Container assembly for viscous test specimen materials

A container assembly for treating a viscous specimen material comprising:

• a container main body having at least one open end and defining a container interior within which specimen material may be treated;
• a cover on said container main body for closing said at least one open end to seal said container interior;
• a projecting part extending from said cover on that side of the cover facing said container interior, said projecting part being formed with a specimen recess with a predetermined volume for receiving an equal volume of viscous specimen material, said recess opening in said container interior when said cover is closed, said projecting part having a first planar annular end face surrounding said recess and further having an outer circumferential surface adjacent said end face and extending between said end face and said side of said cover facing said container interior, said annular end face lying completely within a single, flat, level plane and extending continguously from the rim of said recess between said recess and said outer circumferential surface;
• wiping means defined on said container main body shaped in conformance with said projecting part for wiping excess material deposited on said outer circumferential surface away from said first annular end face;
• and
• excess material receptacle means for receiving excess material wiped by said wiping means, said excess material receptacle means being defined as a volume between said cover and said container main body, which volume is sealed when said cover is closed;
• said predetermined volume of viscous specimen material being obtainable for treatment within said conainer interior by filling said specimen recess with said viscous specimen material and subsequently smoothing said viscous specimen material within said specimen recess to a level defined by said first annular end face across said specimen recess, excess specimen material being deposited on said outer circumferential surface and adjacent said first annular end face and finally, in closing said cover, said wiping means wiping said excess material into said excess material receptacle.