Patent attributes
A cart transports items between a controlled environment (e.g., a clean room or an airlock to a clean room) and an uncontrolled environment. The cart has a main body that carries the items, and a removable and interchangeable wheel base assembly. A first wheel base assembly is located in the uncontrolled environment and a second wheel base assembly is located in the controlled environment. The user can push the cart (with the first wheel base assembly) up to the second wheel base assembly at the boundary between the controlled environment and the uncontrolled environment. The user then unlocks the main body from the first wheel base assembly, slides the main body onto the second wheel base assembly, and locks the main body to the second wheel base assembly. An autoclavable storage and transport cart can hold several wheel base assemblies.