Patent ID: 7387221

Claim:
A fluid discharge pumping apparatus comprising: a drive mechanism; a cylinder having a discharge port at a lower end, a supply port on a side in the vicinity of the discharge port, and a top opening; an outflow valve mechanism coupled to the discharge port of the cylinder; an inflow valve mechanism coupled to the supply port of the cylinder; a piston member capable of reciprocating inside the cylinder; a piston-supporting member attached to the piston member and extending through the top opening of the cylinder and coupled to the drive mechanism, wherein the piston-supporting member is driven by the drive mechanism to move the piston member in a predetermined range inside the cylinder where the piston member does not block the inflow valve mechanism; and a housing for the drive mechanism, wherein the housing is provided with a cylinder-supporting member having a gripper for detachably gripping the cylinder in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, wherein the cylinder, the outflow valve mechanism, and the piston member are co-axially aligned, and an axis of the inflow valve mechanism is directed toward the lower end of the cylinder and acutely angled with respect to the axis of the cylinder, wherein the inflow valve mechanism opens when an interior of the cylinder is depressurized, whereas the outflow valve mechanism opens when the interior of the cylinder is pressurized.