Patent ID: 7128872

Claim:
A method for sterilizing an article in a sterilization gas atmosphere, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a sterilization chamber; (b) placing the article into the sterilization chamber; (c) applying a vacuum to the sterilization chamber for adjusting the pressure in the sterilization chamber to a sterilization pressure at which the boiling point of water in the sterilization chamber is lowered to a temperature below the temperature in the sterilization chamber; (d) supplying an amount of water to the sterilization chamber for humidifying the atmosphere in the sterilization chamber until a preselected humidification level is reached; (e) supplying ozone-containing sterilization gas to the sterilization chamber until a preselected ozonation level is reached; (f) stopping the supplying of water and ozone-containing sterilization gas and sealing the sterilization chamber for maintaining the sterilization pressure, humidification level and ozonaton level, in the sterilization chamber for a preselected treatment period; and (g) releasing the vacuum in the sterilization chamber, wherein prior to step (c), the temperature of the article is equalized with the temperature of an atmosphere in the sterilization chamber to prevent condensation of water on the article due to localized temperature differentials when the relative humidity in the sterilization chamber appwacbes saturation and wherein the step of equalizing includes multiple steps of evacuating the sterilization chamber and intermediate steps of flushing the sterilization chamber with oxygen or ambient air.