Vacuum sterilized sealing of passthrough light treatment devices

A light treatment device comprising:

• a treatment chamber having an opening accessible from an outside environment and a seating region proximate to the opening;
• one or more lamps within the treatment chamber for producing light within the treatment chamber, wherein the light is used to deactivate microorganisms within the treatment chamber;
• one or more vacuum ports at the seating region;
• a hatch body having at least a portion adapted to fit within the opening;
• and
• a flexible piece attached to the hatch body, the flexible piece having a periphery portion including a seating portion, wherein the periphery portion of the flexible piece overlaps the hatch body, wherein the seating portion is adapted to be vacuum sealed to the seating region;
• wherein the hatch body and flexible piece seal the treatment chamber from the outside environment.

A sterilizable vacuum sealing surface of a treatment chamber of a light treatment device comprising:

• an inner wall of the treatment chamber, wherein the treatment chamber defines a volume within which objects are treated with light for the reduction of microorganisms;
• an opening formed within the inner wall, wherein the opening provides access to the treatment chamber from an outside environment;
• a seating region of the inner wall, wherein the seating region is proximate to a periphery of the opening;
• one or more vacuum ports at the seating region for forming a vacuum seal between the seating region and materials placed against the seating region.

A method of sealing a treatment chamber of a light treatment device from an outside environment comprising:

• placing at least a portion of a hatch body within an opening of the treatment chamber, wherein the hatch body includes a flexible piece attached to the hatch body, wherein a periphery portion of the flexible piece overlaps the hatch body;
• positioning the at least the portion of the hatch body within the opening such that a seating portion of the periphery portion is within the treatment chamber and contacts an inner surface of the treatment chamber;
• and
• creating a vacuum seal between the inner surface of the treatment chamber and the seating portion of the flexible piece, wherein the flexible piece and the hatch body seal the treatment chamber from the outside environment.

A method of treating and passing an object from a non-sterile environment into a substantially sterile environment comprising:

• pre-sterilizing a treatment chamber;
• vacuum sealing the treatment chamber from the substantially sterile environment;
• placing the object into the treatment chamber from the non-sterile environment;
• sealing the non-sterile environment from the treatment chamber;
• illuminating the object with light, wherein organisms present on the object are deactivated;
• unsealing the treatment chamber from the substantially sterile environment;
• and
• removing the object from the treatment chamber into the substantially sterile environment.