Modular Clean Room Structures and Laminations for the Life Sciences and Health-Care Industries
Homogenous monolithic modular structures and laminations are usable alone and together to provide easily wipeable aseptic smooth surfaces free it seems, joins and other crevices where bacteria and contamination may lie that is suitable for clean rooms for the life-sciences and health care industries and other applications.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/659,235 filed on Mar. 7, 2005, incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention is drawn to the field of structures and laminations, and more particularly, to novel modular clean room structures and laminations for the life sciences and health-care and other industries.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe primary function of the Life Science Clean Room Wall Manufacturer is to create “aseptic” conditions throughout—systems that, by design, are easy to sterilize and will prevent microbial contamination. This is the FDA requirement known as “cGMP,” which stands for current Good Manufacturing Practices. The FDA informally looks to U.S. Pat. No. 797 as the latest mandate for facility protocol in the life sciences. According to 797, all pharmacies, health care institutions and facilities where compounded sterile preparations are prepared stored and dispensed, are to adhere to even higher standards of aseptic protocol. For such products as “biologics, diagnostics, drugs, nutrients or radiopharmaceuticals, and such preparations as baths and soaks for live organs and tissues, implants, inhalations, injections, irrigations, metered sprays, ophthalmic and optic procedures,” raising the standards of cGMP is the FDA's charge.
To adhere to these requirements, wall manufacturers must construct and finish interior surfaces that are homogenous, monolithic, and free of seams, joints and open crevices that harbor bacteria. Typically, walls heretofore have employed mitered corner posts, surface applied corner moldings, hand-formed plastic radius or on-site thermo-formed corners.
Most often, end users find themselves spending exorbitant amounts of money on excessive labor and materials costs to custom build these conditions. And, once achieved, end users still find themselves with a continuous problem—the inability to deconstruct or demount the wall system in a way that will prohibit contamination and reconstruction.
In most cases, if not all, significant portions of wall systems are destroyed during retro-fit procedures, whether it's demounting or expanding.
There is thus the need provide modular clean room structures and eliminations for the life sciences health care and other industries or applications that overcomes these and other disadvantages.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide modular clean room structures and laminations for the life sciences and health care and other industries or applications.
It is another object of the present invention to provide modular clean room structures for the life sciences industries that are load bearing and non-load bearing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide demountable (non-progressive) or installed (progressive) modular clean room structures.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide novel clean room structures of the types described that provide smooth, seamless, readily cleanable structural interfaces when walls meet wall-to-wall, wall-to-floor and wall-to-ceiling that reduce if not eliminate the potential for microbial contamination.
It is another object of the present invention to provide modular clean room structures of the types described or laminations that are lightweight and easy to fabricate.
It is another object of the present invention to provide modular clean room structures for the life sciences of the types described that are usable with standard load-bearing structural materials such as Unistruts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such structures and laminations that are constituted as monolithic, homogeneous components of standardized sizes.
Is a further object of the present invention to provide modular clean room structures or laminations that can be made up of various types of raw materials within the standard component framework.
It is a further object of the present invention to disclose such structures and laminations that are interoperable and that can be integrated with other structures and/or laminations so as to readily meet the needs of a wide variety of applications.
