contain one or more coronavirus, and said porous metal substrate further comprises a depth of approximately 1 mm to 1000 mm, and wherein said fluid containing said coronavirus undergoes an infectious virus mitigation effect as it traverses through said substrate.

2. The coronavirus mitigation apparatus of claim 1, in which said infectious virus mitigation effect comprises one or more of: virus destruction, decrease of virus infection ability, decrease in virus activity, decrease in virus spread, decrease in mortality of virus in humans and other mammals, decrease in detrimental effects of virus on humans and other mammals, and decrease in virus concentration.

3. The coronavirus mitigation apparatus of claim 1, in which said substantially inter-connected strands of metal of said porous metal substrate substantially comprises one or more materials with said infectious virus mitigation effect selected from a group comprising copper, zinc, copper oxides, zinc oxides, periodic table of elements metals, periodic table of elements metalloids, metal oxides, organometallic compounds, and any other metal or metal compound that can achieve said infectious virus mitigation effect in said fluid traversing through said coronavirus mitigation apparatus, and any combinations of metals or metal compounds thereof.

4. The coronavirus mitigation apparatus of claim 1 in which an organic compound with said infectious virus mitigation effect is coated in part or in whole onto said porous metal substrate while still retaining said porosity.

5. The coronavirus mitigation apparatus of claim 1, in which said porous metal substrate is open-celled foamed metal.

6. The coronavirus mitigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said coronavirus mitigation apparatus forms at least part of a filtration apparatus for filtering fluid that contains or may contain said coronavirus, and wherein said fluid is selected from the list of air, water, blood, gas, or liquid.

7. The coronavirus mitigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said coronavirus mitigation apparatus is subjected to a light source emitting one or more wavelengths of light, and wherein said wavelengths of light have an additive infectious virus mitigation effect.

8. The coronavirus mitigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein shear from fluid dynamic effects provide an additive infectious virus mitigation effect.

9. An infectious virus mitigation apparatus comprising of: a substrate, said substrate comprises porous metal, in which said porous metal comprises substantially inter-connected strands of metal, said porous metal further comprises a substantially open lattice work of air pores between said substantially inter-connected strands of metal, wherein said inter-connected strands of metal being configured to form a substantially singular object with said open lattice work of air pores, in which said porous metal further comprises a porosity of approximately 85% to 98%, and said open lattice work of air pores comprises a pore size of approximately 0.1 mm to 10 mm, said porous metal further comprises a volume density of approximately 0.1 to 3 grams per cubic centimeter, wherein said porosity, pore size, and density of said porous metal being configured to enable a fluid to substantially traverse throughout said open lattice work of air pores between said inter-connected strands of metal of said substrate, and wherein said fluid contains or may contain one or more infectious virus, and said porous metal substrate further comprises a depth of approximately 1 mm to 1000 mm, and wherein said fluid containing said infectious virus undergoes an infectious virus mitigation effect as it traverses through said substrate, and said porous metal substrate is subjected to a light source emitting one or more wavelengths of light, and wherein said wavelengths of light have an additive infectious virus mitigation effect to the porous metal substrate.

10. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 9, in which said infectious virus mitigation effect comprises one or more of: virus destruction, decrease of virus infection ability, decrease in virus activity, decrease in virus spread, decrease in mortality of virus in humans and other mammals, decrease in detrimental effects of virus on humans and other mammals, and decrease in virus concentration.

11. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 9, in which said substantially inter-connected strands of metal of said porous metal substrate substantially comprises one or more materials with said infectious virus mitigation effect selected from the group comprising copper, zinc, copper oxides, zinc oxides, periodic table of elements metals, periodic table of elements metalloids, metal oxides, organometallic compounds, and any other metal or metal compound that can achieve said infectious virus mitigation effect in a fluid traversing through said infectious virus mitigation apparatus, and any combinations of metals or metal compounds thereof.

12. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 9 in which an organic compound with said infectious virus mitigation effect is coated in part or in whole onto said porous metal substrate while still retaining said porosity.

13. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 9, in which said porous metal substrate is open-celled foamed metal.

14. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 9 wherein said light source is sun light, and wherein said apparatus is also utilized to harvest solar energy.

15. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 9, wherein the infectious virus mitigation apparatus forms at least part of a filtration apparatus for filtering fluid that contains or may contain said infectious virus, and wherein said fluid is selected from the list of air, water, blood, gas, or liquid.

16. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 9, wherein said infectious virus is one or more coronavirus.

17. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 9, wherein shear from fluid dynamic effects provide an additive infectious virus mitigation effect.

18. An infectious virus mitigation apparatus comprising of: a substrate, said substrate comprises porous metal, in which said porous metal comprises substantially inter-connected strands of metal, said porous metal further comprises a substantially open lattice work of air pores between said substantially inter-connected strands of metal, wherein said inter-connected strands of metal being configured to form a substantially singular object with said open lattice work of air pores, in which said porous metal further comprises a porosity of approximately 85% to 98%, and said open lattice work of air pores comprises a pore size of approximately 0.1 mm to 10 mm, said porous metal further comprises a volume density of approximately 0.1 to 3 grams per cubic centimeter, wherein said porosity, pore size, and density of said porous metal being configured to enable a fluid to substantially traverse throughout said open lattice work of air pores between said inter-connected strands of metal of said substrate, and wherein said fluid contains or may contain one or more infectious virus, and said porous metal substrate further comprises a depth of approximately 1 mm to 1000 mm, and said infectious virus mitigation apparatus further comprises contoured cover glazing, in which said contoured cover glazing enclose said substrate, and wherein said contoured cover glazing comprises at least one entrance and one exit for a fluid to enter and exit said infectious virus mitigation apparatus, and wherein said contoured cover glazing being configured to guide a fluid in an alternating fashion of fluid flow substantially on a top of and through the depth of said substrate to substantially on a bottom of and through the depth of said substrate along at least one axis of said substrate selected from a length axis and a width axis, and wherein said fluid containing said infectious virus undergoes an infectious virus mitigation effect as it traverses through said apparatus.

19. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 18, in which said infectious virus mitigation effect comprises one or more of: virus destruction, decrease of virus infection ability, decrease in virus activity, decrease in virus spread, decrease in mortality of virus in humans and other mammals, decrease in detrimental effects of virus on humans and other mammals, and decrease in virus concentration.

20. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 18, in which said substantially inter-connected strands of metal of said porous metal substrate substantially comprises one or more materials with said infectious virus mitigation effect selected from the group comprising copper, zinc, copper oxides, zinc oxides, periodic table of elements metals, periodic table of elements metalloids, metal oxides, organometallic compounds, and any other metal or metal compound that can achieve said infectious virus mitigation effect in a fluid traversing through said infectious virus mitigation apparatus, and any combinations of metals or metal compounds thereof.

21. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 18 in which an organic compound with said infectious virus mitigation effect is coated in part or in whole onto said porous metal substrate while still retaining said porosity.

22. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 18, in which said porous metal substrate is open-celled foamed metal.

23. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 18, wherein said infectious virus mitigation apparatus forms at least part of a filtration apparatus for filtering fluid that contains or may contain said infectious virus, and wherein said fluid is selected from the list of air, water, blood, gas, or liquid.

24. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 18, wherein said infectious virus is one or more coronavirus.

25. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 18, wherein said infectious virus apparatus is subjected to a light source emitting one or more wavelengths of light, and wherein said wavelengths of light have an additive infectious virus mitigation effect.

