Releasable universal blister package for elongated surgical devices

A storage container for containing an elongated product having a first end and a second end comprising:

• a housing having an elongated cavity provided with an enlarged space along the length of said cavity;
• means for enclosing said cavity to seal said enlarged space from the ambient;
• locking means integrally formed with said housing for releasably, frictionally and directly engaging a predetermined portion of said elongated product in order to maintain at least one of said first end or said second end cantilevered within said enlarged space;
• a trigger means for being selectively actuated to release said locking means to thereby disengage an elongated device engaged by said locking means, said trigger means comprising:
• a pair of laterally spaced finger tabs integrally molded with said housing;
• and interconnecting means for joining said pair of finger tabs and said locking means to enable motion of said pair of tabs to disengage the locking means.

A method of storing an elongated medical device in a container and selectively releasing the device from the container comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an elongated housing for receiving an elongated medical device, said housing having an axial plane;
• (b) providing in said housing at least one pair of opposing, integrally formed, inwardly extending wall sections said wall stations normally spaced a predetermined distance for engaging the device on each lateral side of said axial plane;
• (c) providing on said housing, on each lateral side of said axial plane an integrally formed trigger tab means operatively connected to said wall sections;
• (d) inserting an elongated device into said housing in direct engagement with said wall sections;
• (e) moving each of said trigger tab means toward the axial plane to increase said predetermined distance and thereby disengage a device engaged by said wall sections.