Valve apparatus and method for sterilizer container
US5277876A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 6, 1992 |
| Grant date | Jan 11, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 6, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T137/1797
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A valve for a sterilizer container comprises an elastic support body in the form of a pressure capsule which holds the valve in open position. This pressure capsule communicates with the interior of a headpiece which is sealingly arranged on the valve cap, the capsule having a valve opening which can be closed by the plug of an adjusting member. The closing is effected, after the sterilization temperature has been reached, by a temperature-sensitive member which has an alloy which melts when the sterilization temperature is reached. The alloy when in solidified state holds the adjusting member, which is under spring tension, fast and permits it to move as soon as it melts. The adjusting member can be clamped by means of a one-way coupling when the alloy is solidified. The entire valve arrangement can be removed from the container. It preferably lies in a cup-shaped depression in the lid of the container, the possibility of stacking with other containers being thus assured.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.