Apparatus and method for handling hazardous materials

Abstract

1. An apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the enclosure, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening to the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening to the workspace; a ventilation system disposed in the enclosure for drawing air out of the workspace; a motor for moving the sash between the open and closed positions; an external power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; and a secondary power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor when the external power source is unable to deliver power to operate at least one of the ventilation system and the motor.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This patent application claims the benefit of pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 413,094 (Attorney Docket No. FIPAK-34 PROV), entitled "APPARATUS FOR HANDLING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS," filed on October 4, 2022 by Erlab DFSSAS. The above-identified patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0002] The present invention relates generally to biological safety cabinets and chemical fume hoods, and more particularly to novel apparatus for handling hazardous materials, including but not limited to biological materials and / or hazardous chemicals. [Background technology]

[0003] Safety cabinets and fume hoods are commonly used in biological and chemical laboratories to physically separate human technicians from hazardous materials and to remove hazardous materials (e.g., toxic gases) from the laboratory by either filtering or venting the air removed from the safety cabinet or fume hood.

[0004] Essentially, a safety cabinet (or fume hood) comprises an enclosed workspace accessible through a front opening that can be selectively opened or closed (e.g., by moving a sliding sash vertically up or down to open or close the front opening) so that laboratory technicians can safely work with hazardous biological and / or chemical materials within the workspace.

[0005] In many safety cabinets and fume hoods, the workspace is maintained under negative air pressure, for example, by a ventilation system that draws air over and out of the workspace enclosed by the safety cabinet to an external ventilation system that exits the laboratory or to a filtration system that returns filtered air to the laboratory. As a result of such a design, when a technician accesses the workspace through an open sash, their exposure to materials being handled in the workspace enclosed by the safety cabinet or fume hood is minimized (i.e., because the negative air pressure acts to keep harmful airborne materials within the workspace or ventilation system).

[0006] Safety cabinets and fume hoods typically include interior lighting (e.g., fluorescent lighting) to illuminate the workspace and may include other elements to separate technicians from the workspace. By way of example and not limitation, safety cabinets and fume hoods may include sashes that partially close access to the workspace (e.g., to provide enhanced protection when technicians work with highly volatile or hazardous materials in the workspace), "glove box"-style sashes to allow technicians to be completely isolated from the workspace by a barrier, etc. The sashes may be configured to open in a variety of different ways (e.g., sliding up, sliding down, sliding horizontally, folding, etc.) and may be configured to open or close via an electronic motor, if desired. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, it has been recognized that conventional safety cabinets and fume hoods have several limitations. First, it was recognized that if a power outage occurred in the laboratory, the negative air pressure would be lost (e.g., due to a power outage causing the ventilation system of the safety cabinet or fume hood to fail) and the lights in the safety cabinet or fume hood would go out, causing the electronic systems of the safety cabinet or fume hood to fail, leading to a potentially harmful condition. This could create a hazard for technicians accessing the workspace and / or personnel in the vicinity of the safety cabinet or fume hood.

[0008] More specifically, it will be appreciated that if a power outage occurs in a laboratory, the ventilation system of the safety cabinet or fume hood will typically cease to function (i.e., because the blower requires power to draw air out of the workspace, creating negative air pressure inside the workspace enclosed by the safety cabinet or fume hood). Thus, a laboratory power outage can create a potentially harmful condition inside the laboratory that surrounds the safety cabinet or fume hood. By way of example and not limitation, if volatile chemicals are placed in the workspace of a safety cabinet or fume hood, the lack of negative air pressure within the workspace can cause fumes from the volatile chemicals to rise inside the safety cabinet or fume hood, creating a potentially harmful condition.

[0009] Additionally, if a power outage occurs in the laboratory, the lights inside the safety cabinet or fume hood may be turned off during the power outage in the laboratory, creating a hazardous condition for technicians accessing the safety cabinet or fume hood. By way of example and not limitation, a technician accessing the safety cabinet or fume hood workspace during a power outage that darkens the workspace (i.e., due to lighting failure) may accidentally spill volatile chemicals into the workspace or may be unable to safely cap open containers located in the workspace.

