Patent ID: 8555519
Filing Date: 2013-10-15
Classification: F26B

Abstract:
1. An article for treating two or more to-be-treated items with a single contiguous treating airflow-stream, comprising: a bag configured for storing, transporting, and protecting the to-be-treated items, said bag having at least one exterior bag inlet for receiving said single contiguous treating airflow-stream and at least one exterior bag outlet for exhausting said single contiguous treating airflow-stream, wherein said bag has a nominal internal length dimension and a nominal internal width dimension and a nominal internal height dimension; a series of two or more chambers connected in airflow-stream series, said series of two or more chambers forming at least a portion of said bag, each said chamber having an interior defined by surrounding surfaces comprising substantially nonporous material and including at least one chamber inlet surface having a chamber airflow-stream inlet, and at least one chamber outlet surface having a chamber airflow-stream outlet, wherein the at least one chamber outlet surface of each chamber, except a last chamber in the series, is in airflow-stream connection with the chamber inlet surface of the following chamber, the series of two or more chambers including at least one chamber comprising a partial-air-bypass chamber, wherein at least a portion of a wall of the partial-air-bypass chamber consists essentially of: wherein at least a bypass portion of the single contiguous treating airflow-stream passes through the permeable interior surface, through at least a portion of the bypass space, travels substantially parallel to the single contiguous treating airflow-stream, and back through the permeable interior surface, allowing the bypass portion of the single contiguous treating airflow-stream to bypass a blockage in the chamber and remain in airflow-stream connection with the outlet of the partial-air-bypass chamber; wherein the chamber inlet surface of a first chamber in the series is connected to said at least one exterior bag inlet; wherein the chamber outlet surface of the last chamber in series is connected to said at least one exterior bag outlet; wherein the single contiguous treating airflow-stream entering said at least one exterior bag inlet passes through each chamber in series, via each chamber's respective inlet and outlet, and exits said at least one exterior bag outlet; and wherein said chambers define a virtual airflow-stream tube having a length in excess of at least the greatest of the nominal internal length dimension, the nominal internal width dimension, and the nominal internal height dimension of said bag, whereby to-be-treated items within any chamber are treated with the single contiguous treating airflow-stream.