Patent ID: 8197445

Claim:
An apparatus for dispensing medicaments to a patient comprising: (a) a first assembly including: (i) a reservoir housing; (ii) an integrally formed, hermetically sealed collapsible container carried by said housing, said collapsible container having a pierceable top wall and a reservoir for containing a medicinal fluid; (iii) stored energy means carried by said housing and operably associated with said container for controllably collapsing said container, said stored energy means comprising a plurality of variable force springs, each said variable force spring being movable from a locked extended position to a retracted position; and (iv) spring unlocking means carried by said housing and operably associated with said stored energy means for unlocking said variable force springs from said locked extended position so as to permit said variable force springs to move from said locked extended position to said retracted position; (b) a second assembly threadably interconnected with said first assembly for movement between a first position and a second position, said second assembly comprising: (i) a control housing; (ii) a penetrating member disposed within said control housing for piercing said pierceable top wall of said container upon movement of said second assembly towards said second position and simultaneously with the unlocking of said variable force springs by said spring unlocking means; and (iii) a rate control assembly disposed within said control housing and in communication with said penetrating member for controlling the rate of fluid flow from said container of said first assembly.