Patent ID: 8376958

Claim:
A cap for a container configured to retain a gynecological sample collected with a sampling device having a distally located sampler coupled to a shaft, the cap comprising: a peripheral wall extending between a base and a flange opposite the base, the flange projecting outward from the peripheral wall and configured to seat against a rim of the container; a diaphragm extending from the base of the peripheral wall, the diaphragm defining a first open area communicating with a second open area that is smaller than the first open area and comprising a boundary spaced from the peripheral wall that is configured to detach the distally located sampler from the sampling device; and wherein the boundary comprises a channel area positioned between the first open area and the second open area and communicating with the first open area and the second open area, and wherein the channel area is defined by a lateral dimension that is narrower than a lateral dimension of the first open area and a lateral dimension of the second open area, wherein the lateral dimension of the channel area represents a width of the channel area and is parallel to the lateral dimensions of the first and second open areas.