In accord with these objects, the present invention discloses homogenous, monolithic modular structures and laminations usable alone and together to provide easily wipeable aseptic smooth surfaces free of seams, joins and other crevices where bacteria and contamination may lay that is suitable for clean rooms for the life sciences and health care industries and other applications. The modular structures cooperate to provide load and non-load bearing self-standing walls in any configuration depending on the number and kind of modular structures utilized. The modular laminations of the present invention enable to clad over self-standing walls that are either newly built or already existing to provide aseptic, easily wipeable surfaces free of seams, joints and crevices were microbes could build-up. The modular structural and lamination components, that are usable together, provide the flexibility and versatility needed to satisfy the requirements of a wide variety of application situations in the life sciences, health care and other industries and other aseptic environments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThese and other features, objects and aspects of the present invention will become apparent as the invention becomes better understood by referring to the following solely exemplary detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, and to the drawings, wherein:
The modular clean room structures for biological sciences and other applications of the present invention enable to provide clean rooms that are modular in design, so that they may be installed, taken down and re-installed as the needs of the situations change, and also enable to provide clean room walls that are easily wipeable to prevent microbe buildup and/or contamination at the corners, floors and ceilings. The modular clean room structures for biological sciences applications of the present invention may be able to support loads or may be non-load bearing. The modules are fastenable to load bearing or non-load bearing structures using seperable fasteners. There are seven principal modular clean room structures in accord with the present invention, namely, a base track, a ceiling track, inside and outside corners, and connector wall sections of preferably two lengths, a larger and a smaller wall connector, as well as a two-piece batten wall connector. The sixth principal component is the preferably laminated, partition wall members themselves. Joints for the base and ceiling tracks are the seventh. Another component is a window frame module. A further component of the modular clean room structures in accord with the present invention is an end cap panel. The base track and the ceiling track have coved surfaces that are easily wipeable. The inside and/or the outside corner subassemblies have coved surfaces that meet with the coved surfaces of the base track and of the ceiling track to provide easily wipeable floor-to-wall, wall-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall surfaces at the interfaces therebetween. The inside and outside corner subassemblies are preferably vacuum-formed and enable to clad-over the corners of rooms and the corners of T-walls. The corner and T-wall subassemblies provide chases in which load bearing members may be used to provide load bearing struts and/or utility wire runs. The wall subassemblies are lightweight laminated structures having a core and skins and the base track and ceiling track subassemblies are preferably extruded. The modules are typically fabricated of standard-sized components and enable to provide rooms having easily wipeable surfaces of any given size in dependence on the number and arrangement of components utilized.
With reference to
Referring now to
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Generally designated 200 in
Generally designated at 350 in
Generally designated at 400 in
Top end terminations of compound curvature, not shown, may be provided with the inside and outside corner subassemblies.
Generally designated at 550 in
Generally designated at 750 in
With reference to
Referring now to
Generally designated at 1050 in
Top end termination of curvature matching the curvature of the ceiling track, not shown, may be provided.
The clean room laminations for biological sciences and other applications of the present invention are modular in design, so that they may be installed as cladding to walls (either newly constructed or already in place according to the needs of the application's situation), to provide aseptic surfaces that are easily wipeable to prevent microbe buildup and/or contamination at walls and inside and outside corners both of full and wainscot sizes. The modular clean room laminations for biological sciences and other applications of the present invention are usable alone as cladding and are interoperable with the modular clean room structures described hereinabove, which makes the laminations and structures very versatile and renders them capable of accommodating the needs of a very wide range of application's situations. There are three principal laminations in accord with the present invention, namely, a wall liner lamination, and inside and outside corner laminations, which preferably are fashioned in two sizes, either as a standard wall or wainscot wall. These laminations each include coved, easily wipeable surfaces that conform to the coved surfaces of the modular clean room structures in accord with the present invention. The lamination modules are preferably vacuum-formed of thermoplastic material, such as PVC, in standard sized, trimable monolithic, homogenous components that enable to provide easily wipeable surfaces when clad to walls or used together with the modular clean room structures in accord with the present invention.
Referring now to
Generally designated at 1150 in
Generally designated at 1200 in
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Many modifications of the presently disclosed invention will become apparent as the invention becomes better appreciated by reference to the instant disclosure so that it will be understood that many equivalents, modifications and variations will be able to have been made by those of skill in the art who have had the benefit of the instant disclosure.
Claims
1. Wall structural modules enabling to provide room structural walls having smooth, easily wipeable surfaces at floor-to-wall and wall-to-wall interfaces that eliminate if not prevent microbe buildup and/or contamination of any desired configuration in dependence on the number and arrangement of wall structural modules employed, comprising:
- a base track component module having elongated, longitudinally extending side walls that are coved to provide easy wipeability, a top tongue and bottom radius edges that accept caulking;
- a ceiling track component module;
- an inside corner component module having an upstanding portion that terminates in a foot portion, the upstanding portion including upstanding, left and right panels and an upstanding, aseptic edge integrally joining the upstanding, left and right panels having a smooth, easily wipeable inside surface, the foot has coved surfaces that match the coved surfaces of the base track and is contoured to match the contour of the aseptic edge to provide easily wipeable floor to wall and inside corner surfaces;
- an outside corner component module having an upstanding portion that terminates in a foot portion, the upstanding portion including upstanding, left and right panels and an upstanding aseptic edge integrally joining the upstanding, left and right panels having a smooth, easily wipeable outside surface, the foot has coved surfaces that match the coved surfaces of the base track and is contoured to match the contour of the aseptic edge to provide easy wipeability of the floor to wall and outside corner surfaces;
- a partition wall component module;
- a wall connector component module;
- a base track to partition wall joint component module to attach the base track to the partition wall at its bottom; and
- a ceiling track to partition wall joint component module to attach the ceiling track to the partition wall at its top.
