United States Patent [19]
`Sacherer et al.
`
`[54] STORAGE CONTAINER FOR TEST STRIPS
`
`[75]
`
`Inventors: Klaus-Dieter Sacherer, Kirchheim;
`Gregor Bainczyk, Mannheim, both of
`Germany
`
`[73] Assignee: Boehringer Mannheim GmbH,
`Mannheim, Germany
`
`[21] Appl No.: 766,694
`
`[22] Filed:
`
`Dec. 13, 1996
`
`II 1~IIIIIJIIIIJI~11111111
`
`US005788064A
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`5,788,064
`Aug. 4, 1998
`
`4,711,360
`4,717,018
`4,834,234
`5,205,431
`5,505,308
`5,620,107
`5,699,912
`
`lillman .................................... 220/335
`1211987
`111988 Sacherer et aI ..
`5/1989 Sacherer et aI ..
`411993 Zinnbaner ............................... 220/326
`411996 Eikmeier et ai ..
`411997 Takeuchi ................................. 220/335
`1211997 Ishikawa et aI ........................ 2061494
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENfS
`0538067 Al 1011992 European Pat. Oft' ..
`3411920 10/1984 Gennany.
`3/1995 Gennany.
`43 28 815
`
`[30]
`
`Foreign AppHcation Priority Data
`
`[DE] Gennany ........................ 19546684.5
`
`Dec. 14, 1995
`Int. CI. 6
`..................................................... B6SD 43/26
`[51]
`[52] U.S. CI ........................... 206/204; 2061449; 2201281;
`220/339; 2201344
`[58] Field of Search ..................................... 206/204. 449,
`206/494.569.807; 2201281, 260, 324,
`335,339,344
`
`[56]
`
`3,701,452
`3,907,103
`3,968,880
`4,042,105
`
`References Cited
`u.s. PATENT DOCUMENfS
`10/1972 Tonn ..................................... 220/46 R
`911975 Shaw....................................... 206/540
`7/1976 Ostrowsky .............................. 2061540
`811977 Taylor ..................................... 2061807
`
`Primary Examiner-Jimmy G. Foster
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Nikaido, Marmelstein, Murray &
`Oram LLP
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Storage container for test strips with a holder in which the
`test strips are contained and which is closed by a lid. The lid
`has an elastic seal on its inner side which, when the storage
`container is closed presses against a rim of the holder
`preventing an invasion of moisture into the storage con(cid:173)
`tainer. Holder and lid are connected to one another by a
`hinge. When the storage container is closed, the seal is
`deformed and pushes the lid after release of a locking means
`such that the storage container is at least partially opened.
`
`30 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
`
`CLARIANTX 1021 Page 1
`
`

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`u.s. Patent
`
`Aug. 4, 1998
`
`Sheet 1 of 6
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`Aug. 4, 1998
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`CLARIANTX 1021 Page 3
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`Aug. 4, 1998
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`CLARIANTX 1021 Page 5
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`Aug. 4, 1998
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`u.s. Patent
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`Aug. 4, 1998
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`Sheet 6 of 6
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`CLARIANTX 1021 Page 7
`
`

`
`1
`STORAGE CONTAINER FOR TEST STRIPS
`
`5,788,064
`
`The invention concerns a storage container for test strips
`with
`a holder having an orifice which is bordered by a rim.
`a lid which is connected to the holder by a hinge and
`which has an elastic seal on its inner side, which tightly
`urges against the rim of the holder when the storage
`container is closed, and
`a releasable locking means, which holds the storage 10
`container closed.
`whereby the elastic seal is deformed when the storage
`container is closed but returns to its non-deformed shape
`(rest geometry) when the locking means is released.
`whereby the lid is flipped around an axis of the hinge thereby 15
`leaving the storage container at least partly open.
