Patent ID: 6979428

Claim:
In a system for sterilizing or microbially deactivating instruments and devices, said system having a circulation system for circulating a microbial deactivation fluid through a chamber for containing said instruments and devices, said chamber forming a portion of said circulation system, a fluid over-flow and make-up air assembly, comprised of: a manifold having an inner cavity that is in fluid communication with said circulation system; an overflow port in said manifold; an overflow valve assembly disposed in said manifold allowing fluid flow from said cavity to said overflow port when a pressure in said cavity exceeds a pressure in said overflow port by a predetermined amount; and a filter assembly attached to said manifold, said filter assembly having a filter valve assembly, an interior passage and a filter membrane, a portion of said filter valve assembly being exposed to said passage of said filter assembly and another portion of said filter valve assembly being exposed to said cavity, said filter assembly being sterile from said membrane to said filter valve assembly, said filter assembly operable to allow air through said filter assembly into said cavity when the pressure within said cavity is a predetermined amount less than the pressure within said filter assembly.