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Usage indicator

  • US 7,232,043 B2
  • Filed: 12/22/2003
  • Issued: 06/19/2007
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A substance dispensing device configured to indicate the extent to which said substance has been dispensed therefrom, said device having an axis along the longitudinal length of the device, said device comprising:

  • a substance storage container for containing said substance to be dispensed;

    a pump, whereby each operation of said pump will dispense a predetermined percentage of said substance stored in said substance storage container;

    an actuator biased towards a rest position and movable from said rest position to effect each operation of said pump and return to said rest position to enable subsequent operations of said pump, said actuator including drive means including a pair of axial drive lugs spaced apart in the direction of said axis, each of said pair of drive lugs including a sloping face; and

    a usage indicator including a movable member rotatable about said axis in response to each operation of said pump, and indicator means associated with said movable member providing a visual indication of the extent to which said substance has been dispensed from said substance storage container, said movable member including reactive means comprising a pair of series of circumferentially arranged teeth, said teeth in each of said pair of series of circumferentially arranged teeth including a sloping face configured to sequentially cooperate with the sloping face of each of said pair of drive lugs to convert said axial movement of said actuator to rotational movement of said movable member about said axis, said sloping faces of each series of teeth being spaced apart in the direction of the axis,whereby when said actuator is moved in the direction of said axis away from said rest position to effect each operation of said pump one of said pair of drive lugs cooperates with one of said teeth in one of said pair of series of circumferentially arranged teeth to rotate such movable member about said axis and when said actuator returns to said rest position the other of said pair of drive lugs cooperates with one of said teeth in the other of said pair of series of circumferentially arranged teeth to further rotate said movable member about said axis.

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