CA1064668A - Contact lens sterilization process and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

CONTACT LENS STERILIZATION PROCESS AND APPARATUS
Abstract of the Disclosure There is disclosed a chemical sterilization process for contact lenses, and apparatus for practicing said method, wherein the lens are subjected to the anti-microbial action of a sterilizing solution, with said solution being decomposed by a catalytic agent. The apparatus of the present invention concerns primarily a capsule in which the lens are mounted, and an inverter-timer. Initially the sterilizing agent is introduced into the capsule and the catalytic agent positioned above and out of contact with said solution. The capsule is assembled to said inverter, and after expiration of a pre-set period, said capsule is inverted to establish contact between the catalytic agent and said solution and thereby commences the decaying reaction.

Description

Back~round of the Invention The present invention relates to the chemical sterilization process ~or articles such as contact lenses.
More particularly, this invention concerns an improved method of chemical sterilization and apparatus adapted to be employed with said improved method, or with other types of similar chemical processes wherein a chemical reaction is to be delayed for a specified period of time.
The present invention evolved with regard to sterilization techniques for contact lenses, and will be described with reference to this specific use. It should be kept in mind, however, that this is done for purposes of description, and not by way o~ limitation.
For many years, corneal contact lenses constructed of relatively hard plastics have been in use. These lenses, while effective, have a disadvantage in that they often pro duce discomfort to the wearer, and thus in many instances can only be worn for short durations. Recently, there has been developed an extremely soft contact lens which fabrica~ed from a pliable plastic material is thus less likely to cause dIscomfort. These pliable plastics are quite hy~rophlic, ~ -and accordingly are susceptible to contamination by micro~
organisms. As such, the user of these newer, softer lenses ~`
must take care to sterilize his, or her lenses daily.
A number of sterilizing techniques have been developed, several of which utilize the heating of the lenses

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in a closed vessel, in the presence of a saline solution, heating taking place to a sufficiently high temperature to achieve destruction of contaminants, such as micro-organisms.
There has also been proposed, more recently, a sterilizing process which does no~ u~ilize heating, but rather employs an anti--microbial solution, such as for example hydrogen peroxide (H2 With the pre~;ously employed techniques utilizing heating, the only concern regarding safety to the wearer, was ~hat the lenses and capsule cool sufficiently. Where an anti-microbial sterilizing agent is used, care must be taken to insure that the solution is in someway neutralized prior ;
to insertion of the lens into the eye. If this is not done, there is a distinct danger of damage to the eye, and at the very least discomfort to ~he user.
There has been proposed a process of sterilization -wherein hydrogen peroxide is employed as the anti-microbial agent, in a relatively weak concentration, on the order of a 3% solu~ion. As to subsequent decomposition, the sterili-zing solution provides a reactant which when brought into contact with a catalytic agent, such as platinum, will pro~
duce a chemical reaction resulting in neutralization or decay o~ the hydrogen peroxide. In this regard, oxygen is liberated and the hydrogen peroxide is reduced to water. The whole pro-cess takes place over a period of time, depending of course on the nature of the catalytic agent and the strength of the original solution, but the end result is a sufficien~ly decay~

3-~L~36~ 8 solution which will permit the lenses to be removed and dis-posed on ~he wearer's cornea without danger of discomfort or damage.
Even with the above-discussed process, there are certain safety considerations. In this regard, the initial concentration of the sterilizing solution must be quite low, on ~he order of three percent (3/O)o This low concentration is employed as a safety factor in that should the user acci-dently inser~ the lenses, prior to decomposition of the 10 hydrogen peroxide, only discomfor~ will result, rather than ;~
serious damage. A problem does exist, however, in that in order to achieve the desired degree of sterilization, the~-contact lenses must be subjected to a solution of adequate strength for a sufficient durationO With the above-discussed : process, where a catalytic agent is used to produce a decay-ing chemical reaction, a reduction in strength of the hydrogen peroxide commences immediately, with the solution decaying rapidly. The overall decaying process, as a function of time and strength of solution, is indicated generally in the dotted portion o the graph of FIG. 9 of the drawings~ As such, since it is not practical to employ strong solutions, and further since decay of the hyd~ogen peroxide will start as soon as it is brought into contact with a catalyst, there is a distinct possibility that insufficient sterilization may resultO
The present invention thus provides a method and~ :
apparatus for use in the sterilization of contact lenses, or ,~, :

