2. First Generation Product Description
UV – Model 254 nm Keyboard Sterilization Unit
• The unit is designed to eliminate bacteria, germs, and viruses commonly found on keyboards, that lead to serious illness or
disease. With functionality in mind, the unit is designed to be versatile, and can be mounted under the workstation or placed
on top. Within the box is a slide out tray for the keyboard. Mounted under the keyboard tray are additional slide outs on
the left and right to be used for the mouse.
How it Works
• The anti-microbial properties of UV-C light are well known to scientists and have been used since the 1930’s to kill germs
containing DNA and RNA (including bacteria, viruses, fungi and mold). UV-C light is invisible to the human eye.
• Ultraviolet light in the germicidal wavelength – 185-254 nanometers – renders the organisms sterile. When organisms can no
longer reproduce, they die.
The Keyboard Sterilization unit addresses the market place need for sterilizing the most
dangerous and contaminated area in the work or home environment while providing
functionality as a desk mountable keyboard and mouse tray.
3. Why is this product needed?
• A new study by Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona explains the risks of germs in the
work place, especially on the phone, keyboard and mouse. In fact, the keyboard has some 10
million germs swarming around it at any given time. Dr. Gerba also stated that the keyboard has
about 400 times more germs than the average toilet seat.
• Dr. Gerba's study -- funded by The Clorox Company -- took a look at typical office sites across the
country. Each included a mix of cubicles and private offices. The cleaning routines in these offices
were pretty much nonexistent. quot;We don't think twice about eating at our desks, even though the
average desk has 100 times more bacteria than a kitchen table and 400 times more bacteria than
the average toilet,quot; says Gerba. quot;Without cleaning, a small area on your desk or phone can sustain
millions of bacteria that could potentially cause illness.quot;
• Recently Dr. Gerba, who is the leading voice in UV research, performed a study to test the
effectiveness of the Keyboard Sterilizer. His findings were that 99.9% of all bacteria and viruses can
be completely killed by the unit. He has agreed to write and publish his findings, as well as
present them, to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
4. Quick Facts
• According to the Center for Disease Control, 164 million • The common cold viruses are not spread by contact such
school days are lost annually due to illness. Also, missed as kissing, but appear to be spread by large particles
school days represent the main problem that 83% of expelled at close range by coughs, sneezes, and by
teachers face in their school according to a study by the contaminated fingers that pass the virus to the nose and
Carnegie Foundation. eye.
• Dr. Gary Noskin of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in • Research by AOL-UK shows germs and dirt abound
Chicago conducted a study finding that keyboards can keyboards everywhere. quot;The average keyboard,’ it said
contaminate the fingers, gloved or ungloved, of doctors last week, ‘accumulates up to two grams of dirt per
and nurses who could then transmit germs and bacteria month.quot; Earlier this year, a team of infectious disease
to patients. Furthermore, the hospital officials say newly specialists took cultures from computer keyboards in the
installed keyboards and computer equipment may aid the Tripler Army Medical Centre intensive-care unit in
spread of ‘superbug’ bacteria such as MRSA. Honolulu. They found that 25 percent had a strain of the
multi-drug-resistant staphylococcus aureus bacterium.
• Where your toilet seat contains a mere 49 germs per sq.
inch, your keyboard has been shown to have nearly • UC Berkeley School of Public Health did a study on an
21,000 germs per square inch at any given time. office keyboard from Tech TV. Their results...cultures came
back with a quot;large proliferation of gram-positive bacteria,
which can include staphylococcus. This is the organism
• Highly contagious infectious particles can spray from a behind quot;staphquot; infections and an important contributor
sneeze at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, landing at to skin wound infections. It's also the bug behind strep
a distance of three feet from the offender and survive throat.quot; They went on to say, quot;The keyboard is not
there for over 24 hours. clean, so you are working and then you touch your nose
and maybe inoculate yourself with the bacteria that
causes respiratory infections.”
6. Viruses Commonly Found on Hospital Keyboards
*According to a study done by Texas Department of Insurance
• Vancomycin-resitant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) which can cause complicated
abdominal, skin, urinary tract and bloodstream infections in people with
compromised immune systems
• Niethicillin-resistant Staphyococcus aureus (MRSA) or staph infections, which can
cause a skin rash, boils, blisters or other skin afflictions
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PSAE) a frequent cause of pneumonia, urinary tract and
bloodstream infections.
It has been determined, that VRE and MSRA bacteria can survive for at least 24 hour on computer equipment
after contamination. The PSAE bacteria can last for up to an hour on the keyboard and five minutes on the
keyboard cover.
More significant, however, was that research has revealed that the transmission of the bacteria from the
keyboard to a person’s hands increased with use, up 92 percent for MRSA, 50 percent for VRE and 19 percent
for PSAE. Once the bacteria are present on the hands of a health care provider, they can easily be transmitted
from provider to patient.
7. Institutional Benefits
The overall benefit of the keyboard sterilizer in institutional arenas is its ability to
eliminate the spread of highly threatening bacteria on the most infested surface. In
doing so the sterilizer aids in:
• Greater attendance ratings among students and teachers
• School Districts will gain larger funding due to higher attendance rates among
students
• Payroll savings as fewer substitute teacher’s are needed.