26. The infectious virus mitigation apparatus of claim 18, wherein shear from fluid dynamic effects provide an additive infectious virus mitigation effect.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a top and side view of an example of the 3-dimensional porous metal substrate of the present invention, with Reference numeral 1 pointing to an example of strand of metal that is substantially inter-connected to other strand of metal such that the inter-connected strands of metal form the singular 3-dimensional object indicated as Reference 3, with an open lattice-work of air pores such as shown by Reference 2 in-between the substantially inter-connected strands of metal, with depth of the 3-dimensional porous metal substrate indicated by Reference 4, length indicated by Reference 5, and width indicated by Reference 6.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows an example of the axis conventions for the 3-dimensional porous metal substrate, cover glazing, and apparatus of the present invention, wherein Reference 7 refers to a width axis, shown as the “X axis” of the cover glazing, porous metal substrate, and apparatus of the present invention, Reference 9 refers to a length axis and corresponds to the net direction of fluid flow into and out of the apparatus, shown as the “Y axis” of the cover glazing, porous metal substrate, and apparatus, and Reference 8 refers to the depth axis, shown as the “Z axis” of the cover glazing, porous metal substrate, and apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the plane of the paper is identical to the plane of the X and Y axis, with the Z axis going “into” the paper.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a side view of a cross-sectional slice of an example of an infectious virus mitigation apparatus of the present invention, with an example of the porous metal substrate enclosed in an example of the contoured cover glazings to induce alternating flow patterns of infectious-virus containing fluid along the length axis of the porous metal substrate, with depth of the porous metal substrate along the “Z axis” and length along the “Y axis”, wherein Reference 10 refers to an entrance for fluid containing infectious virus into the space between a contoured top cover glazing and the porous metal substrate, Reference 11 refers to fluid also having the ability of entering through the depth of the porous metal substrate, Reference 12 refers to a decreasing contour line of the top cover glazing to begin to guide the fluid through the depth of the porous metal substrate, Reference 13 refers to a flat area of the bottom cover glazing that is close to or even touching the porous metal substrate to substantially restrict most of the flow from passing under the porous metal substrate, and Reference 14 refers to an increasing contour line along the bottom cover glazing to substantially allow the fluid to enter along the bottom of the porous metal substrate, and Reference 15 refers to a flat area of the top cover glazing that is close to or even touching the porous metal substrate to substantially restrict most of the flow from passing on top of the porous metal substrate, and Reference 16 refers to a decreasing contour line along the bottom cover glazing to begin to guide the fluid through the depth of the porous metal substrate, and Reference 17 refers to an increasing contour line along the top cover glazing to substantially allow the fluid to enter along the top of the porous metal substrate, and Reference 18 refers to an increasing contour line along the bottom cover glazing to substantially allow fluid to enter along the bottom of the porous metal substrate and to exit this example of an infectious virus mitigation apparatus of the present invention, and Reference 19 refers to fluid also having the ability to exit out the depth of the porous metal substrate, and Reference 20 refers to a light source that emits one or more portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that can reflect and refract throughout said porous metal substrate to achieve additional virus mitigation effect.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a cross-sectional slice of an example of a contoured cover glazing of the apparatus of the present invention but without the porous metal substrate shown. Reference 21 refers to the top cover glazing, Reference 22 refers to the bottom cover glazing, and Reference 20 refers to a light source that emits one or more portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that can reflect and refract throughout said porous metal substrate to achieve additional virus mitigation effect.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows a side view of a cross-sectional slice of an example of a infectious virus mitigation apparatus of the present invention, with identical concepts and Reference numbers as FIG. 3 but with a different shape of contours to demonstrate just one of many other example of contour dimensions and shapes that can be utilized to achieve the alternating air flow of substantially on top of and through the depth of the porous metal substrate to on the bottom of and through the depth of the porous metal substrate along at least the length axis of the porous metal substrate.

[0034] FIG. 6 shows a side view of a cross-sectional slice of an example of a contoured cover glazing of the apparatus of the present invention, with flow lines showing the basic idea of guiding of the fluid through the porous metal substrate in a manner as described in FIG. 5, but without the porous metal substrate shown. Reference 21 refers to the top cover glazing, Reference 22 refers to the bottom cover glazing, Reference 23 refers to fluid entering the infectious virus mitigation of the present invention and being guided by the contoured cover glazings in the general direction of flow shown by the arrows throughout the length axis of the porous metal substrate, and fluid exiting the infectious virus mitigation shown by Reference 24, and Reference 20 refers to a light source that emits one or more portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that can reflect and refract throughout said porous metal substrate to achieve additional virus mitigation effect and is located either internally or externally to the apparatus of the present invention.

[0035] Further novel features and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, discussion, and the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Although specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, it should be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and merely illustrative of but a small number of the many possible specific embodiments which can represent applications of the principles of the present invention. Changes and modifications by persons skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains are within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the present invention as further defined in the appended claims. All references cited herein are incorporated by reference as if each had been individually incorporated.