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the like, disposed within a sterlizing solution contained wlthin a reaction vessel, which sterilizing solution iæ capa- ~ ;
ble of undergoing decomposition through contact with a cata-lytic agent. The apparatus comprises: a housing; a timlng mechanism disposed within said housing; and support means rotatably mounted to the housing and adapted to receive a vessel in a first vertically oriented position, which vessel is adapted to contain said sterilizing solution and said cata-lytic agen~ with said catalytlc agent out of contact with said solution, when said vessel is in said first vertical orientatîon. Means are employed which operatively connect - said rotatably mounted support means with said timing mechanism, such that upon expira~ion of a preset period of time, said sup~
port means will be rotated, thereby to place said vessel in a second vertical orientation, with said sterilizing solution being brought into contact with said catalytic agent to pro-duce decomposition of said solution. As to said method, it comprises the steps o~: providing a closed vessel partially filled with steriliæing solution; placing the lenses in said vessel in contact with said sterilizing solution; disposing ; said catalytic agent lnternally of said vessel; maintaining the strength of said sterilizing solution by delaying the decomposition reaction which will take place between said solution and said catalytic agent. The step of delaying de-composition including positioning of the vessel in a first vertical orientation with said article in contact wi~h said sterilizing solution, while the catalytic agent is disposed . ~ '.

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above and out of contact with said solution, and repositioning said vessel after a prescribed period of ~ime to invert said vessel causing the catalytic agent to contact the sterilizing solution thereby commencing the decomposition reac~ion, and allowing said sterilizing solution to decay to a level wherein the strength thereof is below a specified concentrationO
A graph of the above-discussed method as a function of time and strength of solution is shown in Figo 9 in full line, with a one hour delay in commencement of the decaying reac~ion being shownO
Brief Description of the Drawings Figo 1 is a front perspective view of an inverter mechanism cons~ructed in accordance with the present invention;
Figo 2 is a perspective view of the rear of the inverter mechanism illustrated in Figo 1 and shown partially disassembled and also illustrating the holder for the con-tact lens sterilizing capsule;
Figo 3 is a partial perspective view o~ the timing mechanism and support arrangement for the contact lens capsule, with a typical type of capsule shown in exploded perspective;

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Fig. 3A is a partial sectional view through the capsule, illustrating same in the in~erted position Erom that as shown in Fig. 3;
Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the timer mechanism of Fig, 3 with the knob portion thereof removed and certain elements broken away to illustrate ~he condition of the acutator ring and drive mechanism when the timer has been set to run the full cycle;
Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but illustrating the condition immediately preparatory to inverting of ~he capsule;
Fig. 6 is a partial, elevational view similar ~o .,, Fig. 4 and illustrating the intermediate position immediately after initiation of the inverting action;
Fig. 7 illustrates the condition once inversion has been completed;
Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of one form of timing mechanism that may be employed with the present invention; -Fig. 9 is a graphic representation of a method of . ~
;~ ~ the present invention as compared with the prior art.

20 Description of the Illustrated Embodiment ;~

The above-discussed method can be readily attained by employment of apparatus, such as tha~ shown in Figs. 1 - 8 of the drawings and a discussion of this preferred form will ..; ~
~ now follow. It should be noted, however, that the method of :,. : ~ ' this invention may be practiced by use of other apparatus, which achieves the desired inverting of the capsule after a preset period of time.

