Microsoft Patents Self-Sterilizing Touch Screen

[ltbob]

I wonder if you can hack it so you can get some nice tanning time :3

 

[nikorr]

All the germaphobes rejoice!

 

[DAK_59]

UV light has been used to sterilize things for years. Does this really deserve a patent?

 

[IndignantSkeptic]

But what if they don't quite use enough UV radiation to kill the germs and instead just mutate them into becoming something like airborne explosive AIDS from Hell with fricken laser beams attached to their fricken heads?!

 

[Montego]

Microsoft filed a patent that would provide a solution for those who are concerned about all the germs populating a touch screen surface. Microsoft uses ultraviolet light to sterilize the surface of a screen.

Microsoft Patents Self-Sterilizing Touch Screen : Read more

May be good technology with Windows 8 comming on-board next year. It will only be a matter of time before built-in screen UV's are standard on laptops and monitors, which spells big bucks for MS.

 

[Lekko]

So windows phones will have fewer bugs than other phones, right?

 

[stereopsis]

This is a good idea, especially when a lot of people have access to the same touch screens. We use them at school with kiddies and a lot of them a hygienically challenged 🙂

 

[aftcomet]

[citation][nom]the associate[/nom]Well it's not like I piss on my hands, I wash my hands BEFORE I take a leak then re-rinse after. Why would you aim your ding dong without clean hands?[/citation]

But you don't wash your hands after? You think that's okay?

Then I'm sure you would have no problem if a waiter served you food after he touched himself and didn't wash his hands.

 

[iceman1992]

[citation][nom]greghome[/nom]you do realize those white tubes in you house, we call fluorescent lights emit UV too rite?[/citation]
But i suppose the one patented by microsoft has a higher intensity or something? if not, then the fluorescent lights in my house would sterilize my whole house?

 

[Guest]

they should expand the tech to be used in bathrooms and hospitals finally get rid of MRSA in hospitals and could be used to disinfect airplanes and other publicly used spaces. at the very least my next laptop will be bathroom friendly so I can finally take a shit and use the internet at the same time without fear of pinkeye lol

 

[marraco]

It will only take a generation for bacteria to develop resistance

 

[davewolfgang]

If they can't get a WORKING model in a year or two, then the patent should expire.

You Copyright an Idea, you patent the actual PRODUCT.

 

[reggieray]

All the germophobics who carry around little bottles of hand sanitizer should be happy. We have become a bunch of over medicated (pill for everything) hypochondriacs.
That said, I bet MS makes a killing with this.

 

[reggieray]

[citation][nom]davewolfgang[/nom]If they can't get a WORKING model in a year or two, then the patent should expire. You Copyright an Idea, you patent the actual PRODUCT.[/citation]
Well said.

 

[ansemx324]

Doesn't UV light degrade plastic? I hope they take precautions about that, it would kind of suck to have your tablet break in less than a year because some small-but-really-important-thing broke inside because of the increased wear...

Also, for people who don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom its pretty gross; I never like that excuse that your dong is clean and touching the sinks is worse...its not. Just like your underarms, warm+moisture+salt is awesome for bacteria and they love it, so wash after too, its not as clean as you think 😉 (I'm in med school and we hate when people say this...)

 

[darkguset]

People people... it is a specific wavelength of the UV band that kills germs, not all of it. And it does not kill them, it just mutates their DNA and therefore turn them useless until they die.

A real concern would be the power of that light and the duration - if it sits in the backlight and hits the screen from the back, the radiation would hit the users eyes (which can cause some hard in long exposures).

I guess they would implement the feature to turn on when the screen is off (so presumely the user is not using the phone, and not even looking at it from a close distance) and only for a few seconds/minutes.

How much battery will this consume is another question...

 

[Wish I Was Wealthy]

With all that money microsoft,it's about time that you found something to patent before apple does.

 

[coldmast]

It is a specific patent (which is good, meaning other sterilizing techniques can be used (misting sprays, or silver embedded in the the material, induction, microwaves), though I think the use of UV for sterilizing has been around for quite some time now, so it is kind of obvious. Which reminds me that I have to replace the UV lamp on my air filtration system.

 

[nikkidpartypooper]

Yeah! Get that patent in microsoft, before apple does.

 

[jacobdrj]

[citation][nom]droking[/nom]That is definitely a awesome idea but shoot don't anybody use soap bar anymore? Maybe that is just the old school in me.[/citation]
Soap hurts some people's hands. I am a HUGE proponent of waterless/alcohol free hand sanitizers for general use... Only using soap to wash hands before preparing/eating food or when I am out of hand sanitizer...

 

[eddieroolz]

D'oh, such a simple idea if you think about it.