Stephen Roy Stephen.roy.nj@gmail.com

The basic idea behind "Healthy Wipes" came to me over a decade ago while reaching for an energy drink at my local 7/11. The top of the can was very dirty, and I remember thinking a very broad idea about "this is unsanitary, and one day being unsanitary is going to make us all very sick". I have a document where I write down my invention ideas. I wrote down an idea for distributing sanitary wipes specifically on vending machines or convenience store refrigerators, and wherever food and drink is stored for use by consumers, with the intention that the consumer can use the wipe to clean the top of their canned beverage before consumption. If the idea takes off then it can be expanded and sold to the consumer directly for their homes and various other avenues.

A year later in 2009 the TV Show MythBusters was trying to prove or bust a myth that rat urine on soda can tops can transmit deadly viruses. In the episode "Hidden Nasties" they learn there are industry standards for an acceptable amount of contaminants on canned goods. Fortunately, there is a standard, and therefore a low chance of getting sick. But the idea of contaminants on the cans at all reinforced the idea for Healthy Wipes.

In 2016 I took several ideas to a company that helps develop patents and we chose the "Healthy Wipes". 4 years later in 2020 during a global pandemic my idea finally became an official patent: "Sanitary wipe apparatus for use on a beverage can" Patent # 10,709,302. See also on Google Patents.

According to IPOfferings.com
”The Surgeon General has three Ws of advice during the current Coronavirus pandemic: “Watch your distance. Wash your hands. Wear a mask.” Good advice but we suggest a fourth W: Wipe that beverage can before drinking from it. We all enjoy a cold drink from time to time – soda, beer or juice – and they often come in convenient cans. The question everyone needs to ask before drinking from that can is: “Who touched it before I did?”

This patent addresses the needs of this once-in-a-century pandemic – how to quickly and easily clean the top of a beverage can with a sanitary wipe before drinking from it – but it also addresses a need that has existed for decades. Some retailers have hand sanitizers at locations in the store, but they do not address the specific problem of dirty soda cans. This patent creates a brilliantly simple solution – a sanitary wipe dispenser that is mounted on the refrigeration unit that holds the cold, canned beverages. Select a cold drink, pull out a wipe from the dispenser, clean the top of the can, and enjoy that beverage knowing you have significantly reduced any contaminants on the top of the can. Once this pandemic has passed, cleaning the tops of beverage cans will be a common practice just as it should have been pre-pandemic.

U.S. Patent No. 10,709,302 for a “Sanitary wipe apparatus for use on a beverage can” would be a critical acquisition for any manufacturer of wipes seeking to expand its product reach or for any supplier to the retail sector looking for a new market segment with a U.S. monopoly for the next 15 years! The original paper towel dispenser was a very simple idea - an apparatus that dispensed paper towels in bathrooms, kitchens, and other locations where they were needed. From that idea was created a new business segment. This patent has the potential to create a permanent new market segment in the retail sector.”