Patent ID: 8142398

Claim:
An apparatus for dispensing medicaments to a patient comprising: (a) a first housing; (b) a second housing connected to said first housing for relative movement thereto between a first position and a second position; (c) an integrally formed, hermetically sealed collapsible container carried by said second housing, said collapsible container having a pierceable top wall and a reservoir for containing a medicinal fluid; (d) a plunger assembly disposed within said second housing and operably associated with said container for controllably collapsing said container, said plunger assembly comprising first and second interconnected plunger housings and a spring carried by said first plunger housing for moving said second plunger housing from a first position to a second position; and (e) a delivery and control assembly disposed within said first housing, said delivery and control assembly including: (i) a rate control base including a piercing member for piercing said pierceable top wall of said container upon movement of said second housing towards said second position; (ii) a rate control cover connected to said rate control base; and (iii) a fluid flow rate control assembly carried by said rate control base for controlling the rate of fluid flow from said collapsible container toward the patient.