Patent ID: 7320780

Claim:
A sterilizing apparatus comprising: an autoclave having a vertical longitudinal axis, said autoclave having at least one access door; a vertical conveying means positioned on an interior of said autoclave; at least one container received by said vertical conveying means through the access door, said vertical conveying means for moving the container vertically within said autoclave; a motor means cooperative with said vertical conveying means for selectively rotating said vertical conveying means in a stepwise manner, said vertical conveying means comprising a pair of worm gears arranged vertically on opposite sides of said access door and another worm gear extending vertically so as to be aligned with a center of said access door, said container being a shelf having a first side edge and a second side edge and an end edge and a forward edge, said first side edge being received by a thread of one of said pair of worm gears, said second side edge being received by a thread of the other of said pair of worm gears, said end edge received by a thread of said another worm gear; and a plurality of guide rails affixed to and extending vertically in said autoclave so as to contact said forward edge of the container so as to retain the container in said vertical conveying means and to guide the container vertically in said autoclave.