Incorporated in 2003, HomeSafe Inspection pioneered the use of infrared and acoustic technologies with traditional inspection techniques in the home inspection and pest control industries.  These technologies empower our inspectors to perform a greatly improved inspection by uncovering "invisible" problems in a home.  A HomeSafe infrared home inspection provides a customer with knowledge about a home that has never been available before.  We can solve problems that were once unsolvable.  HomeSafe now has operations across the U.S and in The Philippines and South Africa.

 

HomeSafe's technologies arose from two very different sciences: infrared imaging, which is essentially, photographs of heat, and acoustics, the science of sound.  HomeSafe Inspection co-founder Peng Lee decided to merge the two technologies while working on a U.S. Department of Agriculture funded project at the University of Mississippi's National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA) in the 1990’s.  He first designed and built a highly sensitive, state-of-the-art acoustic device that could hear the unique sounds made by certain nuisance insects.  He later added an infrared thermal imaging camera to his high-tech array, enabling him to quickly scan a home for moisture related to termite infestations and then employ the acoustic sensors in these areas to listen for termites.  Finally, Mr. Lee and his NCPA colleagues developed specialized software to analyze these sounds and confirm the presence of termites.

 

HomeSafe's groundbreaking approach to home inspections and termite detection has recently earned the stamp of approval from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), granting HomeSafe exclusive rights nationwide to utilize our  procedures and equipment that have been developed and refined for more than 10 years.

 

The USPTO's approvals of these patents means that only HomeSafe licensees and franchisees are permitted by Federal law to use these patented procedures and technologies in the course of a home inspection or termite inspection.

 

 

Patent No. 7,369,955 (22 Claims Approved) – Method for Residential Indoor Environmental Quality Inspection and Monitoring:  This patent covers the usage of an infrared camera to locate any thermal anomaly – including but not limited to an uncontrolled or hidden water intrusion – followed by obtaining data relating to indoor air quality, including visual confirmation of mold, collection of a mold sample, measurement of relative humidity, installation of a constant air/gas monitor system and/or other related measurements. A thermal anomaly is an unexplained difference in temperature from one area of a home to another, often indicating a problem that can’t be detected by ordinary means. Thermal anomalies signify a problem with faulty wiring, hidden moisture, missing insulation, heat/energy loss, termite infestations and more.

 

Patent No. 7,445,377 (7 Claims Approved) - Non-Destructive Residential Inspection Method and Apparatus: This patent covers HomeSafe’s method for creating a “thermal window” – that is, preparing a home for an infrared inspection by creating a temperature differential between the inside and the outside of the home, followed by obtaining temperature profiles of the home’s interior components and exterior components. These temperature profiles are then analyzed to uncover thermal anomalies indicating problems relating to (including but not limited to) structure, moisture or electrical issues.

 

Patent No. 7,385,483 (13 Claims Approved) - Infrared / Acoustic Method to Detect Termite Infestations in a Structure: This patent covers HomeSafe’s four-step procedure for uncovering termite activity in a building, including: 1) a traditional visual inspection; 2) infrared detection of hidden moisture that may indicate the presence of termites; 3) usage of a moisture meter to confirm the presence of moisture in the “suspicious” area identified by infrared; and 4) usage of HomeSafe’s acoustic sensor to detect the unique sound patterns of termites in the “suspicious” area and usage of HomeSafe’s pattern recognition software to analyze and confirm termite signals on the spot.

Patent No. 7,271,706 (13 Claims Approved) - Termite Acoustic Detection Device:  This patent covers our acoustic termite detection device which uses acoustic sensors to hear termite sounds beyond the range of human hearing. Paired with an infrared thermal imaging camera to find hidden moisture associated with termite infestations, the acoustic device pinpoints the exact location of a termite nest.

 

Patent No. 7,434,990 (13 Claims Approved) - Additional Methods to Detect Termite Infestation in a Structure: This patent covers the usage of infrared scanning to detect moisture associated with termite infestations followed by additional methods, including a microwave motion detector, an X-ray detector, a gas detector or termite-sniffing dogs, to confirm the presence of termites.

 

Patent No. 7,429,928 (4 Claims Approved) - Method to Prevent Termite Infestations by Modifying Termite Behavior: This patent covers HomeSafe’s method to prevent termite infestations in a home by generating very low-amplitude acoustical vibrations within the home’s interior walls. These vibrations, which are inaudible to the human ear, disturb and repel termites and drive them out of the home. The specific vibrations have a custom-selected frequency and amplitude experimentally proven to be highly effective at modifying termite behavior.

 

In addition, three other patent applications are under review by the USPTO.  Two of them relate to home inspections and the third is related to termite inspections.  Their application numbers are as follows: 12/194,977; 12/209,590; and 11/893,204.  Descriptions of these will be provided once approval of the various claims is provided by the USPTO.