2. The invention of claim 1, further including a two-piece window frame component module and a glazing member adapted to provide an easily wipeable window in an opening provided therefor in said partition wall component module.
3. The invention of claim 1, further including an end cap panel component module adapted to provide a protective termination for any exposed partition wall end that includes a coved foot that conforms to the curvature of the base track.
4. The invention of claim 1, wherein said base and ceiling tracks and said joints are extruded of polyvinyl chloride.
5. The invention of claim 1, wherein said inside and outside corners and said wall connectors are vacuum-formed and enable to clad over the corners of rooms and the corners of T-walls.
6. The invention of claim 1, wherein said base track is hollow and includes a brace that divides the hollow interior into upper and lower cavities which may be employed as utility races.
7. The invention of claim 1, wherein said ceiling track component includes an elongated top whose sidewalls taper downwardly to provide concave wipeable surfaces, is hollow, and includes a strength providing strut in the hollow interior.
8. The invention of claim 1, wherein said inside and outside corner components each include at least one ridge adapted to provide seamless, easily wipeable laterally adjacent interfaces.
9. The invention of claim 1, wherein said edge of said inside corner component has a generally C-shape.
10. The invention of claim 1, wherein said edge of said outside corner component has a generally C-shape.
11. The invention of claim 1, wherein said edge of said outside corner component has a generally V-shape.
12. The invention of claim 1, wherein said wall connector component includes a two-piece male and female batten subassembly joining laterally adjacent partition wall components in such a way as to provide a crevice-free joint therebetween.
13. The invention of claim 1, wherein said wall connector component includes a monolithic wall panel having an upstanding portion that terminates in a foot portion curved to match the curvature of the side walls of the base track and ridges laterally spaced from the sides adapted to allow seamless joining of laterally adjacent components.
14. The invention of claim 1, wherein said base track joint includes a U-shape member having laterally extending flanges and grooves provided along the flanges, the U-shape member providing a groove that accepts the tongue of the base track.
15. The invention of claim 1, wherein said ceiling track includes an elongated bottom groove and said ceiling track joint includes a U-shape member that provides a tongue adapted to be received in said groove of said ceiling track.
16. The invention of claim 1, wherein said partition wall is a lightweight laminated structure having a core and skins that cover each side of the core.
17. Monolithic lamination modules enabling to clad walls to provide smooth, easily wipeable aseptic surfaces that eliminate if not prevent microbe buildup and/or contamination, comprising:
- a wall liner panel lamination component module having a generally rectangular upstanding wall portion terminating in an elongated base portion that is coved to provide ease of wipeability,
- an inside corner lamination component module having an upstanding portion that terminates in a foot portion, the upstanding portion including left and right panels and an aseptic inside edge joining the left and right panels having a smooth, easily wipeable surface, the foot portion including a concave, easily wipeable surface extending along the length of the foot portion; and
- an outside corner lamination component module having an upstanding portion that terminates in the foot portion, the upstanding portion including left and right panels and an outside edge joining the left and right panels having a smooth, easily wipeable surface, the foot portion including a concave, easily wipeable surface extending along the length of the foot portion.
18. The invention of claim 17, wherein said wall liner panel, and inside and outside corner lamination components are of a size that matches the size of a standard wall.
19. The invention of claim 17, wherein said wall liner panel, inside and outside corner lamination components are wainscot component laminations that are in size less than the height of a standard wall.
20. The invention of claim 17, wherein said wall lamination component includes a rigidity imparting flange horizontally extending from said base.
21. The invention of claim 17, wherein said wall lamination includes a laterally radiused edge providing a butt joint easy to heat-weld or caulk.
22. The invention of claim 19, wherein the inside corner wainscot lamination includes a triangle-shape top wall to close off the wedge that otherwise would be defined at the inside corner of the wall to be clad thereby.
23. The invention of claim 19, wherein the outside corner wainscot lamination edge is a rounded bull nose outside corner edge that provides ease of wipeability.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 5, 2006
Publication Date: Feb 22, 2007
Inventor: Deric Haddad (Elizabeth, PA)
Application Number: 11/308,067
International Classification: E04H 3/00 (20060101); E04H 1/00 (20060101);