`In the prior art numerous containers for the storage of test
`strips are known. Despite its rather poor handling
`characteristics, a storage container in the form of a cylinder
`with a sealing stopper having a desiccant on its inner side is 20
`frequently employed. Whilst this packaging form ensures
`that the test strips are very effectively protected against
`moisture. mechanical force and soiling. it has the disadvan(cid:173)
`tage that the stopper is difficult to remove when it is
`designed to create a sufficient seal. Further more the removal 25
`of test strips from the opened tube is a process which poses
`particular difficulties for hypoglycemic diabetics. The
`greater proportion of commercially available test strips is
`however used by this target group.
`A storage container for test elements is described in U.S. 30
`patent application U.S. Pat. No. 4.717.018 in which a
`stopper for closing the orifice is located directly on the
`container itself with the purpose of preventing the loss of the
`stopper. Also in this embodiment of the invention a rela(cid:173)
`tively large exertion of force to open and close the cap is 35
`required Furthermore. the removal of the test strip occurs by
`tipping the container such that the test strips can slip through
`the orifice. Any given user of this storage container has to
`make sure that the test strips do not fall out of the container
`and become soiled when the strips are tipped out which 40
`could rule out their intended proper application as a diag(cid:173)
`nostic test.
`A system for containing test elements is described in the
`laid-open specification DE 43 28 815 in which the opening
`of the vessel occurs using a slider with which the container 45
`lid is slid back. This system is simple and requires little
`application of force. The storage container however com(cid:173)
`prises a relatively complex mechanical make-up which
`incurs expensive production costs. This is the reason why
`this system is preferably employed as a refill system.
`The object of this invention is to make available a storage
`container for test strips which is simple to use and requires
`little application of force to effect usage. Moreover it is the
`object of the present invention to simplify the removal of test
`strips from the container and to make it easily discernible for 55
`users when the storage container is not properly closed.
`Above all. the novel storage container should be cheap and
`easy to make.
`The objects were accomplished in accordance with this
`invention by a storage container for test strips comprising a 60
`holder which can be closed by a lid connected to the holder
`by a hinge whereby on the inner side of the cap an elastic
`seal is located which rests on the rim of the orifice to the
`holder and is held in the closed position by a releasable
`locking means. In the closed position of the storage con- 65
`tainer the seal is compressed and returns to the uncom(cid:173)
`pressed resting position after the locking means is released
`
`5
`
`2
`such that the lid is rotated around the hinge axis and the
`container is at least partly opened In accord with the
`invention it is important that the opening of the storage
`container occurs automatically after releasing the locking
`means without any further necessity of action by the user. In
`the mechanical resting position the storage container is
`therefore open.
`The test strips of the invention have a test zone onto which
`a sample liquid such as blood or urine can be applied. The
`sample induces a detectable change such as for example a
`color change which can be exploited to detect the presence
`and/or concentration of analyte in the sample. The test strips
`are usually longitudinally elongated because of the more
`convenient handling characteristics of this geometry. Many
`commercially available types of test strip are moisture
`sensitive and have to be stored closed to ensure the reliabil-
`ity of the analytical determination.
`The storage container of the invention has a holder in
`which the test strips are located. The holder can have a
`square. rectangular or circular cross-section. It has proven to
`be advantageous for the purposes of handling when the
`holder cross-section is oval in form. The holder has an
`orifice bordered by a rim. It has proven to be of advantage
`when this rim lies entirely in one plane. Furthermore it is
`favorable when the orifice does not lie within a lateral
`surface but rather that an entire end of the holder is open
`such that the rim surface of the holder orifice is situated
`perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the holder. The
`length of the holder is dictated primarily by the length of the
`longitudinally extended test strips. In practice, the length of
`the holder is selected such that it is not significantly larger
`or smaller than that of the test strips.
`Possible materials for the holder are those with a sufficient
`stiffness. Particularly suitable are plastics such as
`polyethylene. polypropylene and polystyrene.
`The storage container has moreover a lid which is con(cid:173)
`nected to the holder by a hinge. The shape of the lid is
`selected such that it closes the orifice of the holder like a cap.
