Ergonomic fluid handling tubes

1. A fluid handling tube, comprising a tube body and a cap,

the tube body comprising an exterior surface and an interior surface; which cap comprises a proximal surface, a distal surface and a circular tubular sealing member protruding from the distal surface;

the sealing member comprising a distal terminus opposite the distal surface of the cap, an interior surface, and an exterior surface, wherein the exterior surface of the sealing member is a smooth surface; and

the interior surface of the sealing member comprising a plurality of longitudinally-oriented panels and a plurality of longitudinally-oriented grooves, wherein: each of the panels is adjacent to at least one of the grooves; the grooves and the panels extend to the distal terminus of the sealing member; each groove comprises a groove floor; and

the sealing member comprises a wall thickness between the groove floor and the exterior surface of the sealing member across from the groove floor.

2. The tube of claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface of the sealing member is configured to seal with the interior surface of the tube body.

3. The tube of claim 1 , wherein the wall thickness between the groove floor and the exterior surface of the sealing member opposite the groove floor is about 0.003 inches to about 0.035 inches.

4. The tube of claim 1 , wherein each groove comprises a groove width of about 0.1 inches to about 0.4 inches.

5. The tube of claim 1 , wherein each groove comprises a circumferential width of 7 degrees to 11 degrees.

6. The tube of claim 1 , wherein:

each panel comprises a panel sidewall, and

each panel comprises a panel width of about 0.06 inches to about 0.1 inches.

7. The tube of claim 1 , wherein each panel comprises a circumferential width of 20 degrees to 35 degrees.

8. The tube of claim 1 , wherein the panels are regularly distributed around the interior surface of the sealing member.

9. The tube of claim 1 , wherein the grooves are regularly distributed around the interior surface of the sealing member.

10. The tube of claim 1 , wherein the panels have the same width and the grooves have the same width.

11. The tube of claim 1 , wherein each of the grooves is adjacent to at least one of the panels.

12. The tube of claim 11 , wherein:

the panels have the same width,

the grooves have the same width,

each of the panels is flanked by two of the grooves, and

each of the grooves is flanked by two of the panels.

13. The tube of claim 1 , wherein:

the tubular sealing member of the cap is in contact with an interior surface of the tube body and is sealed in the tube body;

the tubular sealing member of the cap is in a compressed state relative to a relaxed state adopted by the tubular sealing member when it is not sealed in the tube body.

14. The tube of claim 1 , wherein the tubular sealing member includes a distal portion, the distal portion comprises a concave curved surface, and the proximal surface of the cap is flat.

15. The tube of claim 14 , wherein the distal surface of the cap outside the tubular sealing member is flat.

16. The tube of claim 14 , wherein:

each panel comprises a panel face and a panel side,

the panel side comprises a curved portion,

the concave curved surface of the distal portion of the tubular sealing member includes a radius of curvature located at the panel side, and

the curved portion of the panel side includes a radius of curvature equal to the radius of curvature of the concave curved surface of the distal portion of the tubular sealing member located at the panel side.

17. The tube of claim 14 , wherein the radius of curvature of the concave curved surface of the distal portion of the tubular sealing member, at the center point of the tubular sealing member, is about 0.2 inches to about 0.8 inches.

18. The tube of claim 1 , wherein:

the tubular sealing member of the cap comprises an annular protrusion,

the interior surface of the tube body comprises an annular recess, and

the annular recess in the tube body is configured to receive the annular protrusion of the tubular sealing member of the cap.

19. The tube of claim 18 , wherein:

the tubular sealing member of the cap is in contact with an interior surface of the tube body and is sealed in the tube body; and

the annular protrusion and the annular recess are joined in a sealing zone.

20. The tube of claim 1 , wherein:

the cap comprises an anterior tube fastener member comprising an operator engagement surface;

the cap comprises one or more channels disposed between the sealing member and the fastener member;

the one or more channels each comprises a latitudinal opening disposed on the proximal surface of the cap;

the one or more channels each comprises a channel floor, a first channel terminus, a second channel terminus, and a major length along the channel floor from the first channel terminus to the second channel terminus; and

the cap comprises material between the channel floor and the distal surface of the cap opposite the channel floor.

21. The tube of claim 20 , wherein the major length of each of the one or more channels is parallel to a latitudinal axis extending from one side of the cap to the other side of the cap.

22. The tube of claim 20 , wherein the cap comprises a rim exterior surface and each of the one or more channels terminates at the rim exterior surface.

23. The tube of claim 20 , wherein the cap comprises a bore comprising a first opening disposed at the proximal surface of the cap and a second opening disposed at the distal surface of the cap.

24. The tube of claim 23 , wherein:

the cap comprises two channels;

the channels are co-linear; and

one of the channels is disposed on one side of the bore and the other of the channels is disposed on another side of the bore.

25. The tube of claim 20 , wherein the first channel terminus, or the second channel terminus, or the first channel terminus and the second channel terminus, of the one or more channels has a u-shaped or v-shaped cross section with flat sidewalls, flat floor, curved sidewalls, curved floor, or combination thereof.

26. The tube of claim 20 , wherein each of the one or more channels have a channel depth from the channel floor to the channel opening, which channel depth is about 0.025 inches to about 0.035 inches.

27. The tube of claim 20 , wherein for each of the one or more channels the thickness of the material between the channel floor and the distal surface of the cap opposite the channel floor is about 0.003 inches to about 0.011 inches.

28. The tube of claim 27 , wherein the thickness is about 0.005 inches to about 0.009 inches.