Patent ID: 7837653

Claim:
A dispensing apparatus for dispensing fluids to a patient comprising: (a) a housing having a longitudinal centerline and a fluid reservoir for containing fluid to be dispensed to the patient, said fluid reservoir being provided with an inlet for permitting fluid flow into said fluid reservoir and an outlet for permitting fluid flow from said fluid reservoir, said housing further including an elongated vial receiving chamber; (b) pusher means disposed within said housing for movement between a first position and a second position to cause said fluid contained within said fluid reservoir to flow toward said outlet of said housing, said pusher means comprising a pusher member having a plunger end portion disposed within said fluid reservoir; (c) stored energy means disposed within said housing for acting upon said pusher means to cause said fluid pusher means to move toward said second position, said stored energy means comprising a constant force spring, said constant force spring comprising a high stress long deflection device that exerts a pressure directly on said pusher member causing said pusher member to act directly on the fluid within said fluid reservoir in a manner to cause the fluid to flow outwardly of said reservoir at a substantially constant rate; (d) fill means carried by said housing for filling said reservoir with the fluid to be dispensed, said fill means comprises a fill vial receivable within said vial receiving chamber; (e) flow control means carried by said housing for controlling fluid flow from said reservoir to the patient, said flow control means comprising: (i) a flow rate control assembly mounted within said housing, said flow rate control assembly including a flow rate control member having a surface and a plurality of micro channels formed therein, each of said micro channels having an outlet and an inlet and being of a selected length, depth and cross-sectional area; a distribution plate operably associated with said flow rate control member, said distribution plate having a plurality of flow control channels, each having an outlet and an inlet in communication with an outlet of a selected one of said micro channels; and a cover member operably associated with said distribution plate, said cover member having a fluid inlet port in communication with said fluid reservoir of said housing and a plurality of spaced apart fluid outlet ports in communication with said outlets of said plurality of flow control channels of said distribution plate; and (ii) a transversely extending selector member rotatably carried by said housing, said selector member having a head portion and a body portion, said body portion being superimposed over said flow rate control assembly and having a plurality of radially extending fluid passageways formed therein for selective communication with said plurality of spaced apart fluid outlet ports of said cover member upon rotation of said transversely extending selector member; and (f) dispensing means connected to said housing for dispensing fluids to the patient.