`Construction materials for the lid are those which are used
`for the holder. It is particularly preferred when the holder
`and the lid are fabricated from the same type of material as
`this allows the storage container to be produced as one single
`component. The hinge which connects the holder and the lid
`can for example be a joint binge or a film hinge. A film hinge
`can be employed to advantage because in this case low cost
`production in an injection molding process is then possible.
`A significant feature of the invention at hand is that on the
`inner side of the lid an elastic seal is positioned and is
`positioned in such a manner that it creates a seal with the rim
`50 of the holder. Appropriate materials for the seal are cellular
`rubber. styrene elastomers, polyolefine elastomers. pol(cid:173)
`yamide elastomers, polyester elastomers and polyurethane
`elastomers. Sealing rings fabricated from the designated
`materials may be glued or welded into the inside of the lid.
`In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the
`lid is produced in a hard-180ft injection molding process. In
`this process the hard lid is initially injected and the soft
`sealant rubber is injected onto it. Vice versa an injection of
`the container onto the sealant rubber is also possible. This
`process has the advantage of greater process reliability
`because the assembly of the seal is achieved by injection
`molding and in so doing. separate production steps and also
`manual manufacturing stages can be avoided. The employ(cid:173)
`ment of the overrnolding-method further reduces the pro(cid:173)
`duction costs.
`A particularly advantageous embodiment results from this
`process when polypropylene or polyamide are used as
`
`CLARIANTX 1021 Page 8
`
`

`
`5,788,064
`
`3
`materials for the lid and for the elastic sealant materials such
`as styrene elastomers or poly olefine elastomers are selected
`Suitable elastomers in the sense of the invention have a
`Shore hardness (DIN 53 505) of 30 to 80. preferably
`between 55 and 64.
`An especially important aspect is the geometrical arrange(cid:173)
`ment of the seal relative to the rim of the holder opening. It
`has turned out to be of advantage when the cross-section of
`the seal takes the fonn of an L and is arranged in such a
`manner that between the lid and the seal a groove forms
`whose distance is generated by the shorter segment of the L.
`In this arrangement the rim of the holder rests in the groove
`when the storage container is closed and the seal presses
`from the inside of the holder against the rim of the holder.
`To ensure the formation of a suitable seal. the width of the
`groove between the seal and the lid are selected such that it
`is smaller than the thickness of the material of the holder.
`Upon closure the holder rim is therefore januned in the
`groove whereby the seal is deformed Because of this
`defonnation the storage container remains in a closed posi(cid:173)
`tion under a certain mechanical tension which results in an
`opening of the storage container when the locking means is
`released. This effect can be reinforced by subjecting the
`hinge to the tension of a spring. It is furthermore possible in
`addition to the described seal to employ elastic material in
`the region of the spring which is compressed when the
`storage container is closed.
`Whereas storage containers described in the prior art are
`based on the intention of utilizing the resting position of the
`storage container such that the container is closed. the
`present invention utilizes the opposite possibility. The stor(cid:173)
`age container remains in a visibly open position when it is
`not restrained by the locking means. This has the advantage
`that when the storage container is not closed. it is visibly
`open. This can prevent the imperfect closing of the container
`without the user being aware of the fact. The storage
`container is preferably 20° to 60° open in the resting
`position.
`In addition to the embodiment of the invention already
`described in which the rim of the holder is situated in a
`groove. a further possible embodiment of the invention is
`one in which the seal presses against the rim of the holder.
`This embodiment is at first sight less complicated but
`however makes greater demands on the mechanical toler(cid:173)
`ances of the holder orifice and the seal.
`As described already. the mechanical resting position of
`the storage container of the invention is in the open position.
