Microsoft Applies For ‘Self-Cleaning’ Touchscreen Patent

Microsoft is always making some intriguing patent applications, and its non-computing patents are always the most interesting ones, like the touch effort introduced with Surface. A new one, though, could be a real lifesaver. Literally.

The patent could be described as a “self-cleaning touch screen,” but that’s inaccurate. It won’t get rid of the smudges if you eat pizza while using your Windows 8 tablet. What Microsoft hopes to do is utilize Ultra Violet light for germ irradiation.

Microsoft’s patent application is for a means of using a UV LED alongside the tablet’s backlight LEDs to kill microorganisms on the touch screen. The technology uses proximity sensors to detect when a person is near the device and self-sterilizes the tablet before you touch it.

This could be used in not only your tablet but also any touch-screen device, like ATMs and the self-checkout aisle in the supermarket. These things are breeding grounds for germs and any attempt to reduce germ infection would be welcomed.

“Even if a touchscreen associated with a public kiosk was cleaned on a daily basis, there could be hundreds, if not thousands, of people interacting with the device between cleanings, creating a significant gateway to transmitting illness,” Microsoft wrote in the patent filing.

The timing is appropriate. I was in a CVS yesterday and saw these UV wands for sale in the cough and cold aisle and was wondering if they really work. It’s simple: run the wand over anything you have to touch and it will kill any microorganisms that are illuminated by the light.

It’s not a new idea nor is it unproven although it’s not foolproof, either. Those big water filters you see at the supermarket where you can refill a 5 gallon jug use UV radiation as part of the filtration process. It’s a part of a bigger process, but for a touchpad, where many fingers run over the screen, this could be big.

Have you not used a public terminal or computer, looked at the keyboard and thought, ‘yuck?’ And that’s what you can see. The stuff that makes you sick is the stuff you can’t see.

Or how about on even a family basis? I came down with a serious illness last month, one of the nastiest colds I’ve ever hard. What if I used the family iPad?

It will be interesting to see if Apple will get a crack at this license.