Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting – deodorizing – preser – Process disinfecting – preserving – deodorizing – or sterilizing – Using disinfecting or sterilizing substance
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-08
2001-10-30
Warden, Sr., Robert J. (Department: 1744)
Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting, deodorizing, preser
Process disinfecting, preserving, deodorizing, or sterilizing
Using disinfecting or sterilizing substance
C422S026000, C422S028000, C422S171000, C422S294000, C126S263001, C126S263010, C126S263020, C126S263030, C126S263040, C126S263050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309598
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrochemical heating and, more particularly, to an electrochemical heater pad and methods for using the pad particularly for sterilizing.
2. Description of Related Art
The manufacture of flameless heaters is well known in the art and used by, for example, the military as set forth in Military Specification MIL-R-44398A (Jul. 10, 1990) as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,809. A basic problem with present heater pads is the method for packaging them. The methods and the heater pads are costly and difficult to rapidly mass produce. A typical heater pad contains loose materials, typically in the form of powdered metals stored in a compartment and, which produce an exothermal reaction when water is added to the materials. The heater pad may be rigid with the powdered metals suspended in a plastic material.
It is desirable to provide a heater pad which holds the loose heater materials in place and provides an even distribution of the heat during the electrochemical exothermic reaction and a product with a specific heater mixture for production of the necessary heat, control of the heating rate and suppression of the hydrogen production, and which is easy to mass produce.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An electrochemical heating pad includes a corrugated sheet having alternating peaks and valleys defining channels of elongated compartments having sidewalls between the peaks and valleys. A dry mixture operable to be wetted and activated with an electrolyte or just water to generate heat through electrochemical reactions is disposed in at least some of and preferably all of the elongated compartments. The compartments may be formed from the channels covered with a base sheet on or a porous sheet that covers and seals the compartments. The porous sheet is preferably sealingly bonded to the corrugated sheet along the peaks.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the corrugated sheet is made from cardboard and the porous sheet is made from non-woven polypropelene. The exemplary embodiment also includes the dry mixture having Magnesium in a range of 80% to 95% by weight, Iron in a range of 3% to 6% by weight, and Calcium Nitrate in a range of 1% to 2% by weight. A more particular embodiment includes the dry mixture having about 83.5% Magnesium by weight, about 4.0% Iron by weight, about 11.0% salt by weight, and about 1.5% Calcium Nitrate by weight. Another more particular embodiment includes the dry mixture having about 92.7% Magnesium by weight, about 5.5% Iron by weight, and about 1.8% Calcium Nitrate by weight.
Another embodiment of the electrochemical heating pad includes at least one compartment, a dry mixture operable to be wetted and activated with an electrolyte or water to generate heat through electrochemical reactions, and at least a portion of the compartment is made of a porous material. The mixture includes Magnesium in a range of 80% to 95% by weight, Iron in a range of 3% to 6% by weight, and Calcium Nitrate in a range of 1% to 2% by weight. A more particular embodiment includes the dry mixture having about 83.5% Magnesium by weight, about 4.0% Iron by weight, about 11.0% salt by weight, and about 1.5% Calcium Nitrate by weight. Another more particular embodiment includes the dry mixture having about 92.7% Magnesium by weight, about 5.5% Iron by weight, and about 1.8% Calcium Nitrate by weight. In place of Calcium Nitrate, the dry mixture may include other hydrogen suppressing oxidizing agents. The activator liquid may be just water if a salt is placed in the mixture. Alternatively, the activator liquid may be an electrolyte such as salt water.
Another embodiment of the present invention is an electrochemical heating module including an exothermic electrochemical heating pad, a tray for holding the heating pad and activator liquid including a germicide such as iodine, the activator liquid stored in a liquid storage container, and a sealable container for receiving the tray, heating pad, and activator liquid. In one embodiment, the electrochemical heating module includes the dry mixture of the present invention contained within the pad. Other antimicrobial or disinfecting agents may be used either in the activator liquid or mixed in with the dry mixture.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method of sterilizing one or more articles in the electrochemical heating module by placing the one or more articles to be sterilized, the storage container, and the pad in the tray, opening the storage container such that the activator liquid reacts exothermically with the pad and the disinfecting agent mixes with the activator liquid; sealing the tray in the sealable container until the one or more articles are sterilized.
The heater pad of the present invention is inexpensive and easy to mass produce. The compartments between the corrugations of the corrugated cardboard holds the loose exothermic materials in place during transportation during the reaction and provides an even distribution for a good complete exothermic reaction when liquid is added. The invention provides a heater pad which holds the loose heater materials in place and provides an even distribution of the heat during the electrochemical exothermic reaction and a product with a specific heater mixture for production of the necessary heat. The invention also controls of the heating rate and suppresses unwanted hydrogen production. The invention also provides apparatus and a method for sterilization such as for surgical instruments using a heater pad and module.
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Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition, 1998, p. 261.
Rosen Steven J.
Soubra Imad
Warden, Sr. Robert J.
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