US PATENT SUBCLASS 422 / 292
.~ Apparatus for treating solid article or material with fluid chemical

Current as of: June, 1999
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422 /   HD   CHEMICAL APPARATUS AND PROCESS DISINFECTING, DEODORIZING, PRESERVING, OR STERILIZING

243  DF  PHYSICAL TYPE APPARATUS {8}
292.~ Apparatus for treating solid article or material with fluid chemical {4}
293  DF  .~.~> Fluid having simultaneous diverse function
294  DF  .~.~> Including flexible or collapsible treating chamber
295  DF  .~.~> Including pressure treating chamber (above ambient) {3}
300  DF  .~.~> Including rack, support or handling means {2}

DEFINITION

Classification: 422/292

Apparatus for treating solid article or material with fluid chemical:

(under subclass 243) Apparatus for treating a solid article or material with a "chemical" in a liquid, gaseous, or vapor state wherein the article or material is recovered essentially unchanged from the treatment.

(1) Note. For purposes of this and indented subclasses, a "chemical" is defined as a substance which has a function beyond that of another class, per se, e.g., drying, heating, cleaning, etc. A recitation that a substance disinfects, sterilizes, deodorizes, or preserves will cause the substance to be considered a "chemical" unless accompanied by positive disclosure that the disinfecting, sterilizing, deodorizing, or preserving is done only by a function provided for elsewhere; e.g., heating, etc.

(2) Note. Steam is considered a "chemical" also when it disinfects, sterilizes, deodorizes, or preserves, since steam so used appears to have a function more than mere heating. This and indented subclasses contain many patents to steam sterilizers.

SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:

39+, for similar processes.

SEE OR SEARCH CLASS

588, Hazardous or Toxic Waste Destruction or Containment, for processes of destruction (e.g., disinfection, sterilization) by any means (e.g., heating, chemical action, radiation) of hazardous or toxic waste to make such waste into an environmentally safe substance, especially see

215+, for destruction of bio-materials (e.g., sterilization of medical or dental waste) to render safe for landfill disposal, and subclass 258 for processes of permanently storing hazardous or toxic waste per se, such as pathogenic organisms (e.g., virus, bacteria, or medical or dental waste).