Patent ID: 7628034

Claim:
An apparatus ( 30 ) for collection of waste anesthetic gases comprising: a first chamber ( 32 A) having an input and an output in fluid communication with each other, said input of said first chamber fluidly coupled to an exhaust of a first anesthetizing machine ( 12 A) and arranged to receive a gas stream therefrom which includes a waste anesthetic gas component; a first exhaust valve ( 34 A) having a first end fluidly coupled to said output of said first chamber and having a second end adapted to be fluidly coupled to a vacuum manifold ( 16 ), said first exhaust valve designed and arranged to selectively isolate said first chamber from said vacuum manifold; and a first detector ( 40 A) coupled to said first chamber which is designed and arranged to detect said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component exiting said first anesthetizing machine by determining when said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component enters and is present in said first chamber, said first detector operatively coupled to said first exhaust valve for control thereof; whereby when said first detector determines that said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component enters and is present in said first chamber, said first detector causes said first exhaust valve to open to fluidly connect said output of said first chamber to said vacuum manifold for evacuation of said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component from said first chamber into said vacuum manifold, and when said first detector detects that no gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component is exiting said first anesthetizing machine, said first detector causes said first exhaust valve to be closed.