PORTABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE CHEM./BIO. ISOLATORS

Abstract

A portable and collapsible isolator is taught for containing radioactive, chemical or biological agents. The isolator is comprised of a collapsible frame, movable between a collapsed transport position and an open operational position, and a flexible and collapsible envelope in the form of an airtight bag attached to the frame to define a cavity. The envelope remains airtight in both the collapsed and open positions. One or more sealable openings are formed in the envelope for insertion and removal of the radioactive, chemical and biological agents into and out of the cavity. The isolator may optionally include at least one glove extending from one or more of said sealable openings into the cavity, for handling said radioactive, chemical and biological agents inside the cavity.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority right of prior U.S. patent application 60/983,717 filed Oct. 30, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to isolators for use in containing, handling and transporting potentially hazardous radioactive, chemical or biological agents.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

On-site handling and containment of suspicious packages or known hazardous materials poses an enormous risk to both the initial responders who must contain and transport the materials and subsequent investigators who must handle the materials to determine their origin, composition, risk and eventual disposal. In particular, hazardous radioactive, chemical and biological agents pose an increased threat. These agents may include, but are not limited to, chemical warfare agents, toxins, Risk Group 3 and Risk Group 4 biological pathogens and can also include radioactive materials.

Isolators used to contain such agents are required by law to be airtight to prevent escape of any potentially hazardous material. Furthermore, such isolators must be fitted with negative pressure ventilation systems and high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. All ports attached to the isolator must be sealable against leaks. They further require isolation of a researcher from the pathogen and decontamination of air and other effluents produced in the facility.

Traditionally, isolators used for containing such agents have been made of glass and stainless steel, to provide the containment requirement listed above. However, such isolators are often heavy and cumbersome. Transportation of such isolators can be very difficult and they cannot generally be used in any portable capacity. Furthermore, conventional isolators require elaborate on-site assembly and decontamination before disassembly which detrimentally adds to response time and can increase public exposure to the potentially harmful substances.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,974,197, 6,715,343 and 6,428,122 all to Henry et al., teach portable containment systems for chemical and biological materials. However these must be assembled from numerous pieces and then later decontaminated fully before being dismantled for storage and transport. It is a challenge to conveniently transport these isolators in a fully assembled condition.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,767 teaches a containment system for chemical and biological explosive devices. This system is meant to contain explosive blast over-pressure and blast fragmentation particles caused by an explosive blast. However, the device is not airtight, and in fact is taught to have an open base and therefore can not isolate radioactive, biological or chemical agents from the surrounding environment.

The need thus remains for a device which can contain and isolate hazardous biological and chemical materials which is easier to manage and transport.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a collapsible and portable chemical and biological isolator that can be deployed in a short amount of time.

More particularly, certain exemplary embodiments provide a portable and collapsible isolator for isolating and containing radioactive, chemical or biological agents, comprising a collapsible frame, movable between a collapsed transport position and an open operational position, a flexible and collapsible envelope in the form of an airtight bag attached to the frame to define a cavity, wherein said envelope remains airtight in both collapsed and open positions, one or more sealable openings formed in the envelope for insertion and removal of the radioactive, chemical or biological agents into and out of the cavity and optionally one or more gloves extending from one or more of said sealable openings, for handling said radioactive, chemical and biological agents inside the cavity.

Further exemplary embodiments provide a portable and collapsible isolator for containing radioactive, chemical or biological agents comprising a collapsible frame, movable between a collapsed transport position and an open operational position and a flexible and collapsible envelope in the form of an airtight bag attached to the frame to define a cavity, wherein said envelope remains airtight in both collapsed and open positions. One or more sealable openings are formed in the envelope for insertion and removal of the radioactive, chemical and biological agents into and out of the cavity and optionally one or more gloves extending from one or more of said sealable openings into the cavity, for handling said radioactive, chemical and biological agents inside the cavity. A base structure in the form of a first lockable carrying case is connected to one or more surfaces of the envelope or the frame. The base structure is movable between a collapsed, transportable position and an open, operational position.