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Turning now to the drawings, there will be had a ,,,. ,, , ' ';, ~:
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detailed description of the illustrated mechanism for attaining the desired mode of operation. A preferred fonm of inverting unit, which is designated generally 10, is shown in Fig. 1.
The unit includes a housing 12, which as can be seen from Fig.
2 is comprised o~ upper and lower housing segments 14 and 16.
Please note that the housing 12 is of a generally L-shaped configuration which is employed to provide a compact, stable construction. As can be seen in Fig. 1, a timer dial 18 extends from the front face of the housing 12 on which there may be employed indicia which are ca~librated in accordance ;~ with the internal mechanism of the tim~r to provide visual indication of the delay period to be obtained from various settings of the dial 18.
~' With reference to Fig. 2, the rear portion of the j~ , inverting unit 10 can be seen. In this regard, there is provided a reaction vessel or capsule 22 in which ~he sterilizing and decaying reactions take place. The unit 10 " ' is provided with a generally U-shaped or bifUrcated support bracket 24 into which the capsule 22 is mounted.
Initially, the timer mechanism, which will'be , dis~cussed hereinafter, is set by rotation of the timer dial ' 18. Said rotation wîLl automatically orient the bracket 24 ~' ~ in a generally vertical position, as will be clear from the '~ disc'losure to follow. Next 9 the capsule 22 is prepared and ' then mounted to the bracket 24. Once'the timer mechanism has timed out, the support bracket 24 will be rotated approximately 180 to invert the capsuLe and thereby bring the sterilizing , ' -8- ' ,s, : , . .

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, solution into contact with the catalytic agent to produce the desired decaying reaction of said solution. This condition is shown in Fig. 3A.
Direc~ing attention to Figs. 3 and 3A there is illustrated in Fig. 3 the basic internal mechanism of the unit 10 which achieves the desired mode of operation, and there is also disclosed in Fig. 3A a preferred form of lens capsule. Con-sidering first the lens capsule 22, the design thereof is gen-erally similar to that as disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 3,770,113, ~ `., ~
issued to Michael D. Thomas, a co-inventor herein, on November 6, 1973. Basically, the capsule 22 includes a generally cylin-drical housing 30 open at both ends. A cap element 32 is pro-~ vided at one end, which cap element includes a lens receptacle ;~ 34 having a pair of hinge covers 36, which provide access to a -;: :
j lens accommodating area. Initially the lenses are disposed ~; within said lens accommodating areas, and the hinge covers 36 ;` are closed ~o maintain the desired positioning of the lenses.
~ It should be noted that the covers 36 are suitably apertur~d ;`
; ~ to allow the sterilizing solution to flow into contact with ~ ;~
2V the lenses. At the opposite end of the housing 30, there is .
provided a second end cap 40 which in the illustrated form of the invention, has the catalytic agent secured thereto. Con- ~
cerning the illustrated embodiment, the catalytic agent is in ; ~;
the form of a platinum coated plastic ring 42 affixed directly : :
to the end cap 40.
In preparing the capsule 22 for the sterilizing operation, the initial position as shown in Fig. 3 is used.
The contact lenses are ~irst positioned within the holder 34 and the end cap 32 is secured in place. Next, the ' .

