Patent attributes
A tray system composed of a vertical stack of trays especially adapted to contain, and protect surgical instruments being carried from a sterilizer to an operating site. The trays may have various heights and be arranged in any order in the stack. Each tray includes a plurality of latches, each latch having an arm swingably mounted to the tray and terminated by a projection spaced a selected distance D1 above the tray rim or top when the latch is swung to its latching position. Each tray also includes a corresponding plurality of latching surfaces located under the latches on that tray. The distance D2 between the seating surfaces and latching surfaces of each tray corresponds substantially to the distance D1 of that tray. This enables the latch arms of each tray to be latched to the latching surfaces of an overlying tray in the stack or to a cover so as to form a closed compact transportable package. Different latch embodiments for securing the trays together are also disclosed.