Further exemplary embodiments provide a portable and collapsible isolator for containing radioactive, chemical or biological agents, comprising a top structure, a table top, upon which the top structure rests and a base structure upon which the table top rests. The top structure comprises a collapsible frame, movable between a collapsed transport position and an open operational position and a flexible and collapsible envelope in the form of an airtight bag attached to the frame to define a cavity, wherein said envelope remains airtight in both collapsed and open positions. One or more sealable openings are formed in the envelope for insertion and removal of the radioactive, chemical or biological agents into and out of the cavity and optionally one or more glove extending from one or more of said sealable openings into the cavity, for handling said radioactive, chemical and biological agents inside the cavity. The said base structure may comprise a base frame of four telescopic legs that are extendable for operation or collapsible for transportation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below, in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of a portable and collapsible isolator.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of a portable and collapsible isolator.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of a portable and collapsible isolator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a portable and collapsible isolator for containing and handling hazardous or potentially hazardous radioactive, chemical or biological agents that may possibly pose a threat to public health and safety. For the purposes of the present disclosure, radioactive, chemical and biological agents may include, but are not limited to, chemical warfare agents, toxins, Risk Group 3 and Risk Group 4 biological pathogens, as well as some radioactive materials. Such agents can include, among others, hydrogen cyanide, cyanogens chloride, phosgene, Lewisite, Mustard gas, G-series nerve agents, Ricin, VX nerve agent and radioactive iodine. Furthermore, the present isolator is capable, at least in selected embodiments, of containing particles that may be Alpha or Beta emitters.

One embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 in which there is illustrated a collapsible and portable isolator 10 comprising as the main components a collapsible frame 2, a clear, flexible and collapsible envelope 4 in the form of an airtight bag attached to the frame to define a cavity 6 and one or more sealable openings 8 formed in the envelope 4 for insertion and removal of the radioactive, chemical or biological agents into and out of the cavity. Optionally, one or more, and preferably two, of the sealable openings are equipped with gloves (not shown), which extend into the cavity, for handling the agents in question. Most preferably the gloves have two-piece cone shape sleeves to allow for various hand sizes to uses the device, while always maintaining containment.

The sealable openings 8 may have bag in/bag out capabilities which are well known in the art. In particular the sealable openings may be fitted with a long sleeve or tube (not shown) optionally made of the same material as the envelope 4, so that suspicious packages can be inserted into and taken out of the isolator without jeopardizing containment. The sealable openings 8 are preferably sized to accommodate standard examination equipment such as, for example, light microscopes, hazardous materials HazMat® detectors and radiation detectors.

To meet containment requirements, the isolator 10 may be outfitted with or associated with an inlet and an outlet air filtration system (not shown) mechanically attached to and sealed against the flexible envelope 4, to filter air entering and leaving the isolator. Preferably, the inlet air filtration system comprises single or double High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters and outlet air filtration system comprises single or double double High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. The inlet air filter is preferably protected from backflow by use of a check-valve. The outlet air filtration system preferably also comprises a carbon filter such as a double-carbon filter to absorb any fugitive chemical vapours. More preferably, the HEPA filters preferably have a minimum efficiency of 99.99% on particles of 0.3 μm size or greater.

The air filtration systems are connected to a variable speed blower motor which draws clean air in through the inlet filtration system and out through the outlet filtration system and is operated in a negative pressure mode to provide a negative pressure inside the cavity. Negative pressure is preferred to ensure that, in the event of a leak in the isolator system, fresh air from outside the system will flow into the isolator, rather than potentially contaminated air flowing out to the surrounding atmosphere. Preferably, the filtration systems are operated to create a negative pressure of −0.2 inches of water gauge (−0.05 kPa), more preferably −0.5 inches of water gauge (−0.125 kPa).

The frame 2 of the isolator preferably comprises telescopic frame members that can be collapsed for transportation. The flexible envelope 4 can be attached to the frame in a number of known ways in the art, including but not limited to use of Velcro® loops, grommets and tabs. As an example, FIG. 1 illustrates the use of loops 12 made of the same material as the envelope and welded to the envelope for attaching the envelope 4 to the frame 2. The envelope 4 remains attached to the frame 2 in both the collapsed and open positions. The envelope 4 provides a completely airtight cavity 6 in which the radioactive, chemical and biological agents are stored. The envelope 4 retains its air tightness in both the collapsed and open positions of the isolator, so that, size permitting, the agents in question can be stored and transported when the isolator is collapsed. Furthermore, no decontamination of the cavity of the envelope is required before collapsing and transporting the isolator. The envelope has no joints or breaks in the structure to help avoid leaks. The one or more sealable openings 8 are also airtight and any mechanical closures formed on the envelope are of a design commonly used in glove-box systems, and are airtight as well.

