Steam pressure sterilizing devices for medical purposes

Claim 1

IN A DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING A STEAM PRESSURE STERILIZATION APPARATUS, AN AUTOCLAVE, A SOURCE OF STEAM, STEAM CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING SAID SOURCE OF STEAM WITH SAID AUTOCLAVE, VALVE MEANS IN SAID STEAM CONDUIT MEANS, FIRST REGULATING MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID VALVE MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM TO SAID AUTOCLAVE, A SOURCE OF VACUUM, VACUUM CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING SAID SOURCE OF VACUUM WITH SAID AUTOCLAVE, SECOND REGULATING MEANS IN SAID VACUUM CONDUIT MEANS FOR CONTROLLING DISCHARGE OF STEAM FROM SAID AUTOCLAVE AND CREATION OF VACUUM THEREIN, CONTROL MEANS FOR SELECTIVE ACTUATION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND REGULATING MEANS, A ROTATABLY MOUNTED PROGRAM SELECTOR MEANS, A PLURALITY OF PROGRAMMING MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID PROGRAM SELECTOR MEANS AND EACH REPRESENTING A PREDETERMINED FIXED PROGRAM, DRIVE MEANS FOR SAID PROGRAMMING MEANS, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID PROGRAM SELECTOR MEANS WITH A SELECTED ONE OF SAID PROGRAMMING MEANS IN POSITION FOR OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DRIVE MEANS AND CONTROL MEANS, ACTUATING MEANS FOR OPERATIVELY ENGAGING SAID DRIVE MEANS WITH SAID ONE SELECTED PROGRAMMING MEANS, CONDITION SENSITIVE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID AUTOCLAVE AND CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH SAID ACTUATING MEANS TO RELEASE SAID ACTUATING MEANS IN DEPENDENCE UPON THE CONDITIONS PREVAILING IN SAID AUTOCLAVE, AND RETURN MEANS IN EACH OF SAID PROGRAMMING MEANS FOR RETURNING THE RELEASED PROGRAMMING MEANS TO ITS STARTING POSITION, SO THAT AN ERRONEOUS CONDITION IN SAID AUTOCLAVE CAUSES THE ACTIVE PROGRAMMING MEANS TO RETURN TO ITS STARTING POSITION TO BEGIN THE PROGRAM ANEW.