Self-aligning, universal cap for male and female Luer connectors

A cap for coupling to a male or female Luer medical connector, comprising:

• a housing having:
• an axial centerline, defining a first cavity formed within a housing top wall and a circumscribing housing sidewall, and an open bottom of the housing;
• a split-collar protrusion within the first cavity, coupled to the housing top wall, circumscribing the axial centerline and projecting toward the open bottom, the protrusion having a plurality of opposed, parallel, sector-shaped, collet prongs, each prong respectively having:
• a distal protrusion tip, a protrusion outer wall surface defining outer wall split threads that are sized and adapted for mating engagement with corresponding collar threads of the male Luer connector, an inner wall surface defining inner wall split threads that are sized and adapted for mating engagement with corresponding threads of the female Luer connector, the respective inner wall split threads and the respective outer wall split threads starting at the distal protrusion tip and terminating proximate the housing top wall, the respective inner wall surfaces of the collet prongs defining a second cavity sized and adapted for receipt of the male or the female Luer connector;
• a split flange coupled to the inner wall surface of each respective collet prong by a flange root, intermediate the inner wall split threads and the housing top wall, each separate, respective split flange having a distal axial contact surface that is commonly oriented radially inwardly with respect to the axial centerline of the housing and terminates in a flange tip, wherein said flange tip faces radially inwardly;
• and
• an absorbent material interposed within the second cavity, between the respective split flanges and the open bottom of the housing, the absorbent material configured to compress during advancement of the male or the female Luer connector within the second cavity and biasing the split flanges toward the top wall of the housing, the now biased split flanges deflecting the protrusion tip of its respective collet prong inwardly toward the axial centerline.