[0010] Second, it was recognized that even when the sash is configured to open electronically (e.g., by an electronic motor), the technician must activate a control device typically located on the safety cabinet (or fume hood) or on a control panel for the safety cabinet or fume hood, which can be difficult in instances where the technician is carrying equipment or samples to the safety cabinet or fume hood and is not available to initiate the sash opening.

[0011] Third, it has been recognized that in some certain instances, it is desirable to initiate immediate (i.e., emergency) decontamination of the workspace inside a safety cabinet (e.g., a biological safety cabinet). By way of example and not limitation, if a technician accidentally spills or otherwise exposes hazardous biological material within the confines of the workspace, it may be desirable to immediately close the sash (i.e., isolate the contamination) and immediately decontaminate the entire workspace. However, conventional biological safety cabinets do not include any means of decontamination, and thus the technician must typically manually decontaminate the workspace.

[0012] Fourth, cleaning the inside surfaces of the sash (i.e., the surfaces inside the workspace) was recognized as potentially difficult as it required the technician to reach under the sash while it was open and then reach behind it to clean the inside surfaces of the sash.

[0013] Fifth, it was recognized that it can be difficult to recognize improper positioning of a safety cabinet or fume hood sash (or misuse of a safety cabinet or fume hood, etc.) from a distance and / or when the safety cabinet or fume hood is clustered with multiple other safety cabinets or fume hoods (e.g., in academic settings, large laboratories, etc.).

[0014] Sixth, it was recognized that it would be advantageous if the safety cabinet or fume hood could automatically (e.g., autonomously) verify chemicals / substances introduced into the safety cabinet or fume hood through a sash or used in the safety cabinet or fume hood workspace to determine whether those chemicals / substances are appropriate for use in the particular safety cabinet or fume hood.

[0015] Thus, there is a need for new and improved safety cabinets or fume hoods that include: (i) a backup power source to power the essential functions of the safety cabinet or fume hood in the event of a laboratory power outage; (ii) an apparatus for providing hands-free opening and closing of the safety cabinet or fume hood sash; (iii) an apparatus configured to provide automatic decontamination of the workspace inside the safety cabinet (e.g., a biological safety cabinet) without requiring technician exposure to the workspace; (iv) a sash that can be rotated outboard so that the interior surfaces of the sash can be cleaned; (v) a visual indicator to indicate the status of the safety cabinet or fume hood and / or the position of the safety cabinet or fume hood sash; and (vi) a system for automatically determining whether a chemical / microorganism / substance placed within the safety cabinet or fume hood is suitable for use in a particular safety cabinet or fume hood. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] The present invention involves the provision and use of a new and improved safety cabinet or fume hood comprising: (i) a backup power source for powering the essential functions of the safety cabinet or fume hood in the event of a laboratory power outage; (ii) an apparatus for providing hands-free opening and closing of the sash of the safety cabinet or fume hood; (iii) an apparatus configured to provide automatic decontamination of the workspace inside the safety cabinet (e.g., a biological safety cabinet) without requiring technician exposure to the workspace; (iv) a sash that can be rotated outboard so that the interior surfaces of the sash can be cleaned; (v) a visual indicator for indicating the status of the safety cabinet or fume hood and / or the position of the sash of the safety cabinet or fume hood; and (vi) a system for automatically determining whether chemicals / microorganisms / substances placed within the safety cabinet or fume hood are suitable for use in a particular safety cabinet or fume hood.