• Eliminates the need for sprays and wipes that get into the keyboard circuitry
• Savings passed to parents due to lower cold and flu breakouts
• Providing a much needed solution for institutional safety in computer labs and
classrooms against harmful bacteria
• Possible insurance benefits to participating districts
8. Medical Benefits
• Aiding in the goal of every hospital to have the most state of the art
sterile environments possible
• Cut down on anti bacterial wipes and sprays used in hospital
environment
• Provide a sterilization solution as medical facilities go into a paperless
age
• Backup sterilization for doctors and nurses who commonly forget to
wash hands before and after the use of keyboards
• The only sterilization source that can currently kill the MSRA virus that
continues to be a danger in hospitals and doctor’s offices around the
country
9. Market Analysis and Sales Strategy
The keyboard sterilizer will be the first of its kind designed for specific use.
This unit will represent high-end quality and laboratory tested effectiveness.
We aim to make our product the standard of the industry, and a necessity
in public health regulations.
C all C enters
Institutional Retail
Business to
Business
Medical
Other
10. We will begin to train a sales team in the background of the product as well as the benefits to their target
consumer.
A.) Institutional ( School Districts, Administrative, Private Schools, Testing Centers, Colleges, and Universities)
1. Hire sales reps who specialize in institutional sales
2. Develop a company sales team focused on presenting to Technology Directors and ISD Superintendents.
B.) Medical (Hospitals, Private Practice , Administration, Laboratories, etc. )
1. Novations Approval
2. Work with architecture and design firms to get the product spec’d into new projects
3. Work with corporate interior design dealerships to distribute product
4. Hire specialized medical sales reps to focus on different territories
C.) Call Centers ( Telemarketers, Customer Service Centers, etc. )
1. Hire and train sales reps to focus in this area of sales
2. Work with corporate interior design dealerships to distribute product
D.) Business to Business ( Corporations, Small Business, Restaurant, etc.)
1. Work through furniture distributors such as Corporate Express
2. Train focused sales team members
E.) Retail ( Best Buy, Walmart, TV , Sharper Image, Sky Mall, etc. )
1. With a foundation in the private market, we will implement a retail plan to take the product to the open market. We will develop a
marketing strategy as well as make cost saving changes in the design which will allow us to compete heavily on price
We also plan on working with the Department of Insurance as well as insurance companies to give companies
premium deductions for using our product.
11. Competitors
New Healthcare Keyboard - This fully sealed keyboard is designed for medical applications where
anti-bacterial rinsing and sterilization cleaning are required.
This product still requires the user to wipe down the keyboard with disinfectant wipes or other disinfectant
products. Our product saves the user time and money by eliminating the need to use any disinfectant product.
The unit also provides a more effective sterilization through the UV light,and a simpler process for the user.
US Patent 6458331 – This is a patent for a keyboard sterilization device that was completed 3
years after our patent in 2002.
This device is different from ours in that it has an opening at the bottom, and requires a user to place the
device over each keyboard and wait for it to sterilize. It is not enclosed, and is not functional as a keyboard
tray or mountable at a workstation. This design as far as we know has not gone into production. We hold
the patent for an enclosed keyboard sterilization tray which is the most functional and efficient use of the
technology.
Hand Held UV Wand – There are a variety of UV Wands on the market.
Where we feel we can beat this competition is first in our practicality. For medical and institutional use, you
cannot rely on doctors, students, and employees to carry around their UV wand and use it every time. Our
product provides ease of use, and functions just like any other keyboard tray. People already push in their
trays when done using the computer, they are not used to having to carry a wand around. Also, one of the
important variables in UV sterilization is distance from light to object. With our product you get a consistent
and laboratory tested distance. With the UV wands, the user is the variable. Each user may sterilize at a
different distance, making it hard to know for sure the effectiveness of the sterilization.
12. Important Information and Key Terms
Charles P. Gerba - Professor of Environmental Microbiology, Departments of Microbiology and
Immunology and Soil, Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona B.A. in
Microbiology, Arizona State University, 1969 Ph.D. in Microbiology, University of Miami,
Florida, 1973
Dr. Gerba has authored more than 400 articles including several textbooks in environmental microbiology and
pollution science. He actively conducts research on the development of new disinfectants and drinking water
treatment processes, new methods for the detection of waterborne pathogens, occurrence and fate of pathogens
in the environment, and microbial risk assessment. He was a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Committee on the development of the quot;Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Water
Purifiers,quot; which forms the basis for testing the performance of water treatment devices used for outdoor
recreation. He is a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board Committees
on Drinking Water and Research Strategies. He is a member of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Ultraviolet Light – Radiation lying in the ultraviolet range; wave lengths shorter than light, but
longer than X rays
Wave length – the distance, measured in the direction of propagation of a wave, between two
successive points in the wave, characterized by the same phase of oscillation
Nanometer – one billionth of a meter
13. Link to Patent
Patent # - 6,278,122
Keyboard Sterilization Patent Link