Procedure to produce a disinfecting hot atmosphere and device to accomplish this

• US 6,299,837 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1998
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thermo Electron Led GmbH (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kendro Laboratory Products GmbH (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Paul, Elke, Pieczarek, Waldemar, Heeg, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Sr., Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Soubra, Imad
• Application Number:
  US09/211,733
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 422/21, 422/26, 422/298, 422/299, 422/300, 422/307
• US Class Current: 422/26
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/07 Steam
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 37/00 Means for sterilizing, maintaining sterile conditions or avoiding chemical or biological contamination C12M23/38 takes precedence; filtration in general and filters per se B01D24/00-B01D41/00; autoclaves B01J3/04; treatment of microorganisms with electrical or wave energy C12N13/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/14 Incubators; Climatic chambers per se B01L1/00

Abstract

A gassing incubator includes an inner housing bounding a inside space. The inside space communicates to the exterior through an opening. The opening is selectively sealed closed by a movable door. The inner housing includes a floor which is configured to receive and retain water. To disinfect the inside space, water is disposed on the floor and the opening is sealed closed. The inside space is then heated to a disinfecting temperature of about 90° C. The water is also heated so as to produce a relative humidity of greater than about 80% within the inside space. This atmosphere is maintained for a disinfection phase of at least 9 hours. The hot and humid atmosphere of the inside space produces great heat sensitization of cells which might be present. As a result, substantially all of the cells within the inside space are killed during the 9-hour disinfection phase. Before the subsequent initial operation of the gassing incubator, there follows a condensation phase to reduce the relative humidity within the inside space, and a cooling and post-heating phase.

Claims

1. A procedure for disinfecting a gassing incubator having an inside space, the procedure comprising:

(a) positioning a free standing pool of water within the inside space of the gassing incubator;

(b) sealing the inside space so as to be substantially closed to the surrounding atmosphere;

(c) heating the atmosphere within the inside space to a disinfecting temperature;

(d) heating the free standing pool of water within the inside space to a temperature sufficient to produce a relative humidity of at least about 80% within the inside space;

(e) maintaining the disinfecting temperature and the relative humidity of at least about 80% within the inside space for a sufficient period of time to produce disinfecting; and

(f) substantially maintaining the disinfecting temperature within the atmosphere of the inside space while cooling the free standing pool of water within the inside space so that the relative humidity within the inside space is decreased.

2. A procedure as recited in claim 1, wherein the disinfecting temperature and the relative humidity of at least about 80% is maintained within the inside space for a period of at least about 9 hours.

3. A procedure as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of heating the atmosphere within the inside space includes the disinfecting temperature being at least about 90°

C.

4. A procedure as recited in claim 1, wherein the free standing pool of water within the inside space is cooled so that the relative humidity within the inside space is decreased by at least 20%.

5. A procedure according to claim 4, wherein the housing includes a floor on which the water is received and retained, wherein the step of cooling the water within the inside space comprises cooling the floor.

6. A procedure as recited in claim 1, wherein the atmospheric pressure within the inside space is maintained substantially the same as the outside surrounding atmospheric pressure during the step of heating the atmosphere within the inside space to a disinfecting temperature.

7. A procedure according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a floor, a back wall, a pair of opposing side walls, and a ceiling, wherein the step of heating the atmosphere within inside space includes heating at least one of the back wall, the pair of opposing side walls, and the ceiling from outside of the inside space.

8. A procedure for disinfecting a gassing incubator, the procedure comprising the steps of:

(a) positioning a free standing pool of water on the floor of an inner housing of the gassing incubator, the inner housing having an interior surface bounding an inside space;

(b) activating a first heating element communicating with the floor and a second heating element communicating with the inner housing separate from the floor so as to produce an atmosphere within a portion of the inside space having an elevated first temperature and an elevated first relative humidity;

(c) maintaining the atmosphere within the inside space at the elevated first temperature and the elevated first relative humidity for a time period sufficient to disinfect the interior surface of the inner housing exposed to the atmosphere; and

(d) decreasing the temperature of the first heating element to a temperature below the temperature of the second heating element so that the free standing pool of water on the floor of the inner housing is cooled, thereby decreasing the relative humidity within the atmosphere to a second relative humidity.

9. A procedure as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of decreasing the temperature of the first heating element is accomplished while substantially maintaining the first temperature of the atmosphere.

10. A procedure as recited in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

(a) turning off the second heating element so as to lower the temperature of the atmosphere to a desired operating temperature; and

(b) turning on the second heating element after the atmosphere has been lowered to the desired operating temperature so as to evaporate condensation off at least a portion of the interior surface of the inner housing.

11. A procedure as recited in claim 8, wherein the cooling step comprises turning off the first heating element.

12. A procedure for disinfecting a gassing incubator having an inside space, the procedure comprising the steps of:

(a) positioning a free standing pool of water within the inside space of the gassing incubator;

(b) sealing the inside space so as to be substantially closed to the surrounding atmosphere;

(c) heating the atmosphere within the inside space to a disinfecting temperature of at least about 90°

C.;

(d) heating the pool of water within the inside space to a temperature sufficient to produce a relative humidity of at least about 80% within the inside space; and

(e) maintaining the disinfecting temperature of at least about 90°

C. and the relative humidity of at least about 80% within the inside space for at least about 9 hours so as to disinfect the useful space.