Worried about germs? Instead of spraying everything with sterilizing fluid, what if your clothing got rid of germs by itself? This week, two patents issued to separate groups of independent inventors, both directed to self-sterilizing fabrics. The first, US Patent No. 10,932,505, concerns a face mask with layers having enzymes specifically designed to avoid binding to COVID-19 spike proteins and which inactivate viruses and expel them from the mask. Such a mask could both be more effective at eliminating pathogens before they reach a user and allow the mask to be used for longer amounts of time.

The other patent issued this week, US Patent No. 10,934,067, is directed to a more niche application: fabric drink covers. The patent states that it is impregnated with a liquid germicidal solution that ensures viruses like COVID-19 are unable to sneak into a glass of your favorite soda. While companies commonly don’t look toward independent inventors for patent acquisitions, the pandemic is an unprecedented time. As more and more companies perform the Pandemic Pivot™ and entrepreneurs form new companies to tackle new issues, companies may benefit from looking toward new sources of IP. Disaster breeds ingenuity, so if companies choose to turn up their noses at anything and everything that independent inventors develop, they may find themselves behind very quickly.

For more news about COVID-19 related innovation, both by large companies and individual inventors, check out our free Patent Forecast® for Pandemics.