Sterilizing cabinet with tilted floor
AssigneeTurbett Surgical, Inc.
InventorRobert E. Turbett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for sterilization are presented. An apparatus includes a sterilizing cabinet assembly including a cabinet having an access port and a bottom, the bottom configurable to induce a condensate to flow on the bottom to a vent port. The apparatus further includes a door connected to the cabinet, the door moveable between an open position permitting passage through the access port to an interior of the cabinet and a closed position precluding passage through the access port. The apparatus also includes at least one of the cabinet and the door having the vent port, and a filter overlying the vent port and forming a sealed interface with an adjacent portion of the one of the cabinet and the door.
Claims20
A sterilizing cabinet assembly for use in a sterilization unit, the sterilizing cabinet assembly comprising:
- (a) a sterilizing cabinet having a top wall, a rear wall, sidewalls, and at least one of a bottom wall and a floor positioned above the bottom wall, wherein the top wall, sidewalls, and bottom wall or floor form an access port spaced from the rear wall of the sterilizing cabinet and sized to receive a plurality of instrument trays, and wherein the at least one of the sterilizing cabinet and the floor is moveable from a first position for receiving at least one of the plurality of trays and a second position;
- and
- (b) a door movable between an open position permitting passage through the access port to the interior of the sterilizing cabinet and a closed position wherein:
- i) at least one of the door or the sterilizing cabinet includes at least one vent port;
- ii) at least one filter overlies the at least one vent port and forms a sealed interface with an adjacent portion of the at least one of the door and the sterilizing cabinet;
- and
- iii) the sterilizing cabinet or floor in the second position induces condensate to flow toward the at least one vent port.
A method of using a sterilizing cabinet for use in a sterilization unit, the method comprising:
- (a) opening a door of a sterilizing cabinet to provide access to an interior through an access port, the sterilizing cabinet having a top wall, a rear wall, sidewalls, and at least one of a bottom wall and a floor positioned above the bottom wall, wherein the access port is sized to receive a plurality of instrument trays and is formed by the top wall, the sidewalls, and the bottom wall or floor, and spaced from the rear wall of the sterilizing cabinet;
- (b) inserting at least one instrument tray in the interior of the sterilizing cabinet;
- (c) occluding a vent port on the door or the sterilizing cabinet with at least one filter;
- (d) closing the door of the sterilizing cabinet;
- (e) inserting the sterilizing cabinet into the sterilization unit;
- and
- (f) tilting along at least one of an x-, y- and z-axis the floor or the sterilizing cabinet from a first position to a second position to induce condensate to flow towards the vent port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.