[0017] In one preferred form of the invention there is provided an apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers an opening to the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening to the workspace; a ventilation system disposed in the enclosure for drawing air out of the workspace; a motor for moving the sash between open and closed positions; an external power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; a secondary power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor when the external power source is unable to deliver power to operate at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; An apparatus is provided comprising:

[0018] In another preferred form of the invention there is provided an apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers an opening to the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening to the workspace; a ventilation system disposed in the enclosure for drawing air out of the workspace; a motor for moving the sash between open and closed positions; a command module configured to operate a motor to move the sash; An apparatus is provided comprising:

[0019] In another preferred form of the invention there is provided an apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a decontamination system configured to selectively release a decontaminating agent into the workspace to decontaminate the workspace, the decontamination system comprising: a storage container having a decontamination agent; a decontamination array fluidly connected to the storage container, the decontamination array having at least one spray head configured to release a decontamination agent into the workspace; An apparatus is provided, comprising:

[0020] In another preferred form of the invention there is provided an apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening; at least one sensor for detecting the position of the sash relative to the opening; at least one visual indicator attached to the housing; Equipped with An apparatus is provided in which at least one visual indicator is configured to emit a visual signal indicative of the position of the sash.

[0021] In another preferred form of the invention there is provided an apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening; at least one camera mounted on the housing to capture image data of at least one of the workspace and the opening; a computer configured to analyze image data acquired by the at least one camera to identify a substance placed in the workspace; and An apparatus is provided comprising:

[0022] In another preferred form of the invention, there is provided a method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising the steps of: Providing an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers an opening to the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening to the workspace; a ventilation system disposed in the enclosure for drawing air out of the workspace; a motor for moving the sash between open and closed positions; an external power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; a secondary power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor when the external power source is unable to deliver power to operate at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; providing an apparatus comprising: powering at least one of the ventilation system and the motor using power from a secondary power source when the external power source is unable to deliver power to operate at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; A method is provided, comprising:

[0023] In another preferred form of the invention, there is provided a method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising the steps of: Providing an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers an opening to the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening to the workspace; a ventilation system disposed in the enclosure for drawing air out of the workspace; a motor for moving the sash between open and closed positions; a command module configured to operate a motor to move the sash; providing an apparatus comprising: using a command module to move the sash between an open position and a closed position; A method is provided, comprising:

[0024] In another preferred form of the invention, there is provided a method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising the steps of: Providing an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; 1. A decontamination system configured to selectively release a decontaminating agent into a workspace to decontaminate the workspace, comprising: a storage container having a decontamination agent; a decontamination array fluidly connected to the storage container, the decontamination array having at least one spray head configured to release a decontamination agent into the workspace; A decontamination system having providing an apparatus comprising: releasing a decontamination agent into the workspace to decontaminate the workspace; A method is provided, comprising:

[0025] In another preferred form of the invention, there is provided a method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising the steps of: Providing an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening; at least one sensor for detecting the position of the sash relative to the opening; at least one visual indicator attached to the housing; Equipped with providing an apparatus, wherein at least one visual indicator is configured to emit a visual signal indicative of a position of the sash; emitting a visual signal indicative of the position of the sash; A method is provided, comprising:

[0026] In another preferred form of the invention, there is provided a method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising the steps of: Providing an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening in the workspace; at least one camera mounted on the housing to capture image data of at least one of the workspace and the opening; a computer configured to analyze image data acquired by the at least one camera to identify a substance placed in the workspace; and providing an apparatus comprising: identifying a substance placed in the workspace; A method is provided, comprising:

[0027] These and other objects and features of the present invention will be more fully disclosed and apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, which is to be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts and in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a novel apparatus for handling hazardous materials formed in accordance with the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a further embodiment of the ventilator compartment of the novel device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a further embodiment of the novel device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a further embodiment of the novel device of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a further embodiment of the novel device of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The present invention involves the provision and use of a new and improved safety cabinet or fume hood that includes: (i) a backup power source for powering the essential functions of the safety cabinet or fume hood in the event of a laboratory power outage; (ii) an apparatus for providing hands-free opening and closing of the sash of the safety cabinet or fume hood; (iii) an apparatus configured to provide automatic decontamination of the workspace inside the safety cabinet (e.g., a biological safety cabinet) without requiring technician exposure to the workspace; (iv) a sash that can be rotated outboard so that the interior surfaces of the sash can be cleaned; (v) a visual indicator for indicating the status of the safety cabinet or fume hood or the position of the sash of the safety cabinet or fume hood; and (vi) a system for automatically determining whether a chemical / microorganism / substance placed within the safety cabinet or fume hood is suitable for use in a particular safety cabinet or fume hood.

[0030] 1-5, there is shown a novel safety cabinet 5 formed in accordance with the present invention. As used herein, the term "safety cabinet" is intended to refer to an enclosed workspace in which biological materials are handled (e.g., a biological safety cabinet), as well as an enclosed workspace in which chemical agents are handled (i.e., a chemical fume hood). The safety cabinet 5 generally comprises a housing 10 enclosing a workspace 15 and internal electronic components, as discussed in more detail hereinafter.

[0031] The enclosure 10 is configured to enclose the workspace 15 at a bottom (i.e., a desk surface for handling materials), a top (i.e., an area containing a ventilation system, lighting fixtures, and electronic components, as discussed in more detail hereinafter), and three sides. The enclosure 10 includes a front opening 20 through which the workspace 15 is not enclosed, allowing a technician to physically access the workspace 15. A sash (i.e., a sash window) 25 (FIGS. 3 and 4) configured to slide vertically (i.e., up and down) is disposed within the enclosure 10 and configured to selectively close (or open) the opening 20, thereby fluidly sealing the workspace 15 from the ambient atmosphere of the laboratory when the sash 25 is in a vertically lowered, closed position. When the sash 25 is raised vertically upward into the enclosure 10, the opening 20 is open, thereby allowing a technician to access the workspace 15. It should be appreciated that sash 25 may be selectively positioned intermediate its fully "open" and fully "closed" positions, thereby permitting a technician to partially close off workspace 15 while still allowing some access to workspace 15. By way of example and not limitation, sash 25 may be moved vertically to close off the top half of opening 20, thereby providing additional head and eye protection for a technician seated in front of opening 20 while still allowing the technician physical access to workspace 15 with their hands.

[0032] The sash 25 preferably comprises a transparent material (e.g., glass, plexiglass, etc.) to allow the technician to view the workspace 15 through the sash 25 when the sash 25 is in the closed position. In a preferred form of the invention, the sash 25 is configured to move vertically relative to the enclosure 10 using an electronic motor that can be selectively activated by the technician, as discussed in more detail hereinafter.

[0033] New Safety Cabinet with Backup Power5 1 , the top of the housing 10 encloses an electronics and ventilator compartment 70. More particularly, and now referring to FIG. 2 , the electronics and ventilator compartment 70 preferably includes a ventilation system 75 (e.g., a blower and associated filtration system for removing air from the workspace 15 and filtering or venting the removed air to a laboratory or environment), one or more lighting fixtures 80 (e.g., LED and / or fluorescent lights for illuminating the workspace 15), at least one motor 85 configured, when activated, to selectively move the sash 25 up and down relative to the housing 10 (thereby selectively opening or closing the opening 20), a backup power source 90 (e.g., battery backup), and a computer (e.g., a CPU running appropriate software) 95 including a microphone 100, as discussed in more detail hereinafter.

[0034] Ventilation system 75 is preferably configured to maintain a negative air pressure within workspace 15 by removing air from workspace 15, directing the removed air through a filtration system (not shown), and then returning the air to the laboratory (or to the ambient atmosphere outside the structure containing the laboratory). To that end, ventilation system 75 generally includes a blower 105 for moving air out of workspace 15 and one or more filters (not shown) for removing substances from the air moved out of workspace 15 by blower 105.

[0035] To avoid potentially harmful conditions resulting from a power outage, in one preferred form of the present invention, a backup power source 90 (e.g., a battery) is configured to provide emergency power to critical systems (e.g., ventilation system 75, lighting fixture 80, etc.) of safety cabinet 5 during a laboratory power outage. By way of example and not limitation, backup power source 90 may be configured to provide illumination via lighting fixture 80 and / or ventilation of workspace 15 via ventilation system 75 for one hour during a laboratory power outage to allow a laboratory technician to fix volatile chemicals inside safety cabinet 5.

[0036] Hands-free / remote control of Sash 25 It will also be appreciated that there may be instances where it may be desirable to automate the opening and closing of sash 25. By way of example and not limitation, in a situation where a technician desires to access workspace 15 through opening 20 and sash 25 is in a closed condition (i.e., such that opening 20 is closed by sash 25), the technician may desire to move sash 25 vertically upward.

[0037] To this end, at least one motor 85 in the electronics and ventilator section 70 of the safety cabinet 5 is suitably connected to the sash 25, such that activation of the motor 85 moves the sash 25 vertically (e.g., rotation of the motor 85 in a first direction causes the sash 25 to rise vertically so as to open the opening 20 and allow access to the workspace 15, and rotation of the motor 85 in a second, opposite direction causes the sash 25 to fall vertically so as to close the opening 20 and restrict access to the workspace 15). In a preferred form of the invention, the safety cabinet 5 is provided with an external control panel 110 (FIG. 1) including one or more activation buttons (or alternatively a touch screen) for selectively activating the motors 85 to effect vertical movement of the sash 25 relative to the enclosure 10.

[0038] It will also be appreciated that in some situations, a technician may desire to operate motors 85 to move sash 25 in a desired manner without requiring the technician to use their hands to manipulate external control panel 110. By way of example and not limitation, a technician may approach safety cabinet 5 with their hands tied (e.g., carrying a volatile chemical) and desire to open sash 25 without requiring the technician to physically contact external control panel 110. To this end, and with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the aforementioned computer 95 is preferably configured (i.e., executing appropriate software) to selectively activate at least one motor 85 to move sash 25 in a desired manner. A microphone 100 is connected to computer 95 (running appropriate software) to allow verbal commands by the technician (e.g., "open sash," "close sash," etc.) to be relayed to computer 95, thereby enabling hands-free opening and closing of sash 25 by the technician. Thus, using verbal commands to control the operation of the sash 25 frees the technician's hands and increases safety.

[0039] 1 and 2, an outward-facing camera 102 may be provided, if desired, to allow hands-free opening and closing of sash 25 by the technician. More particularly, in this form of the invention, camera 102 is configured to monitor a generally frontal field of view of sash 25 for the appearance of physical gestures (in other words, movements) by the technician. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure, computer 95 is suitably configured (e.g., by software) to perform image analysis of image data received from camera 102, thereby identifying physical movements (e.g., hand signals) and taking appropriate action.

[0040] By way of example and not limitation, camera 102 may process an image within the field of view of camera 102 of a technician making an "O" symbol with his thumb and fingers, thereby causing computer 95 to open sash 25. As a further example and not limitation, camera 102 may process an image within the field of view of camera 102 of a technician crossing two fingers to make an "X," thereby causing computer 95 to close sash 25. Physical actions may also be used to control other aspects of safety cabinet 5 (e.g., activating lights, fans, etc.).

[0041] Alternatively and / or additionally, if desired, a remote control 103 (FIG. 2) may be provided to allow remote operation of the safety cabinet 5 (e.g., selectively opening or closing the sash 25). The remote control 103 may be provided in the form of a handheld wireless remote, or alternatively, as a wall-mounted hardwired remote.

[0042] Emergency Decontamination System In the event of a spill of a hazardous biological material or a volatile chemical within the workspace 15 of the safety cabinet 5, it may be desirable to effect emergency decontamination of the workspace 15. By way of example and not limitation, if a technician works with a hazardous biological material and accidentally spills the material within the workspace 15, the technician may desire to perform emergency decontamination on the interior workspace 15 of the safety cabinet 5 to protect the laboratory from contamination.

[0043] To that end, and referring now to FIG. 2 , the safety cabinet 5 preferably includes an emergency decontamination system 115. The sterilization / neutralization system 115 generally includes a storage container 120 containing a preselected decontamination agent (e.g., hydrogen peroxide), a pump 125 (e.g., an electronic pump) fluidly connected to the storage container 120, and a decontamination array (i.e., a train) 130 including one or more spray heads 135 fluidly connected to the pump 125 and configured to spray the decontamination agent to thoroughly decontaminate the workspace 15. While the one or more spray heads 135 are shown in FIG. 2 as being positioned below the electronics and ventilator compartment 70 (i.e., suspended above the workspace 15 within the enclosure 10 of the safety cabinet 5), it will be understood that the decontamination array 130 may extend around the interior of the enclosure 10 surrounding the workspace 15 in substantially any manner apparent to one skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure.

