Back to results
US 2004/0001775 A1Published application
Sterilizer with restrictor
AssigneeEthicon, Inc.
InventorsHarold R. Williams, Szu-Min Lin, Robert Lukasik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A chemical vapor sterilization process is enhanced by controlling the temperature of a diffusion path between a vaporizer and a sterilization chamber so as to condense and then re-vaporize at least a portion of the vapor.
Claims12
A sterilization system comprising:
- a sterilization chamber;
- a vaporizer connected to the chamber;
- a vacuum pump connected to the chamber;
- and
- a valve and an orifice plate having an orifice therethrough between the pump the chamber.
2 more elements
A method of furnishing concentrated hydrogen peroxide vapor to an article comprising the steps of:
- placing the article into a chamber containing an inner atmosphere;
- placing a solution comprising hydrogen peroxide and water into fluid communication with the chamber, said solution having a ratio of hydrogen peroxide to water;
- evacuating the chamber to lower pressure therein;
- vaporizing the solution in the inner atmosphere to form water vapor and hydrogen peroxide vapor;
- controlling the rate of evacuation of the chamber so as to selectively draw water vapor from the chamber to increase a ratio of hydrogen peroxide to water in the chamber, wherein the rate evacuation is controlled by evacuating the chamber through an orifice in an orifice plate;
- and
- contacting the article with the hydrogen peroxide vapor.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.