The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 04, 2007
Filed:
Oct. 25, 2002
Thaddeus J. Mielnik, Concord, OH (US);
David A. Karle, Girard, PA (US);
Alex D. Biggie, Madison, OH (US);
William John Thomas Biebesheimer, Perry, OH (US);
Peter A. Burke, Skillman, NJ (US);
Gerald E. Mcdonnell, Basingstoke, GB;
Chad Rhodes, Lake Villa, IL (US);
Elaine M. Kopis, St. Louis, MO (US);
Thaddeus J. Mielnik, Concord, OH (US);
David A. Karle, Girard, PA (US);
Alex D. Biggie, Madison, OH (US);
William John Thomas Biebesheimer, Perry, OH (US);
Peter A. Burke, Skillman, NJ (US);
Gerald E. McDonnell, Basingstoke, GB;
Chad Rhodes, Lake Villa, IL (US);
Elaine M. Kopis, St. Louis, MO (US);
Steris Inc., Temecula, CA (US);
Abstract
Mail which may be contaminated with a biotoxin, such as Anthrax, is received in a preliminary sorting area () including a dirty side sorting room () that is sealed to the ambient environment. The mail is loaded into a pass-through decontamination system () in which the mail is sterilized or otherwise decontaminated. The mail is removed from the pass-through system in a second or clean room () which is isolated from the first. The mail is then sorted and processed in the lean room (). In the event that the sorting room () becomes contaminated or is suspected of being contaminated by pathogenic biological or chemical agents, a spray system () supplies a decontamination gas into the preliminary sorting area () to decontaminate the dirty side sorting room (), any equipment () in the room, and any mail located in the room.