[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention, copper foam of about 98% purity or greater, porosity between about 85 and 98%, pore size between about 0.1 and 10 mm, density between about 0.1 to 3 grams/cubic centimeter, and depth between 1 and 1000 mm is utilized as the porous metal substrate for infectious virus mitigation. Said porous metal substrate is housed in cover glazing with an inlet and outlet to form an infectious virus mitigation apparatus of the present invention. Fluid that requires purification to mitigate risk of for example Covid-19 virus or other coronavirus is passed through said apparatus via convection. With one or more passes of said fluid through said apparatus, said virus undergoes one or more virus mitigation effects.

[0038] In another embodiment of the present invention, copper foam of about 98% purity or greater, porosity between about 85 and 98%, pore size between about 0.1 and 10 mm, density between about 0.1 to 3 grams/cubic centimeter, and depth between 1 and 1000 mm is utilized as the porous metal substrate for infectious virus mitigation, and said porous metal substrate is housed in cover glazing with an inlet and outlet, and wherein said cover glazings comprise alternating geometric contours such as those shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 to comprise an infectious virus mitigation apparatus. Fluid that requires purification to mitigate risk of for example Covid-19 virus or other coronavirus is passed through said apparatus via convection, and said fluid is guided by said contoured cover glazing such that said fluid traverses along the top, through the depth, and along the bottom of said porous metal substrate at alternating intervals along the net direction of fluid flow through said apparatus With one or more passes of said fluid through said apparatus, said virus undergoes one or more virus mitigation effects.

[0039] In other embodiments, any of the embodiments are further subject to UV light. The method of adding UV light to the process may increase the total virus mitigation effect for these embodiments of the present invention.

[0040] In other embodiments, any of the embodiments are further subject to any wavelength(s) of the electromagnetic spectrum that are found to increase total virus mitigation effect.

[0041] In other embodiment, any of the embodiments are placed outdoors and subject to sunlight. One or more wavelengths of light in the solar spectrum may increase the total virus mitigation effect for these embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments can be particularly useful for mitigating the risk of corona viruses such as Covid-19 in large air handler systems such as those present in office buildings, manufacturing facilities, and warehouses. This method can have a further advantage of harvesting solar thermal energy during winter months, as the porous copper makes a highly efficient solar thermal energy collector as detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,318,996 by the inventor of the present invention.

[0042] In other embodiments, any of the embodiments are a medical device that is used to filter bodily fluids such as blood to achieve infectious virus mitigation effect.

[0043] In another embodiment of the present invention, the metal of the porous metal substrate is copper oxide. The copper oxide may impart a form of oxidation to said Covid-19 virus and achieve a virus mitigation effect, while the copper oxide is reduced to copper (Cu) or a lower oxidation state of copper oxide (for example, CuO being reduced to Cu.sub.2O). The oxygen in for example air or blood passing through the apparatus may re-oxidize the copper metal to copper oxide (or Cu.sub.2O to the higher oxidation state CuO), rejuvenating the substrate to the potentially higher reactive state (relative to a virus mitigation effect reaction with coronavirus for example) of copper oxide. Oxygen-enriched air or blood, containing oxygen levels higher than ambient air or blood, may for example also be utilized in rejuvenation cycles to re-oxidize the Cu or Cu.sub.2O at a faster rate or when deemed beneficial for any reason.

[0044] In other embodiments, two or more different materials are incorporated into the apparatus—as long as one or more of said materials comprise the porous metal substrate with virus mitigation effect of the present invention. Examples include 2 different materials incorporated into the metal strands that form the inter-connected strands of metal of the porous metal substrate, or a coating of a different material with virus mitigation effect onto the porous metal substrate, a pre-filter to remove particulates, or 2 or more porous metal substrates comprising different metals, metal alloys, metal oxides, organometallics, or organic substances with virus mitigation effect.

[0045] In other embodiments, more than one porous metal substrate with infectious virus mitigation effect can be utilized in the same infectious virus mitigation apparatus of the present invention, either placed side by side to increase either or both of the total length and width of porous metal substrate or placed on top of one another to increase the total depth of porous metal substrate. Other substrates, such as those that can pre-filter non-virus particulates, can be utilized in conjunction with the apparatus of the present invention.

[0046] In other embodiments, any combination of the above embodiments can be utilized together.