Patent ID: 7226231

Claim:
A dispenser for dispensing a substance, comprising: a body; a plunger slidably mounted within the body and forming a substantially fluid-tight seal therebetween, wherein the body and plunger define a variable-volume storage chamber for storing the substance; a dispensing portion connected with the body and defining a compression chamber connectable in fluid communication with the storage chamber for receiving substance therefrom, and an outlet aperture coupled in fluid communication with the compression chamber; a one-way valve including an axially-extending valve seat and an axially-extending flexible valve cover seated on the valve seat and defining a normally-closed, axially-extending seam therebetween forming a fluid-tight seal between the valve cover and valve seat, wherein the flexible valve cover is movable relative to the valve seat and the seam is connectable in fluid communication with the outlet aperture to allow the passage of a predetermined amount of substance through the seam and out of the dispenser; and a manually-engageable actuator movable relative to the compression chamber between a rest position and an actuated position, wherein (i) movement of the actuator in the direction from the rest position to the actuated position pressurizes a substantially predetermined amount of substance within the compression chamber and dispenses the substance through the outlet aperture and the axially-extending seam of the one-way valve, and (ii) movement of the actuator in the direction from the actuated position to the rest position draws a substantially predetermined amount of substance from the variable-volume storage chamber into the compression chamber, and moves the plunger within the body to reduce the volume of the storage chamber in an amount approximately equal to the volume of the substance dispensed, and including a spring biasing the manually-engageable actuator in the direction from the actuated position to the rest position.