Patent ID: 8540124

Claim:
A dispensing device, comprising: a container; a dispensing opening located at one end of said container; a plunger located in said container; a push button associated with said plunger, said push button having a stop edge; and a drive mechanism configured to drive said plunger linearly inside said container from a first position towards said dispensing opening when said push button is pressed and to hold said plunger at a second position, the drive mechanism including a push rod in contact with said plunger for moving said plunger linearly inside the container, said push rod being aligned with the push button and including at least one ratcheting tooth; an elastic element positioned around said push rod; a retaining mechanism movably connected to said push rod when said push rod is driven towards said second position and configured to engage with said push rod to hold said plunger at said second position, said retaining mechanism including a plurality of grooves configured to engage with the at least one ratcheting tooth of the push rod, said plurality of grooves constructed and arranged to provide a defined dosage through said dispensing opening; and a collar having a recess for receiving said stop edge, said recess having a first edge and an opposed second edge, wherein movement of said stop edge from a rest position adjacent said first edge of said collar to an actuating position closer to said opposed second edge of said collar compresses said elastic element against said opposed second edge of said collar and moves said push rod from said first position to said second position, said second position being closer to said dispensing opening than said first position, and wherein said push rod is advanced in a linear and a non-rotatable direction to dispense a same defined dosage through said dispensing opening each time said drive mechanism drives said plunger.