Patent ID: 6017105
Filing Date: 2000-01-25
Classification: A61L,E05D,E05Y,E06B

Abstract:
A sterilization or disinfection apparatus comprising:a housing which defines an interior chamber and an opening;a door having an interior face sized to seal the opening, an outer face, a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a pair of opposite sides;a guidance assembly for guiding the door between an open position, in which items to be sterilized or disinfected are capable of being loaded into the chamber, and a closed position, in which the door covers the opening, the guidance assembly including:two leading sets of rollers rotatably mounted by shaft portions of each of the rollers adjacent the leading edge of the door, a first set of the leading sets of rollers mounted to a first side of the door and a second set of the leading sets of rollers mounted to a second side of the door, each of the leading sets of rollers including a leading outer roller and a leading inner roller;two trailing sets of rollers rotatably mounted by shaft portions of each of the rollers adjacent the trailing edge of the door, a first set of the trailing sets of rollers mounted to the first side of the door and a second set of the trailing sets of rollers mounted to the second side of the door, each of the trailing sets of rollers including a trailing outer roller and a trailing inner roller, the shaft portion of one of the first set trailing outer roller and the first set leading outer roller being longer than the other, the shaft portion of one of the second set trailing outer roller and the second set leading outer roller being longer than the other;a first track mounted adjacent the first side of the door, the first track including an outer surface, the outer leading and trailing rollers mounted to the first side of the door engaging the outer surface of the first track;a second track mounted adjacent the second side of the door, the second track including an outer surface, the outer leading and trailing rollers mounted to the second side of the door engaging the outer surface of the second track;a first leading recess defined in the outer surface of the first track for receiving the leading outer roller mounted to the first side of the door when the door is in the closed position;a first trailing recess defined in the outer surface of the first track for receiving the trailing outer roller mounted to the first side of the door when the door is in the closed position;a second leading recess defined in the outer vertical surface of the second track for receiving the leading outer roller mounted to the second surface of the door when the door is in the closed position; and,a second trailing recess defined in the outer vertical surface of the second track for receiving the trailing outer roller mounted to the second surface of the door when the door is in the closed position.