Sterilizing container for medical and surgical instruments and apparatus
First Claim
1. A sterilizing container for medical and surgical instruments and apparatus comprising a rigid box of sterilizing temperature-resistant plastic material including a bottom part with side walls and a cover for closing and sealing the bottom part in a germ-tight manner, said bottom part having openings in said side walls which are covered by germ-tight but sterilization vapor or sterilization gas permeable filter layers, said bottom part and said cover being constructed so as to have cooperating engagement structures at one side of said box which retain the cover on said bottom part when said cover is fully closed and at the opposite side of said box resilient cooperating locking structures which are engaged and lock the cover to the bottom part when said cover is closed and upwardly and downwardly open grooves formed respectively on said bottom part below and on said cover above said locking structure and receiving the lower and upper edges of a safety tag upon closing of said cover and side locking members arranged at the opposite edges of said safety tag such that said safety tag is firmly positioned in front of said locking structure when said cover is fully closed, said safety tag being destructible to obtain access to said locking structure for opening said container.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a sterilizing container for medical and surgical instruments comprising a box with a bottom part and a cover for sealing the bottom part in a germ-tight manner, the side walls of the bottom part of the box have openings covered on the outside with germ-tight but sterilization gas permeable filter layers which are held in position by retaining plates mounted on the side walls, the cover of the box being locked to the bottom part by a locking structure formed at one end of the box at which the cover and bottom part includes retaining structures receiving a safety tag which covers the locking structure when the cover is closed in such a way that the safety tag is firmly positioned in front of the locking structure and the locking structure is only accessible by destroying the safety tag.
108 Citations
17 Claims
- 1. A sterilizing container for medical and surgical instruments and apparatus comprising a rigid box of sterilizing temperature-resistant plastic material including a bottom part with side walls and a cover for closing and sealing the bottom part in a germ-tight manner, said bottom part having openings in said side walls which are covered by germ-tight but sterilization vapor or sterilization gas permeable filter layers, said bottom part and said cover being constructed so as to have cooperating engagement structures at one side of said box which retain the cover on said bottom part when said cover is fully closed and at the opposite side of said box resilient cooperating locking structures which are engaged and lock the cover to the bottom part when said cover is closed and upwardly and downwardly open grooves formed respectively on said bottom part below and on said cover above said locking structure and receiving the lower and upper edges of a safety tag upon closing of said cover and side locking members arranged at the opposite edges of said safety tag such that said safety tag is firmly positioned in front of said locking structure when said cover is fully closed, said safety tag being destructible to obtain access to said locking structure for opening said container.
- 6. A sterilizing container for medical and surgical instruments and apparatus comprising a rigid box of sterilizing temperature-resistant plastic material including a bottom part with side walls and a cover for closing and sealing the bottom part in a germ-tight manner, said bottom part having openings in said side walls which are covered by germ-tight but sterilization vapor or sterilization gas permeable filter layers disposed on the outside of the respective side wall portions of said bottom part and retained in place by retaining plates with openings, the retaining plates being engaged between retaining webs, and ledges projecting from the side wall of said bottom part, said bottom part and said cover being constructed so as to have cooperating engagement structures at one side of said box which retain the cover on said bottom part when said cover is fully closed and at the opposite side of said box resilient cooperating locking structures which are engaged and lock the cover to the bottom part when said cover is closed and retaining means formed on said cover and said bottom part and adapted to receive a safety tag upon closing of said cover such that said safety tag is firmly positioned in front of said locking structure when said cover is fully closed, said safety tag being destructible to obtain access to said locking structure for opening said container.
- 8. A sterilizing container for medical and surgical instruments comprising a rigid box of sterilizing temperature-resistant plastic material including a bottom part with side walls and cover for closing and sealing the bottom part in a germ-tight manner, said bottom part having openings in said side walls which are covered by germ-tight but sterilization vapor or sterilization gas permeable filter layers, said cover being a two-part structure including a cover member having a seal profile structure extending therefrom at its circumference for exgagement with a complementary seal profile structure extending from the side walls of said bottom part, and a mounting frame disposed on said cover member and having opposite side rim portions extending around the side edges of said cover member, said mounting frame being mounted on said cover member so as to be movable relative to said cover member for a predetermined distance and in a direction parallel to said side portions, the side walls of said bottom part having at their top outwardly projecting spaced ledges and said mounting frame side portions having inwardly extending spaced projections fitting through the spaces between said ledges and adapted to engage said outwardly projecting ledges by sliding movement of said mounting frame when said cover member is placed onto said bottom part for locking said cover member with said bottom part.
Specification