Instrument tray

Claim 1

AN INSTRUMENT PACKAGE, COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND DISSIMILAR AND SEPARABLE TRAY SECTIONS EACH HAVING A BOTTOM WALL PROVIDED WITH SUPPORT ELEMENTS FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING ELONGATED DENTAL INSTRUMENTS AND THE LIKE OF VARIOUS CONFIGURATION AND DIMENSION, SUPPORT STRUCTURE REMOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID SECOND TRAY SECTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID TRAY SECTION AND INCLUDING UPWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE WALLS PROVIDED BY SAID FIRST TRAY SECTION AND TERMINATING A SPACED DISTANCE ABOVE THE BOTTOM WALL THEREOF, SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE ALSO INCLUDING A PAIR OF DOWNWARDLY OPENING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CHANNELS PROVIDED BY SAID SECOND TRAY SECTION AND BEING RESPECTIVELY ADAPTED TO REMOVABLY RECEIVE SAID SIDE WALLS THEREIN, SAID SIDE WALLS AND CHANNELS BEING COOPERATIVELY INTERRELATED TO DISPOSE THE BOTTOM WALLS OF SAID TRAY SECTION IN SPACED APART RELATION TO PROVIDE A PREDETERMINED CLEARANCE SPACE THEREBETWEEN FOR ACCOMODATING DENTAL INSTRUMENTS SUPPORTED UPON THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID FIRST TRAY SECTION, SAID TRAY SECTIONS HAVING OPENINGS THEREBETWEEN TO PROVIDE RELATIVELY FREE ACCESS TO SUCH CLEARANCE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BOTTOM WALLS FOR FACILITATING ADMISSION OF A STERILIZING ATMOSPHERE THEREINTO, SAID CHANNELS BEING DEFINED AT LEAST IN PART BY WALL PORTIONS OF SAID SECOND TRAY SECTION WHICH EXTEND UPWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM WALL THEREOF TO A LOCATION A SPACED DISTANCE ABOVE SUCH BOTTOM WALL AND ANY INSTRUMENTS SUPPORTED THEREON, A PLURALITY OF INSTRUMENTS SUPPORTED BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRAY SECTIONS, AND A WRAPPER ENCLOSING THE INSTRUMENT-EQUIPPED TRAY SECTIONS TO MAINTAIN THE SAME IN A SUBSTANTIALLY ASEPTIC CONDITION SUBSEQUENT TO STERILIZATION OF THE ENTIRE PACKAGE, SAID CHANNEL-DEFINING WALL PORTIONS OF SAID SECOND TRAY SECTION BEING IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID WRAPPER AND TENDING TO SUPPORT THE SAME ABOVE THE ELEVATION OF SUCH INSTRUMENTS CARRIED BY THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID SECOND TRAY SECTION TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO SUCH INSTRUMENTS FOR FACILITATING ADMISSION OF A STERILIZING ATMOSPHERE TO THE SPACE THEREABOUT.