Patent Publication Number: US-10766047-B2

Title: Dispensing container and actuator therefor

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of International Application No. PCT/CA2016/050179, filed on Feb. 23, 2016, hereby incorporated by reference herein. Benefit is claimed under 35 U.S.C. 120. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to dispensing containers and, in particular, to dispensing containers for fluids such as creams and ointments, and to dispensers and actuators for use in such containers. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Dispensers for dispensing fluids such as creams and ointments exist. A drawback of existing dispensers is that they are unsatisfactory in terms of their accuracy, and/or preciseness, and/or controllability in terms of the amount of fluid they dispense from a container such as a bottle. As a result, such dispensers are not suitable for creams or ointments that are medicated and may require that they be dispensed in a prescribed dose which itself may vary over the duration of treatment. 
     When control over how much fluid to dispense is desired, users sometimes resort to approaches such as the use of a syringe, dropper or other measuring device. However, the act of directly accessing the product from a jar or bottle may contaminate the user as well as contaminate or oxidize the remaining product, which accelerates spoilage and leads to increased costs for the user. In specific applications, the use of a syringe, dropper or other measuring device may further require significant patient compliance to ensure a correct dosage administration. 
     As such, existing techniques for dispensing fluids in certain applications are unsatisfactory. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to a first aspect, there is provided a fluid dispenser, comprising: an actuator with a rotatable dial; a valve assembly connected to the actuator, the valve assembly being configured so as to cause fluid to be drawn from a reservoir and released from the dispenser during at least part of the time when the dial is rotated from a start position to one of a plurality of dosage positions and back to the start position, the plurality of dosage positions being at different respective angular positions of the dial; the actuator being configured to provide perceptible feedback at each of the plurality of dosage positions. 
     According to a second aspect, there is provided an actuator for a fluid dispenser, comprising: a housing attachable to a casing; a dial mounted to the housing; and a component mounted to the housing and attachable to a valve assembly configured to carry fluid from the casing towards an egress port of the actuator; wherein the dial and the component have respective contacting surfaces that are configured to urge the component to undergo axial displacement as the dial is rotated; wherein the housing is configured to impede rotational motion of the component relative to the housing while the component undergoes said axial displacement; and wherein the contacting surfaces being are further configured to provide perceptible feedback at a plurality of angular displacements of the dial. 
     According to a third aspect, there is provided a dispensing container, comprising: a casing having a dimension along a longitudinal direction; and a fluid dispenser mounted to the casing and configured so as to cause fluid to be drawn from a reservoir disposed within the casing and released towards an exterior of the container via the fluid dispenser during at least part of the time when an element of the fluid dispenser is rotated from a start position to one of a plurality of angularly spaced-apart dosage positions and back to the start position; wherein the fluid dispenser is configured to provide perceptible feedback at each of the plurality of dosage positions. 
     According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method, comprising: setting a dosage selector of a dispenser to a first dosage position; rotating a component of the dispenser from a start position until blocked by the dosage selector in the first position and back to the start position, thereby to cause a first amount of fluid to be dispensed by the dispenser; releasing the dosage selector from the first dosage position, and setting the dosage selector to a second dosage position; and rotating the component from the start position until blocked by the dosage selector in the second position and back to the start position, thereby to cause a second amount of fluid to be dispensed by the dispenser, the second amount of fluid being different than the first amount of fluid. 
     These and other aspects and features of the present invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying drawings: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a dispensing container in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment, the container including a casing and a dispenser. 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the dispensing container of  FIG. 1A  with a cap mounted thereon. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the dispensing container of  FIG. 1B , showing the cap, the casing and the dispenser. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a plurality of containers of different sizes and each including a fill window, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the dispenser, including an actuator and a valve assembly, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustration of the actuator including a housing body, a housing shoulder, a dial inner shell, a dial outer shell and a stem, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are bottom and top perspective views, respective, of the shoulder of the housing of the actuator, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are bottom and top perspective views, respective, of the body of the housing of the actuator, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are bottom and top perspective views, respective, of the outer shell of the dial of the actuator, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  are bottom and top perspective views, respective, of the inner shell of the dial of the actuator, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIGS. 10A and 10B  are bottom and top perspective views, respectively, of the stem of the actuator, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the valve assembly, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIGS. 12A to 12E  are a sequence of perspective views of the container in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment, showing the dial at different stages of rotation and the dispenser at different stages of dispensing. 
         FIGS. 13A to 13C  are side elevational cross-sectional views of the valve assembly, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment, at different points along the trajectory of the dial from a start position to a selected dosage position. 
         FIG. 13D  is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the valve assembly, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment, at a point along a return trajectory of the dial. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the stem of the actuator, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment, showing a surface profile that permits the dial of the actuator to be rotated both clockwise and counter-clockwise relative to the start position. 
         FIG. 15  is a partial perspective cutaway view of the shoulder of the housing and of the outer shell of the dial, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment, showing complementary parts that participate in snap action to provide audible feedback. 
         FIGS. 16A and 16B  are a sequence of diagrams showing a relationship between rotational motion of the dial relative to the housing and the resultant axial motion of the stem. 
         FIG. 17  is a partial side elevational cross-sectional view of the valve assembly, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment, illustrating a release of negative pressure formed by axial movement of a reservoir of the valve assembly relative to the casing of the container. 
         FIG. 18  is a graph of the force needed to turn the dial at different angular positions, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 19  is a bottom perspective view of the shoulder of the housing of the actuator, in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 20  is a top perspective view of the stem of the actuator, in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 21  is a partial perspective cutaway view of the shoulder of the housing and of the outer shell of the dial, in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 22  is a graph of the force needed to turn the dial at different angular positions, in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 23  is a partial side elevational view of a dispensing container including a dispenser in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 24  is a cross-sectional view of a dispensing container including a dispenser, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 25  is an exploded perspective view of various components of the dispenser, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 26  is a bottom perspective view of a shoulder forming part of the actuator of  FIG. 25 . 
         FIGS. 27A and 27B  are a cross-sectional perspective view and a top perspective view, respectively, of a dial forming part of the actuator of  FIG. 25 . 
         FIG. 28  is a perspective view of a tip forming part of the dispenser of  FIG. 25 . 
         FIG. 29  is a perspective view of a stem forming part of the dispenser of  FIG. 25 . 
         FIG. 30  is a perspective view of a dosage selector forming part of the dispenser of  FIG. 25 . 
         FIGS. 31A to 31E  are views of the dispenser during different moments of use and re-setting of the dosage selector, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. 
         FIG. 32  is a perspective view of a dispensing container that is capped, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment in which dosage indicators are visible when the dispensing container is capped. 
     
    
    
     It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration of certain embodiments of the invention and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following provides a description of various non-limiting embodiments of a container for dispensing cream, ointment, lotion, emulsion, gel or any other topical formulation or other fluid. 
     Version 1 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1A, 1B and 17 , there is shown a dispensing container  10  in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment. The dispensing container may be a bottle or a jar, and comprises a casing  12  to which is mounted a dispenser  14  for dispensing fluid contained in reservoir  18 . The fluid contained in the reservoir  18  may be a cream, ointment, lotion, emulsion, gel or any other topical formulation or other fluid. The reservoir  18  may be movable within an inner wall  20  of the casing  12 . In use, the reservoir  18  migrates upwards towards the dispenser  14  as the volume of fluid it contains decreases. In some embodiments, the container  10  may further include a bottom end  22 . The bottom end  22  may include one or more vents  24  to equalize a pressure differential caused by displacement of a base  718  of the reservoir  18  towards the dispenser  14  as the volume of fluid held in the reservoir  18  decreases during use. In other embodiments, the bottom end  22  of the container  10  may be omitted, rendering the casing  12  a bottomless casing. 
     The container  10  may be generally in the form of a cylinder with a longitudinal axis and two ends, such that the dispenser  14  is located at one longitudinal end of the container  10 . However, other shapes and configurations are possible. The container  10  may be made of a plastic or any other suitable material. The container  10  may be see-through or opaque. By way of non-limiting example, certain components of the container  10  may be moulded or 3D-printed. In some embodiments, a cap  90  may optionally be disposed atop the dispenser  14  for purposes of concealment or protection. 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , the dispensing container  10  and optional cap  90  are shown in exploded view. It will be appreciated that once assembled onto the casing  12 , the dispenser  14  creates a substantially hermetic seal, which in specific implementations, may advantageously minimize tampering, contamination and oxidation of the fluid contained therein. 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the dispenser  14  is modular and can be used with casings  12 A- 12 F capable of holding different volumes, but having the same size mouth  16 . 
