20090238738 | STERILIZING DEVICE FOR MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS - A sterilizing device for sterilizing at least a portion of a medical instrument including a housing, a reservoir suitable for containing sterilizing agent, a delivery system for conducting the sterilizing agent from the reservoir to a permeable membrane, and a lock out system that blocks access to the permeable membrane when insufficient sterilizing agent is present in the reservoir. In preferred embodiments the delivery mechanism is activatable by pressure applied to the permeable membrane by the at least a portion of the medical instrument (e.g. a head of a stethoscope). | 09-24-2009 |