Lateral-flow biohazard safety enclosure
AssigneeFlow Sciences, Inc.
InventorsRaymond F. Ryan, John H. McNally
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A biohazard safety enclosure or workstation particularly adapted for enclosing automated instrumentation includes a chamber defined by front, back, top, bottom, and opposed end walls; a HEPA filter across an air inlet opening into the chamber, and an airflow means to direct air horizontally through at least part of the chamber between the end walls. Preferably, the workstation has a second HEPA filter across an air outlet opening in the work chamber, with the airflow means including a conduit extending from the air outlet opening to the air inlet opening. A fan draws air through the conduit. A part of the filtered air is exhausted from the workstation and is replenished through a make-up air inlet into the chamber.
Claims16
A workstation comprising:
- a) an enclosure having a front wall, a back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and first and second opposed end walls, said walls defining a chamber having an air inlet opening, an air outlet opening and a make-up air inlet;
- b) a filter between at least one of said openings and said chamber;
- and
- c) an airflow means to direct air along a horizontal pathway through at least part of said chamber between said end walls, wherein said airflow means communicates with an exhaust opening allowing a portion of filtered airflow to be exhausted outside of said chamber thereby urging make-up air to flow through said make-up air inlet into said chamber maintaining a net airflow into said chamber.
A workstation comprising:
- a) an enclosure having a front wall, a back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and first and second opposed end walls, said walls defining a chamber having an air inlet opening adjacent said first end wall and an air outlet opening adjacent said second opposed wall, one of said walls other than one of said end walls including a make-up air inlet;
- b) a filter between at least one of said openings and said chamber;
- and
- c) air conveyance means adapted to direct air horizontally through at least part of said chamber between said end walls, said air conveyance means including a conduit extending between said openings, and a fan to convey air from said air outlet opening to said air inlet opening, wherein said conduit includes an exhaust opening between said fan and said outlet opening.
A workstation comprising:
- a) an enclosure having a front wall, a back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and first and second parallel, opposed end walls, said walls defining a chamber having an air inlet opening adjacent said first end wall and an air outlet opening adjacent said second opposed wall, one of said walls other than one of said end walls including a make-up air inlet;
- b) a first HEPA filter between said air inlet openings and said chamber;
- c) a second HEPA filter between said air outlet opening and said chamber;
- and
- d) air conveyance means adapted to direct air along a horizontal pathway through at least part of said chamber between said end walls, said air conveyance means including a conduit extending between said openings, and a fan to convey air from said air outlet opening to said air inlet opening, wherein said conduit includes an exhaust opening between said fan and said outlet opening.
A workstation comprising:
- a) an enclosure having a front wall, a back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, a first end wall having a first air inlet opening, and a second end wall having a second air inlet opening, said walls defining a chamber, one of said walls other than one of said end walls including an air outlet opening, and one of said walls other than one of said end walls including a make-up air inlet and wherein at least one of said front and back walls includes a closeable access opening;
- b) a first HEPA filter between said first air inlet openings and said chamber;
- c) a second HEPA filter between said air outlet opening and said chamber;
- and
- d) air conveyance means adapted to direct air along horizontal pathway through at least part of said chamber between said first and second inlet openings and said outlet opening, said air conveyance means including a conduit extending between said first and second inlet openings and said air outlet opening, and a fan to convey air from said air outlet opening to said air inlet opening, wherein said conduit includes an exhaust opening between said fan and said outlet opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.