     Turning now to  FIG. 5 , the dispenser  14  comprises an actuator  400  and a valve assembly  1100 . In the present non-limiting embodiment, the actuator  400  includes a housing  410  attachable to the casing  12 , a rotatable dial  420  mounted to the housing  410  and a stem  1000  in contact with both the dial  420  and the housing  410 . The housing  410  includes a shoulder  600  and a body  700 , while the dial includes an outer shell  800  and an inner shell  900 . The body  700 , the shoulder  600 , the outer shell  800 , the inner shell  900  and the stem  1000  will now be described in the context of a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1B, 2, 4 and 6B , the cap  90  may have a circular opening defined by a ring of a certain thickness that rests atop a circular ledge  692  formed by the shoulder  600 . The ledge  692  creates a thin, lowered region at a wider diameter surrounding the upper ring  602  which has a narrower diameter. With proper dimensioning of the outer surface of the upper ring  602  of the shoulder  600  and the inner surface of the opening of the cap  90 , the cap  90  can be made to fit snugly to the dispenser  14 . In other embodiments, the cap  90  may be a screw-on cap, including for example a child-resistant cap. The cap  90  has an outer surface that may be designed in thickness to be flush with the outer surface of the casing  12  when the cap  90  is mounted to the dispenser  14 , which may give a sleek look to the container  10 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 7A-7B , the body  700  includes an annular shell with a flange  702  around its periphery, conceptually dividing the annular shell into a top ring and a bottom ring. The flange  702  is recessed therebeneath to accommodate a thinned outer wall  704  at the mouth  16  of the casing  12 . The flange  702  is designed to have an outer diameter that corresponds to the outer diameter of the casing  12 , so that an exterior of the body  700  (i.e., the surface of the flange  702 ) is flush with the exterior of the casing  12  when the body  700  is mounted thereto. In order to secure the body  700  to the casing  12 , the inner wall of the casing  12  includes one or more dimples or tracks  706  which accommodate complementary projections  708  on the surface of the body  700  below the flange  702 . By urging the body  700  downwards onto the casing  12  while the projections  708  are axially aligned with the dimples or tracks  706 , the projections  708  ultimately enter the dimples or tracks  706  and the body  700  snaps onto the casing  12 . 
     Towards an interior of the body  700 , there is provided a cylindrical chamber  710  that accommodates the valve assembly  1100 . The chamber  710  is connected to the reservoir  18  via an orifice  714  in the body  700 . The reservoir  18  is defined by a cylindrical inner wall  716  of the casing  12  and a base  718  (see  FIG. 17 ). The reservoir  18  normally contains fluid to be dispensed by the dispenser  14 . 
     The cylindrical chamber  710  is surrounded by a moat  720  which is itself surrounded by a thin cylindrical wall  722  comprising axial slots  724 . The moat  720  accommodates a spring  726  which can be compressed by downwards axial motion of a stem undersurface  728  (see  FIG. 10A ). 
     The shoulder  600  is separate from the body  700  but snaps to the body  700  when assembly of the actuator  400  is complete. With additional reference to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , the shoulder  600  generally includes an upper ring  602  that sits on top of a lower ring  604 , the lower ring  604  having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the upper ring  602  and having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the upper ring  602 , thus forming an annular lip  606  on the inside of the shoulder  600 . The upper ring  602  includes a radially inwardly facing ledge  608 , on which information about a start position, dosages and/or other information may be printed, embossed or debossed. 
     The lower ring  604  of the shoulder  600  includes a plurality of recesses or dimples  610  while the top ring of the body  700  includes complementary protrusions  730  (see  FIG. 7B ) that are configured to snap into these dimples/recesses  610  when the shoulder  600  and the body  700  are urged together. The size of the outer diameter of the lower ring  604  corresponds to the size of the outer diameter of the casing  12  and also to the outer diameter of the flange  702  of the body  700 . In this way, when the shoulder  600  is mated to the body  700 , the resulting container  10  including the casing  12  and the actuator  400  presents a smooth and uniform outer surface. 
     For purposes of assembly of the actuator  400  and/or the dispenser  14 , the shoulder  600  and the body  700  are mated to another (i.e., the dimples/recesses  610  of the lower ring  604  of the shoulder  600  engage the protrusions  730  of the top ring of the body  700 ), however this is done only once the stem  1000 , the valve assembly  1100  and the dial  420  are set in place. 
     The dial&#39;s outer shell  800  is rotated by the user during operation of the actuator  400 . With additional reference to  FIGS. 8A and 8B , the outer shell  800  may include a textured surface to facilitate gripping, such as a relief pattern  802 , although other grip facilitating features could be provided, such as areas of surface depression, wings, knobs, etc. The outer shell  800  also includes at least one egress port  804  through which fluid exits the actuator  400 . Fluid dispensing could occur upon turning the dial  800  in one rotational direction (e.g., clockwise), in an opposite rotational direction, or in both. The shape of the egress port  804  is not particularly limiting, and may be in the form of a ring, one or more holes, one or more slits, etc. Also, while in the illustrated embodiment, the egress port  804  is centered, this need not be the case in all embodiments. 
     The outer shell  800  of the dial  420  further includes a circular band  806  around its outer surface. Also, the outer shell  800  includes a plurality of feet  808  that protrude radially outward at a base of the outer shell  800 . When the outer shell  800  is inserted through the shoulder  600 , the circular band  806  comes up against the ledge  608  formed by the upper ring  602  of the shoulder  600 , while the feet  808  come up against the annular lip  606  on the inside of the shoulder  600 . When, in addition, the body  700  is snapped to the shoulder  600 , the feet  808  of the outer shell  800  are now caught between the annular lip  606  on the inside of the shoulder  600  and the top ring of the body  700 . This blocks axial displacement of the dial&#39;s outer shell  800  relative to the housing  410  while permitting rotational motion of the dial  420  relative to the housing  410 . Axial displacement can refer to displacement along an axis that is normal to a plane of rotation of the dial  420 . 
     With additional reference to  FIGS. 9A-9B , the inner shell  900  of the dial  420  includes a disk  902  circumscribed by an upper wall  904  on the periphery of an upper surface of the disk  902  and a lower wall  906  on the periphery of an underside of the disk  902 . A cylindrical channel  908  passes longitudinally through a center of the disk  902 . The inner shell  900  is mounted to the outer shell  800  through a pair of mating, hollow cylindrical connectors, a first one  810  on the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  and a second one  910  on the inner shell  900 . The hollow cylindrical mating connector  810  on the outer shell  800  passes through a center of the dial  420  and creates a conduit for fluid towards the egress port  804 . Engagement of the connectors  810 ,  910  acts as a stop against axial motion of the inner shell  900  relative to the outer shell  800 . Also, rotational motion of the inner shell  900  relative to the outer shell  800  is blocked by a set of axially oriented ribs  812  disposed on an inner surface of the outer shell  800  and a corresponding set of axially oriented slits  912  located on the upper wall  904  on the periphery of the upper surface of the disk  902  of the inner shell  900 . Thus, when the ribs  812  of the outer shell  800  are aligned with the slits  912  of the inner shell  900 , the inner shell  900  can be pushed towards the outer shell  800  from the inside, resulting in engagement of the cylindrical mating connectors  910 ,  810 . At this point, practically speaking, the outer shell  800  and the inner shell  900  form one and the same component, namely the dial  420 . 
     The inner shell  900  of the dial  420  also includes a plurality of hanging arms, in this case two such hanging arms  914  disposed at 180 degrees to one another. Each of the hanging arms  914  occupies a certain arc length (e.g., around 10 degrees) around an outer periphery of the circular surface on the underside of the disk  902 . In other embodiments, there may be a single hanging arm  914 , while in still other embodiments, there may be more than two hanging arms. 
     Turning now to the stem  1000 , and with additional reference to  FIGS. 10A-10B , this cap-shaped component includes a disk  1002  under which hangs a cylindrical outer wall  1004 . On top of the disk  1002  is a plurality of contoured ridges. In this case, there are two contoured ridges  1006  that are at 180 degrees apart around a periphery of the disk  1002 . In other embodiments, there may be a single contoured ridge  1006 , while in still other embodiments, there may be more than two contoured ridges. The stem  1000  and the inner shell  900  of the dial  420  are in contact through a pair of mating, hollow cylindrical connectors, one connector  1010  being on the stem  1000  and the other connector  916  being on the inner shell  900 . The hollow cylindrical mating connectors  1010 ,  916  pass through a center of the dial  420  and create a conduit for passage of fluid towards the egress port  804  of the dial  420 . 