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sterilizing agent, preferably hyrdogen peroxide, is introduced into the capsule 22 to a sufficient level to cover the lenses.
The cap 40 is secured in position, with the catalytic agent 42 disposed above and out of contact with the sterilizing agent. The capsule in this orientation is then mounted to the U-shaped bracket 24.
The U-shaped or bifurcated bracket 24 is fabricated from a pliable plastic material, and thus is of a generally resilient construction such that it will closely engage the housing 30 of the capsule 22 with a snap-fit type of action.
That is to say, that the degree of engagement is such that the capsule will be held firmly in position~ but can be manually removed.
Directing attention to the left hand portion o~
Fig. 3, it should be noted that the U-shaped supporting bracket 24 is mounted on the end o~ a shaft 44 which is in turn rotatably mounted or journaled to a support plate 46. Also ~ on the support plate 46, is a timer mechanism 47 which will -.. ...
~ be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. The end of the ~
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20 shaft 44 opposite the bracket 24 includes the gear element ~
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48; In general alignment with the gear element 48 is a rotatably mounted disc element 52 which includes a series of gear teeth 50 formed thereon, which teeth are adapted ~or ~-meshing engagement with the gear member 48 ~or purposes to ~ ;
be de~ailed hereina~ter.
Returning briefly to Fig. 2, it should be noted that the upper and lower housing segments 12 and 14 are :-, ~ , . .- . ,, . :
" : ~ , . . . . .
. ., , , provided with semi-circular recesses 54 and 56 which accommo~
date the shaft 44 and enable i~ to protrude outwardly thereof.
The opposite side of the housing is correspondingly provided with semi circular recesses of sufficient size to accommodate the timer dial 18. Interiorly of the respective housing elements 14 and 16, there is provided groove means (not shown) into which ~he edges of the support plate 46 are received, ;~
thereby serving to hold said plate 46 in proper position =~
interiorly of the housing 12. Also, it should be noted that ' in Fig. 2, the capsule 22 is illustrated in the inverted positlon, that is, after the sterilizing solution has been : : .
brought into contact with the catalytic agent.
To review briefly, the operation of the device 10 involves initial presetting of the timer 47 to the desired period for delay. Thereafter, the prepared capsule 22, in the general orientation as shown in Fig. 3, is engaged with thes~1pport bracket 24. The timer is then allowed to run its program duration and at expiration of the preset period, -~
rapid movement of the disc element 52 will be effected through a relatively small arc, bringing the gear teeth 50 on said ~
disc 52 into meshing contact with the gear member 48 and thus ~;
producing rotating of shaft 44, and the support 24, along with the associated capsule 22. This rotation of the capsule 22 is through 180 and will effect inverting of said capsule to `~
a positlon as shown in Figs. 2 and 3A; thereby placing the cap 40 with the catalytic agent 42 in the lowermost position so as to bring the sterilizing so~tion 41into contact with the catalytic q:36~
agent 42~ The catalytic agent 42 wilL react with the sterili-zing agent (hydrogen peroxide) to commence the decaying action which after a period of six hours, or so, will reduce the a hydrogen peroxide to water thereby rendering the lenses safe for insertion in the eyes of the user, without danger of discomfort or damage.
The specific mechanism of the device 10 which achieves the above-discussed operation and ;nverting of the capsule 22, will now be considered in detail. Attention is first invited to Fig. 89 where there is illustrated, somewhat schematically~ one form of timing mechanism 47.
The mechanism illustrated is of a generally standard design ~-and of a type adapted to derive its motive power from a coiled main spring. As such~ the device 10 can operate inde-pendently of an~ electrical outlet. Of course, it is to be understood that the arrangement 47 to be discussed herein-after is illustrative of one form of timing mech~$m that can be used, with the specific description thereof being included for purpose of providing a complete disclosure of a preferred form of the invention. It is understood, and in fact contemplated, that those skilled in the art, when ~
equipped with the knowledge provided by the present disclosure, ~ ~-may devise or adopt other modes or forms of timing mechanisms, as well as aLternate arrangements for operatively coupling the timing mechanism to the journaled shat 44. With this in mind, specific consideration is directed to the arrangement -as shown in Fig. 8.

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Specifically, ~he timer mechanism 47 includes a central or main shaft 60 to which is mounted a main gear element 62. A coiled main spring member 64 is operatively engaged wikh the shaft 62 tending to bias said shaft in a coun~r-~ockwise direction. Through a reduction gear train, ~ -comprised of gears 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72 and 73, the main gear 62 is operatively connected to an escapement device 74.
The escapement device 74 includes a pivotally mounted arm 76 and a pair of escapement pins 78 and 80 which are engaged 10 alternately with the gear 73 to permit only incremental ;
;movement of said gear. In this regard it will be apprecia~ed that the embodiment is generally conventional in design, with the main spring 64 tending to produce rotation, and the escapement mechanism 74 allowing only incremental movement o the gear members. The gear reduction provided by the gear train 66 - 73 providing for the desired rate of movement of the main shaft 60. It should be noted further, that at a location designated generally 82, a section of the gear teekh on the gear 62 have been removed, for a purpose which 20 will be explained hereinafter. ~`
The orientation of the elements as shown in Fig.
8 illustrate the condition of the timing mechansim 47 upon initial setting thereof. Accordingly, as the timing mechanism 47 times out, the main gear 62 will move in a counter-clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 84~ As the main gear 62 rotates, eventually the counter-clockwise movement will bring the smooth section into confronting relation with the gear 66.

