Medical fail safe releasible locks and/or seals for capped disposable centrifuge containers, cryogenic vials and the like

Claim 1

A combination comprising: a liquid specimen container comprising wall means defining a closed distal end and an open proximal end; a cap comprising male means which project into the container opening when the cap is closed; a releasible externally-applied lock comprising means holding the cap and the container at the opening thereof in a leak-free closed state during centrifuging, boiling, freezing and like processing in a specimen testing laboratory, the lock being formed of synthetic resinous material with memory, the combination accommodating removal of all or part of the processed specimen from the container through the opening after the lock is externally removed and the cap is open; seal means carried by the male means so as to be compressively interposed between the male means of the cap and the wall means of the container in sealing relation.

Claim 3

A method of holding a capped liquid specimen container in a leak-free closed state during centrifuging, boiling, freezing and like processing in a specimen testing laboratory comprising the steps of: manually closing the cap upon an opening of a container causing seal means internally interposed between the cap and the container to create a seal and a first releasible lock; manually forcing an externally-applied releasible lock of synthetic resinous material retainingly upon the closed cap and adjacent portion of the container to hold the closed cap and the adjacent portion of the container in an improved sealed condition prohibiting loss of any portion of the liquid specimen through the container opening and across the cap during boiling, centrifuging, freezing and the like; perserving the internal seal means and the externally-applied releasible lock in their retaining condition during processing of the liquid specimens in the container; manually removing the lock and breaking the lock of the seal means to open the container; withdrawing part or all of the specimen from the container.

Claim 4

A method of holding a capped liquid specimen container in a leak-free closed state during centrifuging, boiling, freezing and like processing in a specimen testing laboratory comprising the steps of: manually closing the cap upon an opening of a container causing seal means internally interposed between the cap and the container to create a seal and a first releasible lock; manually forcing an externally-applied releasible lock of synthetic resinous material retainingly upon the closed cap and adjacent portion of the container to hold the closed cap and the adjacent portion of the container in an improved sealed condition prohibiting loss of any portion of the liquid specimen through the container opening and across the cap during boiling, centrifuging, freezing and the like; perserving the internal seal means and the externally-applied releasible lock in their retaining condition during processing of the liquid specimens in the container; manually removing the lock and breaking the lock of the seal means to open the container; withdrawing part or all of the specimen from the container.

Claim 16

A method of holding a capped liquid specimen container in a leak-free closed state during centrifuging, boiling, freezing and like processing in a specimen testing laboratory comprising the steps of: manually closing the cap upon an opening of a container causing means of the cap to be distended upon a male portion of the cap which means become internally disposed within the container in compressively retained relationship during this closing step; manually forcing an externally-applied releasible lock of synthetic resinous material retainingly upon the closed cap and adjacent portion of the container with liquid specimen therein to hold the closed cap and the adjacent portion of the container together against loss of the liquid specimen through the container opening and across the cap during boiling, centrifuging, freezing and the like; preserving the internal compressively retained relationship and the externally-applied releasible lock in their retaining condition during processing of the liquid specimens in the container; manually removing the lock and manually breaking the compressive relationship of the means of the cap to open the container; withdrawing part or all of the specimen from the container.

Claim 17

A method of holding a capped liquid specimen container in a leak-free closed state during centrifuging, boiling, freezing and like processing in a specimen testing laboratory comprising the steps of: manually closing the cap upon an opening of a container causing means of the cap to be distended upon a male portion of the cap which means become internally disposed within the container in compressively retained relationship during this closing step; manually forcing an externally-applied releasible lock of synthetic resinous material retainingly upon the closed cap and adjacent portion of the container with liquid specimen therein to hold the closed cap and the adjacent portion of the container together against loss of the liquid specimen through the container opening and across the cap during boiling, centrifuging, freezing and the like; preserving the internal compressively retained relationship and the externally-applied releasible lock in their retaining condition during processing of the liquid specimens in the container; manually removing the lock and manually breaking the compressive relationship of the means of the cap to open the container; withdrawing part or all of the specimen from the container.

Claim 18

A method of holding a capped liquid specimen container in a leak-free closed state during centrifuging, boiling, freezing and like processing in a specimen testing laboratory comprising the steps of: placing a divergently-shaped skirt means of a cap so that the skirt means contiguously and compressively engage the interior of the container adjacent a mouth thereof as the cap is closed; simultaneously causing seal means to be interposed and tri-compressed between the container and the cap; processing of the liquid specimen.

Claim 19

A method of holding a capped liquid specimen container in a leak-free closed state during centrifuging, boiling, freezing and like processing in a specimen testing laboratory comprising the steps of: placing a divergently-shaped skirt means of a cap so that the skirt means contiguously and compressively engage the interior of the container adjacent a mouth thereof as the cap is closed; simultaneously causing seal means to be interposed and tri-compressed between the container and the cap; processing of the liquid specimen.