Claims
- 1. Sterile container, in particular for the holding and sterile storage of surgical instruments or material, comprising a holding space, which is defined by a container base and container walls, a lid for closing the holding space and a gas exchange opening, which can be closed off by a sterile filter, wherein there is a filter unit, which comprises the sterile filter, a carrier and a holding element, wherein the sterile filter is held between the carrier and the holding element, and wherein the filter unit is mounted on the lid and/or on the container base.
- 2. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein the filter unit is configured in the form of a single-part filter cartridge, and wherein the carrier, the sterile filter, and the holding element are nonreleasably connected to one another.
- 3. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein the carrier has at least one carrier support for supporting the sterile filter, and at least one carrier aperture which adjoins the carrier support.
- 4. Sterile container according to claim 3, wherein there is at least one carrier aperture cover which covers the at least one carrier aperture at a spacing therefrom.
- 5. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein the filter unit is mounted moveably, wherein the filter unit, in a closed position, closes a flow path and, in a flow-permitting position, opens the flow path, so that gas exchange in the closed position is possible only through the sterile filter and in the flow-permitting position is possible through the sterile filter and/or through the flow path.
- 6. Sterile container according to claim 3, wherein the filter unit is mounted moveably, wherein the filter unit, in a closed position, closes a flow path and, in a flow-permitting position, opens the flow path, so that gas exchange in the closed position is possible only through the sterile filter and in the flow-permitting position is possible through the sterile filter and/or through the flow path.
- 7. Sterile container according to claim 5, wherein the filter unit, in the closed position, is held on the sterile container under prestress.
- 8. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein there is a sealing element for mounting the filter unit in a gastight manner.
- 9. Sterile container according to claim 5, wherein there is a sealing element for mounting the filter unit in a gastight manner.
- 10. Sterile container according to claim 8, wherein the sealing element comprises a sealing ring mounted on the holding element.
- 11. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein there is a pressure-relief valve, wherein the pressure-relief valve is disposed in such a way that in a basic position it adopts a closed position and that it adopts a flow-permitting position when a pressure in the vicinity of the sterile container exceeds a pressure in the sterile container by a predetermined pressure difference.
- 12. Sterile container according to claim 5, wherein there is a pressure-relief valve, wherein the pressure-relief valve is disposed in such a way that in a basic position it adopts a closed position and that it adopts a flow-permitting position when a pressure in the vicinity of the sterile container exceeds a pressure in the sterile container by a predetermined pressure difference.
- 13. Sterile container according to claim 11, characterized in that the pressure-relief valve comprises the filter unit.
- 14. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein the filter unit is mounted on an inner side of the lid.
- 15. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein there is provided a protective element which covers the filter unit at a spacing therefrom.
- 16. Sterile container according to claim 15, wherein the protective element is disposed on an outer side of the lid.
- 17. Sterile container according to claim 15, wherein the protective element can be connected to the lid by means of a snap-action or latching connection.
- 18. Sterile container according to claim 15, wherein the protective element can be latched to an inner rim of the gas exchange opening.
- 19. Sterile container according to claim 15, wherein the protective element comprises elastic spring arms which protrude toward the sterile container and are provided with a latching projection.
- 20. Sterile container according to claim 15, wherein between the protective element and the lid there is at least one opening for the passage of gas, which is in fluid communication with the gas exchange opening and is disposed in such a way that gas flow is made possible in a direction of flow running substantially transversely with respect to the flow-permitting direction of the sterile filter.
- 21. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein there is an inflow edge, which is disposed on the outer side of the lid, faces away from the gas exchange opening and slopes downward toward the outside relative to a lid plane.
- 22. Sterile container according to claim 5, wherein there is an inflow edge, which is disposed on the outer side of the lid, faces away from the gas exchange opening and slopes downward toward the outside relative to a lid plane.
- 23. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein the lid has at least one spacer element for stacking a further sterile container on the sterile container, so that gas exchange through the gas exchange opening is possible with stacked sterile containers.
- 24. Sterile container according to claim 5, wherein the lid has at least one spacer element for stacking a further sterile container on the sterile container, so that gas exchange through the gas exchange opening is possible with stacked sterile containers.
- 25. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein the sterile filter is a long-term filter, in particular made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
- 26. Sterile container according to claim 5, wherein the sterile filter is a long-term filter, in particular made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
- 27. Sterile container according to claim 1, wherein the lid is made from a plastic, in particular from polyether ether ketone (PEEK) or polyphenylene sulfone (PPSU).
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
101 56 937.8 |
Nov 2001 |
DE |
|
Parent Case Info
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in international application PCT/EP02/12670 of Nov. 13, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/EP02/12670 |
Nov 2002 |
US |
Child |
10846853 |
May 2004 |
US |