Liquid delivery device
First Claim
1. A controllable liquid delivery device comprising:
- a hollow casing having a fluid impermeable wall, an inner surface of said wall surrounding and forming an open interior of said casing;
a flexible fluid impermeable membrane disposed within said interior and separating a liquid chamber from a propellant chamber;
a liquid filling said liquid chamber;
an outlet port through said wall providing fluid communication between said liquid chamber and the exterior of said casing;
first and second chemicals separately disposed in said propellant chamber, said first and second chemicals reactive with each other such that upon contact said first and second chemicals react to generate a quantity of propellant gas;
means for controlling the rate at which said first and second chemicals generate the propellant gas;
barrier means initially separating said chemicals; and
means operable to allow one of said chemicals to pass through said barrier means and come into contact with the other of said chemicals,whereby, upon activation of said contacting means, said first and second chemicals react to generate said propellant gas, said propellant gas thereupon expanding against said membrane and causing said membrane to move against said liquid, causing the expulsion of said liquid from said liquid chamber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A liquid dispensing device and the method of dispensing liquid are disclosed. The device is uniquely suited to meet the requirements of hospitals and other institutions for long shelf life in inert condition and ready activation when needed. The device includes a hollow gas- and liquid-tight casing (preferably spherical or cylindrical), a flexible gas- and liquid-tight membrane disposed entirely across the casing interior dividing the interior into a propellant chamber and a liquid chamber; an outlet port from the liquid chamber; two mutually reactive chemicals in the propellant chamber but separated by a barrier; and a member to breach the barrier and permit the chemicals to come into contact; the two chemicals being reactive upon contact to form a propellant gas. The propellant gas thereupon expands against the membrane, moves the membrane to enlarge the propellant chamber, decrease the liquid chamber, and expel the contained liquid from the liquid chamber through the outlet port. The barrier may be breached in any convenient manner, as by breaking a frangible barrier or perforating a perforable one. Preferably at least one of the chemicals is in liquid form, and one is a Group I or II metal carbonate or bicarbonate while the other is an acid, acid anhydride or acid salt; the most preferred combination is sodium carbonate and citric acid.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A controllable liquid delivery device comprising:
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a hollow casing having a fluid impermeable wall, an inner surface of said wall surrounding and forming an open interior of said casing; a flexible fluid impermeable membrane disposed within said interior and separating a liquid chamber from a propellant chamber; a liquid filling said liquid chamber; an outlet port through said wall providing fluid communication between said liquid chamber and the exterior of said casing; first and second chemicals separately disposed in said propellant chamber, said first and second chemicals reactive with each other such that upon contact said first and second chemicals react to generate a quantity of propellant gas; means for controlling the rate at which said first and second chemicals generate the propellant gas; barrier means initially separating said chemicals; and means operable to allow one of said chemicals to pass through said barrier means and come into contact with the other of said chemicals, whereby, upon activation of said contacting means, said first and second chemicals react to generate said propellant gas, said propellant gas thereupon expanding against said membrane and causing said membrane to move against said liquid, causing the expulsion of said liquid from said liquid chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification