Patent ID: 7713471

Claim:
A method for protecting a system circuit during a thermal-based sterilization process, said system circuit being electrically connected to a power supply, and sealed within a housing, a thermal switch being electrically connected between said power supply and said system circuit, in response to said thermal switch reaching a switch-open temperature, said thermal switch electrically switching from an electrically closed condition wherein said system circuit is powered by said power supply to an electrically open condition wherein said system circuit is electrically isolated from said power supply, said thermal switch returning to said closed condition in response to the effecting temperature cooling to a switch-closed temperature, said protection method including the steps of: heating said housing so that said system circuit heats to said switch-open temperature; allowing said thermal switch to move to said open condition so that said system circuit becomes electrically isolated from said power supply; continuing to heat said housing to a higher sterilization temperature; and maintaining said housing at said sterilization temperature for a predetermined period of time so that said housing and said system circuit become sterilized.