Patent ID: 7886937

Claim:
A dispenser comprising: a housing; a variable-volume storage chamber located within the housing and defining a substantially fluid-tight seal between the chamber and exterior of the housing for storing a substance to be dispensed; a manually engageable surface mounted on the dispenser that is manually engageable and depressible to actuate the dispenser, wherein the manually engageable surface is manually depressible between first and second positions and is normally biased in a direction from the second position toward the first position; a one-way valve mounted on the dispenser and connectible in fluid communication with the variable-volume storage chamber, wherein the one-way valve includes an elastic valve member defining a normally closed outlet forming a substantially fluid-tight seal that prevents a flow of the substance therethrough but that allows the substance within the valve to flow therethrough when the substance exceeds a valve opening pressure; a compression chamber connectible in fluid communication with the variable volume storage chamber, wherein (i) during movement of the manually engageable surface in a direction from the second position toward the first position, the variable-volume storage chamber is in fluid communication with the compression chamber for permitting the substance to flow from the variable-volume storage chamber into the compression chamber, and (ii) during movement of the manually engageable surface in a direction from the first position toward the second position, the substance is pressurized above the valve opening pressure and, in turn, dispensed through the normally closed outlet of the one-way valve and out of the dispenser.