Apparatus for testing the effectiveness of sterilization by heat

Claim 1

THE IMPROVEMENT OF APPRATUS FOR TESTNG THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STERILIZATION BY HEAT COMPRISING A SELF-CONTAINED ASSEMBLY FORMED OF AN OUTER CONTAINER, AN INNER CONTAINER OF SMALLER DIMENSIONS THAN SAID OUTER CONTAINER AND POSITIONED WITHIN THE LATTER, SAID INNER CONTAINER HAVING AN OPENING FORMED THEREIN, A NUTRIENT CULTURE MEDIUM IN ONE OF SAID CONTAINERS, A PLURALITY OF MICROORGANISM SPORES DISPOSED IN THE OTHER CONTAINER, PRESSURE RELEASABLE SEALING MEANS NORMALLY CLOSING THE OPENING IN SAID INNER CONTAINER TO MAINTAIN THE NUTRIENT CULTURE MEDIUM AND SAID MICRO-ORGANISM SPORES OUT OF CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER BEFORE AND DURING THE STERILIZATION CYCLE, FLANGE MEANS ON SAID PRESSURE RELEASABLE SEALING MEANS TO PREVENT THE LATTER FROM BEING DRAWN INTO SAID INNER CONTAINER DUE TO PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER CONTAINER DURING THE HEATING PERIOD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STERILIZATION CYCLE, SAID PRESSURE RELEASABLE SEALING MEANS BEING FRICTIONALLY HELD WITHIN THE OPENING IN SAID INNER CONTAINER DURING THE COOLING PERIOD AT THE END OF THE STERILIZATION CYCLE CAUSES SAID PRESSURE RELEASABLE SEALING MEANS TO BE EJECTED FROM THE INNER CONTAINER OPENING, SAID INNER CONTAINER BEING POSITIONED WITHIN SAID OUTER CONTAINER SO AS TO PERMIT SAID NUTRIENT CULTURE MEDIUM AND SAID MICRO-ORGANISM SPORES TO MIX WITH EACH OTHER AFTER SAID PRESSURE RELEASABLE SEALING MEANS IS EJECTED FROM THE INNER CONTAINER OPENING, AND MEANS FOR SEALING THE OUTER CONTAINER TO ENABLE THE SELF-CONTAINED ASSEMBLY TO BE INCUBATED AFTER STERILIZATION TO CAUSE THE GROWTH OF ANY MICROORGANISM SPORES WHICH MAY HAVE SURVIVED STERILIZATION AND THEREBY INDICATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE STERILIZATION CYCLE.