`In this position the lid is rotated about 30° relative to the
`closed position. In the closed position the storage container
`is held by a locking means. In general the locking moans
`may be engagement moans on the lid and on the holder
`which serve to hold the storage container closed said
`engagement means may comprise locking means. For this
`locking means. the embodiments described in the prior art
`can be considered. It has proven to be particularly advan(cid:173)
`tageous when the lid has a peg or a knob in its inner surface
`which slots into a depression in the outer surface of the
`holder when in the closed position. By pressing against a
`point on the holder in the vicinity of the depression or by
`pulling at the lid the lid can be released manually. It is
`furthennore also possible to release the lid by a deformation
`of the storage container. or example by pressing it in. In a
`further embodiment the closing means has a depression or a
`recess into the lateral surface of the lid into which a peg
`located on the external surface of the holder can lock. The
`possibilities for releasing the locking means correspond with
`those of the embodiments previously described. For both
`
`3D
`
`4
`exemplary locking means. it is advantageous when the
`locking means has a flap or tongue which rests on the surface
`of the holder when the storage container is closed The
`elements of the closing means at the side of the lid can be
`5 advantageously in the area of the tongue.
`The locking means may be opened in a particularly
`user-friendly manner by a slide which is located on the
`storage container. The slide has guide elements which fit into
`guiding elements on the storage container in such a fashion
`10 that a sliding of the slide in the direction of the longitudinal
`axis of the storage container is possible. Such guide ele(cid:173)
`ments can for example have a tongue and groove construc(cid:173)
`tion. When the storage container is closed. the slide is
`located in an initial position in which an edge of the slide is
`15 located on the locking means or tongue or is at least in the
`vicinity of these components.
`By sliding the slide in the direction of the lid. the locking
`device is released It is particularly advantageous when the
`edge of the slide tapers and the edge of the locking means
`20 which comes into contact with this leading edge of the slide
`likewise is tapered. In sliding the slide. the edge of the slide
`slides its way under the locking means or tongue and thereby
`achieves a release of the locking means. After the sliding of
`the slide. the side is located in a secondary position from
`25 which it can be manually slid back into the initial position.
`When a tapered edge is used for the slide. the moving of the
`slide back into the initial position can occur however simply
`by moving the locking means back towards the closed
`position.
`The use of a tongue on the lid has a further advantageous
`effect. In the opening of the storage container the locking
`means is released the lid then rotated by the user 80° to 150°
`about the axis of the hinge and the whole device is somewhat
`tipped so that the test carriers can slide out. In the devices
`35 detailed in the prior art (U.S. Pat. No. 4,717.018). the user
`has to take care that the strips do not unduly fall out of the
`container. By use of the aforesaid tongue this can be
`prevented. When the locking means with tongue is opened
`by rotating about 80° to 90°. preferably 90°, the tongue of
`40 the lid is in relation to the opening of the holder in such a
`proximity as primarily dictated by the breadth of the lid
`Advantageously the breadth of the lid is selected such that
`it is smaller than the length of the test strips but however is
`large enough to allow convenient manual withdrawal of the
`45 test strips in practice this is the case when the breadth of the
`lid is approximately in the region of 2 to 4 cm. If the storage
`container has the afore-mentioned tongue located at the
`locking means. then the test strips slip against the tongue
`when the storage container is tipped and may easily be
`50 manually withdrawn from there. The tongue acts then as a
`baffie plate. Furthermore it is favorable when the tongue is
`bent at the edges so that it fits the outer contours of the
`holder in the closed position. The curvature of the tongue is
`also favorable for the withdrawal of test strips because the
`55 curvature prevents them unduly slipping out via the sides.
`The storage container can be sealed advantageously by a
`label which can be placed over the holder and lid The labels
`act then as an originality seal. Such an originality seal can
`be applied to particular advantage when the lid has a tongue
`60 whose outer side forms a flush contour with the holder.
