US4521375A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sterilizing treatment with hydrogen peroxide and neutralization of residual amounts thereof
Assignee: Ciba Vision Corp
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Filing: 1982-11-23
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Granted: 1985-06-04
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Expires: 2002-11-23
Abstract
Abstract Surfaces and articles or devices sterilized with an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution are treated with an aqueous solution comprising a sufficient amount of sodium pyruvate to decompose the hydrogen peroxide. The invention includes a method and sterilization system which is particularly useful in medical applications. Hydrophilic contact lenses may be conveniently sterilized with a hydrogen peroxide solution and rendered non-irritating to the eyes by treating the sterilized lenses with a sterile, sodium pyruvate solution which decomposes any hydrogen peroxide remaining with the lenses.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert D. Houlsby
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 11:30
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01N; A01N59/00; A61; A61L; A61L12/00; A61L12/08; A61L12/12; A61L12/124; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S134/00; Y10S134/901
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
52 words
A method for sterilizing surfaces which come into contact with living tissue comprising (a) contacting said surface with an aqueous medium containing a sterilizing amount of hydrogen peroxide, and (b) subsequently contacting said surface with an amount of pyruvic acid or a water-soluble salt thereof effective to destroy any residual hydrogen peroxide.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
52 words
A method for sterilizing surfaces which come into contact with living tissue comprising (a) contacting said surface with an aqueous medium containing a sterilizing amount of hydrogen peroxide, and (b) subsequently contacting said surface with an amount of pyruvic acid or a water-soluble salt thereof effective to destroy any residual hydrogen peroxide.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said aqueous medium of step (a) contains from about 1% to about 5% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, based on the total volume of the solution.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said aqueous medium of step (a) is a 3% by weight solution of hydrogen peroxide.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said surface is first immersed in said aqueous medium of step (a), then removed from said medium and immersed in the solution of step (b).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said pyruvic acid or said thereof is contained in a sterile aqueous solution.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said water-soluble salt of pyruvic acid is sodium pyruvate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said pyruvic acid or said thereof is contained in a sterile, isotonic, buffered, aqueous solution.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said sterile aqueous solution of sodium pyruvate comprises about 0.5 to about 5% by weight of sodium pyruvate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 8 wherein said aqueous medium of step (a) is a 3% by weight solution of hydrogen peroxide and said sterile aqueous solution of step (b) contains about 5 to about 50 milligrams of sodium pyruvate per milliliter.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
55 words
A method of sterilizing a contact lens without imparting ocular irritating after-effects to the lens, comprising (a) contacting said lens with an aqueous medium containing a sterilizing amount of hydrogen peroxide, and (b) subsequently contacting said lens with an amount of pyruvic acid or a water-soluble salt thereof effective to destroy any residual hydrogen peroxide.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
55 words
A method of sterilizing a contact lens without imparting ocular irritating after-effects to the lens, comprising (a) contacting said lens with an aqueous medium containing a sterilizing amount of hydrogen peroxide, and (b) subsequently contacting said lens with an amount of pyruvic acid or a water-soluble salt thereof effective to destroy any residual hydrogen peroxide.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said pyruvic acid or said thereof is contained in a sterile aqueous solution.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 11 wherein said water-soluble salt of pyruvic acid is sodium pyruvate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 12 wherein said sterile aqueous solution of sodium pyruvate comprises about 0.5 to about 5% by weight of sodium pyruvate.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 11 wherein said lens is a hydrophilic contact lens.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 14 wherein said sterile aqueous solution also comprises ophthalmologically acceptable amounts of tonicity adjusting agents and buffering compounds.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 14 wherein said sterilizing is conducted within a disinfecting case and the amount of said sodium pyruvate is determined according to the following formula: ##EQU3## wherein: A=weight of lens in grams B=percent hydration of lens C=percent H 2 O 2 D=volume of disinfecting case in ml.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
58 words
A sterilization system for decontaminating articles and devices which come into contact with living tissue comprising (a) an aqueous hydrogen peroxide sterilizing solution, and (b) a neutralizing, sterile, aqueous solution comprising from about 0.5 to about 5% by weight of pyruvic acid or a water-soluble salt thereof effective to neutralize the hydrogen peroxide contained in said sterilizing solution.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
58 words
A sterilization system for decontaminating articles and devices which come into contact with living tissue comprising (a) an aqueous hydrogen peroxide sterilizing solution, and (b) a neutralizing, sterile, aqueous solution comprising from about 0.5 to about 5% by weight of pyruvic acid or a water-soluble salt thereof effective to neutralize the hydrogen peroxide contained in said sterilizing solution.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
58 words
A contact lens sterilization system according to claim 17 wherein the sterilizing solution is a 3% by weight hydrogen peroxide solution and the neutralizing solution contains an amount of sodium pyruvate according to the following formula ##EQU4## wherein: A=weight of lens in grams B=percent hydration of lens C=percent H 2 O 2 D=volume of disinfecting case in ml.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
88 words
A sterilization kit for articles which come into contact with living tissue comprising (a) a container containing a sufficient amount of a hydrogen peroxide-yielding compound effective, when dissolved in a selected volume of water whereby a sterilizing solution is produced, to sterilize a treated article, and (b) a container containing a sufficient amount of a water-soluble pyruvic acid salt effective to prepare an aqueous solution containing from about 5 to about 50 mg/ml of said salt, and (c) means for holding said containers substantially immobile in said kit.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
88 words
A sterilization kit for articles which come into contact with living tissue comprising (a) a container containing a sufficient amount of a hydrogen peroxide-yielding compound effective, when dissolved in a selected volume of water whereby a sterilizing solution is produced, to sterilize a treated article, and (b) a container containing a sufficient amount of a water-soluble pyruvic acid salt effective to prepare an aqueous solution containing from about 5 to about 50 mg/ml of said salt, and (c) means for holding said containers substantially immobile in said kit.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
27 words
The kit of claim 19 wherein said hydrogen peroxide-yielding compound is selected from the group consisting of peroxides, percarbonates, persulfates, perphosphates, peroxyacids, alkylperoxides, acylperoxides, peroxyesters and perborates.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
13 words
The kit of claim 19 wherein said pyruvic acid salt is sodium pyruvate.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
75 words
A sterilization kit for articles which come into contact with living tissue comprising (a) a container containing an aqueous sterilizing solution containing an amount of hydrogen peroxide effective to sterilize said article, and (b) a container containing an amount of a water-soluble salt of pyruvic acid effective to prepare an aqueous solution containing from about 5 to about 50 mg/ml of said salt, and (c) means for holding said containers substantially immobile in said kit.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
75 words
A sterilization kit for articles which come into contact with living tissue comprising (a) a container containing an aqueous sterilizing solution containing an amount of hydrogen peroxide effective to sterilize said article, and (b) a container containing an amount of a water-soluble salt of pyruvic acid effective to prepare an aqueous solution containing from about 5 to about 50 mg/ml of said salt, and (c) means for holding said containers substantially immobile in said kit.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
24 words
The kit of claim 22 wherein said sterilizing solution contains about 3% by weight hydrogen peroxide and the pyruvic acid salt is sodium pyruvate.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
16 words
The kit of claim 22 wherein said sodium pyruvate is dissolved in a sterile, aqueous solution.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
22 words
The kit of claim 24 wherein said sterile aqueous solution also comprises ophthalmologically acceptable amounts of tonicity adjusting agents and buffering compounds.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-06-03 | 1988-12-03 | 1989-06-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-06-03 | 1992-12-03 | 1993-06-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-06-03 | 1996-12-03 | 1997-06-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |