IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,326,355
Granted Patent B2
US 7,326,355 · App. 10/929,275 · Granted Feb 5, 2008

Mobile filtration facility and methods of use

Assignee: Hyclone Laboratories, Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,326,355
App. No.
10/929,275
Granted
Feb 5, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

A mobile first housing bounds a substantially sterile clean room, a filtration room, and at least one change room communicating between clean room. A fluid filtration system is disposed within the first housing, the filtration system includes a first support container in which a disposable fill bag is disposed. A disposable fluid line extends between the fill bag and the at least one filter. A support bin is also disposed within the first housing. A disposable pooling bag is disposed within the support bin, the pooling bag being in fluid communication with the at least one filter. A disposable fill line has a first end in fluid communication with the pooling bag and an opposing second end disposed within the clean room.

Claims (25)

1. A method for filtering a liquid derived from mammalian blood, the method comprising:

transporting a mobile filtration facility to a first storage facility housing a liquid derived from mammalian blood, the mobile filtration facility comprising a mobile first housing bounding at least a substantially sterile clean room and a filtration area separated from the clean room;

delivering a first batch of the liquid into a disposable fill bag located within the filtration area of the first housing;

processing the liquid located within the fill bag through at least one filter and into a disposable pooling bag so as to obtain a true pool of the first batch of the liquid within the pooling bag; and

dispensing the filtered liquid located within the pooling bag into a plurality of packaging containers located within the clean room.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first batch of unfiltered liquid is initially frozen, the method comprising thawing the first batch of the liquid prior to delivering the first batch of the liquid into the disposable fill bag.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 , further comprising thawing the entire first batch of the liquid within a thaw room of the mobile filtration facility.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 , wherein the mobile filtration facility comprises a mobile second housing bounding the thaw room.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the act of delivering the first batch of the liquid comprises pouring the first batch of the liquid through a screen and into the fill bag.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising continuously mixing the filtered liquid within the pooling bag while the filtered liquid is being dispensed into the packaging containers.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the liquid derived from mammalian blood comprises serum, plasma, or fractions thereof.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the act of processing the liquid comprises pumping the liquid through at least one prefilter having a filter membrane with a porosity in a range from about 0.2 μm to about 10 μm and through at least one final filter having a filter membrane with a porosity of about 0.1 μm, the at least one prefilter being fluid coupled in series with the at least one final filter.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the act of dispensing the filtered liquid comprises:

dispensing a first volume of the filtered liquid into a first packaging container;

weighing the packaging container containing the first volume; and

dispensing a second volume of the filtered liquid into a second packaging container, the second volume being based on the weight of the packaging container containing the first volume.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first housing bounds a packaging room that is separated from the clean room by a partition wall, a double door pass-through conduit is formed on the partition wall, the method further comprising transferring the packaging containers containing the liquid from the clean room to the packaging room through the pass-through conduit.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the mobile filtration facility comprises a mobile second housing bounding a freezer room, the packaging containers containing the filtered liquid being frozen within the freezer room of the mobile second housing.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

replacing the fill bag, at least one filter, and pooling bag with a new fill bag, at least one filter, and pooling bag, respectively; and

delivering a second batch of the liquid into the new fill bag.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

transporting the mobile filtration facility to a second storage facility housing liquid derived from mammalian blood; and

using the mobile filtration facility to filter the liquid of the second storage facility.

14. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the second storage facility is in a separate country from the first storage facility.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 30, 2004
From: GRAETZ, GARY; ZILLES, TRACY
To: HYCLONE LABORATORIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 015757/0721 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 6055819600 · Mar 31, 2004
Related Publication 20050218075A1 · Oct 6, 2005