APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING A METERED AMOUNT OF FLUID

• US 3,795,351 A
• Filed: 06/05/1972
• Issued: 03/05/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Walter G. Lehmann
• Original Assignee: Walter G. Lehmann
• Inventors: Lehmann, Walter G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tollberg, Stanley H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Slattery, James M.
• Application Number:
  US05/259,388
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 222/207,209,205,213,187,269,338,335,336,318,405 401/196,183,184,185,264 95/94R 118/266,264,401
• US Class Current: 222/209
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/52 of the Land type
• CPC Class Codes: G03D 5/065 Pads

Abstract

Dispenser apparatus including a container configured for retaining a source of liquid and having a plurality of deformable wall portions which may be selectively activated by an external force so as to reduce the volume of the container and thereby provide repetitive application of a given pressure to the retained source of liquid for dispensing of the liquid from the container. Preferably, a plurality of the wall portions are configured for irreversible deformation so as to permit successively reduced volume in accordance with their actuation and at least one is configured for reversible deformation and is biased to return to its original position upon removal of the actuating force thereby returning any excess of the dispensed liquid to within the container.

Claims

1. An apparatus for repetitively dispensing predetermined amounts of liquid from a source of fluid, said apparatus comprising a housing defining a substantially closed chamber of predetermined volume confIgured for receiving such source of fluid, said housing including egress means configured for permitting passage of such liquid between said chamber and the exterior of said housing for dispensing fluid therefrom while precluding entrance of gaseous fluid thereto, and said housing including a plurality of displaceable wall portions adapted to vary said predetermined volume of said chamber in accordance with displacement of each of said portions responsive to application of an external force thereto, said wall portions being in communication with said chamber and configured for independent displacement between a first position defining an initial volume of said chamber and a second position defining a reduced volume of said chamber thereby providing increased pressure on such fluid within said chamber in accordance with displacement from said first to said second position, at least one of said displaceable portions being configured for reversible displacement between said first and second positions for dispensing liquid from said chamber responsive to displacement of said one portion from said first to said second position and for subsequently returning any excess of such liquid to said chamber responsive to displacement of said one portion from said second to said first position, and another of said portions being configured for irreversible displacement from said first to said second position for maintaining the pressure within said container approximately constant intermediate with dispensing such liquid therefrom responsive to operation of said one portion.

2. An apparatus for repetitively dispensing predetermined amounts of fluid from a source contained therein, said apparatus comprising a substantially rigid housing defining a substantially closed chamber of predetermined volume configured for receiving such source of fluid, said housing including egress means configured for permitting passage of such fluid between said chamber and the exterior of said housing for dispensing fluid therefrom, and said housing including a plurality of displaceable wall portions adapted to vary said predetermined volume of said chamber in accordance with displacement of each of said portions responsive to application of an external force thereto, said wall portions being in communication with said chamber and configured for independent displacement between a first position defining an initial volume of said chamber and a second position defining a reduced volume of said chamber thereby providing increased pressure on such fluid within said chamber in accordance with displacement from said first to said second position so as to dispense an appropriate amount of such fluid through said egress means, at least one of said displaceable wall portions being elastically coupled to said housing such that, upon removal of an external force configured for displacement of said one portion from its said first to its said second position, said one portion tends to automatically return to its original location and thereby tends to return the reduced volume of said container to its volume just prior to actuation of said one portion, at least another of said portions is elastically coupled to said body, said another portion including means configured for latching said another portion in its said second position following its displacement thereto.