Optionally, the envelope 4 may be disposed of after a number of uses, and replaced with another envelope. In a further preferred embodiment, the envelope 4 may be removed from the frame without compromising the integrity of the envelope, so that disposal and replacement of the envelope 4 does not expose the cavity 6 to the surrounding environment.

The envelope 4 may be made of a clear or translucent material, or may be an opaque membrane fitted with clear windows. The envelope 4 is preferably at least semi-flexible and resistant to attack by radioactive, chemical and biological agents. The envelope material is preferably weldable to itself to ensure air tightness. Through extensive testing and investigation, the present inventors have found that certain multi-layer, clear, laminate barrier materials are particularly suitable for use as envelope material. For example, a lamination of nylon, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), and polyethylene (PE) has been found to work well. Another example is a lamination of polyester, nylon, EVOH and PE. In these laminates, the nylon and EVOH serve as barriers to the radioactive, chemical or biological agents as well as to humidity and oxygen and may face the inside of the isolator cavity. The polyethylene serves to render the various layers of the laminate weldable to each other and also forms the outside layer of the envelope. Such a laminate also maintains high integrity over a range of environmental temperatures and can operate in a range of temperatures from −15° C. to +40° C. or beyond. As indicated above, the envelope 4 can be disposable and replaced with a new envelope after a number of uses. Most preferably, the envelope is replaced after a dozen open and close cycles of the sealable openings 8.

Auxiliary systems of the isolator, if present, may include a monitoring system comprised of, for example, a Magnehelic® or other differential low air pressure indicator to monitor pressure inside the cavity, and/or audio and visual warning devices to indicate low or high interior pressure, and/or low battery. Furthermore, the isolator may optionally be connected to a power source, preferably both AC and DC power sources can be used. A battery pack may also be optionally provided as the sole power source or as an additional power source.

Further embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein to serve different requirements for portability and use. One further embodiment of the isolator is illustrated in FIG. 2. Another embodiment of the isolator is illustrated in FIG. 3.

With reference to FIG. 2, the isolator is shown generally at 14. The frame 2 is collapsible into and containable within a first lockable carrying case 16 for transportation or storage purposes. In this embodiment, the isolator 14 has dimensions and a weight such that it can be transported by a single person. For example, the isolator may weigh about 50 pounds or less (22.6 kg) and have a height of from 24″ to 30″ (609 to 762 mm), a length of 24″ to 40″ (609 to 1026 mm) and a depth of 24″ to 30″ (609 to 762 mm). In this first preferred embodiment, the isolator 14 is preferably used for onsite containment of smaller suspicious packages or smaller amounts of materials, which can be examined on site or can be contained in the isolator even when the first lockable carrying case 16 is closed and carried to another location for further investigation.

The case 16 is preferably made of a rigid, lightweight material optionally including one or more handles (not shown) so that it can be transported by a single person. Most preferably, the carrying case is a hard sided case. When the isolator is in the open, operating position, the walls of the carrying case may serve as a rigid bottom surface 18 and a back wall 20 to the isolator. The bottom surface 18 of the carrying case is preferably flat and outfitted with no-slip pads to ensure stability of the isolator if it is placed on a desk, stand or other level surface. Alternatively, foldable, telescopic legs 22 may extend from the bottom surface 18 of the carrying case 16 to allow the isolator to be self-standing and self-leveling. When the telescopic legs 22 are not used, they can be collapsed and folded into recesses (not shown) formed in the bottom surface 18 of the carrying case or detached and carried separately.

Since the isolator 14 of FIG. 2 and its carrying case 16 require no disassembly, the case can simply be closed after use and transported away. No on-site decontamination is necessary since the internal cavity of the isolator is not exposed. This avoids dangerous exposure to personnel onsite and allows for rapid site decommissioning once the package has been handled.

Preferably, the blower motor and the auxiliary systems are contained in a second lockable carrying case (not shown). The second lockable carrying case is also preferably dimensioned to be transportable by a single person, and preferably weighs less than 50 pounds (22.6 kg).

