Patents
US 12496372 B2: Method and apparatus for air treatment including light baffle catalyst
- Granted
- 2025-12-16
- Filed
- 2021-11-05 application 17519843
- Type
- Utility · 14 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
An apparatus and method for treating air includes a UV illumination source in a housing and arranged to expose air to UV illumination suitable to inactivate microorganisms. One or more light baffles can be arranged so that UV illumination is incident on an inlet or outlet side of the light baffle. First and second light baffles can operate as a catalyst element and each can respectively have first and second pluralities of air flow channels extending in first and second directions from an inlet side to an outlet side of the light baffle. The first and second directions can be arranged at an angle such that UV illumination is prevented transmission through the first and second light baffles. Air flow channels of a baffle can extend in a direction from an inlet side to an outlet side of the light baffle and can be inclined relative to the inlet side of the baffle by a slant angle of 10 degrees to 45 degrees. The slant angle can be at least the arcsin of the ratio of the flow channel opening size to the baffle depth.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg251216.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleby Marshall Inc. 13 patents | US company or organization | Elgin, IL | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Benedek | Winchester, MA | 18 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Philip C. Carbone | North Reading, MA | 34 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Peter J. Loftus | Cambridge, MA | 23 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| David Hensel | Somerville, MA | 12 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| A61L | Methods or apparatus for sterilising materials or objects in general; disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air; chemical aspects of bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles; materials for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles | A61L9/205 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| F24C | Domestic stoves or ranges ; details of domestic stoves or ranges, of general application | F24C15/20 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| F24F | Air-conditioning; air-humidification; ventilation; use of air currents for screening | F24F8/22 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-09 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | BLUEZONE IP HOLDING LLC signed 2024-01-22 | MIDDLEBY MARSHALL INC. ELGIN, IL | 71359/603 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2022-06-28 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | HENSEL, DAVID J. signed 2022-06-27 LOFTUS, PETER J. signed 2022-06-27 BENEDEK, KAREN signed 2022-06-28 CARBONE, PHILIP C. signed 2022-06-28 | BLUEZONE IP HOLDING LLC WOBURN, MA | 60339/967 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.