APPARATUS AND METHOD TO ASYNCHRONOUSLY FILL AND PURGE CHANNELS OF ENDOSCOPE SIMULTANEOUSLY

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EP 4 353 185 A8

(12)	CORRECTED EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION
	Note: Bibliography reflects the latest situation

(15)	Correction information:
	Corrected version no 1 (W1 A2)

(48)	Corrigendum issued on:
	24.07.2024 Bulletin 2024/30

(43)	Date of publication:
	17.04.2024 Bulletin 2024/16

(21)	Application number: 24161581.4

(22)	Date of filing: 21.08.2019

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International Patent Classification (IPC):

A61B 1/12^(2006.01)
A61B 90/70^(2016.01)

B08B 9/032^(2006.01)

(52)	Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC):
	A61B 1/125; A61B 1/123; A61B 2090/701

(84)	Designated Contracting States:
	AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR

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Priority:

30.08.2018 US 201816117010

(62)	Application number of the earlier application in accordance with Art. 76 EPC:
	19801408.6 / 3843612

(71)	Applicant: ASP Global Manufacturing GmbH
	8207 Schaffhausen (CH)

(72)	Inventor:
	YANG, Sungwook IRVINE, 92618 (US)

(74)	Representative: Regimbeau
	20, rue de Chazelles 75847 Paris Cedex 17 75847 Paris Cedex 17 (FR)


	Remarks:
	This application was filed on 05-03-2024 as a divisional application to the application mentioned under INID code 62.

(54)	APPARATUS AND METHOD TO ASYNCHRONOUSLY FILL AND PURGE CHANNELS OF ENDOSCOPE SIMULTANEOUSLY

(57) A method of sterilizing medical instruments using a vacuum chamber connected to reservoir by a valve in a closed state is disclosed that includes placing instruments in a non- sterile state into a sterilization pack, opening a chamber, placing the pack into the chamber, closing the chamber, withdrawing a first volume of air from the chamber, changing a volume of liquid water into vapor, opening the valve, introducing sterilant into the chamber, introducing a second volume of air into the chamber, opening the chamber, removing the pack from the chamber, and removing the instruments in a sterile-state from the pack. The process may further include the steps of repeatedly determining pressure within the chamber, calculating second- derivative values of pressure with respect to time, and determining whether any local maxima exist in a plot of second derivative values that correspond to pressures above and/or below the triple-point pressure of water.