Patent ID: 7169128

Claim:
A dispensing apparatus for dispensing fluids to a patient comprising: (a) an outer housing; (b) a plurality of inner, expandable housings disposed within said outer housing, each of said inner expandable housings having a fluid reservoir provided with an inlet for permitting fluid flow into said fluid reservoir and an outlet for permitting fluid flow from said fluid reservoir; (c) a plurality of stored energy means disposed within said outer housing and operably associated with said plurality of inner expandable housings for acting upon said housings to cause the fluid contained within the fluid reservoirs thereof to controllably flow through said outlets, each of said stored energy means comprising a yieldably deformable member carried within said outer housing, each of said compressively deformable members being expandable to cause fluid flow from said fluid reservoirs; (d) at least one fill means carried by said outer housing and being in communication with said inlets of said fluid reservoirs for filling said reservoirs with the fluid to be dispensed; (e) fluid delivery means connected to said outer housing and being in communication with said outlets of said fluid reservoirs for delivering fluids to the patient; and (f) flow control means carried by said outer housing for controlling fluid flow from said reservoirs toward said fluid delivery means, said flow control means being in communication with said outlets of said fluid reservoirs and being in communication with said fluid delivery means, said flow control means comprising: (i) flow rate control means carried within said outer housing and being in communication with said outlets of said fluid reservoirs for controlling the rate of fluid flow toward said fluid delivery means; and (ii) flow regulating means carried within the said outer housing and being in communication with said flow rate control means for regulating the flow of fluids flowing from said flow rate control means toward said fluid delivery means.