3. An apparatus for repetitively dispensing predetermined amounts of liquid from a source of fluid, said appartus comprising a housing defining a substantially closed chamber of predetermined volume configured for receiving such source of fluid, said housing including egress means configured for premitting passage of such fluid between said chamber and the exterior of said housing for dispensing fluid therefrom, said egress means including a porous filter medium which in cooperation with the surface tension of such liquid permits passage of the latter while precluding passage of gaseous fluid within a given range of pressure differential, and said housing inCluding a plurality of displaceable wall portions adapted to vary said predetermined volume of said chamber in accordance with displacement of each of said portions responsive to application of an external force thereto, said wall portions being in communication with said chamber and configured for independent displacement between a first position defining an initial volume of said chamber and a second position defining a reduced volume of said chamber thereby providing increased pressure on such fluid within said chamber in accordance with displacement from said first to said second position, at least one of said displaceable portions being configured for reducing said container volume by a predetermined amount so as to increase the internal pressure within said chamber and to produce a pressure on the interior of said filter medium which in cooperation with the exterior pressure thereof produces a pressure differential across said medium which is within said given range of pressure differential so as to thereby dispense an appropriate amount of such liquid.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said one of said portions is configured for reversible displacement so as to repetitively apply a pressure differential across said filter material for repetitively dispensing such liquid therethrough responsive to repetitive actuation of said one portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein including means for latching another of said displaceable portions in said second position so as to irreversibly reduce the volume of said chamber whereby said another portion may be displaced to its said second position and latched therein following actuation of said one portion so as to return the internal pressure of said chamber to approximately the initial pressure existing just prior to said actuation of said one portion so as to compensate for the reduced amount of liquid in said chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said first portion is biased to its said first position and said latching means includes an arm member affixed to and extending inwardly from said another portion and means located within said housing for cooperating with said arm member when said another portion is displaced to its said second position so as to retain it therein.

7. An apparatus for repetitively dispensing predetermined amounts of liquid from a source of fluid, said apparatus comprising:

a housing defining a substantially closed chamber of predetermined volume configured for receiving such source of fluid, said housing including egress means for permitting passage of such fluid between said chamber and the exterior of said housing, said egress means including means configured for permitting passage of liquid while precluding passage of gaseous fluids, and means for selectively reducing said predetermined volume of said container in discrete incremental steps so as to repetitively dispense an amount of such fluid through said egress means, said volume reducing means includes means operative to repetitively reduce the volume of said chamber by a predetermined amount so as to dispense liquid therefrom and then to tend to return said volume to its initial state so as to return any unused portions of such dispensed liquid to said chamber and means operative to irreversibly reduce the volume of said chamber to compensate for used portions of such dispensed liquid.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said housing includes a substantial planar wall portion forming a wall of said chamber and said volume reducing means includes a plurality of discrete portions of said housing wall which are configured for independent displacement from a first position defining said predetermined volume to a second position which reduces said volume responsive to application of an external force to said wall portions.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said wall portions are initially substantially coplanar with said housing wall when they are located in said first position and are configured for dipLacement inwardly along an axis substantially perpendicular to said wall.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein at least said one wall portion is biased to its said first position and configured to automatically return thereto from its said second position responsive to removal of such external force and thereby tends to return the volume of said container to its volume just prior to actuation of said one portion.

11. An apparatus for repetitively dispensing predetermined amounts of liquid from a source thereof, said apparatus comprising:

a housing defining a substantially closed chamber of predetermined volume configured for receiving such source of liquid and retaining it at an initial pressure;

egress means located on said housing and configured for passage of liquid between said chamber and the exterior of said housing and substantially precluding passage of gaseous fluid therebetween at least when a given range of pressure is maintained in said chamber;

first means for reversibly varying the volume of said chamber so as to first decrease said chamber volume and thereby increase the pressure on such source so as to dispense liquid therefrom through said egress means and then subsequently return said chamber volume to its initial state existing just prior to decreasing said volume and thereby decrease the pressure on such source so as to return any unused portion of such liquid to said chamber; and

second means for irreversibly reducing said chamber volume by a discrete amount following operation of said first means so as to substantially compensate for the reduced volume of said source within such chamber and thereby return the pressure of said chamber to approximately said initial pressure whereby said first means may be again operated to dispense said amount of such liquid and return unused portions thereof.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said first means and said second means include a plurality of discrete wall portions of said housing which are in communication with said chamber and configured for displacement between a first position defining said predetermined volume of said chamber and a second position defining a reduced volume of said chamber.