Sterile container

Claim 1

A STERILE CONTAINER COMPRISING A SHELL FOR HOLDING A STERILE UNIT AND HAVING A NORMALLY OPEN END DEFINING A BORE OF CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION FOR INSERTION OF SAID STERILE UNIT IN THE SHELL AND REMOVAL OF THE UNIT THEREFROM; AND A PRESS-ON CAP ADAPTED TO CLOSE THE OPEN END OF THE SHELL AND PROVIDE A HERMETIC SEAL THEREWITH, SAID CAP COMPRISING A CLOSURE PORTION ADAPTED TO FIT TIGHTLY IN SAID BORE, A PLURALITY OF THIN RIBS SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT SAID CLOSURE PORTION AND CONNECTED AT ONE END OF SAID CLOSURE PORTION, A LOCKING RING CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID RIBS, AND A HOLDING RIM PRESENTED BY SAID SHELL FOR ENGAGING SAID LOCKING RING WHEN SAID CAP IS IN POSITION ON THE SHELL, THE NORMAL INNER DIAMETER OF SAID LOCKING RING BEING LESS THAN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF SAID HOLDING RIM AND SAID LOCKING RING PRESENTING A FLANGE PORTION EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY BEYOND SAID HOLDING RIM WHEN THE CAP IS IN POSITION ON THE SHELL, SAID LOCKING RING BEING FORMED OF RESILIENT MATERIAL AND ONE OF SAID LOCKING RING AND SAID HOLDING RIM PRESENTING AN INCLINED ANNULAR SURFACE FOR CREATING A NONREVERSIBLE CAM ACTION FOR RADIALLY DISPLACING SAIDD LOCKING RING OUTWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID HOLDING RIM TO ALLOW THE FLANGE PORTION AND THE REMAINDER OF THE LOCKING RING TO FIT OVER SAID RIM AND SNAP IN POSITION THEREON, THE LOCKING RING BEING PREVENTED FROM ROTATING WITH RESPECT TO THE HOLDING RIM BY THE ENGAGEMENT OCCURRING BETWEEN THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE LOCKING RING AND THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF THE HOLDING RIM DUE TO THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEIR RESPECTIVE INNER AND OUTER DIAMETERS AND THE LOCKING RING BEING PREVENTED FROM MOVING AXIALLY AWAY FROM THE SHELL BY THE FLANGE PORTION SNAPPED OVER THE HOLDING RIM, SAID RIBS BEING ADAPTED TO BREAK WHEN THE CLOSURE PORTION OF THE CAP IS ROTATED BY HAND WITH RESPECT TO THE SHELL, THEREBY ALLOWING THE CLOSURE PORTION OF THE CAP TO BE REMOVED FROM THE SHELL AND AT THE SAME TIME INDICATING THAT THE CONTAINER HAS BEEN OPENED.