Liquid container

Claim 1

A sterile specimen container comprising: hollow receptacle means for receiving the specimen including a side wall integrally joined to a bottom wall, a circular rim portion integrally joined to said side wall and and external thread means provided on said rim portion; closure cap means including skirt portion defining a skirt rim and having internal thread means threadably engaging said external thread means on said receptacle; circular flange means provided on said receptacle means and engageable with said skirt rim as said cap means is threadably advanced onto said receptacle means; at least three support legs depending downwardly from said skirt portion of said cap means and spaced radially outwardly from said skirt rim to permit said skirt rim to engage said flange means, said support legs defining a support plane for said cap means spaced from said skirt rim with said cap means separated from said receptacle means, whereby said skirt rim is separated from contaminants by said legs; and a sealing system for indicating the sealed and sterile condition of said container comprising a frangible detent positioned on one of said cap and receptacle means adjacent the interface between said cap and receptacle means, and abutment means provided on the other of said cap and receptacle means and arranged to engage with and shear said detent as said cap and receptacle means are rotated with respect to each other on said thread means, whereby the presence of said detent on said container indicates the sterility of said container; said cap and receptacle means further being constructed from material having relative flexibility which permits said cap means to be forced onto said receptacle rim portion over said external thread means to seal said container and position said detent in operative relationship with respect to said abutment means and further to operatively engage said internal and external thread means.