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When this occurs, the main gear 62 will no longer be operatively engaged with ~he escape mechanism 74 through the gear train 66 - 73, and therefore wîll be free of the retarding action of said escapement mechanism. Accordingly, keeping in mind the biasing action of the spring 64, the main gear 62 and shaft 60 will then rotate rapidly through an arc approximately equal to the extent of ~he smooth, gear tooth-free section 82.
With reference to the previous discussion, it should be noted that the rotary disc 52 having the gear teeth 10 50 thereon is also mounted to the main shaft 60. The rapid rotation of said shaft 60 mentioned in the preceding paragraph will thus provide the necessary rotative movemen~ required to bring the gear teeth 5G into meshing engagement with the gear element 48 and correspondingly produce the inverting ~ ~ rotation of the shaft 44 and the support bracket 24 mounted ; on one end thereof.
~: .
In Figs. 4 ~ 7, there is illustrated the sequential ; ~
;~ ~ relationship between the rotary disc element 52 and the gear ; ~ `
mem~er 48, during opQra~ion of the device 10 under the 20 influence of the timing mechanism 47 as previously dis~ussed.
In addition, Figs. 4 - 7 also illustrate a preferred form of positioning means which is employed to maintain the desired orientation of the bracket 24 so that the capsule 22 is in <
proper position for the delay period, i.e. wherein the contact ; ~
lenses will be subjected to the hydrogen peroxide at elevated ~ ~ ;
strength, prior to commencement of the decaying action upon initial contact of said solution with the catalytic agent 42.
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Considering first Fig. 4, the rotary disc 52 is shown partially broken away to expose to view a positioning ring segment 90 which is affixed to and moves with ~he disc element 52, the purpose of which will be detailed hereinafter.
Rotary disc 52, as mentioned above, is mounted to the main shaft 60 of the timer mechanism 47 as is the timer dial 18.
Said disc 52 includes a pair o oppositely disposed stop ~
members 92 and 94 on the periphery thereof. Also visible in ;
Figs. 3 and 4, are a pair of radially disposed abutment 10 flanges 96 and 98 formed on the gear member 48. Immediately - behind the gear member 48 and spaced slightly rearward of the rotary disc member 52 there is provided a cam-like element 100 which includes a convex surface portion 102. `
Accordingly, when the timer mechanism 47 is set, the ;
dial 18 is rotated in a clockwise direction to produce corres-ponding rotation of the main shaft 60 which in turn winds the main spring 62. The clockwise rotation of the dial 18 is limited by engagement of the stop member 94 with the abutment flange 96 on the gear member 48, as shown. This is then the maximum setting ~or the timer.
In addition, the clockwise movement of the dial 18 :
: and the disc 52 will bring the ring segment 90 to an orientation as shown in Fig. 4. In this position9 the arcuate surfa~e of the ring segment 90 will be in opposed abutting contact with the concave surface 102 on the ~ ement 100. As such, engage-ment between the respecti~e opposed surfaces wiLl preclude ,~ ~
rotation of the element 100, and since that element 100 is affixed to shaft 449 this engagement also serves to ~ix the position of ~he support 24 in the desired vertical orientation.
Thus, it can be seen that once the timer 47 is set and the capsule is engaged with the support bracket 24, the orientation of the capsule 22 is fixed. A discussion of the manner in which the shaft 44 is freed for rotation and the manner in ;~
which said rotation is achieved follows.
With Fig. 4 as a starting point, as the timer mechanism 47 ~imes out, the shaft 60 and correspondingly disc 52 will move in a counter-clockwise direction. Eventually, the continuous, incremental movement allowed by the timing mechanism 47 will proceed until the condition as shown in Fig. 5 is reached, wherein the gear tooth section 50 on ring 52 is disposed proximate the gear member 48. With reference to the discussion of the ooeration of the timing mechanism of Fig. 8, it should be noted that at this point in the `
operation of dPvice 10, the smooth, toothless portion 82 of the main-gear 62 will have moved into opposed position relative to the gear 66, so that the retarding effect of the escapement .
mechanism 74 on the main gear 62 is interrupted. As such, the gear 62 wi~l rotate rapidly through a small arc, as dis~
cussed above, producing corresponding rotation of shaft 60 and disc element 52, as indicated by the arrow 104. This rotation of the disc 52 will bring the gear teeth 50 into meshing engagement with the gear member 48, quite rapidly, as shown in Fig~ 6, to produce rotation of the gear element 48 to the position as shown in Fig. 7. In this regard, with ..
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reference to the datum arrow 106, it can be seen that the orientation of the shaft 44 to which the gear element 48 is affixed, has been changed, approximately 180.
As an additional point, with reference back to Fig.

