US4643876A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Hydrogen peroxide plasma sterilization system
Assignee: Ethicon Inc
•
Filing: 1985-06-21
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Granted: 1987-02-17
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Expires: 2005-06-21
Abstract
Abstract A plasma sterilization process which employs hydrogen peroxide vapor as the precursor for the active species generated during the plasma generation cycle and employs a pre-treatment cycle prior to the plasma generation cycle.
Inventors
- 👤 Paul T. Jacobs
- 👤 Szu-Min Lin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 17:25
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61L; A61L2/00; A61L2/02; A61L2/14; A61L2/16; A61L2/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
99 words
A process of plasma sterilization using hydrogen peroxide as a precusor of the active species in the plasma comprising the steps of: placing an item to be sterilized in a chamber, contacting the item with a hydrogen peroxide vapor for a pretreatment time period which is a sufficient time period to allow the hydrogen peroxide to come in close proximity with the item; generating a hydrogen peroxide plasma around the item, and maintaining the item in said hydrogen peroxide plasma for a time period sufficient to allow an active species generated from the hydrogen peroxide plasma to effect sterilization.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
99 words
A process of plasma sterilization using hydrogen peroxide as a precusor of the active species in the plasma comprising the steps of: placing an item to be sterilized in a chamber, contacting the item with a hydrogen peroxide vapor for a pretreatment time period which is a sufficient time period to allow the hydrogen peroxide to come in close proximity with the item; generating a hydrogen peroxide plasma around the item, and maintaining the item in said hydrogen peroxide plasma for a time period sufficient to allow an active species generated from the hydrogen peroxide plasma to effect sterilization.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 1 in which the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the chamber is at least 0.05 mg per liter of chamber volume.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 1 in which the hydrogen peroxide plasma is pulsed in a power-on-power-off ratio of 1:2.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 1 in which the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the chamber is between 0.05 to 10 mg/liter of chamber volume.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1 in which the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the chamber is 0.208 mg/liter of chamber volume.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1 in which the pretreatment time period is between 5 and 30 minutes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1 in which the hydrogen peroxide plasma is generated over a period of from 5 to 60 minutes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
77 words
The process of claim 1 in which the steps of: contacting the item with a hydrogen peroxide vapor for a pretreatment time period which is sufficient to allow for the hydrogen peroxide to come in close proximity with the item, generating a hydrogen peroxide plasma around the item, and maintaining the item in said hydrogen peroxide for a time period sufficient to allow an active species generated from the hydrogen peroxide plasma to effect sterilization are repeated.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1 in which the hydrogen peroxide plasma is maintained until the hydrogen peroxide is decomposed into nontoxic products.
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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) | 1990-02-16 | 1990-08-18 | 1991-02-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-02-16 | 1994-08-18 | 1995-02-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-02-16 | 1998-08-18 | 1999-02-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |