Patent ID: 8148667

Claim:
A thermal treatment system for thermally treating an object including a medical instrument comprising: a housing including a top surface; a basin recessed into said top surface and configured to contain a sterile medium, wherein said basin comprises a floor; a thermal unit to thermally treat said basin and said sterile medium; a first support disposed to rest at least partially on the housing top surface and having a portion defining at least one upper receptacle within said basin to support the object, wherein the at least one upper receptacle is positioned at least partially above said sterile medium at a first elevation relative to said basin floor; and a second support disposed within said basin and having a portion defining at least one lower receptacle within said basin to support the object, wherein the at least one lower receptacle is positioned at least partially below the surface of the sterile medium at a second elevation relative to said basin floor that is lower than said first elevation, wherein the at least one upper receptacle and the at least one lower receptacle are configured to support the object including the medical instrument within the basin at an inclined angle relative to said basin floor such that a portion of the object is elevated above the surface of the sterile medium to maintain that portion in a dry state.