Sterile air trolley

• US 4,531,956 A
• Filed: 10/12/1982
• Issued: 07/30/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Howorth Airtech Limited Victoria Works
• Original Assignee: Howorth Air Engineering Limited
• Inventors: Howorth, Frederick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prunner, Kathleen J.
• Application Number:
  US06/433,810
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 55/276, 55/279, 55/356, 55/410, 55/419, 55/467, 55/471, 55/472, 55/473, 55/482, 55/DIG. 29, 55/DIG. 18, 55/484, 98/36, 98/40 C
• US Class Current: 96/223
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/108 Means providing sterile air at a surgical operation table or area treatment rooms A61G10/00; instruments or implements for sterile operation A61B90/00; sterilisation of air A61L9/00; purification of air in air-conditioning systems F24F3/16, F24F8/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/00 Disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air body deodorants A61Q15/00; purifying air by respirators A62B, A62D9/00; separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours B01D45/00 - B01D51/00, B03C3/00; chemical or biological purification of waste gases B01D53/34; production of ozone C01B13/10; air-conditioning systems incorporating sterilisation F24F3/16, F24F8/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/16 using physical phenomena
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/29 Air curtains

Abstract

A sterile air trolley introduces sterile air into a zone adjacent all outermost boundaries of an upper part of a casing which extends laterally outboard of all sides of a lower part of a casing. The sterile air so introduced is without or free of any contaminated ambient air being entrained by the air so being emitted from the trolley and so introduced into the zone.

Claims

1. A sterile air trolley comprising:

a box-like casing having a four-sided lower region and an upper region extending laterally beyond all four sides of the lower region in forming a limb at one of the sides and an overhang at each of the other three sides,

an air inlet through each of the four sides of the lower region,

the upper region enclosing a diffusion chamber defined by an upper surface and sides and the undersides of the overhangs and of the limb,

a plurality of air outlets in the upper surface, the sides and the undersides of the overhangs and the limb of the diffusion chamber,

impeller means within the lower region,

a filter disposed across each air inlet,

the impeller means being operative to draw air into the lower region of the casing through the air inlets and filters and out of the casing by way of the air outlets of the upper region resulting in substantially vertical air flow from the upper surface and undersides and lateral air flow from the upper region sides to provide an effective sterile air zone in the immediate vicinity of the upper region, and

casters attached to the underside of the lower region.

2. The trolley as set forth in claim 1 wherein the impeller means comprises a motor driven fan.

3. The trolley as set forth in claim 1 including secondary filter means arranged within the casing above the impeller means and below the air outlets of the upper region.

4. The trolley as set forth in claim 1 wherein the air outlets are in the form of substantially circular apertures.

5. The trolley as set forth in claim 1 wherein the air outlets vary in size from one part of the upper region to another part of the upper region for the grading of air flow from the trolley.