| CPC A61L 2/084 (2013.01) [A61L 2/26 (2013.01); A61L 2202/11 (2013.01)] | 19 Claims |
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1. A self-sanitizing structure comprising:
a body region having a contact surface that can be contacted by a person during an intended use of the self-sanitizing structure; and
an energy source comprising an array of individually addressable energy sources, wherein the energy source is configured to:
generate electromagnetic radiation; and
direct the electromagnetic radiation through the body region to the contact surface;
wherein the contact surface is communicatively coupled to a sensor system;
wherein the energy source and the sensory system are communicatively coupled to a controller;
wherein the body region is configured to perform irradiance control operations that comprise scattering the electromagnetic radiation and passing the scattered electromagnetic radiation through the body region to the contact surface in a manner that maintains the scattered electromagnetic radiation that reaches the contact surface as sanitizing electromagnetic radiation;
wherein the sanitizing electromagnetic radiation is electromagnetic radiation that is at or above a minimum irradiance level that neutralizes infectious agents;
wherein the sensor system is configured to generate touch data in response to the contact surface being touched;
wherein the controller is configured to use the touch data to control how the energy source generates the electromagnetic radiation by controlling the individually addressable energy sources;
wherein the controller is further configured to control the individually addressable energy sources by performing controller operations comprising generating from the touch data a touch data record comprising:
touch-related location data that identifies a location on the contact surface where a touch instance occurred; and
touch-related time data that identifies a duration of the touch instance on the contact surface.
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