5, it should be noted that just prior to engagement of the gear member 48 by the gear teeth 50, the ring segment 90, which is affixed to the rotating disc elem~nt 52 will have been moved out of engagement with the concave surface 102.
This action, thus frees the shaft 44 and the gear member 48 to rotate upon the subsequent engagement o~ the gear teeth 50 wh;ch will take place immediately thereafter. ~-~
~ Considering Fig. 7 again, it will be noted that by ~ reference to the datum arrow 106, the gear element 48 has been rotated approximately lS0. Thus, as discussed above, thPre is ~- achieved orresponding rotation of the shaft 44 to achieve ~ -: inverting of the capsule 22. As the ring segm~-t 90 has been moved past the area of the cam-like element 100, the convex ~ -portion of said element 100 is free to pass radially i~wardly of, and behind, the periphery of the disc member 52.
~ 20 - Rotation of the ring 52 in the counter-clockwise :~ dir~ction is limited by engagement of the stop 92 with the ~ ~ .
. abutment 108, as seen in Fig. 7. Also, the above-mentioned rotation o~ the gear element 48 will bring the abutment flange ~;
into engagement with the periphery of the disc 52. Both of .
:
these instances o~ engagement serve to absorb any s-train that . .

:~ may be placed on the device by an attempt to further rotate : the support bracket 2~ in a clockwise direction. That is to -.

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say, any such movement will be precluded by the respective abutments and thus will not be applied to the gear element in such a manner as to produce damage ~hereto.
An addi~ional factor which should be noted, is the fact that in the position as illustrated in Fig. 7 the gear teeth 50 remain in driving engagement with the gear member 48. Accordingly, assuming resetting of the device 10, when the dial 18 is rotated in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow 110, the gear 48 will also be rotated back toward the position as shown in Fig. 5, and the positioning ring ~ .
segment 90 will be re-engaged with the concave surface 102.

The net effect of this action, is to insure proper orientation : ~ -of the bracket 22 upon resetting of the timer 47 In this regard, once the bracket achieves a vertical orienta~ion, similar to that as indicated by the datum arrow 106, the j~-meshing engagement between the gear 48 and the gear teeth 50 ~ ;
will be interrupted, and rotation of ~he ring 52 in a clock-wise direction to achieve setting of the timer can take place, `~
~ with the elements affixed to shaft 48 properly positioned to -~ 20 achieve vertical orientation of the bracket 22.
Fig. 9, which was alluded to previously, provides a graphic representation of the method of the present invention vis-a-vis the conventional steriliæing process wherein the catalytic agent is brought into contact with the sterilizing solution immediately. In this regard, Fig. 9 is a repre-sentation of strength of solution, as opposed to time. The graph 112 in dotted line represents the convention process, . ' :.
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while the graph ll4, in solid line is representative of the process of the present invention, wherein a delay in the decaying or neutraLizing reaction is produced. It should be noted that the graphs 112 and 114 are generally illustrative of the respective process, and no r~presentation as to the exact accuracy of the slope of the curve is noted.
While the present invention has been described and illustrated in conjunction with a preferred embodiment~
it is to be understood that it is not intended to limit said invention thereto. Applicants can foresee, and indeed would expect those skilled in the art and equipped with the present disclosure to devise various modifications, alterations, or substitutions for the specific apparatus and procedural steps described`and illustrated. As such, it is Applicants' ~` intent to cover any and all modifications, alterations, etc.
falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as ;~ expressed by the claims appended hereto, in accordance with the patent laws. ~