`In the field of clinical diagnostics. it is often necessary to
`label the storage container or the test strips with the number
`of the production lot from which the test elements stem. In
`the storage container of the invention an additional chamber
`65 may be provided which is accessible from the outside but
`which is however separated from the inside of the storage
`container. In this chamber, which preferably has the shape of
`
`CLARIANTX 1021 Page 9
`
`

`
`5,788,064
`
`5
`a slit, a data storage device may be housed on which is stored
`information concerning the test strips contained in the
`storage container. In this way it is possible to render the
`storage container reusable after exhaustion of the contents
`because when filling with new test strips takes place, only
`the data storage device has to be replaced. To ensure proper
`storage of the test elements, normally also a replacement of
`the desiccant should occur.
`Test strips described in the prior art are usually sensitive
`to moisture. Although the storage container of the invention
`when closed offers good protection against invading
`moisture, it is advantageous to furnish the inside of the
`storage container with a desiccant, because after every
`opening of the container atmospheric moisture enters the
`container. By providing the inside of the container with a
`desiccant. the correct functioning of the test strips can be
`guaranteed over a longer period. The desiccant can be
`incorporated in the bottom of the storage container where it
`can be separated from the test strips by a moisture permeable
`membrane (such as cardboard). Suitable desiccants have
`been detailed for quite some time in the prior art. Suitable
`are for example molecular sieve, silica gel etc.
`The present invention also describes a method for pro(cid:173)
`viding test strips in which a storage container filled with test
`strips is opened by releasing the locking means, the lid being
`rotated about the axis of the binge and the storage container
`being so tipped that test strips slide to the lid. The test strips
`can be withdrawn manually from here. After withdrawal, the
`storage container is closed by the user by rotation of the lid
`and closing the locking means.
`Furthermore, the subject of the invention is a method for
`the production of a device in accordance with the invention
`in which the holder, lid and hinge can be injected as one
`component and the seal on the inner side of the lid can be
`adjoined to it by a hard/soft injection molding method
`(overmolding-process ).
`The present invention is illustrated in more detail by the
`following figures:
`FIG. 1. Lateral view of the storage container
`FIG. 2. Frontal view of the storage container
`FIG. 3. Cross-section of the storage container along the
`line 3-3 in FIG. 2
`FIG. 3A. is a more detailed view of the binge and seal
`structure, taken at A of FIG. 3.
`FIG. 3B is a more detailed view of the engagement of the
`recess and knob, taken at B of FIG. 3.
`FIG. 4. Cross-section through the storage container with
`two open positions of the lid
`FIG. S. Cross-section of a second embodiment of the
`storage container with the locking means open and closed
`FIG. 6A is a cross section of another embodiment of the
`storage case of the invention.
`FIG. 6B is a more detailed view of the seal of the
`embodiment of FIG. 6A.
`FIG. 7 A is a front view of still another embodiment of the
`storage container which includes a slide for opening the
`container.
`FIG. 7B is a more detailed view of the slide of FIG. 7A
`FIG. 7C is a cross section of the slide on the container of
`the embodiment of FIG. 7A.
`FIG. 1 illustrates the lateral view of the outside of the
`storage container of the invention for longitudinally
`extended test strips. The storage container (1) has a holder
`(2) and a locking means (3) which are connected to each
`other by a film hinge (5). The locking means (3) has a tongue
`(4) which when the storage container is closed rests on the
`outer lateral surface of the holder (2). The Storage container
`
`6
`illustrated in FIG. 1 was fabricated from polypropylene as
`one single component by injection-molding.
`FIG. 2 illustrates a frontal view of the storage container
`(1). One can recognize that the cross-section of the storage
`5 container is oval, which has proven to be favorable for the
`handling. In FIG. 2 furthermore, a recess (6) in the holder is
`discernible which has the purpose of providing the user with
`the possibility of opening the storage container. To open it,
`the user can either press on the indentation (6) and thereby
`10 release the locking means or he can by virtue of the recess
`press under the edge of the tongue (4) and effect release.
`FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of a storage container along
`the 3-3 line displayed in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 illustrates how the
`closing means (3) and the rim of the holder orifice dock. This
`15 is illustrated in a more detailed manner in the enlarged view
`displayed in FIG. 3A. The locking means (3) has an outer
`edge (20), which forms a lateral surface of the closing
`device. On the inside of the locking means (3) there is a
`ring-shaped border edge (21). The edges (20) and (21) form
`20 a circular groove. A seal made from a styrene elastomer (22)
`is located in the groove. When the storage container is
`closed. the rim of the holder compresses the seal (22). The
`portion of the seal (22) which engages the rim has an
`L-shaped cross section which is deformed when the lid is
`25 closed as shown in FIG. 3A.
`A locking means is illustrated in FIG. 3. The section
`enlargement in FIG. 3B illustrates a further possible embodi(cid:173)
`ment of the locking means. A recess (15) is located in the
`closure tongue (4) which is docked to a knob (16). The
`30 indentation (6) in the holder adjoins the knob (16) in such a
`manner that pressure exerted on the indentation (6) moves
`the knob (16) away from the recess (15) and the locking
`means opens. The mechanical tension in the compressed seal
`(22) leads to a rotation of the lid (3) about the axis of the film
`35 hinge (5) and the lid (3) snaps open.
`Furthermore, in FIG. 3 a desiccant chamber (10) is
`discernible which is located in the fioor of the container. The
`desiccant chamber is separated from the rest of the inside of
`the storage container by a cardboard cover (11) which is
`40 moisture permeable so that test strips do not come into direct
`contact with the desiccant. Moreover a slit-shaped chamber
`can be seen in FIG. 3 in the storage container which is
`accessible from the bottom side of the storage container. A
`data storage device (13) is housed in this chamber which can
`45 be manually removed from the chamber. Information on the
`test strips. e.g. lot-specific data in the form of a bar code or
`chip can be loaded on the data storage device.
`FIG. 4 displays two open positions of the storage con(cid:173)
`tainer. In the open position X. the lid is open about 30°
`50 relative to the fully closed position. When the locking means
`is released the lid springs open to this position.
`The open position Y corresponds with a position in which
`the lid is brought by the user before removing test strips. In
`this position the opened lid is at an angle of approximately
`55 110° relative to the closed position.
`FIG. 5 illustrates a modified embodiment of the storage
`container of the invention. This embodiment differs from the
`previously described with respect to the sealing against
`invading moisture.
`The lid is in two parts. The first part corresponds to the
`first embodiment and possesses an outer edge (20) as well as
`a tongue (4). The seal in this case is produced by a
`surrounding annular ring (23) with an L-shaped cross(cid:173)
`section. The annular ring (23) is fixed in such a manner that
`65 together with the outer edge (20) it forms a surrounding
`groove. The breadth of this groove is determined by the
`smaller segment of the L-shaped annular ring. The longer
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`segment of the annular ring (23) forms an inner rim. which
`is analogous to the inner edge (21) of the embodiment
`described before. In FIG. 5 the storage container is displayed
`in an open and in a closed position. The open position
`corresponds to the state of the storage container when it
`appears from the injection molding process. When closed.
`the film hinge (5) is bent but retains the tendency to at least
`partially return to its initial position because of its original
`injection-molded form. The spring tension of the film hinge
`supports the springing open of the storage container after the 10
`locking means has been released. FlG. 5 illustrates further(cid:173)
`more how the annular ring (23) is deformed by the rim of the
`holder orifice in the closed position. The rim of the holder
`orifice wedges itself between the outer edge (20) and the
`annular ring (23) thereby pressing the annular ring in. As in 15
`the embodiment previously described. the deformation of
`the elastic annular ring creates a tension which facilitates the
`opening of the storage container as soon as the locking
`means is released.
`The locking means shown in FlG. 5 consists of a recess 20
`(30) in the tongue (4) on the lid and a knob (31) which is
`located on the outer peripheral surface of the holder (2).
`The application of additional elastomers in the hinge
`region can be explained by recourse to FIG. 5. Elastomers
`are applied to the right andlor to the left above the hinge (5). 25
`which are compressed when the storage container is closed.
