Patent ID: 7455072

Claim:
A device for selectively regulating the flow rate of a fluid, comprising: a housing including an inlet and an outlet; a plurality of flow conduits fluidly connected between the inlet and the outlet, each of the flow conduits comprising a resiliently compressible occlusion tube having a length representative of a different pre-defined flow rate; and a flow rate selection mechanism, operatively mounted in the housing, for selectively obstructing fluid flow through the flow conduits, thereby to provide a flow rate from the inlet to the outlet corresponding to the combined flow rates of the unobstructed flow conduits, wherein the flow rate selection mechanism comprises: at least first, second, and third flow-blocking elements, each of which is operatively associated with one of the flow conduits, each flow-blocking element being selectively movable into and out of a flow-blocking compression against its associated occlusion tube; and an actuation mechanism operatively engageable with each of the flow-blocking elements and movable among a plurality of pre-defined positions in all but one of which it operatively engages one or more of the flow-blocking elements to block flow through the flow conduit associated with each of the operatively-engaged flow-blocking elements, and in one position of which it operatively engages none of the flow-blocking elements; wherein the actuation mechanism comprises a cam rotor rotatably mounted in the housing and having a plurality of cam elements disposed thereon in positions in which each of the cam elements may operatively engage and move one of the flow-blocking elements into a flow-blocking compression against its associated occlusion tube as the cam rotor is rotated, wherein the cam rotor is rotatable among a plurality of rotary positions, each of which is associated with a predefined fluid flow rate, and wherein the plurality of cam elements includes at least a first cam element engageable only with the first flow-blocking element, a pair of diametrically-opposed second cam elements engageable only with the second flow-blocking element, and a plurality of third cam elements engageable only with the third flow-blocking element.