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Claims (16)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclu-sive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method of sterilizing an article or articles, such as contact lenses, by use of a sterilizing solution in a closed vessel, which solution will undergo a decomposition reaction when brought into contact with a catalytic agent, said method comprising the steps of: providing a closed reaction vessel partially filled with said sterilizing solu-tion; placing said article or articles to be sterilized into said vessel in contact with said sterilizing solution; dis-posing said catalytic agent internally of said vessel; main-taining the strength of said sterilizing solution by delaying the decomposition reaction which will take place between said solution and said catalytic agent, said step including the steps of, positioning of said vessel in a first vertical orientation with said article in contact with said sterilizing solution while said catalytic agent is disposed above and out of contact with said sterilizing solution, inverting said vessel after a prescribed period of time to reposition said vessel in a second vertical orientation with said catalytic agent in contact with said sterilizing solution thereby com-mencing the decomposition reaction which will ultimately result in decay of said sterilizing solution, and allowing said sterilizing solution to decay to a level wherein the strength thereof is below a specified concentration.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of positioning said vessel in a first vertical position, includes the step of engaging said vessel with a rotatably mounted support device, with the step of inverting said vessel including rotation of said support device.

3. A method according to claim 2, including the steps of providing a timing mechanism, operatively associating said timing mechanism with said rotatably mounted support device to effect automatic inverting of said vessel after expiration of a prescribed period of time.

4. A method according to claim 1 which further includes the step of operatively associating said vessel with a programed device which includes a rotatable support to which said vessel is mounted, allowing said programed device to effect rotation of said support thereby effecting said step of inverting said vessel.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of providing a vessel partially filled with a sterilizing solution, includes the step of selecting a hydrogen peroxide solution as the sterilizing medium.

6. A method according to claim 5, further including the step of selecting platinum as the catalytic agent.

7. Apparatus for use in the sterilization of articles, such as, for example, contact lenses, wherein said articles are disposed within a sterilizing solution contained within a reaction vessel, which sterilizing solution is capable of being decomposed through contact with a catalytic agent, said apparatus comprising: a housing; a timing mechanism disposed within said housing; rotatably mounted support means adapted to receive a vessel in a first vertically oriented position, which vessel is adapted to contain said sterilizing solution and said catalytic agent, with said catalytic agent out of contact with said solution, when said vessel is in said first vertical orientation; means operatively connecting said rotatably mounted support means with said timing mechanism, such that upon expiration of a preset period of time, said support means will be rotated, thereby to place said vessel in a second vertical orientation, with said sterilizing solu-tion being brought into contact with said catalytic agent to product decomposition of said solution.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, including a reaction vessel.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said support means is carried on one end of a journaled shaft the other end of said shaft including a gear member, said timing mechanism including a movable element having means thereon capable of being brought into engagement with said gear member to produce the rotation of said support means necessary to attain positioning of said capsule in said second vertical orientation.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, including positioning means for maintaining said support means in said first position once said timer is set, said positioning means being operatively coupled with said timer to free said support means for rotation upon expiration of a specified period of time.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein said positioning means, includes a ring segment carried with said rotary element of the timing mechanism, a cam member mounted on said journaled shaft, with said ring segment being in engagement with said cam mechanism once said timer is set and for the duration of said specified period of time, said ring segment being moved by operation of said timing mechanism to a position, such that upon expiration of the preset period of time, said ring is out of engagement with said cam element to free said shaft for rotation.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, including a reactant vessel, said vessel including a generally cylindrical open-ended body segment, a pair of end caps closing said open ends, with one said end cap having a catalytic element posi-tioned thereon.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said timing mechanism includes a plurality of gear elements, a main spring means connected to and in biasing relationship with a central shaft, and an escapement mechanism engageable with one of said gear elements to produce the desired incremental movement, said mechanism including a main gear element affixed to said spring biased central shaft, with said rotary element also being mounted on said central shaft, said main gear element including a section thereof without gear teeth thereon, such that driving engagement between said main gear and the escapement mechanism will be interrupted when said segment is brought into contact with the respective mating gear, with said main spring producing rapid rotation of said shaft, in-cluding said rotary element, with said rapid rotation of the rotary element bringing the gear teeth form thereon into engagement with said gear member on said journaled shaft to produce rotation of said support means.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said support means is carried on one end of a journaled shaft, said timing mechanism including drive means, adapted to opera-tively engage with means on said shaft to produce rotation thereof which will effect inverting of said support means.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 14, including stop means to limit said rotation of said shaft and thereby assure positioning of said support means in either said first or second vertical orientations.

16. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said timing mechanism includes means to permit selective reposition-ing of said support means to said first vertical orientation, preparatory to a second sterilization procedure.