     The stem  1000  also includes wings  1008  that slide into the aforementioned axial slots  724  made in the thin cylindrical wall  722  of the body  700 , which blocks rotational motion of the stem  1000  relative to the body  700  (and also relative to the housing  410  as a whole). 
     Although the dial  420  is permitted to move rotationally relative to the housing  410 , it is blocked by the housing  410  from moving axially. (In the present description, the terms “axial” and “longitudinal” are sometimes used interchangeably.) Specifically, the feet  808  of the dial&#39;s outer shell  800  are sandwiched between the annular lip  606  on the inside of the shoulder  600  and the top ring of the housing&#39;s body  700 . For its part, the stem  1000  is permitted to move axially within a certain range of motion, but is blocked by the housing  410  from rotating. This blocking is achieved by the wings  1008  of the stem being caught in the axial slots  724  of the housing&#39;s body  700 . 
     By proper configuration of the inner shell  900  of the dial  410  and of the stem  1000 , a transfer of rotational motion of the dial  420  to axial motion of the stem  1000  can be achieved. Specifically, the stem  1000  and the inner shell  900  of the dial  420  are in contact with each other through the hanging arms  914  of the inner shell  900  and the contoured ridges  1006  of the step  1000 , which act as cams. The hanging arms  914  are shaped in such a way that when the dial  420  is rotated, rotation of the hanging arms  914  pushes obliquely against the surface of the contoured ridges  1006 . Since the stem  1000  cannot rotate, the rotational force that it receives from the hanging arms  914  is redirected by the oblique shape of the contoured ridges  1006 , urging the stem  1000  to undergo a “downwards” axial displacement (away from the dial  420 ). Also subjected to this downwards axial displacement of the stem  1000  is a cylindrical base  1030  that interacts with the valve assembly  1100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the valve assembly  1100  can be an airless valve assembly incorporating a reciprocating piston rod  1102 . The valve assembly  1100  is configured to draw fluid from the reservoir  18  by suction and push it through a hollow portion of the piston rod  1102 , through the stem  1000  and ultimately out through the egress port  804  of the outer dial  800 . 
     In this embodiment, the valve assembly is of the type that expels fluid as a result of upward axial displacement of the piston rod  1102 , i.e., this occurs during a return stroke of the piston rod  1102 , namely, during decompression of the spring  726 . However, other valve assemblies are possible. For example, another possible valve assembly is configured to push fluid through the stem  1000  upon downward axial displacement of a piston rod (i.e., during compression of the spring  726 ). Yet another possible valve assembly is configured to expel fluid upon both downward and upward axial displacement of a piston rod, for example in respective fluid volume ratios (resulting from the downward:upward axial displacement of the piston rod) of 50:50, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 40:60, 30:70, 20:80, 10:90, and the like. Each of these valve assemblies may be suitable in different embodiments. Still other valve assemblies may be based on the valve assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,045, hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     As an aid in understanding, a specific non-limiting embodiment of a valve assembly is now described with reference to  FIG. 11 , which shows a valve assembly  1100 A. It should be noted that the valve assembly  1100 A is a variant of the valve assembly  1100  because it is of the type that expels fluid on a downward (rather than upward) stroke of a piston rod. Persons skilled in the art will know what variations are needed in order to change the valve assembly so that it becomes of the type that expels fluid on the return stroke of the piston rod  1102 A. In the following, a reference to a component of the actuator  400  is labelled with a suffix “A”, since the design of this component may be slightly different in order to accommodate the specific type of valve assembly being described in the embodiment of  FIG. 11  when compared with the one provided for in  FIG. 4 . 
     Thus, with reference to  FIG. 11 , the valve assembly  1100 A includes a piston rod  1102 A connected to the stem  1000 A. The piston rod  1102 A of the valve assembly  1100 A is secured to the cylindrical base  1030 A of the stem  1000 A by virtue of a protruding ring  1020 A of the stem  1000 A being caught in a circular recess  1104 A of the piston rod  1102 A. Thus, when the stem  1000 A undergoes downwards axial displacement, so too does the piston rod  1102 A of the valve assembly  1100 A; similarly, when the stem  1000 A undergoes upwards axial displacement, so too does the piston rod  1102 A of the valve assembly  1100 A. The valve assembly  1100 A also comprises a seal cap  1106 A disposed circumferentially near the top of the chamber  710 A and a check valve  1108 A disposed circumferentially at the bottom of the bottom of the chamber  710 A. The seal cap  1106 A is slidably mounted to an inner wall of the chamber  710 A so that axial motion of the seal cap  1106 A relative to the inner wall of the chamber  710 A is permitted. Axial motion in the downwards direction is caused by the base  1030 A of the stem  1000 A pushing down on an upper portion  1120 A of the seal cap  1106 A. Axial motion in the upwards direction is caused by a base  1116 A of the piston rod  1102 A pushing up on a lower portion  1122 A of the seal cap  1106 A. The seal cap  1106 A provides a seal against fluid leakage between the inner wall of the chamber  710 A and the piston rod  1102 A. The check valve  1108 A has a plug  1110 A that nominally blocks the orifice  714 A of the body  700 A but is sufficiently flexible to be raised and dislodged from the orifice  714 A. The check valve  1108 A also has one or more eccentric openings  1112 A. The check valve  1108 A is made of a material that is sufficiently flexible to allow fluid to be drawn into the chamber  710 A from the reservoir  18 A via the orifice  714 A and the eccentric openings  1112 A (with the plug  1110 A raised) but does not permit fluid to be pushed out from the chamber  710 A into the reservoir  18 A. The piston rod  1102 A acts as a conduit for fluid traveling from the chamber  710 A to the stem  1000 A. To this end, the piston rod  1102 A includes one or more openings  1114 A near the base  1116 A. 
     Operation of the valve assembly  1100 A is now described with reference to  FIGS. 13A-13D .  FIG. 13A  shows the piston rod  1102 A at its highest longitudinal position in the chamber  710 A. In this position, the openings  1114 A in the piston rod  1102 A are sealed by the seal cap  1106 A. However, the openings  1114 A will be liberated as the piston rod  1102 A begins its journey down into the chamber  710 A. Specifically, for a first portion of this longitudinal displacement of the piston rod, the seal cap  1106 A remains stationary, as there is a gap  1124 A between the base  1030 A of the stem  1000 A and the upper portion  1120 A of the seal cap  1106 A. Then, as the gap  1124 A is closed by downward motion of the base  1030 A of the stem  1000 A, the base  1030 A eventually contacts the upper portion  1120 A of the seal cap  1106 A, as is shown in  FIG. 13B . At this point, fluid is allowed to travel through the openings  1114 A and upwards through the center of the piston rod  1102 A. The fluid continues to travel upwards through the piston rod  1102 A as shown in  FIG. 13C  until the base  1116 A of the piston rod  1102 A is stopped by the check valve  1108 A at the bottom of the chamber  710 A. Meanwhile, it will be noted that the spring  726 A has become compressed. 
     On the return stroke of the piston rod  1102 A, the piston rod  1102 A rises due to rising of the stem  1030 A, which could be caused by user actuation of the dial  420  or by the force of decompression of the spring  726 A or both. Fluid is now drawn from the reservoir  18 A into the chamber  710 A through the orifice  714 A and the openings  1112 A of the check valve  1108 A. The lower portion  1122 A of the seal cap  1106 A is meanwhile being dragged upwards by the base  1116 A of the piston rod  1102 A, until the seal cap  1106 A hits an abutment  780 A formed in the body  700 A. At this point, and with reference to  FIG. 13D , the seal cap  1106 A stops its ascent and the aforementioned gap  1124 A is re-formed between the upper portion  1122 A of the seal cap  1106 A and the base  1030 A of the stem  1000 A. 
     Irrespective of the type of valve assembly that is used, the volume of fluid that is dispensed depends on the amount of axial displacement of the piston rod. This could include the amount of axial displacement on the way down, or on the way up, or both, depending on the design of the valve assembly. Returning now to the embodiment that had been described with reference to  FIGS. 1A through 10B and 17 , the amount of axial displacement of the piston rod  1102  is itself a function of the amount of displacement of the stem  1000 , which in turn depends on the extent of angular rotation of the outer shell  800  of the dial  420 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1A and 8B , to facilitate use of the dispenser  14 , the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  may include a marker  850 . In two example non-limiting embodiments, the marker  850  may be printed or embossed on the outer surface of the outer shell  800  of the dial  420 . The marker  850  is located at a certain point around the periphery of the outer shell  800 . Assume that the spring  726  is completely decompressed and that the actuator  400  is at the beginning of a dispensing cycle. This position may be referred to as a “start position” for the dial  420 , and an area on the ledge  608  of the shoulder  600  opposite the marker  850  is marked by an indicator  650  referred to as a “start indicator”, which may be printed, or debossed, or embossed with information such as “zero”, “0”, “start”, etc., or any other kind of symbol. In some embodiments where rotation of the dial  420  in the opposite direction from the start position may be blocked, the start indicator  650  may be omitted, as the start position of the dial can be easily perceived by the user. 
