eSAFETYWORLD Announces Filing For Patent Protection on Its New MailSafe Containment Chamber and Trading In Its Stock Has Been Suspended
BOHEMIA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 2001--eSAFETYWORLD, Inc.
(Nasdaq:SFTY - news), which specializes in serving the critical environment and personal care markets and provides sophisticated consulting and support services to emerging companies, yesterday announced that it is filing for provisional patent protection for its MailSafe Containment Chamber. eSAFETYWORLD developed MailSafe because like others we were deeply affected by recent world events and worked at coming up with a way of applying our product knowledge to solve some aspect of the problems that are confronting our society. This thought process resulted in the rapid development of MailSafe during the past month.
Our Patent Pending MailSafe Containment Chamber allows an individual to open mail or standard size overnight package in a confined airtight environment. MailSafe is air tight by design and testing and allows the operator to view the envelope or package in safety from airborne material release.
MailSafe is a portable boxlike chamber that is based on a new use of technology and materials used in laboratories to protect scientists from environmental hazards. The initial version will be 32`` x 20'' x 18`` in dimension. In the future we anticipate making much larger Containment Chambers for large mailrooms and smaller ones for home use. The initial size is intended to accommodate routine business envelopes and standard overnight deliveries. There may be additional uses for this technology not currently contemplated by the Company.
The MailSafe Containment Chamber is made from 3/4`` polycarbonate plastic with a hinged top to provide ease of access. The lid has a neoprene gasket that will produce an air tight seal when closed. The top, front and back of the MailSafe Containment Chamber is clear to enable a user to see in the chamber. The sides and bottom are mirror black finish or opaque so that a powdery substance can be more easily seen.
The front of the MailSafe Containment Chamber contains two glove ports spaced comfortably apart for ease of operator use. These gloves are connected to the chamber through airtight flanges. The gloves are made of natural rubber which maximizes dexterity and flexibility.
MailSafe Containment Chamber uses a break away handle which enables a user to prevent the chamber from being opened if an unusual substance is detected. The MailSafe Containment Chamber also includes a self-sealing test port for insertion by appropriate authorities of a culture syringe.
Each production unit will be pressure tested to ensure that the unit and its seals are air tight. Testing consists of pressurizing a unit to approximately 3.5 inches water column and analyzing it for 10 minutes to see if a pressure drop occurs. If there is no pressure drop, the unit is air tight. If there is a pressure drop, no matter how small, the unit will be rejected. The Company has not tested the system using anthrax. However, the Company intends to test units on a random basis using ammonia. If any ammonia fumes seep through, they are readily detectable by their strong and distinctive odor. If no ammonia escapes, the unit is air tight. The purpose of ensuring that a unit is air tight is to minimize the likelihood that biological agents can escape. The air tight testing has only been conducted on prototypes of the MailSafe Containment Chamber.
The MailSafe Containment Chamber is simple to use and durable. Users simply place unopened mail in the chamber, close the lid and then use the built in protective gloves to open the mail. If they do not see any unusual material or substance after the mail is opened, they simply open the lid and remove the mail. If they detect anything that appears unusual, they leave the unit closed and locked and notify appropriate authorities. The key to MailSafe is that the mail is opened in an air tight compartment. As long as the air tight seal is maintained, the contents of the compartment is not released.
The Company is not aware of any formal technical certification standards for MailSafe and, accordingly, MailSafe has received no formal certifications from any governmental or regulatory agencies or commercial testing services. The Company has not conducted any in-house technical studies or testing other than insuring the Chambers are airtight.
The units are manufactured by a contract manufacturer which has the capability of meeting our initial anticipated demand. This manufacturer produces other custom units for us and has significant experience in manufacturing equipment used in critical environment industries. It will be able to expand production if necessary. Our initial order covers 10,000 units. In the event that future orders exceed this manufacturer's capacity, we will engage other similar contract manufacturers. There is a risk that other independent manufactures may not be readily available to assist in the production of additional MailSafe Chambers. The Company is in the process having MailSafe Containment Chambers produced and expects that products will be available for shipment sometime next week.
Trading in the Company's common stock was suspended on Monday October 22, 2001 pending a product demonstration to NASDAQ of the MailSafe Containment Chamber, which is scheduled for Wednesday, October 24, 2001. |
