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A closure for containers has a septum of elastomeric material which is self-resealing when punctured by a blunt ended tubular implement to access to the contents of the container. In one application the elastomeric closure is incorporated in a cap for a bottle or vial and is self-resealing after bei

A closure for containers has a septum of elastomeric material which is self-resealing when punctured by a blunt ended tubular implement to access to the contents of the container. In one application the elastomeric closure is incorporated in a cap for a bottle or vial and is self-resealing after being punctured by a laboratory pipette.

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1. A self-resealing closure for a container comprising a septum of elastomeric material disposed for closing an opening in said container, said septum having a depressed portion including an area of minimum thickness, said depressed portion increasing in thickness from said minimum thickness to much

1. A self-resealing closure for a container comprising a septum of elastomeric material disposed for closing an opening in said container, said septum having a depressed portion including an area of minimum thickness, said depressed portion increasing in thickness from said minimum thickness to much thicker elastomeric material, the increase in thickness occurring over a substantial distance along a direction transverse to said thickness; said depressed portion and said area of minimum thickness being shaped and configured to elastically distend to pass an implement through a tear in said area of minimum thickness wherein the implement has a diameter greater than a length of said tear and to be self-reclosing by returning opposite edges of said tear to a substantially contiguous closed condition after withdrawal of the said implement. 2. The closure of claim 1 wherein said area of minimum thickness is in an initially unbroken condition and said tear is made by rupturing said area of minimum thickness with the said implement. 3. The closure of claim 2 wherein the said implement has a blunt tip of tip width greater than a width of said area of minimum thickness. 4. The closure of claim 1 wherein said septum has a pre-existing tear in said area of minimum thickness for passing the said implement through the septum. 5. The closure of claim 4 wherein said pre-existing tear comprises at least one cut through said septum. 6. The closure of claim 5 wherein said least one cut comprises two or more cuts intersecting each other in said area of minimum thickness. 7. The closure of claim 1 wherein said depressed portion is circular. 8. The closure of claim 1 wherein said depressed portion is elongated. 9. The closure of claim 1 wherein said depressed portion is not circular. 10. The closure of claim 1 wherein said depressed portion is polygonal. 11. The closure of claim 1 wherein said depressed portion is generally rectangular. 12. The closure of claim 1 wherein said increase in thickness is substantially continuous between said minimum thickness and said much thicker elastomeric material. 13. The closure of claim 1 wherein said increase in thickness defines a smooth convex curve along a surface of the septum between said minimum thickness and said much thicker elastomeric material. 14. The closure of claim 1 wherein said elastomeric material is a mixture of hydrogenated isoprene-propylene. 15. The closure of claim 1 further comprising a cap having a cap periphery engageable with a rim of the said container, and said septum is supported in an opening defined in said cap. 16. The closure of claim 15 wherein said cap periphery is of relatively inelastic material. 17. The closure of claim 1 wherein said area of minimum thickness has a minimum thickness of a few mils. 18. A self-resealing closure for a container comprising a septum of elastomeric material supported for closing an opening in the container, said septum having a relatively thick outer portion encompassing a depressed portion, said depressed portion diminishing in thickness to a central portion of much smaller thickness relative to said outer portion, said central portion being cut to admit an implement through said central portion, said cut being substantially shorter than a width or diameter of said depressed portion, said septum yielding elastically to pass said implement of greater diameter than a length of said cut, said depressed portion and said outer portion being configured to provide sufficient restorative elastic force to return opposite edges of said cut to a substantially contiguous closed condition following withdrawal of the implement from the septum. 19. The self resealing closure of claim 18 wherein said cut includes at least two cuts intersecting each other in said central portion of much smaller thickness. 20. The self resealing closure of claim 19 wherein said two cuts are made by cutting with a cutting edge. 21. The self-resealing closure of claim 18 wherein said depressed portion is initially unbroken and said cut is a tear made by pushing through said depressed portion a blunt ended implement having a tip width greater than said much smaller thickness of said central portion. 22. The container cap of claim 18 wherein said central portion has a minimum thickness of a few mils. 23. The container cap of claim 18 wherein said central portion is a depression of generally continuous curvature in a radial direction between said central portion and said relatively thick outer portion. 24. The container cap of claim 18 wherein said depressed portion is a generally hemispherical depression in said septum. 25. A self-resealing container cap, comprising:a cap periphery of relatively inelastic material configured to make closing engagement with a container and a septum of elastomeric material supported in a hole defined in said cap periphery, said septum having an outer portion radially contained by said cap periphery and a depression in said outer portion, said depression diminishing in thickness from said outer portion to an area of minimum thickness, said minimum thickness being less than the thickness of said outer portion, two cuts through said septum intersecting each other in said area of minimum thickness, said septum being arranged, shaped and sized for returning to a condition substantially sealed against significant leakage of liquid from the container through said septum after admitting through said cuts in said area of minimum thickness a blunt ended implement having a tip width substantially greater than said minimum thickness. 26. The container cap of claim 25 wherein said area of minimum thickness has a minimum thickness of a few thousandths of an inch. 27. The container cap of claim 25 wherein said outer portion and said area of minimum thickness are generally concentrically circular. 28. The container cap of claim 25 wherein said depression is a depression of generally spherical curvature. 29. The container cap of claim 25 wherein said depression is a generally hemispherical depression in said septum. 