     As the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  is turned relative to the shoulder  600 , the marker  850  follows a curved path, defining an angular displacement. Pre-determined angular displacements for the marker  850  (referred to as “dosage positions” for the dial  420 ) are marked on the ledge  608  of the shoulder  600  with respective “dosage indicators”  660 A- 660 C. Each given dosage position corresponds to a dosage that the dispenser  14  is configured to dispense during the time period when the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  is rotated from the start position (i.e., when the marker  850  is aligned with the start indicator  650 ) to the given dosage position (i.e., when the marker  850  is aligned with one of the indicators  660 A- 0660 C) and back to the start position. Actual dispensing of the fluid may occur only during the first half of the dispensing cycle (i.e., rotation of the dial  420  from the start position to the given dosage position) or only during the second half (from the given dosage position back to the start position) or during both halves, depending on the type of valve assembly that is used, as has been previously described. The dosage indicators  660 A- 660 C may specify (e.g., by virtue of being printed, debossed or embossed with, or including a sticker indicating) the actual dosage that is dispensed. In a non-limiting embodiment, the dial  420  may acquire three dosage positions (which do not include the start position), each corresponding to a different dosage, although there may be more or fewer possible dosage positions in other practical embodiments. 
     The range of possible dosages that can be dispensed will naturally depend on the capacity of the chamber  710 . As such, example dosages could be 0.1 ml, 0.2 ml, 0.25 ml, 0.5 ml, 1 ml, 1.5 ml, 2.0 ml and 5.0 ml, to name a few non-limiting possibilities. It should be appreciated that the dosages corresponding to the various dosage positions of the dial  420  may be independent of one another. Specifically, although it is possible for the second smallest dosage to be an integer multiple of the smallest dosage, this need not be the case. Thus, dosage positions corresponding to dosages of 0.1, ml, 0.25 ml and 0.5 ml may be a feasible and acceptable combination of dosages. Dosage positions that correspond to numerous other dosages and combinations of dosages are of course possible, again with no particular restriction as to whether any of the dosages are multiples of one another. It should be appreciated that in the case dosages X and Y are among the dosages that can be dispensed by the dispenser  14 , and where the prescribed dosage for a medicated cream or lotion changes over time between dosage X and dosage Y, this can allow the user to easily change from dosage X to dosage Y by simply rotating the dial  420  to/from the new dosage position corresponding to dosage Y (which will be attained when the marker  850  is aligned with the corresponding dosage indicator). The simplicity with which this can be done on the part of the user may facilitate patient compliance with a time varying dosage regime. 
     From a user&#39;s point of view, and with reference to  FIGS. 12A-12E , the user turns the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  in a certain direction from the start position (see  FIG. 12A , where the marker  850  is aligned with the start indicator  650 ), to a selected (or desired) dosage position (see  FIG. 12B , where the marker  850  is aligned with dosage indicator  660 A), and then back to the start position (see  FIG. 12C ). Finger grips (e.g., the relief pattern  802 ) may facilitate gripping of the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  and/or may include a particular pattern which indicates the possible direction of rotation for actuation. Depending on the angular displacement imparted by the user to the dial  420 , the selected dosage position may be the first dosage position (which would result in dispensing of the smallest amount of volume of fluid that the dispenser is able to dispense), the last dosage position (which would result in dispensing of the largest amount of volume of fluid that the dispenser is able to dispense) or an intermediate dosage position. In the case of the sequence from  FIGS. 12A-12E , the selected dosage position was the first dosage position (whereby the marker  850  is aligned with dosage indicator  660 A corresponding to a dosage of 0.1 ml), while in the continuation of this sequence, i.e.,  FIGS. 12C-12E , the selected dosage position was an intermediate dosage position (whereby the marker  850  is aligned with dosage indicator  660 B corresponding to a dosage of 0.25 ml), which leads to a total dispensed volume of 0.35 ml through the egress port  804 . In this embodiment, it will be observed that fluid dispensing occurs on the return path from the selected dosage position to the start position, but as mentioned previously, this need not be the case in all embodiments. 
     It should be appreciated that when the dial  420  is rotated away from the start position towards one of the dosage positions, the spring  726  is compressed. Conversely, when the dial  420  is brought back to the start position, this creates headroom for the compressed spring  726 , which expands and applies pressure to the stem  1000  against the inner shell  900  of the dial  420  towards its original axial position as the dial  420  returns to the start position. In some non-limiting embodiments, the spring  726  may be sufficiently strong so as to urge the dial  420  back to its start position without user manipulation of the dial  420 . That is to say, merely by the user letting go of the dial  420  after reaching a selected dosage position, the decompression force of the spring  726  will cause the dial  420  to return to the start position. One should also bear in mind that the strength of the spring  726  required to force the dial  420  back to the start position may also be influenced by the configuration of the profile of the connecting surfaces of the stem  1000  and the dial&#39;s inner shell  900 , as will now be described. 
     Indeed, to dispense the amount of fluid indicated by a particular dosage indicator, a calibrated design of the stem  1000  and the dial&#39;s inner shell  900  is needed. To this end, in order to provide a certain degree of precision and/or accuracy with which predetermined doses of fluid can be dispensed, the contoured ridges  1006  of the stem  1000  are specially profiled, taking into account the predetermined dosage positions of the dial  420 , as will now be described, with reference to  FIGS. 16A and 16B . 
     Recalling that the contoured ridges  1006  each have a surface in contact with a surface of a corresponding one of the hanging arms  914 ,  FIG. 16A  conceptually relates the changing angular positions of one of the hanging arms  914  to the changing axial positions of the corresponding contoured ridge  1006  in the case where the dial  420  acquires a first dosage position. This is continued in  FIG. 16B , which presents the situation in the case where the dial  420  acquires the next dosage position. The diagrams of  FIGS. 16A and 16B  are in fact curvilinear projections, such that clockwise rotation of the hanging arm  914  is represented as lateral movement towards the right, which is associated with downward movement of the contoured ridge  1006 . The upper image in each of  FIGS. 16A and 16B  illustrates the angular position of the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  and the corresponding relative lateral position of the hanging arm  914  is shown in the lower image. Also shown are the start indicator  650  and the dosage indicators  660 A- 660 C as indicated on the shoulder  600  of the housing  410 , as well as the marker  850  on the outer shell  800  of the dial  420 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 16A and 16B , a non-limiting embodiment of a possible profile of one of the contoured ridges  1006  is shown. Changes in axial displacement of the contoured ridge  1006  occur due to a lower extremity of the hanging arm  914  obliquely pushing against the surface of the contoured ridge  1006 . It will be observed that the surface of the contoured ridge  1006  varies with the angle of rotation. Specifically, the contoured ridge  1006  presents a surface that has a plurality of sections  1602 - 1614 , including a plurality of segments, in this case alternating plateaus  1602 ,  1606 ,  1610 ,  1614  and inclines  1604 ,  1608 ,  1612 . Of course, contoured ridges  1006  with shapes other than a combination of plateaus and inclines are possible, including curved shapes, shapes that are not monotonically increasing, etc. 
