Recirculating high velocity hot air sterilizing device having improved internal insulation structure

• US 4,824,644 A
• Filed: 10/08/1987
• Issued: 04/25/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Archeraire Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Archeraire Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Archer, Virgil L., Cox, M. Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Lori-Ann
• Application Number:
  US07/106,182
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 422/1, 422/7, 422/28, 422/292, 422/295, 422/297, 422/300, 219/400, 126/21 R, 126/21 A, 426/521, 426/523, 426/407
• US Class Current: 422/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/06 Hot gas

Abstract

A recirculating, high velocity hot impingement air sterilizer has an inner housing that defines a chamber adapted to receive dental instruments or the like to be sterilized by hot impingement air jets flowed through the chamber by a compact fan, duct and heating coil assembly exteriorly secured to the inner housing. A specially designed insulating jacket structure envelopes and removably receives the inner housing, the jacket structure having a flexible, hollow outer skin portion filled with and captively retaining a suitable insulating material. The jacketed inner housing is received within an outer housing and defines therein a cooling space which extends around a major portion of the insulating jacket structure. Cooling air is flowed through such cooling space by a small fan secured to the inner surface of a removable back panel portion of the outer housing. By simply removing the back panel portion, and then removing a back portion of the insulating jacket, access to the main fan and heating coil structure is quickly and easily provided to repair or replace the same without removing the inner housing. The flexible outer skin portion of the insulating jacket prevents the insulating material from damage or dislodgement into either housing during the repair or replacement of the main fan and heating coil structure.

Claims

1. A recirculating hot air sterilizer comprising:

wall means for defining a sterilization chamber separated from a supply air plenum by a plate member having a series of jet-forming openings formed therethrough, said sterilization chamber being partially bounded by a deflection wall spaced apart from and extending generally parallel to said plate member;

support means for supporting objects to be sterilized within said sterilization chamber in a mutually spaced relationship with each other and in a spaced relationship with said plate member and said deflection wall, said jet-forming openings being positioned and arranged so as to both impinge high velocity air flowed therethrough, upon first surface portions of said objects supported on said support means and to bypass high velocity air around the supported objects; and

hot air recirculating means for creating a recirculating hot air flow within said wall means which sequentially;

enters said supply air plenum;

is forced through said jet-forming openings to form a series of relatively high velocity impingement air jets directed toward said deflection wall so that a first number of said jets impinge upon first surface portions of objects supported by said support means within said sterilization chamber, and a second number of said jets bypass the supported objects, strike said deflection wall and are deflected thereby onto opposite surface portions of the objects in the form of redirected, relatively high velocity jets which form with said first number of said jets a turbulent, heated air layer around the objects,

is drawn outwardly through said sterilization chamber in a direction generally transverse to said jets and said redirected jets to move said air layer across the objects in a direction generally transverse to said jets and said redirected jets, and

is then returned to said supply air plenum,

said wall means comprising an inner housing having a wall section extending along said sterilization chamber and said air supply plenum, said wall section having a return opening extending therethrough into said sterilization chamber, and a supply opening extending therethrough into said supply air plenum,

said sterilizer further comprising an outer housing enveloping said inner housing and having an access wall section being movable to permit insertion of said inner housing into said outer housing and to permit access to said wall section of said inner housing, said inner and outer housings having aligned openings therein through which a portion of said support means may be inserted into said sterilization chamber,

said hot air recirculating means including a fan, duct and heating element assembly removably secured to said wall section of said inner housing and including;

a recirculating fan having an outlet, and an inlet communicating with said sterilization chamber through said return opening,

a supply duct connected to said outlet and having an open discharge end communicating with said supply air plenum through said supply opening, and

a heating element operatively disposed within said supply duct; and

an insulating jacket structure extending around and removably receiving said inner housing and said fan, duct and heating element assembly, said insulating jacket structure having a hollow shell portion captively retaining insulation therein, and having an access wall section being movable to permit insertion of said inner housing into the interior of said jacket structure.

2. The sterilizer of claim 1 wherein:

said hollow shell portion and said insulation are of flexible materials.

3. The sterilizer of claim 2 wherein:

said hollow shell flexible material is silicone impregnated fiberglass cloth material and said insulation flexible is material a flexible, fibrous material.

4. The sterilizer of claim 1 wherein:

said outer housing has an internal cooling cavity therein which envelopes a substantial portion of said insulating jacket structure, and

said sterilizer further comprises cooling means for flowing cooling air through said cavity.

5. The sterilizer of claim 4 wherein:

said outer housing has at least one cooling air discharge opening formed in a wall portion thereof, and

said cooling means include a cooling fan positioned and arranged to sequentially flow ambient air into said outer housing, through said cooling cavity and outwardly through said at least one cooling air discharge opening.

6. The sterilizer of claim 5 wherein:

said cooling fan is disposed within said outer housing and is carried by said access wall section for movement therewith.

7. A recirculating hot air sterilizing device comprising:

a hollow outer housing having a first wall portion with an opening formed therein through which objects to be sterilized may be inwardly inserted, and a second wall portion positioned and arranged so as to be movable to provide access to the interior of said outer housing;

a hollow inner housing positioned within said outer housing and having a first wall portion inwardly adjacent said first wall portion of said outer housing and having an entrance passage formed thereon which is generally aligned with said entrance opening in said first wall portion of said outer housing and adapted to receive objects to be sterilized, and a second wall portion spaced inwardly from said first wall portion of said inner housing;

support means for supporting objects to be sterilized within said inner housing;

hot air recirculating means for creating a recirculating hot air flow within said inner housing to sterilize objects supported therein by said support means, said hot air recirculating means including a recirculating fan secured to said second wall portion of said inner housing and having a motor positioned within said outer housing;

an insulating jacket structure positioned within said outer housing, said insulating jacket structure enveloping and removably receiving said inner housing, being insertable with said inner housing into said outer housing and having;

a hollow outer skin portion filled with and captively retaining an insulating material,

a first opening through which said entrance passage of said inner housing extends,

an access section extending exteriorly across said second wall portion of said inner housing and being removably secured to said jacket structure in a manner permitting said access section to be moved to form a second opening in said jacket structure through which said inner housing may be inserted and removed, said access section having an opening formed therethrough through which said motor outwardly extends, and

an exterior surface which defines within the interior surface of said outer housing a cooling cavity that envelopes a substantial portion of said jacket structure; and

cooling means for flowing a supply of cooling air through said cooling passage.

8. The sterilizing device of claim 7 wherein:

said hollow outer skin portion and said insulating material are each of a generally flexible material.

9. The sterilizing device of claim 8 wherein:

said outer skin flexible material is a silicone impregnated fiberglass cloth material, and said insulating flexible material is a fibrous insulating material.

10. The sterilizing device of claim 7 wherein:

said hot air recirculating means comprise a fan, duct and heating coil assembly removably and exteriorly secured to said second wall portion of said inner housing, said assembly including said recirculating fan, a supply duct secured to the outlet of said recirculating fan and communicating with the interior of said inner housing, and a heating coil operatively positioned within said heating duct, said recirculating fan having an inlet communicating with the interior of said inner housing.

11. The sterilizing device of claim 7 wherein:

said outer housing has at least one cooling air discharge opening formed in a wall portion thereof, and

said cooling means include a cooling fan adapted to sequentially flow ambient air into said outer housing, through said cooling cavity and outwardly through said at least one cooling air discharge opening.

12. The sterilizing device of claim 11 wherein:

said cooling fan is disposed within said outer housing and is carried by said second wall portion of said outer housing for movement therewith.