30. The container cap of claim 25 wherein said area of minimum thickness has a diameter about equal to or smaller than the tip width of the blunt ended implement such that said outer portion is radially compressed against said cap periphery upon insertion of the blunt ended implement through said cuts. 31. A self-resealing container cap, comprising:a cap periphery of relatively inelastic material configured to make closing engagement with a container and a septum of elastomeric material having a relatively thick outer portion radially contained by said cap periphery, said septum having an exterior surface and an interior surface, a dished depression in one said surface, the other said surface being generally planar over an area opposite to said dished depression, said dished depression defining a central area of minimum thickness as measured between one said surface and the other said surface of the septum, said septum being shaped and sized such that said area of minimum thickness is substantially self-closing by elastically holding together opposite edges of a pair of intersecting cuts in said area of minimum thickness following temporary separation of said opposite edges of said cuts. 32. The container cap of claim 31 wherein said area of minimum thickness is a small portion of said depression relative to the total area of the septum. 33. The container cap of claim 31 wherein said dished depression is generally spherically curved. 34. The container cap of claim 31 wherein said area of minimum thickness increases in thickness in a radial direction so as to form a continuously curved cross-section. 35. The container cap of claim 31 wherein said dished depression is in said exterior surface. 36. A self-resealing closure for a container comprising a septum of elastomeric material disposed for closing an opening in said container, said septum having a depressed portion including an area of minimum thickness, said depressed portion increasing in thickness from said minimum thickness to much thicker elastomeric material, the increase in thickness occurring over a substantial distance along a direction transverse to said thickness, said depressed portion being encompassed by an outer portion of said much thicker material, said outer portion extending a substantial distance outside said depressed portion, at least one cut extending fully through a thickness of said septum and across a substantial portion of said depressed portion including said area of minimum thickness, said depressed portion and said area of minimum thickness being shaped and configured to elastically distend to temporarily separate opposite edges of said least one cut and to be self-reclosing by returning said opposite edges to a substantially contiguous closed condition. 37. The closure of claim 36 wherein said at least one cut comprises two or more cuts intersecting each other in said area of minimum thickness. 38. The closure of claim 36 wherein said depressed portion is circular. 39. The closure of claim 36 wherein said depressed portion is elongated. 40. The closure of claim 36 wherein said depressed portion is not circular. 41. The closure of claim 36 wherein said depressed portion is polygonal. 42. The closure of claim 36 wherein said depressed portion is generally rectangular. 43. The closure of claim 36 wherein said increase in thickness is substantially continuous between said minimum thickness and said much thicker elastomeric material. 44. The closure of claim 36 wherein said increase in thickness defines a smooth convex curve along a surface of the septum between said minimum thickness and said much thicker elastomeric material. 45. The closure of claim 36 wherein said elastomeric material is a mixture of hydrogenated isoprene-propylene. 46. The closure of claim 36 further comprising a cap having a cap periphery engageable with a rim of the said container, and said septum is supported in an opening defined in said cap. 47. The closure of claim 46 wherein said cap periphery is of relatively inelastic material. 48. The closure of claim 36 wherein said area of minimum thickness has a minimum thickness of a few mils. 49. A self-resealing closure for a container comprising a septum of elastomeric material supported for closing an opening in the container, said septum having a depressed portion of concavely dished shape continuously diminishing in thickness from an outer portion to a central portion of minimum thickness, two or more mutually intersecting cuts through said depressed portion defining a plurality of quadrants to permit a temporary opening through said septum by elastically distending and separating opposite edges of said quadrants, said dished shape being configured to provide sufficient restorative elastic force to return opposite edges of said cuts to a substantially contiguous closed condition thereby to re-close said opening. 50. The self resealing closure of claim 49 wherein said two or more intersecting cuts intersect each other in said central portion of minimum thickness. 51. The self-resealing closure of claim 49 wherein said minimum thickness has a minimum thickness of a few mils. 52. The self-resealing closure of claim 49 wherein said depressed portion is a circular depression of generally continuous curvature in a radial direction and said cuts are radial to said depression. 53. The self-resealing closure of claim 49 wherein said depressed portion is a generally hemispherical depression in said septum. 54. A self-resealing container cap comprising:a cap periphery of relatively inelastic material configured to make closing engagement with a container and a septum of elastomeric material supported in a hole defined in said cap periphery, a circular depression in said septum, said depression diminishing in thickness from an outer portion of said septum to an area of minimum thickness so as to form a conti nuously curved cross-section of the septum in a radial direction of said circular depression, at least two cuts through said septum intersecting each other in said area of minimum thickness, said septum being arranged, shaped and sized for returning opposite edges of said cuts to a substantially sealed condition following a temporary opening of said cuts by separation of said opposite edges. 55. The container cap of claim 54 wherein said area of minimum thickness has a minimum thickness of a few thousandths of an inch. 56. The container cap of claim 54 wherein said outer portion and said depression are generally concentrically circular. 57. The container cap of claim 54 wherein said depression is a depression of generally spherical curvature. 58. The container cap of claim 54 wherein said depression is a generally hemispherical depression in said septum. 59. A self-resealing container cap comprising:a cap periphery of relatively inelastic material configured to make closing engagement with a container and a septum of elastomeric material having a relatively thick outer portion supported in said cap periphery, said septum having an exterior surface and an interior surface, a dished depression in said exterior surface, said dished depression including a central area of minimum thickness as measured between said exterior surface and said interior surface, said septum being shaped and sized such that said septum is substantially self re-closing by elastically restoring opposite edges of a pair of intersecting cuts in said depression to a closed condition following temporary separation of said opposite edges. 60. The container cap of claim 59 wherein said area of minimum thickness is a small portion of said dished depression relative to the total area of the septum. 61. The container cap of claim 59 wherein said dished depression is generally spherically curved. 62. The container cap of claim 59 wherein said area of minimum thickness and said dished depression increase in thickness in a radial direction so as to form a continuously curved cross-section of the septum.