US 10,117,443 B2Granted

Method for decontaminating food articles having a porous outer surface

AssigneeSTERIS Inc.

InventorsThaddeus J. Mielnik, Peter A. Burke

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A method for decontaminating articles having porous outer surfaces. The method includes providing a decontamination chamber; conveying the articles through the decontamination chamber at a predetermined speed wherein the speed is selected such that the articles are disposed in the decontamination chamber for a predetermined period of time; providing a source of sterliant vapor, the source providing the sterilant vapor at a temperature within a predetermined acceptable temperature range and at a concentration within a predetermined acceptable concentration range; conveying a sterilant vapor from the source of sterilant vapor to the decontamination chamber; and exposing the articles to the sterilant vapor. The predetermined period of time and the predetermined acceptable concentration range of the sterilant vapor are selected such that the sterilant vapor does not penetrate the porous outer surfaces of the articles.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method for decontaminating articles having porous outer surfaces, said method comprising:

providing a decontamination chamber;
conveying said articles through said decontamination chamber at a predetermined speed selected such that said articles are disposed in said decontamination chamber for a predetermined period of time;
providing a source of sterilant vapor, said source providing said sterilant vapor at a temperature within a predetermined temperature range and at a concentration within a predetermined concentration range;
conveying a sterilant vapor from said source of sterilant vapor to said decontamination chamber;
heating said articles to a temperature that is greater than a temperature of said sterilant vapor and less than a maximum predetermined temperature of said articles;
and
exposing said heated articles to said sterilant vapor,
wherein said predetermined period of time and said predetermined concentration range of said sterilant vapor are selected such that said sterilant vapor does not penetrate said porous outer surfaces of said articles.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/913,050Filed 6 Mar 2018 · division
Priority: 27 Oct 2015
Published: US 2018/0192659 A112 Jul 2018
Granted: 6 Nov 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

A23B 5/10
Preserving with chemicals: in the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor
A23B 2/001
Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general: details of apparatus, e.g. pressure feed valves or for transport, or loading or unloading…
A23B 2/704
By treatment with chemicals: in the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor
A23B 2/721
In the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor: in a controlled atmosphere comprising other gases in addition to CO2,…

Family

Application14/923,546Parent of this division · filed 27 Oct 2015
US 2018/0192659 A1Pre-grant publication · published 12 Jul 2018
US 9,968,105 B2Parent of this division
US 2017/0112156 A1Published application
US 10,117,443 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.