Dispensing device

• US 6,770,056 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2002
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Novartis Ag
• Original Assignee: Novartis Ag
• Inventors: Bley, Stephanie, Price, Phil T., Sams, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kontos, Lina R
• Application Number:
  US10/182,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 604/186, 604/207, 604/208, 604/209, 604/246, 222/43
• US Class Current: 604/246
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 11/023 with provision for varying the stroke of the piston

Abstract

A device for dispensing a measured dose of liquid from an attached container which container has an elongate casing defining a dispensing cylinder, one end of the casing being adapted for mounting on the container. A plurality of dose indications are provided on the external surface of the casing so that a dose may be pre-selected by moving a dose setting collar along the casing. The collar has a stop engageable with a selected one of a multiplicity of recesses on the casing to secure the collar at the required position. A plunger having a piston co-operating with a cylinder defined by the casing is movable to lift the piston from said one end of the casing until the piston abuts the dose setting collar so charging the dispenser. Depression of the plunger to move the piston back to said one end dispenses the selected dose from an outlet port.

Claims

1. A dispensing apparatus for dispensing a measured dose of liquid from an attached container, which apparatus comprises:

an elongate cylindrical casing, one end of said cylindrical casing being adapted for mounting on a container, said cylindrical casing being open at the other end thereof, said cylindrical casing being arranged to communicate with an attached container, said cylindrical casing having a liquid outlet port adjacent said one end, said cylindrical casing having an outwardly directed lip;

a plurality of dose indications provided on the external surface of said cylindrical casing;

said cylindrical casing having a channel formed in a wall therein, said channel extending along the length of said cylindrical casing;

a plunger, said plunger having a piston with a rod attached thereto being co-operatively slidable within said cylindrical casing for pumping liquid out of the attached container and through said outlet port;

a dose control member, said dose control member being connected to the plunger, the dose control member arranged to slide in said channel;

a dose-setting collar, said dose-setting collar being slidable over the external surface of said cylindrical casing for alignment with a selected dose indication, said dose-setting collar and dose control member being interengageable to limit the movement of the plunger away from said one end;

restraining means, said restraining means being arranged between said dose-setting collar and said cylindrical casing, wherein said restraining means comprises a plurality of stop elements, said stop elements being arranged along the length of said cylindrical casing, said dose-setting collar being engageable with a selected stop element thereby being restrained against movement away therefrom; and

a slider, said slider having a hook member, said hook member engageable with said outwardly directed lip on said cylindrical casing, said slider having at least one spring arm, said spring arm being engageable with said piston rod.

2. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cylindrical casing provides a cylindrical chamber, said cylindrical chamber being defined by a cylindrical tube mounted at said one end of said cylindrical casing, said cylindrical casing and said cylindrical chamber having an annular clearance defined therebetween.

3. The dispensing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said channel communicates with said annular clearance.

4. The dispensing apparatus of claim 3, wherein said dose control member comprises a sleeve slideably mounted within said annular clearance.

5. The dispensing apparatus of claim 4, wherein said dose control member has a first abutment which is slideably disposed within said channel.

6. The dispensing apparatus of claim 5, wherein said dose-setting collar defines a second abutment which runs in said channel and which is engaged by said first abutment of said dose control member when said plunger slides away from said one end.

7. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said stop elements are disposed both along the length of said cylindrical casing and around the periphery thereof, in an helical array.

8. The dispensing apparatus of claim 7, wherein said dose indications comprise index marks, there being a unique index mark for each selectable dose and being associated with a corresponding stop element.

9. The dispensing apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of said stop elements is in the form of a recess in said cylindrical casing, and wherein said dose-setting collar has a peg engageable in selected recess.

10. The dispensing apparatus of claim 9, wherein said peg is mounted on an arm connected to said dose-setting collar, which arm is movable between a peg-engaged position and a peg-free position.

11. The dispensing apparatus of claim 9, wherein said peg is mounted on a band which surrounds said cylindrical casing, which band is resiliently deformable in order to move said peg into and out of engagement with the selected recess in said cylindrical casing.

12. The dispensing apparatus of claim 11, wherein said dose-setting collar is provided with a window through which a selected dose index mark may be observed when said dose-setting collar is engaged with the corresponding dose stop element.

13. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein releasable catch means is provided for said plunger, whereby said releasable catch means restrains the plunger at a base position with said piston adjacent to said one end of said cylindrical casing, until said releasable catch means is released.

14. The dispensing apparatus of claim 13, wherein said releasable catch means comprises an extension to said channel and which has a portion extending in the circumferential direction of said cylindrical casing, and wherein said dose control member is receivable in and removable from said extension by relative rotational movement with respect to said cylindrical casing.

15. The dispensing apparatus of claim 14, wherein said extension to said channel includes a step behind which said dose control member may be located.

16. The dispensing apparatus of claim 13, wherein said releasable catch means has a catch member mounted on said plunger, said catch member being engageable with an abutment at said other end of said cylindrical casing.

17. The dispensing apparatus of claim 16, wherein said catch member is defined by a cap having an inwardly-directed tab, said other end of said cylindrical casing being provided with a tab collar having an outwardly-projecting rim, behind which said inwardly-directed tab is engageable.

18. The dispensing apparatus of claim 17, wherein said outwardly-projecting rim of said inwardly-directed tab has a tab channel formed there-through, whereby said plunger may be moved away from said one end of said cylindrical casing only when said tab is aligned with said tab channel.

19. The dispensing apparatus of claim 16, wherein said plunger is provided with a button cap, said button cap having a resilient press-button which, when depressed, moves said catch member radially outward and out of engagement with said abutment at said other end of said cylindrical casing.

20. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one end of said cylindrical casing is provided with a container recess within which a neck portion of a container may be received, said container recess being provided with engagement means in order to engage externally-formed threads on the neck portion of the container.

21. The dispensing apparatus of claim 20, wherein said engagement means comprises a plurality of inwardly-directed resilient fingers, said plurality of inwardly-directed resilient fingers having free ends which are engageable with at least one external rib on the container neck, whereby said cylindrical casing may be mounted on the container neck by pressing said cylindrical casing on to the container neck.

22. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a dip-pipe is provided at said one end of said cylindrical casing in order to communicate with liquid in an attached container, said dip-pipe having an associated one-way valve in order to prevent flow of liquid out of said cylindrical casing, said dip-pipe having a free end.

23. The dispensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein said one-way valve is provided at said one end of said cylindrical casing, said cylindrical casing further having an other one-way valve being associated with said liquid outlet port.

24. The dispensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein said one-way valve is provided at said free end of said dip-pipe wherein said one way valve is remote from said cylindrical casing.