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Claims  |
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I claim:
1. A liquid vessel, comprising:
(a) a container including a stiff floor, a sidewall connected at a lower
portion of the sidewall to the floor and having an upper portion including
a rim surrounding an opening into the container, said sidewall further
including a flexure portion below said upper portion thereof,
(b) a closure for said container, said closure including a stiff base
smaller than said opening and a sidewall connected at a lower portion of
the sidewall to the base, said sidewall including a flexure portion, said
base having a topside and a bottomside, said bottomside including a
dependent stiff projection of length to extend adjacent said container
floor upon closure of said container, said topside including at least one
upstanding nozzle opening only to said bottomside.
2. An assembly of the liquid vessel of claim 1 comprising a first said
container and closure, a second said container and closure, and a retainer
interconnecting said first and second containers, at least a portion of
the retainer fixing the containers side-by-side.
3. The liquid vessel assembly of claim 2, each said container floor having
an upperside and an underside, the floor of one container having on the
underside thereof one member of a coupling interlock pair and the floor of
the other container having on the underside thereof the other member of a
coupling interlock pair.
4. The liquid vessel assembly of claim 2 in which said fixing portion of
said retainer is severable.
5. The liquid vessel assembly of claim 4 in which in addition to said
fixing portion said retainer comprises at least one connector loosely
connecting the first and second containers.
6. The liquid vessel assembly of claim 2 further comprising a funnel for
connection thereto, said funnel including a wall tapering inwardly from an
upper entrance opening to two lower outlets positioned below said funnel
opening, said funnel between said entrance opening and said outlets having
a distributor for distributing to both said outlets a liquid admitted
through the funnel entrance opening, said fixing portion of said retainer
including one member of at least one pair of companion means for
releasably connecting said funnel to said fixing portion in position to
empty liquid from said funnel outlets into said container openings in the
absence of said container closures, said funnel exteriorly of said funnel
wall having the other member of said companion means for releasable
connection of said funnel to said fixing portion of said retainer.
7. The liquid vessel assembly of claim 6, wherein the funnel includes a
handle extending in substantially the direction of a line connecting the
axes of the funnel outlets.
8. The liquid vessel of claim 1 further comprising means on said closure
operative with means on said container for sealingly securing said closure
to said container.
9. The liquid vessel of claim 8, wherein said closure upper portion
includes a rim surrounding said opening and said closure sidewall includes
an upper portion comprising a flange radially extending thereby to press
on said rim of said container when said closure closes said container.
10. The liquid vessel of claim 9 in which at least the upper portion of
said sidewall of said container comprises a deformable material and said
rim of said container comprises a gasket, said fixing portion of said
retainer includes an upright portion surrounding an upper portion of the
container between said rim and said flexure portion of said sidewall, said
upright portion supports said rim and has threads formed exteriorly
thereon, and said closure includes a depending flange having threads
formed thereon cooperative with the threads on said retainer.
11. The liquid vessel of claim 9 in which at least the upper portion of
said sidewall of said container comprises a rigid material having threads
formed exteriorly thereon and said closure includes a downflange having
threads formed thereon cooperative with the exterior threads on said
container to secure said closure to said container.
12. The liquid vessel of claim 8 in which the fixing portion of said
retainer includes a ratchet reverse turn stop and said closure includes a
ratchet member slideable over said stop in the forward turn direction
only, said forward turn direction being the direction in which said
closure is turned to screw said closure by said threads onto said
container.
13. A method of handling a liquid sample, comprising:
(a) placing a specimen of a liquid in a container including a stiff floor
having an upperside and bottomside, a sidewall connected at a lower
portion of the sidewall to the floor, and an upper portion having a rim
surrounding an opening into the container, said sidewall further having a
flexure portion below said upper portion thereof, and
(b) closing the container with a closure comprising a stiff base smaller
than said opening of the container and a sidewall connected to said base
at a lower portion of the sidewall, said closure sidewall having a flexure
portion, said closure base having a topside and a bottomside, said closure
base bottomside including a dependent stiff projection of length to extend
adjacent said container floor upperside upon closure of said container,
and said closure base topside including at least one upstanding nozzle
opening only to said closure base bottomside, whereby said closure base
bottomside projection is positioned adjacent said container floor
upperside.
14. The method of claim 13 in which said adjacent closure projection does
not contact said container floor, and which further comprises:
(c) after step (b) and before any of steps (d)-(g), inverting the
container,
(d) advancing the projection of the closure base in the closed container
sufficiently toward the container floor while maintaining the container
stationary, initially to extend said flexure sidewalls of the closure and
push said projection of the closure base of the container into contact
with the upperside of the container floor, then to extend said flexure
sidewalls of the container, thereby enlarging the volume within the
container and reducing the intra-container pressure,
(e) while maintaining the sidewall extensions imparted in step (d),
creating an aperture in said nozzle remote from said opening thereof,
thereby to equilibrate the intrachamber pressure of the container with
ambient pressure,
(f) moving the projection of the closure base of the closed container in a
direction away from contact with said container floor sufficiently to
reduce the extension of said flexure sidewalls of the closure and the
container and thereby decrease the volume within the container and
increase the intra-container pressure without forcing any liquid from said
container through said aperture, and
(g) advancing the projection of the closure base of the inverted container
toward the floor thereof while maintaining the inverted container
stationary, to extend said flexure sidewall of the closure, without
contacting the inverted container floor with such closure projection,
sufficiently to further decrease the volume of the inverted container and
further increase the intra-container pressure to an extent effective to
expel liquid from the inverted container through said aperture.
15. The method of claim 13 in which said adjacent closure projection
contacts said container floor, and which further comprises:
(c) after step (b) and before any of steps (d)-(g), inverting the
container,
(d) advancing the projection of the closure base in the closed container
against the container floor while maintaining the container stationary to
extend said flexure sidewall of the container, thereby enlarging the
volume within the container and reducing the intra-container pressure,
(e) while maintaining the sidewall extension imparted in step (d), creating
an aperture in said nozzle remote from said opening thereof, thereby to
equilibrate the intrachamber pressure of the container with ambient
pressure,
(f) removing the projection of the closure base of the closed container
from contact with said container floor to reduce the extension of said
flexure sidewalls of at least the container sufficiently thereby to
decrease the volume within the container and increase the intra-container
pressure without forcing any liquid from said container through said
aperture, and
(g) advancing the projection of the closure base of the inverted container
toward the floor thereof while maintaining the inverted container
stationary, to extend said flexure sidewall of the closure, without
contacting the inverted container floor with such closure projection,
sufficiently to further decrease the volume of the inverted container and
further increase the intra-container pressure to an extent effective to
expel liquid from the inverted container through said aperture.
16. The method of claim 13 in which said closure projection contacts said
container floor, and which further comprises:
(c) after step (b) and before any of steps (d)-(f), inverting the
container,
(d) advancing the projection of the closure base in the closed container
against the container floor while maintaining the container stationary to
extend said flexure sidewall of the container, thereby enlarging the
volume within the container and reducing the intra-container pressure,
(e) while maintaining the sidewall extension imparted in step (d), creating
an aperture in said nozzle remote from said opening thereof, thereby to
equilibrate the intrachamber pressure of the container with ambient
pressure,
(f) moving said container floor in the direction of said closure base to
reduce the extension of said flexure sidewalls of the container and the
closure sufficiently thereby to decrease the volume within the container
and increase the intra-container pressure to an extent effective to expel
liquid from the inverted container through said aperture.
17. The method of any of claims 13 in which a first said container is fixed
by a retainer side by side with a second like container and comprising in
step (a) placing a specimen in each of such containers, and in step (b)
closing each of the containers with a like said closure.
18. The method of claim 17 in which said step (a) includes placing said
specimen into an entrance opening of a funnel releasably connected to said
retainer, said funnel including a wall tapering inwardly from said upper
entrance opening to two lower outlets positioned below said funnel
opening, said funnel between said entrance opening and said outlets having
a distributor for distributing said specimen to both said outlets, and
further comprising, after step (a) and before step (b), disconnecting said
funnel from said retainer.
19. The method of claim 17 in which said retainer includes a severable
segment interconnecting said first and second containers, the floor of the
first container having on the underside thereof one member of a coupling
interlock pair and the floor of the second container having on the
underside thereof the other member of a coupling interlock pair, and
further comprising:
severing said severable segment to release the first and second containers
from said fixed side-by-side position, and
coupling said members of said coupling interlock pair, so that the floor of
the second containers is connected to the floor of the first container and
is inverted when the first container is upright.
20. The method of claims 17 in which said adjacent projection of the
closure in said second container does not contact said second container
floor, and which further comprises:
(c) after step (b) and before any of steps (d)-(g), inverting said second
container,
(d) advancing the projection of the closure base in said second container
sufficiently toward the second container floor while maintaining such
second container stationary, initially to extend said flexure sidewalls of
the closure thereof and push said projection of the closure base of such
second container into contact with the upperside of said container floor,
then to extend said flexure sidewalls of such second container, thereby
enlarging the volume within such second container and reducing the
intra-container pressure,
(e) while maintaining the sidewall extensions imparted in step (d),
creating an aperture in the nozzle of such second container remote from
said opening of said nozzle, thereby to equilibrate the intrachamber
pressure of such second container with ambient pressure,
(f) moving the projection of the closure base of such second container in a
direction away from contact with said second container floor sufficiently
to reduce the extension of said flexure sidewalls of the closure of the
second container and such second container and thereby decrease the volume
within such second container and increase the intra-container pressure
without forcing any liquid from such second container through said
aperture, and
(g) advancing the projection of the closure base of the inverted such
second container toward the floor thereof while maintaining such inverted
second container stationary, to extend said flexure sidewall of the
closure thereof, without contacting the inverted second container floor
with such closure projection, sufficiently to further decrease the volume
of such inverted second container and further increase the intra-container
pressure to an extent effective to expel liquid from such inverted second
container through said aperture.
21. The method of claim 20 in which said retainer includes a severable
segment interconnecting said first and second containers, the floor of the
first container having on the underside thereof one member of a coupling
interlock pair and the floor of the second container having on the
underside thereof the other member of a coupling interlock pair, and in
which said step (c) is performed before step (d) and further comprises:
severing said severable segment to release the first and second containers
from said fixed side-by-side position, and
coupling said members of said coupling interlock pair, so that the floor of
the second containers is connected to the floor of the first container and
is inverted when the first container is upright.
22. The method of claim 20 further comprising sealing the opened nozzle of
said inverted second container after step (g).
23. The method of claim 22 comprising, after said step of sealing,
decoupling said members of said coupling pair to separate said first and
second containers.
24. The method of claim 23 in which said retainer further comprises at
least one serpentine connector loosely connecting the containers, and
wherein said method further comprises severing said serpentine connector
after said step of sealing or after said step of decoupling.
25. The method of claim 17 in which said adjacent projection of the closure
in said second container contacts said second container floor, and which
further comprises:
(c) after step (b) and before any of steps (d)-(g), inverting the second
container,
(d) advancing the projection of the closure base in the second container
against the second container floor while maintaining the second container
stationary to extend said flexure sidewall of the second container,
thereby enlarging the volume within the second container and reducing the
intra-container pressure,
(e) while maintaining the sidewall extension imparted in step (d), creating
an aperture in said nozzle of the second container remote from said
opening of such nozzle, thereby to equilibrate the intrachamber pressure
of the second container with ambient pressure,
(f) removing the projection of the closure base of the second container
from contact with said second container floor to reduce the extension of
at least said flexure sidewalls of the second container sufficiently
thereby to decrease the volume within the second container and increase
the intra-container pressure thereof without forcing any liquid from said
second container through said aperture, and
(g) advancing the projection of the closure base of the inverted second
container toward the floor thereof while maintaining the inverted second
container stationary, to extend said flexure sidewall of the closure
thereof, without contacting the inverted second container floor with such
closure projection, sufficiently to further decrease the volume of the
inverted second container and further increase the intra-container
pressure to an extent effective to expel liquid from the inverted second
container through said aperture.
26. The method of claim 25 in which said retainer includes a severable
segment interconnecting said first and second containers, the floor of the
first container having on the underside thereof one member of a coupling
interlock pair and the floor of the second container having on the
underside thereof the other member of a coupling interlock pair, and in
which said step (c) is performed before step (d) and further comprises:
severing said severable segment to release the first and second containers
from said fixed side-by-side position, and
coupling said members of said coupling interlock pair, so that the floor of
the second containers is connected to the floor of the first container and
is inverted when the first container is upright.
27. The method of claim 25 further comprising sealing the opened nozzle of
said inverted second container after step (g).
28. The method of claim 27 comprising, after said step of sealing,
decoupling said members of said coupling pair to separate said first and
second containers.
29. The method of claim 28 in which said retainer further comprises at
least one serpentine connector loosely connecting the containers, and
wherein said method further comprises severing said serpentine connector
after said step of sealing or after said step of decoupling.
30. The method of claim 17 in which said adjacent projection of the closure
in said second container contacts said second container floor, and which
further comprises:
(c) after step (b) and before any of steps (d)-(f), inverting the second
container,
(d) advancing the projection of the closure base in the second container
against the second container floor while maintaining the second container
stationary to extend said flexure sidewall of the second container,
thereby enlarging the volume within the second container and reducing the
intra-container pressure,
(e) while maintaining the sidewall extension imparted in step (d), creating
an aperture in said nozzle of the second container remote from said
opening of such nozzle, thereby to equilibrate the intrachamber pressure
of the second container with ambient pressure,
(f) moving the inverted second container floor in the direction of said
closure base thereof to reduce the extension of said flexure sidewalls of
the inverted second container and the closure thereof sufficiently thereby
to decrease the volume within the inverted second container and increase
the intra-container pressure to an extent effective to expel liquid from
the inverted second container through said aperture.
31. The method of claim 30 in which said retainer includes a severable
segment interconnecting said first and second containers, the floor of the
first container having on the underside thereof one member of a coupling
interlock pair and the floor of the second container having on the
underside thereof the other member of a coupling interlock pair, and in
which said step (c) is performed before step (d) and further comprises:
severing said severable segment to release the first and second containers
from said fixed side-by-side position, and
coupling said members of said coupling interlock pair, so that the floor of
the second containers is connected to the floor of the first container and
is inverted when the first container is upright.
32. The method of claim 30 further comprising sealing the aperture of said
nozzle of said inverted second container after step (f).
33. The method of claim 32 comprising, after said step of sealing,
decoupling said members of said coupling pair to separate said first and
second containers.
34. The method of claim 33 in which said retainer further comprises at
least one serpentine connector loosely connecting the containers, and
wherein said method further comprises severing said serpentine connector
after said step of sealing or after said step of decoupling. |
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Claims |
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