The isolator shown at 24 in FIG. 3, is generally larger than that shown in FIG. 2 and can be used for containment, handling and investigation of larger suspicious packages or larger amounts of materials. The isolator 24 shown in FIG. 3 is also designed to be compact and transportable. The isolator 24 comprises a top structure 26, a table top 28 and a base structure 30. The top structure 26 comprises all of the elements listed previously for the isolator 14 shown in FIG. 2. The frame 2 is made of a lightweight tubing material fitted with removable end connections. The side portions 32 of the frame 2 are jointed to the table top 28 with pivoting joints 34 so that the side portions 32 can pivot inwards and collapse onto the table top 28 for transportation. The transverse members 36 of the frame 2 are removable for storage in the base structure 30. It will be noted that the envelope 4 of the isolator remains intact during disassembly of the frame 2 and therefore any substances contained therein are never exposed to the outside environment even during collapsing and transporting the isolator.

The base structure 30 may comprise a base frame of four telescopic legs 38 that can be extended to a comfortable work height for operation or lowered for transportation. Alternatively, the legs 38 comprise hydraulic cylinders for collapsibility. Casters 40 are fitted to the bottom of the base structure 30 to allow the isolator 24 to be easily transported from place to place. The castors 40 are preferably fitted with pivotable plates (not shown) to permit the isolator to rest on the plates and maintain stable contact with the ground during use.

The base structure 30 may house all auxiliary systems 42 for the isolator, including the filtration system, blower motor, monitoring and electrical systems.

The table top 28 supports the top structure 26 on the base structure 30 and is preferably made of stainless steel supporting a flat surface plate, most preferably a ½″ thick plastic plate.

The isolator 24 of FIG. 3 may weigh, for example, about 500 pounds (22.6 kg) with a height of from 40″ to 65″ (1000 to 1651 mm), a length of from 65″ to 95″ (1651 to 2438 mm) and a depth of from 24″ to 65″ (609 to 1651 mm), when deployed.

Since collapsing the isolator 24 of FIG. 3 does not require disassembly of the envelope 4 in any way, the frame 2 and base structure 30 can simply be collapsed after use and transported with the envelope intact. No on-site decontamination is necessary since the cavity 6 of the isolator is never exposed to the atmosphere. This avoids dangerous exposure for personnel and allows for rapid site decommissioning once the package has been handled.

The entire isolator system 24 of FIG. 3, once collapsed, can be covered by a protective cover (not shown) which latches into brackets (not shown) fitted near the bottom of the base structure 30. Once collapsed and covered, the isolator 24 can be rolled away by gripping handles affixed to the cover. The collapsed and covered isolator 24 can fit easily into a standard mini-van vehicle.

This detailed description of the apparatus and processes of the present invention is used to illustrate the prime embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made in the present devices and that various alternative embodiments can be utilized. Therefore, it will be recognized that modifications can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention, which is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A portable and collapsible isolator for containing radioactive, chemical or biological agents, comprising:

a) a collapsible frame, movable between a collapsed transport position and an open operational position;

b) a flexible and collapsible envelope in the form of an airtight bag attached to the frame to define a cavity, wherein said envelope remains airtight in both collapsed and open positions;

c) one or more sealable openings formed in the envelope for insertion and removal of the radioactive, chemical or biological agents into and out of the cavity, and

d) optionally one or more gloves extending from one or more of said sealable openings into the cavity, for handling said radioactive, chemical or biological agents inside the cavity.

2. The portable and collapsible isolator according to claim 1 further comprising an inlet and an outlet air filtration system attached to and sealed to the envelope to filter air entering and leaving the isolator.

3. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 2 wherein at least one of the inlet and outlet air filtration system comprises at least one High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter.

4. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 2 wherein the inlet air filtration system further comprises a check valve to prevent backflow.

5. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 2 wherein the outlet air filtration system further comprises a carbon filter to absorb chemical vapors.

6. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 3 wherein the HEPA filters have a minimum efficiency of 99.99% on particles of 0.3 μm size or greater.

7. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 2 wherein the inlet and outlet air filtration system further comprises a variable speed blower motor operated in a negative pressure mode to provide a negative pressure inside the cavity.

8. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 7 wherein the filtration systems are operated to create a negative pressure of at least −0.2 inches of water gauge (−0.05 kPa).

9. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 wherein the glove or gloves each have two-piece cone shape sleeves.

10. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 wherein the frame of the isolator comprises telescopic frame members that are collapsible for transportation.

11. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 wherein the envelope is made of a clear material that is resistant to attack by radioactive, chemical or biological agents.

12. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 wherein the envelope is made of an opaque material fitted with clear windows.

13. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 wherein the envelope material is weldable to itself to ensure air tightness.

14. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 wherein the envelope material is a multi-layer, clear, laminate barrier material.

15. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 14 wherein the envelope material is a lamination of nylon, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), and polyethylene (PE), or a lamination of polyester, nylon, EVOH and PE.

16. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 wherein the envelope is disposable.

17. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 further comprising auxiliary systems, wherein the auxiliary systems include a monitoring system comprising one or more sensors to detect and optionally warn of low or high air pressure in the chamber, or low battery.

18. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 further comprising a base structure connected to one or more surfaces of the envelope or the frame, the base structure being movable between a collapsed, transportable position and an open, operational position.

19. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 18 wherein the base structure forms a first lockable carrying case for the collapsible isolator.

20. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 19, wherein the first lockable carrying case is preferably made of a rigid, lightweight material.

21. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 20 wherein a bottom surface of the carrying case is flat and outfitted with no-slip pads to ensure stability of the isolator when placed on a level surface.

22. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 21 further comprising foldable, telescopic legs extending from the bottom surface of the carrying case to allow the isolator to be self-standing and optionally self-leveling.

23. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 19 wherein the inlet and outlet air filtration systems and the auxiliary systems are contained in a second lockable carrying case.

24. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 18 wherein the base structure comprises a base frame of four telescopic legs that are extendable for operation or collapsible for transportation.

25. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 24 wherein the telescopic legs comprise hydraulic cylinders for collapsibility.

26. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 25 wherein the base structure is fitted with casters to allow the portable isolator to be rolled from place to place.

27. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 26 wherein the castors are fitted with a pivotable plate so that the isolator rests on the pivotable plate and maintains stable contact with the ground during use.

28. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 27 further comprising a table top, connecting the isolator to the base structure.

29. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 28 wherein the table top is made of stainless steel supporting a plastic plate.

30. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 1 wherein the frame is made of lightweight tubing material optionally fitted with removable end connections.

31. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 30 wherein the frame comprises two side portions that are pivotable joined to the table top so that the frame can pivot inwards and collapse onto the table top for transportation.

32. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 31 wherein the frame comprises transverse members detachably connecting the two side portions.

33. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 32 wherein the auxiliary systems and the inlet and outlet filtration systems are housed in the base structure during operation.

34. The portable and collapsible isolator of claim 33 wherein the isolator, base structure, auxiliary systems and inlet and outlet filtration systems are all covered by a protective cover, for transportation.

35. A portable and collapsible isolator for containing radioactive, chemical or biological agents, comprising:

a) a collapsible frame, movable between a collapsed transport position and an open operational position;

b) a flexible and collapsible envelope in the form of an airtight bag attached to the frame to define a cavity, wherein said envelope remains airtight in both collapsed and open positions;

c) one or more sealable openings formed in the envelope for insertion and removal of the radioactive, chemical or biological agents into and out of the cavity,

d) optionally one or more gloves extending from one or more of said sealable openings into the cavity, for handling said radioactive, chemical or biological agents inside the cavity; and

e) a base structure in the form of a first lockable carrying case connected to one or more surfaces of the envelope or the frame, said base structure being movable between a collapsed, transportable position and an open, operational position.

36. A portable and collapsible isolator for containing radioactive, chemical and biological agents, comprising: c. a base structure upon which the table top rests, said base structure comprising a base frame of four telescopic legs that are extendable for operation or collapsible for transportation.

a. a top structure comprising: i. a collapsible frame, movable between a collapsed transport position and an open operational position; ii. a flexible and collapsible envelope in the form of an airtight bag attached to the frame to define a cavity, wherein said envelope remains airtight in both collapsed and open positions; iii. one or more sealable openings formed in the envelope for insertion and removal of the radioactive, chemical or biological agents into and out of the cavity, iv. optionally one or more gloves extending from one or more of said sealable openings into the cavity, for handling said radioactive, chemical or biological agents inside the cavity;

b. a table top, upon which the top structure rests; and