     The transitional regions from plateau to incline, and from incline to plateau provide perceptible feedback to the user. In particular, with reference to  FIG. 16A , consider the situation where the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  is in the start position and a surface of the hanging arm  914  is in contact with plateau  1602 . Now consider that the user applies (clockwise) torque on the dial  420 . This forces the hanging arm  914  against incline  1604 . Some initial resistance is presented by the contoured ridge but with sufficient torque applied by the user, the initial resistance is overcome and the hanging arm  914  begins to turn, which urges the contoured ridge  1006  downwards. Having overcome the initial resistance, the resistance now presented by the contoured ridge  1006  decreases to a somewhat lower level, although it may be somewhat counterbalanced by a slight increase in resistance provided the spring  726  in response to compression thereof. During this time (while the hanging arm  914  is in moving contact with incline  1604 ), the contoured ridge  1006  moves downward and presses down on the piston rod  1102  as has been previously described. After a certain angular displacement of the dial  420 , the surface of the contoured ridge  1006  transitions to plateau  1606 . This will be felt as a sudden falloff in the resistance applied against turning of the dial  420 . This is an example of tactile feedback capable of signaling to the user that a dosage position has been reached. If the user is unsure of which dosage position has been reached he or she need simply look at the actuator  400  and observe the alignment of the marker  850  with the corresponding dosage indicator, in this case dosage indicator  660 A. The user may continue to apply torque to the outer shell  800  of the dial  420 . This will continue to move the hanging arm  914  rotationally but, because it has met plateau  1606 , this will not result in additional dispensing. At some point, the hanging arm  914  reaches a point on the surface of the contoured ridge  1006  where incline  1608  begins, and this will be felt by the user as an increase in resistance to turning of the dial  420 . Thus, depending on the embodiment, the dosage marker  660 A corresponding to the first dosage may be placed at the angular position where the hanging arm  914  first reaches plateau  1606  (as shown in  FIGS. 16A and 16B ), or it may be placed at a somewhat further angular distance, where a portion of or the entirety of the hanging arm  914  rests on the plateau  1606 , or where the hanging arm  914  reaches incline  1608 . 
     Consider now the situation in  FIG. 16B , wherein the hanging arm  914  has reached a point on the surface of the contoured ridge  1006  where incline  1608  begins. Incline  1608  has to be overcome by the application of sufficient force to the dial  420  on the part of the user. Again, the hanging lever  914  begins to turn, which urges the contoured ridge  1006  further downwards. After this somewhat higher resistance is overcome, the resistance presented by the contoured ridge  1006  decreases, but may be partially counterbalanced by an increase in resistance from the spring  726 , which is becoming increasingly compressed. During this time (while the hanging arm  914  is in moving contact with incline  1608 ), the contoured ridge  1006  moves downward and presses down on the piston rod  1102  as has been previously described. After a certain additional angular displacement of the dial,  420  corresponding to the second dosage position (i.e., when the marker  850  is aligned with the second dosage indicator  660 B), the surface of the contoured ridge  1006  transitions to plateau  1610 . This will be perceived as a sudden falloff in the resistance applied against turning of the dial  420 . After a slight amount of additional rotation, the hanging arm  914  hits incline  1612 , which is perceived as an increase in the resistance to rotation of the dial  420 . The decrease in perceived resistance at the beginning of plateau  1610  and/or the perceived increase in resistance at the end of plateau  1610  (i.e., at the beginning of incline  1612 ) demonstrate non-limiting examples of tactile feedback capable of signaling to the user that a dosage position has been reached. As previously discussed, if the user is unsure of which dosage position has been reached he or she need simply look at the dial  420  and observe the alignment of the marker  850  with the corresponding dosage indicator, in this case dosage indicator  660 B. 
     The same scenario applies with the third and, and in this case, last dosage position for the dial  420 . Once this dosage position has been reached, and the hanging arm  914  reaches plateau  1614 , the contoured ridge  1006  presents a wall  1616 , which inhibits further angular displacement of the hanging arm  914  and blocks further rotation of the dial  420  under normal usage conditions. 
       FIG. 18  shows a graph of the force needed to turn the dial at different points along the surface of the contoured ridge  1006 , thereby illustrating one non-limiting example of perceptible dosage feedback that can be provided to a user. This force profile (or, equivalently, resistance profile) is of course non-limiting, as other force profiles may occur in other embodiments. 
     As can be appreciated from  FIGS. 16A and 16B , the contoured ridge  1006  will undergo a displacement “A” caused by rotation of the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  from the start position to the first dosage position, and will undergo a displacement “B” caused by rotation of the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  from the start position to the second dosage position. These displacements can be directly related to the quantity of fluid that is dispensed during the dispensing cycle in each case (where the dispensing cycle includes a return to the start position). This quantity (volume) of fluid depends substantially on (i) the design of the valve assembly  1100  and (ii) the slopes and arc lengths and total number of the inclines as well as location of the plateaus in the profile of the contoured ridges  1006 . Assuming that the design of the valve assembly  1100  is fixed and/or cannot be easily changed, the ability to calibrate the dosages of dispensed fluid rests with the design of the number of inclines, their slopes and their arc lengths as well as the location of the plateaus in the profile of the contoured ridges. 
     For example, while in the illustration, the inclines appear to have the same slope and the same arc lengths, this need not be the case, particularly if the difference in the dosages corresponding to adjacent pairs of dosage positions is not the same from one adjacent pair to another. Moreover, it is possible that depending on the valve assembly design, the relationship between axial displacement of the piston rod  1102  and the quantity of dispensed fluid is not linear. This would imply that the axial displacement needed to dispense a certain amount of fluid would vary depending on how much fluid was already dispensed. As a result, in such an embodiment, the arc length of different inclines would need to be different, even if the differential amount of dispensed fluid is to be the same. Alternatively, the arc length could be kept the same, but the slope could be made to vary. 
     People skilled in the art will appreciate that there are design trade-offs in terms of the design of the contoured ridges  1006 . In one example of a trade-off, the greater the number of dosage positions to be made available, the smaller the difference in resistance at a transition between an incline and a plateau, meaning that the tactile feedback may be less pronounced. This could lead to a lack of dispensing precision and/or accuracy if too many dosage positions are included in the design. Conversely, designing for a high degree of tactile feedback may curtail the number of dosage positions that can be provided. In another example of a trade-off, it is possible to reduce the resistance presented during rotation of the dial  420  between dosage positions by making the slope of the corresponding incline smaller. This would result in a “smoother” feel during dispensing of the fluid. However, this could also require a significant angular distance to be covered before a particular dosage position is reached, which could be inconvenient for a user when the total required rotation of the dial  420  to reach that dosage position exceeds, say, 90 or 180 degrees. Thus, it may be desirable to limit the total angular distance between the start position and the last attainable dosage position to less than 180 degrees or even 90 degrees or less, such as between 45 and 90 degrees, for example. While in this embodiment, it may be desirable to limit the total angular distance between the start position and the last attainable dosage position to less than 180 degrees, the person of skill will appreciate that other practical implementations may limit the total angular distance between the start position and the last attainable dosage position to another degree value, for example but without being limited thereto, less than 270 degrees, less than 225 degrees, less than 200 degrees, and the like. Also, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the hanging arm  914  may also be designed to have a different shape so that its interaction with the surface of the contoured ridge  1006  enhances the tactile feedback felt when the dial  420  reaches certain angular distances relative to the start position. 
     The above described embodiments have shown one example of providing tactile dosage feedback by designing the contacting surfaces of the stem  1000  and the inner shell  900  of the dial  420  to exhibit steps in the resistance against rotation of the dial  420 , thereby alerting a user as to when a particular dosage position has been reached. In other embodiments, tactile feedback may be provided in different ways. For example, one may inverse the positions of the contoured edge and the hanging arm, i.e., the contoured edge may appear on the dial  420  and the hanging arm could be an erect arm that emerges from the stem  1000 . In other embodiments, both the contoured edge and the hanging arm may be profiled. Still other ways of converting rotational motion of the dial into translational motion of a stem and, ultimately, the piston rod, would be apparent to those of skill in the art. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, a different form of tactile feedback could be provided. 
     In still other embodiments, various segments of the surface of the contoured ridge  1006  may include small inclined teeth or nodules, such as at the beginning of—or in lieu of—plateaus  1606 ,  1610 ,  1614  that cooperate with the hanging arms  914  in order to provide not only a greater resistance differential immediately before and after a given tooth or nodule is traversed, but also may provide auditory feedback that a dosage position has been reached. Audible feedback may include a snap or click that is caused because of the hanging arm  914  being put under pressure from the inclined tooth/nodule of a particular segment and then such pressure being released as the tooth/nodule is forcibly traversed. 
     The use of auditory feedback may also be incorporated as a separate feature, to be used in addition to or instead of the tactile feedback (such as would be obtained from the contoured ridges  1006  described earlier). In a non-limiting embodiment, auditory feedback may be provided by snap action. As illustrated in  FIGS. 6A, 8B and 15 , complementary elements are provided on the outer shell  800  of the dial  420  and on the inner surface of the shoulder  600 . In this embodiment, the outer shell includes a tongue  1504  and the shoulder  600  optionally includes ribs  1502 ,  1502 A-C. The ribs  1502 A-C are spaced apart angularly by the same angular distance as the dosage indicators  660 A-C. The ribs  1502 A-C and the tongue  1504  are designed so that they are forced into contact with one another when the user rotates the dial  420  and to snap away from each other as a dosage position is reached. It is envisaged that a number of clicks other than 1 may be provided for a particular dosage position. 