[0044] A novel sash 25 configured for cleaning the interior surface of the sash 25. In one preferred form of the invention, and referring now to Figure 5, the safety cabinet 5 includes a pair of shutters 30, 35 located on either side of the opening 20. The shutters 30, 35 are hingedly attached to the housing 10 to allow the shutters 30, 35 to be selectively rotated to the side of the safety cabinet 5 to allow the sash 25 to rotate outwardly of the safety cabinet 5 to allow cleaning of the inner surface of the sash 25, as will be discussed in more detail hereinafter.

[0045] More particularly, and with continued reference to Figure 5, in this form of the invention, the sash 25 is mounted to a pair of slides 40, 45, which are slidably mounted to the housing 10. The sash 25 is preferably attached to the slides 40, 45 by a pair of hinges 50, 55, respectively. When the shutters 30, 35 are in the closed position (i.e., the position shown in Figure 1), the sash 25 can be selectively moved vertically (i.e., by sliding the slides 40, 45 relative to the housing 10); however, the shutters 30, 35 prevent the sash 25 from being moved away from the slides 40, 45, so that the sash 25 cannot rotate outward on the hinges 50, 55. However, when the shutters 30, 35 are in a side open position (i.e., the position shown in FIG. 5 ), the sash 25 can be selectively rotated outward on the hinges 50, 55, thereby allowing cleaning of the interior surface of the sash 25 (i.e., the surface facing the workspace 15). In one preferred form of the invention, a pair of retractable cable stays (i.e., support cables) 60, 65 are provided to prevent damage to the sash 25 when it is rotated outward on the hinges 50, 55. Optionally, the slides 40, 45 or the supports 60, 65 may include sensors (not shown) configured to transmit data indicative of the position of the sash 25 relative to the opening 20 to the computer 95.

[0046] New lighting to indicate safety cabinet status Referring now to FIG. 1, in another embodiment of the present invention, the novel safety cabinet 5 may optionally include one or more visual indicators 140 (e.g., LED lights) to indicate the status of the safety cabinet.

[0047] By way of example and not limitation, the safety cabinet 5 may include multiple visual indicators 140 attached to the shutters 30, 35 so as to be positioned within the general view of technicians working with or near the safety cabinet 5. The visual indicators 140 may be configured to indicate the status of the safety cabinet 5.

[0048] In a preferred form of the invention, the visual indicator 140 is configured to indicate the current status of the position of the sash 25. More particularly, in this form of the invention, the visual indicator 140 is configured to turn on (e.g., emit a red light) when the sash 25 is in a partially open condition to visually indicate that the safety cabinet 5 is not in a condition for use. It will also be appreciated that, if desired, the visual indicator 140 may be configured to turn on (e.g., emit a red light or flash, etc.) when the sash 25 has been open for more than a predetermined period of time (e.g., five minutes, etc.). Thus, if the sash 25 is not properly closed, the visual indicator 140 may turn on and / or flash, thereby providing a visual warning that the safety cabinet 5 is not in a condition for use that can be perceived from a distance (e.g., across the room) and serve to draw attention to a potentially unsafe condition so that the potentially unsafe condition can be corrected. Alternatively and / or additionally, if desired, the visual indicator 140 may be configured to turn on (e.g., emit a red light, flash, etc.) when the sash 25 is positioned in an unsafe location (e.g., a position that overly exposes the workspace 15 as defined by the manufacturer of the safety cabinet 5).

[0049] A novel camera system for identifying chemicals / microorganisms / substances placed in a workspace 1, if desired, safety cabinet 5 may include an inward-facing camera 150 connected to computer 95, which camera 150 is configured to monitor workspace 15 and / or the area directly in front of sash 25 to identify chemicals / microorganisms / substances being passed into workspace 15 through opening 20. Alternatively and / or additionally, if desired, outward-facing camera 102 may also be configured to monitor the area directly in front of sash 25 to identify chemicals / microorganisms / substances being passed into workspace 15 through opening 20.

