Safety control mechanism for cyclically-operable apparatus

Claim 1

IN A CONTROL MECHANISM FOR REGULATING A COMBINATION DRY-HEAT AND STEAM-HEAT STERILIZATION APPARATUS HAVING MEANS FOR SELECTING ANY DESIRED ONE OPERATING CONDITION OF SAID APPARATUS FROM AMONG ALTERNATIVE "POWER OFF," "FILL," "STERILIZE" AND "VENT" OPERATING CONDITION; MEANS FOR SELECTING ANY DESIRED TEMPERATURE OF SAID APPARATUS FROM AMONG A PLURALITY OF TEMPERATURE VALUES WITHIN A FIRST TEMPERATURE RANGE EFECTIVE TO PRODUCE STEAM STERILIZATION WHEN SAID APPARATUS IS IN A "STERILIZE" OPERATING CONDITION, AND FOR SELECTING ANY DESIRED TEMPERATURE OF SAID APPARATUS FROM AMONG A PLURALITY OF TEMPERATURE VALUES WITHIN A SECOND TEMPERATURE RANGE EFFECTIVE TO PRODUCE DRY-HEAT STERILIZATION WHEN SAID APPARATUS IS IN A "VENT" OPERATING CONDITION; A MANUALLY ROTATABLE TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDING SAID TEMPERATURE CONTOL KNOB AND SAID TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB BEING ROTATABLE TO AND THROUGH ALTERNATIVE STEAM-HEAT STERILIZATION AND DRY-HEAT STERILIZATION ARC-POSITIONSS; A MANUALLY ROTATABLE OPERATING CONDITION CONTROL KNOB, SAID FIRST-MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDING SAID CONDITION CONTROL KNOB AND SAID CONDITION CONTROL KNOB BEING ROTATABLE TO ALTERNATIVE "POWER OF," "FILL," "STERILIZE" AND "VENT" POSITIONS; THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF (A) MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CONTROL KNOBS FOR PROHIBITING ROTATION OF SAID CONDITION CONTROL KNOB OUT OF ITS "VENT" POSITION WHILE SAID TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB IS IN ITS DRY-HEAT STERILIZATION ARCPOSITION, AND FOR PROHIBITING ROTATION OF SAID TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB TO ITS DRY-HEAT STERILIZATION ARC-POSITION WHILE SAID CONDITION CONTROL KNOB IS IN ANY POSITION OTHER THAN ITS "VENT" POSITION; AND (B) MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CONDITION CONTROL KNOB FOR PROHIBITING ROTATION THEREOF FROM ITS "STERILIZE" POSITION TO ITS "FILL" POSITION AND FROM ITS "VENT" POSITION TO ITS "STERILIZE" POSITION WHILE PERMITTING ROTATION THEREOF FROM ITS "POWER OFF" POSITION TO ITS "FILL" POSITION AND FROM ITS "FILL" POSITION ITS "STERILIZE" POSITION AND FROM ITS "STERILIZE" POSITION TO ITS "VENT" POSITION AND FROM ITS "VENT" POSITION TO ITS "POWER OFF" POSITION AND FROM ITS "POWER OFF" POSITION TO ITS "VENT" POSITION.