     In the case of auditory feedback, one may choose to design the ribs  1502 A-C and the tongue  1504  so that the audible signal emitted by the snap action differs from one dosage position to another, e.g., by making the dosage positions corresponding to higher dosages result in a different (e.g., higher) pitched sound, etc. 
     The above description has pertained to embodiments where the dosage positions are all located to one side of the start position, namely if the dial is to be turned clockwise to reach a first dosage position from the start position, then the dial is also to be turned clockwise to reach the second dosage position from the start position. This is due to the configuration of the contoured ridges  1006 , which can be seen in  FIG. 10B  to present an abutment  1038  that guards against turning of the hanging arm  914  in the opposite (in this case counter-clockwise) direction from the start position. However, this need not be the case in all embodiments. For example,  FIG. 14  shows an embodiment of the stem  1400  in which two contoured ridges  1402 ,  1404  are provided that allow rotation of the hanging arm  914  (caused by rotation of the outer shell  800  of the dial  420 ) in both the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction from the start position. In other words, an incline is accessible from the start position, irrespective of the direction of rotation. As such, turning the dial in either direction from the start position starts a dispensing cycle, keeping in mind that depending on the embodiment, actual dispensing of fluid may occur during either or both halves of such dispensing cycle. This type of implementation could allow more flexibility in terms of the number or gradation of dosages of fluid to be dispensed, or may allow greater convenience, depending on whether a user may be more comfortable with one direction of rotation versus another. 
     With reference to  FIG. 20 , a further non-limiting embodiment of a possible profile of a contoured ridge is shown. The contoured ridge may be one of a plurality of contoured ridges  2006  similar to the contoured ridges  1006  in  FIG. 10B  except that there are no intermediate plateaus, i.e., the contoured ridges  2006  may present a steady incline. As a result, the resistance to turning the dial that is provided by the interface between the hanging arms  914  and the contoured ridges  2006  may be continuous, linear or even constant, but in this embodiment does not undergo sudden drops or increases. As such, there may be little or no tactile or audible feedback provided by the contoured ridges  2006  as the dial  420  is turned. Rather, in this embodiment, and with additional reference to  FIGS. 19 and 21 , tactile (and possibly also audible) feedback during rotation of the dial is provided by ribs  1502 ,  1902  provided on the shoulder  1900  (which is similar to the shoulder  600 ). 
     In particular, ribs  1502  provide first tactile feedback when a certain dosage is about to be reached and ribs  1902  provide second tactile feedback when the certain dosage has been reached. The first and/or second tactile feedback may be accompanied by audible feedback too. The first tactile feedback may be offer a different resistance to turning the dial  420  than the second tactile feedback. This may be due to the shape or size of ribs  1502  being different form the shape or size of ribs  1902 . Ribs  1502  may thus function to alert the user to the fact that a certain dosage is about to be reached, while ribs  1902  may function to alert the user to the fact that this dosage has been reached. In other embodiments, only ribs  1902  may be provided. 
     Finally, when it comes to the final dosage position, and therefore the last dosage position for the dial  420 , the contoured ridge  2006  presents the aforementioned wall  1616 , which inhibits further angular displacement of the hanging arm  914  and blocks further rotation of the dial  420  under normal usage conditions. 
       FIG. 22  shows a graph of the rotational force that a user would need to exert on the dial  420  in order to turn it, for different points along the surface of the contoured ridge  2006 , thereby illustrating a further non-limiting example of perceptible dosage feedback that can be provided to a user. It is seen that each of the first peak is caused by one of the ribs  1502  just prior to a certain dosage position being reached, while a corresponding one of the second peaks is caused by the corresponding one of the ribs  1902  once the certain dosage position has been reached and the correct dosage of fluid has been dispensed. In this embodiment, the second peaks have a greater magnitude than the first peaks, but this could be designed to be the contrary. This force profile (or, equivalently, resistance profile) is again to be taken as non-limiting, as other force profiles may occur in other embodiments. 
     Version 2 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 23 and 24 , there is shown a dispensing container  2300  in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment. The dispensing container  2300  may be a bottle or a jar, and comprises a casing  2312  to which is mounted a dispenser  2310  for dispensing fluid contained in a reservoir  2320 . The fluid contained in the reservoir  2320  may be a cream, ointment, lotion, emulsion, gel or any other topical formulation or other fluid. The reservoir  2320  may be movable within an inner wall or a bag lining of the casing  2312 . In use, the reservoir  2320  migrates upwards towards the dispenser  2310  as the volume of fluid it contains decreases. In some embodiments, the container  2300  may further include a bottom end (not shown). The bottom end may include one or more vents to equalize a pressure differential caused by displacement of a base of the reservoir  2320  towards the dispenser as the volume of fluid held in the reservoir  2320  decreases during use. In other embodiments, the bottom end of the container  2300  may be omitted, rendering the casing a bottomless casing. 
     The container  2300  may be generally in the form of a cylinder with a longitudinal axis and two ends, such that the dispenser  2310  is located at one longitudinal end of the container  2300 . However, other shapes and configurations are possible. The container  2300  may be made of a plastic or any other suitable material. The container  2300  may be see-through or opaque, and may include one or more fill windows. By way of non-limiting example, certain components of the container  10  may be moulded or 3D-printed. The dispenser  2310  is modular and can be used with casings (similar to casings  12 A- 12 F in  FIG. 3 ) capable of holding different volumes, but having the same size mouth. In some embodiments, a cap  3200  may optionally be disposed atop the dispenser  2310  for purposes of concealment or protection (see  FIG. 32 ). 
     With additional reference to  FIG. 25 , the dispensing container  2300  is shown in exploded view. It will be appreciated that once assembled onto the casing  2312 , the dispenser  2310  may create a substantially hermetic seal, which in specific implementations, may advantageously minimize tampering, contamination and oxidation of the fluid contained therein. 
     The dispenser  2310  comprises an actuator  2580  (whose components are seen in  FIG. 25  in exploded view) and a valve assembly  2590  (an internal component seen in  FIG. 24 ). In the present non-limiting embodiment, the actuator  2580  includes a housing  2500  attachable to the casing  2312 , a rotatable dial  2510  mounted to the housing  2500  and a stem  2530  in contact with both the dial  2510  and the housing  2500 . The housing  2500  includes a shoulder  2502  and a body  2504 , with the body  2504  being fixed to the casing  2312 . Also provided is a tip  2540  and a dosage selector  2550 . Finally, a plug  2541  may be provided in some embodiments. Certain ones of the aforementioned components will now be described in the context of a non-limiting embodiment. 
     With reference to  FIG. 24 , the body  2504  includes an annular flange  2402  around its periphery, conceptually dividing the body  2504  into a top ring and a bottom ring. The flange  2402  is recessed therebeneath to accommodate a thinned outer wall  2404  at the mouth of the casing  2312 . The flange  2402  is designed to have an outer diameter that corresponds to the outer diameter of the casing  2312 , so that an exterior of the body  2504  (i.e., the outer surface of the flange  2402 ) is flush with the exterior of the casing  2312  when the body  2504  is mounted thereto. In order to secure the body  2504  to the casing  2312 , the body  2504  is urged downwards onto the casing  2312 . A dimple and projection arrangement may facilitate snapping of the body  2504  to the casing  2312 . 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 24 , towards an interior of the body  2504 , there is provided a cylindrical chamber  2406  that accommodates the valve assembly  2590 . The chamber  2406  is connected to the reservoir  2320  via an orifice  2408  in the body  2504 . The reservoir  2320  is defined by a cylindrical inner wall  2410  of the casing  2312  and a base  2412 . In use, the reservoir  2320  normally contains fluid to be dispensed by the dispenser. 
     The cylindrical chamber  2406  is surrounded by a moat  2414  which is itself surrounded by a thin cylindrical wall comprising axial slots (not shown, similar to axial slots  724  in  FIG. 7B ). The moat  2414  accommodates a spring  2416  which can be compressed by downwards axial motion of a stem undersurface  2418 . 
     The shoulder  2502  snaps to the body  2504  when assembly of the dispenser  2310  is complete. With additional reference to  FIG. 26 , the shoulder  2502  generally includes an upper ring  2602  that sits on top of a lower ring  2604 , the lower ring  2604  having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the upper ring  2602  and having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the upper ring  2602 , thus forming an annular lip on the inside of the shoulder  2502 . The upper ring  2602  includes a radially inwardly facing ledge, on which certain protrusions  2620  may be provided at certain angular distances and associated with a plurality of “blocking positions” of the dosage selector  2550 . Each blocking position is associated with information such as a dosage, which may be printed, embossed or debossed on the shoulder  2502 , e.g., on an outward facing surface of the lower ring  2604 . 
