Vorrichtung und Verfahren zum Behandeln von Artikeln wie ophthalmische Linsen, Kontaktlinsen oder medizinische Vorrichtungen mit einer Flüssigkeit

• Main Authors: JANSSEN, ROBERT ALLEN, GILLIARD, ALLEN
• Format: Patent
• Language: German
• Published: 27.04.2006
• Subjects: BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, ORSURGICAL ARTICLES; CLEANING; CLEANING IN GENERAL; CONTACT LENSES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF,TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, E.G. STENTS; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION, OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; FIRST-AID KITS; FOMENTATION; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, OR SURGICALARTICLES; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS INGENERAL; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL; PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCESIN A PLASTIC STATE; PROSTHESES; SPECTACLES; SUNGLASSES OR GOGGLES INSOFAR AS THEY HAVE THE SAME FEATURESAS SPECTACLES; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

The present invention provides a method for efficiently and uniformly treating articles with two or more fluids without transferring the articles from one container to another container. The method comprises: providing the fluids, one at a time, to treat the articles (10) in a treatment system, wherein the treatment system comprises one or more trays (20) each of which has one or more baskets, each basket capable of holding one article (10), and wherein said trays (20) are stacked to form a vessel or are stacked and placed within a preformed vessel (140), said vessel or preformed vessel comprising a first entrance/exit (45,145) and a second entrance/exit (55,155)for the fluids; and each time one of the fluids is provided to treat the articles, (a) flushing continuously the articles with the fluid in a first flow direction from the first entrance/exit to the second entrance/exit, (b) reversing the flow direction of the fluid, (c) flushing continuously the articles with the fluid in a second direction from the second entrance/exit to the first entrance/exit for a second period of time, and (d) if necessary, repeating steps (a) to (c) for a desired number of times.