[0050] More particularly, in this form of the invention, camera 150 (and / or camera 102) and computer 95 are suitably programmed to recognize labels (e.g., stickers placed on chemical bottles, biological sample bottles, etc.) in order to identify substances being passed into workspace 15 through opening 20. By way of example and not limitation, computer 95 may be programmed with suitable software to use image recognition analysis to identify and identify labels on substances / microorganisms / chemicals placed in workspace 15. It will be appreciated that when a microorganism is to be identified by computer 95, camera 150 (and / or camera 102) is configured to view a label indicating the microorganism in the container containing the microorganism (e.g., a label on a Petri dish, a label on a slant test tube, a label on an Erlenmeyer flask, a label on a multi-well culture dish, etc.). It will be appreciated that after the computer 95 identifies the substance / chemical placed within the workspace 15, the computer 95 can be programmed to compare the identified substance / microorganism / chemical against a database to determine whether the safety cabinet 5 is properly configured to handle the particular substance / chemical placed within the workspace 15 (e.g., is it operating with the appropriate filtration equipment installed, is the blower speed correct, etc.).

[0051] If desired, the computer 95 may be configured to issue a visual notification if the computer 95 determines that the safety cabinet 5 is not properly configured for a particular substance / chemical placed in the workspace 15. By way of example and not limitation, the computer 95 may illuminate (i.e., light up) one or more indicators 140 if the computer 95 determines that the safety cabinet 5 is not properly configured for a particular substance / chemical placed in the workspace 15.

[0052] Modifications of the Preferred Embodiment It will be understood that many additional changes in the details, materials, steps, and arrangements of parts described and illustrated herein to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art while remaining within the principles and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening in the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening in the workspace; and a ventilation system disposed in the enclosure for drawing air out of the workspace; a motor for moving the sash between the open and closed positions; an external power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; a secondary power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor when the external power source is unable to deliver power to operate at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; An apparatus comprising:

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the secondary power source comprises a battery.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising at least one illuminator for illuminating the workspace.

4. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the secondary power source is configured to illuminate the at least one light fixture when the external power source is unable to deliver power to operate at least one of the ventilation system and the motor.

5. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the motor is configured to use power from the secondary power source to move the sash to the closed position when the external power source is unable to deliver power to operate at least one of the ventilation system and the motor.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sash is pivotally connected to the housing such that the sash is selectively rotatable between the closed position and the open position.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ventilation system includes a filter for filtering the air drawn from the workspace.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a computer configured to operate at least one of the motor and the ventilation system.

9. 1. An apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening in the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening in the workspace; and a ventilation system disposed in the enclosure for drawing air out of the workspace; a motor for moving the sash between the open and closed positions; a command module configured to operate the motor to move the sash; An apparatus comprising:

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a microphone, wherein the command module is configured to analyze acoustic data captured by the microphone to thereby enable verbal commands to be used to control operation of the motor to enable voice-activated movement of the sash.

11. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising at least one camera, wherein the command module is configured to analyze image data captured by the at least one camera to thereby enable hand gestures to be used to control operation of the motor to enable hand gesture-activated movement of the sash.

12. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising at least one remote control wirelessly connected to the command module, the command module configured to receive data from the at least one remote control to thereby enable remotely controlled operation of the motor to enable remotely actuated movement of the sash.

13. 1. An apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a decontamination system configured to selectively release a decontamination agent into the workspace to decontaminate the workspace; The decontamination system comprises: a storage container having a decontamination agent; a decontamination array fluidly connected to the reservoir, the decontamination array having at least one spray head configured to release the decontamination agent into the workspace; 1. An apparatus comprising:

14. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a sash mounted to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening to the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening to the workspace, the sash including an inner surface facing the workspace and an outer surface facing away from the workspace, the sash being pivotally mounted to the housing such that the sash can be selectively pivoted downwardly, thereby enabling cleaning of the inner surface of the sash.

15. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising at least one cable for selectively moving the sash between the open and closed positions.

16. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising at least one hinge for pivoting said sash downwardly.

17. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising at least one retractable cable stay for connecting said sash to said housing.

18. 1. An apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening; at least one sensor for detecting the position of the sash relative to the opening; at least one visual indicator attached to the housing; Equipped with The apparatus, wherein the at least one visual indicator is configured to emit a visual signal indicative of the position of the sash.

19. 19. The device of claim 18, wherein the visual signal is emitted if the sash does not properly close the opening.

20. 20. The device of claim 18, wherein the visual signal comprises at least one from the group consisting of a continuous light and a flashing light.

21. 20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the sensor is located on a cable attaching the sash to the housing.

22. 1. An apparatus for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening; at least one camera mounted on the housing to capture image data of at least one of the workspace and the opening; a computer configured to analyze image data acquired by the at least one camera to identify a substance placed in the workspace; and An apparatus comprising:

23. 23. The device of claim 22, further comprising at least one visual indicator attached to the housing.

24. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one visual indicator is illuminated when the substance in the workspace is identified as being unsuitable for the workspace.

25. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a ventilation system for drawing air out of the workspace, the ventilation system configured to activate when the material in the workspace is identified as requiring ventilation.

26. 1. A method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: Providing an apparatus, said apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening in the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening in the workspace; and a ventilation system disposed in the enclosure for drawing air out of the workspace; a motor for moving the sash between the open and closed positions; an external power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; a secondary power source for operating at least one of the ventilation system and the motor when the external power source is unable to deliver power to operate at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; providing the apparatus, powering at least one of the ventilation system and the motor using power from the secondary power source when the external power source is unable to deliver power to operate at least one of the ventilation system and the motor; A method comprising:

27. 1. A method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: Providing an apparatus, said apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening in the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening in the workspace; and a ventilation system disposed in the enclosure for drawing air out of the workspace; a motor for moving the sash between the open and closed positions; a command module configured to operate the motor to move the sash; providing the apparatus, using the command module to move the sash between the open and closed positions; A method comprising:

28. 1. A method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: Providing an apparatus, said apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; 1. A decontamination system configured to selectively release a decontaminating agent into the workspace to decontaminate the workspace, comprising: a storage container having a decontamination agent; a decontamination array fluidly connected to the reservoir, the decontamination array having at least one spray head configured to release the decontamination agent into the workspace; A decontamination system having providing the apparatus, releasing the decontamination agent into the workspace to decontaminate the workspace; A method comprising:

29. 1. A method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: Providing an apparatus, said apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening; at least one sensor for detecting the position of the sash relative to the opening; at least one visual indicator attached to the housing; Equipped with providing the apparatus, wherein the at least one visual indicator is configured to emit a visual signal indicative of the position of the sash; emitting a visual signal indicative of the position of the sash; A method comprising:

30. 1. A method for providing safe handling of biological and / or chemical materials, comprising: Providing an apparatus, said apparatus comprising: an enclosure enclosing a workspace, the enclosure including an opening for accessing the workspace; a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening; at least one camera mounted on the housing to capture image data of at least one of the workspace and the opening; a computer configured to analyze image data acquired by the at least one camera to identify a substance placed in the workspace; and providing the apparatus, identifying a substance placed in the workspace; A method comprising:

31. 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the sash is pivotally connected to the housing such that the sash is selectively rotatable between the closed position and the open position.

32. a sash attached to the housing, the sash configured to move between a closed position in which the sash covers the opening in the workspace and an open position in which the sash does not cover the opening in the workspace; 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the sash is pivotally mounted to the housing such that the sash is selectively rotatable between the closed position and the open position.

33. 20. The device of claim 18, wherein the sash is pivotally mounted to the housing such that the sash is selectively rotatable between the closed position and the open position.

34. 23. The device of claim 22, wherein the sash is pivotally mounted to the housing such that the sash is selectively rotatable between the closed position and the open position.

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