O&m Halyard, Inc.

O&m Haylard, Inc.

Prasad Shrikrishna Potnis

Anthony Stephen Spencer

Eric Clayton Steindorf

Brian E Lin

Christena K Nash

Joseph D Hurdle

Sharon Shuh-Shin Chang

Closure mechanisms for closing and sealing sterilization containers and indicators for indicating the seal integrity sterilization containers are provided. For example, a container closure mechanism may be configured to distribute a closure force along a gasket to seal a container lid to a container body. Further, a seal indicator may visibly indicate at the container exterior whether the container is sufficiently sealed to prevent an ingress of contaminants into the container. If the container is sufficiently sealed, the seal indicator is a first state, and if the sterilization container is not sufficiently sealed, the seal indicator is in a second state. Thus, the seal indicator undergoes a state change when the sterilization container transitions from unsealed to sealed or from sealed to unsealed, such that a user can ascertain whether the container is properly sealed to maintain sterility or whether the seal and sterility of the container have been compromised.

Closure mechanisms and seal integrity indicators for sterilization containers

A splash resistant multi-layered structure is provided. The structure includes a specific arrangement of layers of material and a plurality of three-dimensional spacers that helps prevent penetration through the structure by a fluid that contacts an outer surface of the structure due to a state of forced separation that exists between two adjacent layers of the structure due to the presence of the plurality of three-dimensional spacers positioned between the layers. The plurality of three-dimensional spacers can be positioned on one of the adjacent layers of the structure such that a distance at least as large as the maximum height of the plurality of three-dimensional spacers separates the two layers from each other and can be present on a layer of material in a continuous or discontinuous pattern or can be present on a layer of material in a random fashion. The presence of the three-dimensional spacers can reduce the basis weight or eliminate one or more layers of the structure, which, in turn, can reduce thermal resistance, lower the pressure drop across the layers of the structure, and reduce the overall weight of the structure to enhance breathability and comfort.

Multi-layered structure and articles formed therefrom having improved splash resistance by increased interlayer spacing

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Johns Creek, GA, United States of America

Prasad Shrikrishna Potnis