`It has proven to be to advantageous to apply a plurality of
`knobs or pegs which are in an erect position.
`A further embodiment of the storage container is dis(cid:173)
`played in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6A the upper region of the storage 30
`container can be seen. Generally speaking this model cor(cid:173)
`responds with the one displayed in FIG. S. FIG. 6A and FIG.
`6B however. exhibit a further possibility for the seal. An
`surrounding ring-shaped edge (32) is located on the inside of
`the lid (3) which is produced as a single component with the 35
`lid. A sealing rim (33) is injected onto the ring-shaped
`encircling edge whose shape mainly corresponds to that of
`the inner edge (21) of the lid device (FIG. 3A). In FIG. 6A
`the storage container is displayed in the open and closed
`position. In the closed position the sealing rim (33) is 40
`deformed by the edge of the holder and therefore is under
`mechanical tension. After release of the locking means. the
`storage container springs open due to this mechanical ten(cid:173)
`sion.
`FIG. 7 illustrates a storage container with a slide (40) for
`the opening of the closing device (3). The opening procedure
`occurs by movement of the slide in the direction indicated by
`the arrow.
`FIG.7B details a favorable slide (40) shape with an edge
`(41) which is tapered. The interaction of the tapered edge
`with the lid (3) can be seen more clearly in FIG. 7C. The
`slide is located partially underneath the lid and penetrates by
`sliding like a wedge between the lid and the holder (2) of the
`storage container.
`Ust of reference numerals
`(1) Storage container
`(2) Holder
`(3) lid
`(4) Tongue on the lid
`(5) Film hinge
`(6) Indentation in the holder
`(10) Desiccant chamber
`(11) Cover for desiccant chamber
`(13) Data storage device
`(15) Recess
`(16) Peg
`(20) Outer edge of the lid
`
`(21) Inner edge of the lid
`(22) Seal
`(23) Annular ring (elastic)
`(30) Recess
`5 (31) PeglKnob
`(32) Ring-shaped surrounding edge
`(33) Seal rim
`(40) Slide
`(41) Tapered edge
`We claim:
`1. A storage container for test strips. said storage container
`comprising:
`a holder having a cavity therein. with a first side of said
`cavity forming an orifice defined by a rim;
`a lid hingably connected to said holder. said lid including
`an elastic seal on an inner side thereof. said elastic seal
`having a shape which corresponds to said rim of said
`orifice. said elastic seal engaging said rim when said lid
`is in a closed position closing said orifice; and
`engagement means on said lid and on said holder for
`engaging said lid and said holder. thereby holding said
`lid in the closed position;
`wherein said elastic seal is configured to deform against
`said rim when said lid is moved to the closed position
`and the engagement means is engaged. and wherein the
`elastic seal is configured to return to a nondeformed
`state when the engagement means is released. and
`wherein the elastic seal returning to the non-deformed
`state provides a force which moves the lid to a partially
`open position upon a release of said engagement
`means.
`2. A storage container as recited in claim 1. wherein said
`engagement means comprises a first engagement element on
`said holder and a second. corresponding engagement ele-
`ment on said lid.
`3. A storage container as recited in claim 1. wherein said
`hinge is configured to move said lid to the partially open
`position when the engagement means is released.
`4. A storage container as recited in claim 1. wherein the
`lid comprises a plastic of a first elasticity, and the elastic seal
`is fabricated from a plastic of a second elasticity. said plastic
`of said second elasticity being more elastic than the plastic
`of the first elasticity. said elastic seal being applied to the lid
`by an injection molding process.
`5. A storage container as recited in claim 1. wherein the
`45 deformation of said elastic seal is a compression deforma(cid:173)
`tion.
`6. A storage container as recited in claim 1. wherein said
`lid comprises an outer annular ridge on an outer periphery
`thereof. and an inner annular ridge on the inner side of said
`50 lid. with a gap between said inner and outer annular ridges.
`and wherein the elastic seal is located in the