Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids – Process – Gas or vapor pressure is subatmospheric
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-29
2003-04-15
Wilson, Pamela (Department: 3749)
Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids
Process
Gas or vapor pressure is subatmospheric
C034S259000, C034S265000, C034S565000, C426S241000, C219S707000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06546646
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a process and apparatus for removing moisture from a material without substantially spoiling the material. Described herein are a process of and apparatus for microwave irradiation heating, drying, dehydration, curing, disinfection, pasteurization, sterilization or vapourization of any one or any combination of one or more of these processes in the processing of materials which are typically in planar form or able to be arranged so as to be in planar form.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Planar materials in the context of this invention means any organic or inorganic material or any combination of such materials presented in its natural form or in a pre-prepared or processed form or in a transportable form suitable for processing by the process and apparatus of this invention.
Planar materials in this context may be in single or multiple sheet or composite or laminated or other form in unit size of uniform shapes and dimensions or varying sizes, shapes and dimensions or process transportation size within the limiting dimensions determined by the process and apparatus of this invention.
Planar materials in the context of this invention may also be natural or preprocessed vegetable matter in sliced, diced or granular form including herbs and spices, grain seeds and nuts, rootstock and leaf materials and chemical compounds and mineral materials in granular form or solution form—all capable of transportation by an enclosed or other form of conveyance having a planar configuration suitable for application within the limiting dimensions determined by the process and apparatus of this invention.
The priority application of the invention is related to the field of medical, veterinary, food and environmental diagnostics, but other industrial fields of application are equally relevant.
The world is faced with a crisis in the delivery of health care services in developing countries due to a resurgence of infectious and tropical diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, hepatitis and filariasis.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 2 billion persons worldwide are infected with one or other of these major diseases which are in epidemic or endemic form in many developing countries. This has created enormous diagnosis logistical and resource problems due to the masses of people involved, the land areas of the countries concerned and hopelessly inadequate infrastructure medical support facilities. These problems and health risk is compounded by the increasing mobility of the world population and relocation of displaced persons and refugees.
Malaria is endemic in many countries and is one of the most serious and complex health problems facing the world community as it enters the 21st century. It has been estimated that there are between 300 and 500 million clinical cases of malaria each year with between 2 and 3 million deaths as a result of the disease. Malaria has now reached epidemic proportions due mainly to the failure of conventional therapies against multidrug resistant strains of the malarial parasite. As the emergence of disease drug resistance escalates in all malaria endemic areas early diagnosis is critical for the application of alternative chemotherapeutic agents.
Tuberculosis kills or debilitates more adults than any other disease with more than one third of the world's population infected with the TB bacillus. Every year 6 to 8 million people develop the disease which, if early diagnosed, can now be inexpensively and effectively treated.
Hepatitis virus has infected more than 2 billion people worldwide of which some 325 million are chronically infected carriers of the virus. Hepatitis B is directly related to approximately 2 million deaths a year. The WHO estimates that by the year 2000 there could be more than 400 million carriers of this disease.
Filariasis is a parasitic disease affecting people in tropical regions. It is highly debilitating and has serious economic and social consequences. It is estimated that 750 million people live in endemic areas with 76 countries affected and 96 million people infected.
Other diseases such as pneumonia, tetanus, trachoma, dengue fever and schistosmiasis also affect millions of people worldwide and are of increasing international concern.
Animal diseases and the contamination of land air and water resources and the environment has also led to the increasing incidence of food contamination and outbreaks of environmental diseases. These contamination diseases are expected to increase unless early diagnosis technology is introduced to permit timely remedial action to be taken.
The clinical diagnosis of malaria and many other diseases is conventionally based on clinical criteria supported by microscopic examination of whole blood. This diagnostic process is time consuming, labour intensive, expensive, requires considerable technical skills and support facilities and is not practical for mass, widespread in-field application.
Scientific technology breakthroughs have occurred in the area of reliable, accurate, simple immunochromatographic, on the spot diagnostic tests for medical, veterinary, agricultural, food and environmental applications. The scientific technology is patented worldwide and is in field use for a number of diagnostic applications.
In excess of 200 existing diagnostic fields of practice have been identified as potential markets for replacement by this immunodiagnostic testing technology.
The full scientific and human health potential benefit of this technology can only be realised on a world wide basis by the inexpensive mass production of such test kits having long shelf life, stable performance, and suitable for non refrigerated distribution for in-field use. The manufacture, packaging, shelf life, stability and reliability of the immunodiagnostic test technology is highly dependent on the controlled total or near total removal of moisture from the kit housings and conjugate materials.
The test kit housings are traditionally manufactured in cardboard material for their biodegradable qualities. Alternative inorganic materials which would be moisture free would impose serious environmental disposal problems.
The drying of diagnostic kit housings by conventional methods such as lyophilizer, hot air drying, vacuum drying, freeze drying, desiccant drying and long term low humidity storage have all proved unsuccessful for high speed high quality continuous process mass production which is necessary to guarantee the economic viability and in-field reliability of the diagnostic technology for mass application.
OBJECTS OF THIS INVENTION
Objects of this invention are to provide a process and apparatus for removing moisture from a material without substantially spoiling the material.
Other objects of this invention with respect to the application of the invention in the field of immunodiagnostics are to provide a process of and apparatus for the controlled total or near total or selective or differential removal of moisture from immunodiagnostic test kit housings and other planar materials or combination of planar materials under continuous production line conditions without spoiling the material for its intended purpose or resulting in the spoiling of the immunodiagnostic test process for which the use of the material is intended due to moisture take-up of the processed housings.
A further object of this invention is to provide a process and apparatus for the controlled processing of planar materials or combination of planar materials organic or inorganic, in natural or processed form, in sheet leaf or granular or prepared or transportable planar form for controlled irradiation heating, drying dehydration pasteurisation, sterilisation, disinfection or curing or any one or more of these processes under continuous process production line conditions without spoiling the material for its intended use.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to one embodiment of this invention there is provided a process for removing moisture from a material without substantially spoiling
Ladas & Parry
Microwave Processing Technologies Pty. Limited
Wilson Pamela
LandOfFree
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