Patent ID: 8622965

Claim:
A two part apparatus for dispensing medicaments to a patient comprising: (a) a first stand alone assembly comprising a housing having a threaded neck portion, an integrally formed, hermetically sealed collapsible container for containing a medicinal fluid disposed within said housing and stored energy means for controllably collapsing said sealed container; (b) a second stand alone assembly threadably interconnectable with said first assembly, said second assembly including: (i) a housing having a threaded neck receiving portion for receiving the threaded neck portion of said first assembly, said housing having a longitudinally extending bore and including a penetrating member for penetrating said collapsible container of said first stand alone assembly; (ii) fluid delivery and control means carried by said housing of said second assembly for controlling the flow of medicinal fluid from said container of said first assembly toward the patient, said fluid and delivery and control means comprising a rate control shaft rotatably mounted within said longitudinally extending bore, said rate control shaft comprising an elongated body portion, a forward flange and a forwardly extending finger engaging portion connected to said forward flange, said elongated body portion connected to said flange, said elongated body portion having a longitudinally extending fluid passageway that communicates with said penetrating member and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart, radially extending outlet fluid passageways that communicate with said longitudinally extending fluid passageway; and (iii) a medicament vial receiving assembly connected to said housing of said second assembly; (c) a medicament containing vial inter-connectable with said medicament vial receiving assembly.