     The lower ring  2604  of the shoulder  2502  may include a plurality of recesses or dimples  2610  while the top ring of the body  2504  may include complementary protrusions  2612  (see  FIG. 25 ) that are configured to snap into these dimples/recesses  2610  when the shoulder  2502  and the body  2504  are urged together. The size of the outer diameter of the lower ring  2604  corresponds to the size of the outer diameter of the casing  2312  and also to the outer diameter of the flange  2402  of the body  2504 . In this way, when the shoulder  2502  is mated to the body  2504  and with the cap placed thereon, the resulting dispensing container  2300  (including the casing  2312 , the dispenser  2310  and the cap) presents a smooth and uniform outer surface. 
     For purposes of assembly of the dispenser  2310 , the shoulder  2502  and the body  2504  are mated to another (i.e., the dimples/recesses  2610  of the lower ring  2604  of the shoulder  2502  engage the protrusions  2612  of the top ring of the body  2504 ), however this is done only once the stem  2530 , the valve assembly  2590 , the dosage selector  2550  and the dial  2510  are set in place. 
     With reference to  FIG. 28 , the tip  2540  includes a conduit  2820 . At one end of the conduit  2820  is a piston rod  2830  (see  FIG. 24 ) and at the other end of the conduit  2820  is at least one egress port  2802  through which fluid exits the dispenser  2310 . The shape of the egress port  2802  is not particularly limiting, and may be in the form of a ring, one or more holes, one or more slits, etc. Also, while in the illustrated embodiment, the egress port  2802  is centered radially, this need not be the case in all embodiments. The tip  2540  further includes at least one underhanging projection  2804 , whose significance will be explained later on in greater detail. 
     With additional reference to  FIG. 25 , the plug  2541  may remain affixed to the dispenser  2310  during normal use. If the plug  2541  is used, it may serve two purposes, one being to disperse the contents (e.g., cream, ointment, gel, etc.) in an annular pattern and the second being to seal the contents in the dispenser from the outside environment. However, the plug  2541  does not necessarily provide a hermetic seal. 
     With additional reference to  FIGS. 27A and 27B , the dial  2510  includes an upper ring  2702  sitting on top of a lower ring  2704  that has a smaller outside diameter than the upper ring  2702 . A circular band  2706  protrudes from the outer surface of the lower ring  2704  and engages a circular recess (not shown) on the inside surface in the shoulder  2502 . This combination of the circular band  2706  and the circular recess allows the dial  2510  to be turned relatively to the shoulder  2502 . 
     The dial  2510  is rotated by the user during operation of the dispenser  2310 . In the present embodiment, fluid dispensing occurs upon turning the dial  2510  in clockwise, but it will be appreciated that in other embodiments fluid dispensing could occur by turning the dial  2510  in an opposite rotational direction, or in both. The dial  2510  further includes an interior disk  2710 . A cylindrical channel  2712  passes longitudinally through a center of the disk  2710 . Also, the inner surface of the upper ring  2702  includes a ridge  2708  whose significance will be apparent later on. For its part, the dial  2510  includes a grip  2730  protruding from its outer surface, which can be used to facilitate turning of the dial  2510  but which is also configured so as to abut against a component of the dosage selector  2550 , as will be described later on in further detail. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the grip  2730  indicates a direction in which the dial  2510  is to be rotated; however, this need not be the case and the grip  2730  may be different configured in different embodiments. 
     Turning now to the stem  2530 , and with additional reference to  FIG. 29 , this cap-shaped component includes a disk  2902  under which hangs a cylindrical outer wall  2904 . On top of the disk  2902  are one or more contoured ridges. In this case, there are two contoured ridges  2906 A,  2906 B that are at 180 degrees apart around a periphery of the disk  2902 . In other embodiments, there may be a single contoured ridge, while in still other embodiments, there may be more than two contoured ridges. 
     A cylindrical wall  2908  of the stem  2530  encompasses the conduit  2820  of the tip  2540 , thus creating a passage for fluid towards the egress port  2802  of the tip  2540 . In fact, and as best seen in  FIG. 24 , a protrusion/recess mechanism  2495  on an outer surface of the conduit  2820  and the inner surface of the cylindrical wall  2908  axially locks the conduit to the stem  2530 . This means that downward (or upward) displacement of the stem  2530  will cause an accompanying downward (or upward) displacement of the conduit  2820 . Also, and as best seen in  FIG. 24 , the piston rod  2830  includes an expanded end portion  2835 , which is retained by a stopper  2840  that is connected to the reservoir  2320 . In other words, cycled downward and upward movement of the stem  2530  will provoke corresponding movement of the conduit  2820  while the piston rod  2830  remains “caught” by the stopper  2840 , resulting in the piston rod  2830  being pumped. As such, when the undersurface  2418  travels downwards, this pushes both the end portion  2835  and a small spring  2491  downward as well. The compression of the small spring  2491  facilitates the return of the stopper  2840  to its original position in comparison to end portion  2835  (which is shows as having a round opening towards the bottom of the conduit  2830 ). 
     The stem  2530  also includes wings  2910  (only one of which is shown in  FIG. 29 ) that slide into the aforementioned axial slots (not shown) in the thin cylindrical wall of the body  2504 , which blocks rotational motion of the stem  2530  relative to the body  2504  (and also relative to the housing  2500  as a whole). 
     By proper configuration of the dial  2510  and of the stem  2530 , a transfer of rotational motion of the dial  2510  to axial motion of the stem  2530  can be achieved. Specifically, the stem  2530  and the dial  2510  are in contact with each other through a lower wall  2750  of the dial  2510  and the contoured ridges  2906 A,  2906 B of the stem  2530 , which act as cams. Because when rotated, the dial  2510  is prevented from moving longitudinally, rotation of the dial  2510  will push its lower wall  2750  obliquely against the top surface of the contoured ridges  2906 A,  2906 B, starting with point  2920 A,  2920 B (see  FIG. 29 ). Since the stem  2530  itself cannot rotate, the rotational force that it receives from the lower wall  2750  of the dial  2510  is redirected by the oblique shape of the contoured ridges  2906 A,  2906 B, urging the stem  2530  to undergo a “downwards” axial displacement (away from the dial  2510 ). This downwards axial displacement of the stem  2530  drags the piston rod  2830  into the chamber  2406 , thus actioning the release of fluid. It should be appreciated that this is merely an example and that there is no particular limitation on the type of fluid pumping mechanism that can be used. 
     Irrespective of the type of valve assembly  2590  that is used, the volume of fluid that is dispensed depends on the amount of axial displacement of the piston rod  2830 . This could include the amount of axial displacement on the way down, or on the way up, or both, depending on the design of the valve assembly  2590 . The amount of axial displacement of the piston rod  2830  is itself a function of the amount of displacement of the stem  2530 , which in turn depends on the extent of angular rotation of the dial  2510 . 
     The dosage selector  2550  in this second version is implemented in the form of a ring  3008  that can be lifted, turned around the central axis and, by pressing down, set to one of a predetermined number of angular positions referred to as “blocking positions”. The blocking positions are predetermined by angularly spaced recesses  3006  (only one of which is shown) on an inner surface of the ring  3008  and complementary dimples  2620  in the outer surface of the shoulder  2502  of the housing  2500 . The dosage selector  2550  includes a marker  3002  that is placed at an angular position on the ring where it points to one of the dosage amounts displayed on the shoulder  2502 . 
     Each blocking position of the dosage selector  2550  corresponds to a dosage position of the dial  2510 . The dosage selector  2550  also includes an upwardly extending blocker  3004 . The blocker  3004  may serve two purposes. Firstly, it allows the user to more securely grip the dosage selector  2550  in order for it to be lifted. Secondly, when the dosage selector  2550  is set to a particular blocking position as described above, the blocker  3004  impedes further angular motion of the dial  2510  beyond the dosage position corresponding to the particular blocking position. This is because the grip  2730  of the dial  2510  comes up against the blocker  3004  of the dosage selector  2550  whose angular setting has been fixed. This motion impedance provides a form of perceptible feedback to the user that the corresponding dosage position has been reached by the dial  2510 . In this embodiment tactile and/or auditory feedback may be provided. 
