Patent ID: 6796343
Filing Date: 2004-09-28
Classification: B67D,G01F

Abstract:
A fluid dispensing system comprising a dispenser attachable to a fluid reservoir to dispense metered quantities of fluid therefrom and a shuttle container which can be coupled to the dispenser to receive a metered quantity of fluid therefrom, the dispenser including a body defining a metering chamber having an inlet and an outlet, a valve assembly comprising an elongate slide carrying a first valve for opening and closing said outlet and a second valve for opening and closing said inlet, one said valve being resiliently retractable relative to the slide so that when the slide is longitudinally displaced from a first position to a second position, the second valve closes said inlet before the first valve opens said outlet and when the slide is longitudinally displaced from the second position to the first, the first valve closes said outlet before the second valve opens said inlet, the shuttle container having an annular wide neck for engagement with the body of the dispenser and a key for engaging the elongate slide to displace said slide from the first position to the second position, one of the engaging ends of the key having a mating projection and one of the engaging ends of the slide having a drive recess and the other having a mating projection which when said mating projection is engaged in said drive recess locks the two against a relative rotation locking means inhibiting displacement of the slide from the first position to the second position when the slide is in a first angular orientation and allowing said displacement when the slide is in a second angular orientation, means for cooperating said dispenser body with said annular wide neck, wherein second means for cooperating located on said dispenser body and first means for cooperating located on said annular wide neck engage each other only when said mating projection engages said drive recess, said first and second means for cooperating when engaged constraining relative movement between said shuttle container and the dispenser so as first to allow the key to rotate said slide from the first angular orientation to the second angular orientation to release said locking means and thereafter displace the slide from the first position to the second position both in response to manipulation of the shuttle container relative to the dispenser, whereby to discharge the metered quantity of fluid from the dispenser into the shuttle container.