     Reference is now made to  FIGS. 31A to 31E , which show how to change the setting of the dosage selector  2550 . In particular, the user uses the blocker  3004  to push/lift the ring  3008  upwards from its initial position and dislodge the recesses  3006  from the dimples  2620  ( FIG. 31A ), then the ring  3008  is rotated to the desired angular position ( FIG. 31B ), and then the ring  3008  pushed downwards so that the dimples  2620  re-enter the recesses  3006  ( FIG. 31C ), although of course it is a different combination of recesses  3006  that will be entered by the dimples  2620 . Once the dosage selector  2550  has been set/locked to a new blocking position, further angular displacement of the dosage selector  2550  is impeded unless the ring is released again. Other manners for setting the dosage selector to a number of blocking positions can be implemented. At this point, the dial  2510  is free to rotate from its initial position to the point where the grip  2730  abuts against the blocker  3004  ( FIG. 31D ) and back again ( FIG. 31E ). During this cycle, fluid is dispensed because the piston rod  2830  is pumped due to the stem  2530  being urged downwards as a result of the rotational motion of the dial  2510  being transferred through changes in contour of the contoured ridges  2906 A,  2906 B. 
     As the dial  2510  is turned relative to the shoulder  2502 , the dial  2510  follows a curved path, defining an angular displacement. Pre-determined angular displacements (referred to as “dosage positions”) for the dial  2510  are marked on the shoulder  2502  with respective “dosage indicators”  2650 A-C. The dosage indicators align with possible positions for the marker  3002  on the dosage selector  2550  corresponding to possible settings of the dosage selector  2550 . 
     Each given dosage position corresponds to a dosage that the dispenser is configured to dispense during the time period when the dial  2510  is rotated from the start position to the given dosage position (i.e., when the edge of the grip  2730  is aligned with the marker  3002 ) and back to the start position. Actual dispensing of the fluid may occur during the clockwise half of the dispensing cycle and/or during the counter-clockwise half of the dispensing cycle, depending on the type of valve assembly that is used. In any event, fluid is drawn from the reservoir and released towards an exterior of the container  2300  via the dispenser during at least part of the time when an element (e.g., the dial  2510 ) of the dispenser  2310  is rotated from the start position to one of a plurality of angularly spaced-apart dosage positions and back to the start position. 
     The dosage indicators  2650 A-C may specify (e.g., by virtue of being printed, debossed or embossed with, or including a sticker indicating) the actual dosage that is dispensed. In a non-limiting embodiment, there are three dosage positions (not including the start position), each corresponding to a different dispensed dosage, although there may be more or fewer possible dosage positions in other practical embodiments. 
     The range of possible dosages that can be dispensed will naturally depend on the capacity of the chamber  2406 . As such, example dosages could be 0.1 ml, 0.2 ml, 0.25 ml, 0.5 ml, 1 ml, 1.5 ml, 2.0 ml and 5.0 ml, to name a few non-limiting possibilities. It should be appreciated that the dosages corresponding to the various dosage positions of the dial  2510  may be independent of one another. Specifically, although it is possible for the second smallest dosage to be an integer multiple of the smallest dosage, this need not be the case. Thus, dosage positions corresponding to dosages of 0.1, ml, 0.25 ml and 0.5 ml may be a feasible and acceptable combination of dosages. Dosage positions that correspond to numerous other dosages and/or combinations of dosages are of course possible, again with no particular restriction as to whether any of the dosages are multiples of one another. It should be appreciated that where dosages X and Y are among the dosages that can be dispensed by the dispenser, and where the suggested or prescribed dosage for, e.g., a medicated cream or lotion, changes over time between dosage X and dosage Y, this can allow the user to easily change from dosage X to dosage Y by simply setting the dosage selector  2550  to a new blocking position corresponding to dosage Y. Rotating the dial  2510  until the grip  2730  is blocked by the blocker  3004  will cause the dial  2510  to reach the dosage position corresponding to dosage Y. The simplicity with which this can be done on the part of the user may facilitate patient compliance with a dosage regime that changes over time. 
     It should be appreciated that when the dial  2510  is rotated away from the start position towards one of the dosage positions, the spring  2416  is compressed. Conversely, when the dial  2510  is brought back to the start position, this creates headroom for the compressed spring  2416 , which expands and applies pressure to the stem  2530  against the dial  2510  towards its original axial position as the dial  2510  returns to the start position. 
     It is now recalled that the upper ring  2702  of the dial  2510  includes a ridge  2708  on its inner surface. The tip  2540  also comprises an underhanging projection  2804  whose lower surface is very close to or even abuts the highest point of the ridge  2708  when the dispenser  2310  is not in use. This impedes, or even prevents, forced downwards pressure on the tip  2540  by a user in the absence of rotation of the dial  2510 . As a result, the chances of accidental or non-mindful dispensing are reduced, as dispensing can only occur if the dial  2510  is rotated. 
     It has been explained that as the dial  2510  is turned, rotational motion of the dial  2510  is transformed into downwards axial motion of the stem  2530  through contact between the lower wall  2750  of the dial  2510  and the contoured ridges  2906 A,  2906 B of the stem  2530 . In addition, the protrusion/recess mechanism  2495  on the conduit  2820  and the cylindrical wall  2908  forces the downwards motion of the conduit  2820  and, along with it, the underhanging projection  2804 . As such, it is necessary for the ridge  2708  to allow clearance for such downward displacement of the underhanging projection  2804  as the stem proceeds on its downward path. Clearly, therefore, one possible shape for the ridge  2708  is a match to the shape of the contoured ridges  2906 A,  29068  of the stem  2530 . A close match to this shape would provide a constant impedance against uncontrolled dispensing through non-rotation of the dial  2510  (e.g., as would occur if the tip  2540  were pressed down excessively during rotation of the dial  2510  or in the absence of rotation of the dial  2510 ). 
     The use of auditory feedback as previously described may also be incorporated as a separate feature, to be used in addition to or instead of the tactile feedback that a dosage position has been reached or is about to be reached. 
     CONCLUSION 
     Thus, there has been described an actuator for a fluid dispenser, which comprises a housing attachable to a casing; a dial mounted to the housing; and a component mounted to the housing and attachable to a valve assembly configured to carry fluid from the casing towards an egress port of the actuator. The dial and the component have respective contacting surfaces that are configured to urge the component to undergo axial displacement as the dial is rotated. Also, the housing is configured to impede rotational motion of the component relative to the housing while the component undergoes said axial displacement. Also, the contacting surfaces being are further configured to provide perceptible feedback at a plurality of angular displacements of the dial. 
     The non-limiting embodiments shown in the Figures only illustrate specific practical examples in which a person of skill may use the concept presented in the present document in order to provide dispensing containers for fluids such as creams and ointments. Other practical implementations may be possible. For example, while the dispenser illustrated in the Figures includes one egress port, a dispenser including a plurality of egress ports can also be contemplated in alternative implementations. For instance, it will be apparent to the person of skill that a dispenser with a plurality of egress ports can be advantageous when dispensing a fluid having an increased viscosity. In another example, it will be apparent to the person of skill that, in specific practical implementations, the dial can serve as direct or indirect topical applicator to a user&#39;s skin. It will also be apparent that at least a portion of the surface of the dial can be made of a material which may vary according to an intended application. In another example, it will also be apparent that the dispensing container may be configured so as to include a structural “no touch” application surface, for example a pad, that may allow for hygienic, localized application of the dispensed fluid to a therapeutic area on the user. 
     Thus, there has also been described a method that includes guiding a user&#39;s rotation of a dispenser actuator dial from a start position to a first dosage position, the dial covering a first angular displacement between the start position and the first dosage position, the first dosage position corresponding to the smallest volume of fluid that can be dispensed by the dispenser, and then guiding the user&#39;s further rotation of the dial from the first dosage position to an adjacent dosage position, the dial covering a second angular displacement between the first dosage position and the adjacent dosage position, the adjacent dosage position corresponding to the next smallest volume of fluid that can be dispensed by the dispenser, the first and second angular displacements being different, whereby perceptible feedback is provided when each of the first and next dosage positions of the dial has been reached. 
     It will be understood by those of skill in the art that throughout the present specification, the term “a” or “an” used before a term encompasses embodiments containing one or more to what the term refers. It will also be understood by those of skill in the art that throughout the present specification, the term “comprising”, which is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, un-recited elements or method steps. 
     Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can be made. Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive. Also it should be appreciated that additional elements that may be needed for operation of certain embodiments of the present invention have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be within the purview of the person of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain embodiments of the present invention may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element that is not specifically disclosed herein.