Abstract: A dispenser is provided which is especially useful in dispensing measured doses of topical preparations such as creams or ointments. The dispenser includes a container for holding a supply of topical preparation. A plunger assembly is operatively mounted to the container and includes a plunger piston and a plunger shaft which carries a series of longitudinally disposed teeth. The piston and plunger shaft include communicating openings. A cap seals off the mouth of the container. A portion of the plunger shaft extends through the cap externally of the container. A lever assembly is pivotally mounted on the cap and is operatively associated with the plunger shaft and piston, the lever assembly including teeth engaging means adapted to interact with the teeth of the plunger shaft.

Abstract: A metering device for dispensing a flowable substance from a container 10, in which a piston 11 with a piston rod 12 having a toothed portion 16 is disposed, includes a socket 17 adapted to be fixed to the container 10, an actuation lever 18 pivotal relative to the socket 17, a return spring 19 biassing the lever 18 to its rest position, an indexing detent 20 for advancing the piston rod 12 upon depression of the lever 18, and a retaining detent 21 for retaining the piston rod 12 in its respective position when the actuation lever 18 is released. The socket 17, actuation lever 18, reset spring 19, indexing detent 20 and retaining detent 21 are formed as one integral part injection-molded from synthetic resin. The socket 17 includes a slide 25 for fixing the part to a flange 14 provided at the rear end of the container 10.

Abstract: An infusion pump has a removable reservoir including a piston and drive member. The drive member is an internally threaded elongated portion of the piston. A motor rotates a short drive screw, which engages the threads of the drive member to displace the piston in the reservoir. In one embodiment the piston is attached to the drive member by a severable central stem which breaks away to allow engagement with the drive screw. With the stem severed, the piston cannot be retracted, or the reservoir refilled. Other safety features are shown for locking the displaced piston in the reservoir. A digital metering system has a safety circuit to prevent dangerous failure modes of the rotation sensor and motor drive systems.

Abstract: A ram gun for dispensing viscous fluid products such as adhesive, caulking materials and the like is disclosed. The gun can be rechargeable or can be employed as a single charge, disposable device. In a particular embodiment, the gun is formed in two parts by molding from plastic material. One part comprises the ram. The other comprises a container section for the material to be dispensed and is provided with integrally formed nozzle, handle and trigger. The trigger has an integrally formed pawl. The trigger is attached to the handle by a thin plastic strip acting as a living hinge and biasing the trigger away from the handle. The ram is slidably mounted in the container section and is incrementally advanced therein by operation of the pawl and rack which is actuated by squeezing of the handle and trigger.

Abstract: Inflating and deflating device for a balloon dilatation catheter comprising a housing and a syringe carried by the housing. The syringe has an outlet adapted to be connected to the catheter. The syringe includes a container and a piston which is slidably mounted in the container. The syringe also includes a rigid plunger connected to the piston and extends out of the housing. The plunger has helical threads formed thereon to provide an elongate ratchet. A pawl is movable between ratchet-engaging and ratchet-disengaging positions. A spring is carried by the housing and engages the pawl and yieldably urges the pawl into its ratchet-engaging position. A tab is carried by the housing and engages the pawl and is used for moving the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet to release the ratchet.

Abstract: A cartridge (1) contains dental material and at one end has a discharge nozzle (2) and at the other end is connected fixedly in terms of rotation to a nut (3) having an internal thread. A plunger is disposed at the end of a spindle ( 4) in the cartridge, for ejecting the dental material from the nozzle (2). A handle (6) is connected fixedly in terms of rotation to the spindle. The handle (6) and grip part (8) thereof are grasped in the lower portion of the hand, while the thumb and forefinger rotate the cartridge relative to the spindle to discharge the material.

Abstract: A high pressure anesthetic syringe is provided for use in procedures such as intraligamentary anesthesia wherein a high pressure is generated by a drive mechanism to advance a piston rod in a direction to express liquid anesthesia from a glass carpule, wherein a pressure indicating mechanism is provided by including an elongated stem slidably mounted within the piston rod of the syringe and wherein pressure applied to the liquid anesthetic is indicated by relative movement between the elongated stem and the piston rod.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus which includes a syringe cartridge (10) having its open lower portion closed by a plunger piston (14). The upper portion is closed by a syringe cartridge closure (15) having a leur tip cap (50). Structure is optionally provided interiorly of the tip cap to retain a hollow needle (40), which is held in position by a leur tip (34), the latter being vented and provided with a seal for the needle. A displacement dome (38) is provided at the lower portion of the syringe cartridge closure (15) to displace a minor amount of fluid upon closure to seal the cartridge, and insure zero head space. The piston plunger (14) at the lower portion of the cartridge can be advanced, desirably by a second plunger (61), to empty the contents. Upon resealing, the leur tip cap (50) is applied over the leur tip (34) after a bead is formed on the tip.

Abstract: A multiple, metered dosage device having an elongated body provided adjacent one end with a compartment or an ampule to contain material to be dispensed, a piston movable against the material to discharge it from a nozzle, a rod-like plunger movable by a pressure device against the piston to discharge material and a combination stop and release unit movable intermediately of the ends of the body between depressed and elevated positions respectively to engage a pair of racks of teeth on the plunger and including first and second teeth respectively engageable with the racks of teeth sequentially to permit the pressure device to advance the plunger and piston in similar metered, precise or predetermined increments of feeding in discharge direction and then stop the feeding movement and maintain such stopped position until the stop and release unit next is depressed.

Abstract: An infusion pump has a removable reservoir including a piston and drive member. The drive member is an internally threaded elongated portion of the piston. A motor rotates a short drive screw, which engages the threads of the drive member to displace the piston in the reservoir. In one embodiment the piston is attached to the drive member by a severable central stem which breaks away to allow engagement with the drive screw. With the stem severed, the piston cannot be retracted, or the reservoir refilled. Other safety features are shown for locking the displaced piston in the reservoir. A digital metering system has a safety circuit to prevent dangerous failure modes of the rotation sensor and motor drive systems.

Abstract: A syringe injector for injecting liquids into patients comprising a syringe barrel with a slidable piston therein and a driver slidably extending into the barrel bore from the open end thereof behind the piston, where the driver includes a power supply and drive means operated by the power supply to cause at least a portion of the driver to move relative to the barrel to engage and propel the piston toward the discharge opening in the syringe barrel.

Abstract: Apparatus and method concepts and embodiments are provided for control of fluid flow by force amplification syringe means. The concepts are particularly suited to surgical methods and apparatus for removing fluid from a patient or administering fluid to the patient, particularly at a fluid flow rate that is the most tolerable from the point of view of the patient.

Abstract: An dispenser characterized by provision for use of a replaceable needle and a prefilled cartridge.The dispenser comprises an elongated body separable into two body sections, with the front end section adapted to contain a prefilled cartridge and with provision at the front end for mounting a needle removably thereon.The back end section contains the operating mechanism shown by FIG. 10 to convert the longitudinal movement of a pushable element into unidirectionally rotary movement, then into longitudinal movement of a piston rod that acts to expel fluid through the needle.A multipurpose cap is protective of the needle end when mounted on the front end, and is an operating member when mounted on the rear end, as is illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for collecting saliva from a test subject comprises providing a flavored absorbent mass, such as a sponge, for mastication and charging with saliva and then expressing the saliva from the mass. Apparatus for this method comprises a barrel-piston arrangement in association with a specimen vial for storage until diagnostic testing.

Abstract: A precision injection system for intralignmental anesthesia and the like having a syringe with a tubular handle portion which is removably connected a tubular headpiece as a longitudinal extension thereof. The headpiece receives a carpule cartridge with injection contents monitored during injections through elongate windows on opposite sides of the headpiece. A dosing plunger housed in the handle portion in a retracted start position is activated by a servo-dosing lever and advances incrementally axially into the headpiece for delivery of metered quantities of the contents of the carpule cartridge each time the servo-dosing lever is actuated. Provision is made for semiautomatic resetting of the dosing plunger to a retracted start position by depressing a resetting key and raising the syringe to a generally vertically raised position.

Abstract: A device comprising a container and a threaded rotatable plunger mechanism including means for controllably advancing the plunger through the container can administer a precise dose of a drug-containing fluid subcutaneously at regular intervals. The means for controllably advancing the plunger comprises a drive tube concentrically mounted about a threaded rod operating within the container, the drive tube having ramp means at the upper end thereof, a ratchet head including a resilient member in operative communication with the upper end of the drive tube and a rotatable knob adjacent the ratchet head whereby rotation of the knob in one direction rotates the drive tube and the threaded rod to deliver the fluid through an outlet of the container.

Abstract: A one-hand operated dispenser for metering dental compositions comprises a casing for accommodating the dental composition between a forward dispensing opening and a plunger which is slidable within the casing. The plunger is advanced by means of a threaded spindle which engages in a nut mounted at the casing rear end so as to be secured against rotation and axial displacement. The casing rear end is rotatably supported within a sleeve which in turn is detachably inserted in a handle. The sleeve is formed with an axially extending slot through which a finger is visible which is disposed at the rear end of the spindle. When the handle is gripped, the casing may be rotated between the thumb and index finger such that the spindle advances the plunger thereby urging the dental composition out of the dispensing opening. During the forward movement of the spindle the finger travels forwardly in the axially extending slot and indicates the level of the dental composition.

Abstract: A device for controlling the injection of a cement into a cavity is provided which is particularly useful in the practice of total hip arthroplasty. A canister holds a standard cement syringe and supports a retracting assembly which withdraws a nozzle of the syringe into the canister. The device ensures that the tip of the nozzle remains at or very near the meniscus of the rising cement column so that the cement flows primarily radially into the cavity by withdrawing the nozzle into the canister as the cement is injected. Additionally, a pressure release mechanism permits the syringe to migrate as a unit independently of the retracting assembly to maintain the tip of the nozzle at the meniscus of the rising cement column.

Abstract: A dose metering device for use with a syringe comprises a fixed screwthreaded member (17) which is either integral with or fixed in use to the cylinder (10) of the syringe and is in threaded engagement with a screwthreaded plunger (13) which can be rotated by a manually-rotatable cap (30) acting through a ratchet and pawl mechanism (32, 34) whose ratchet wheel (26) drives a driving rod (24) which is slidably keyed to the plunger (13). The plunger engages the piston or plug (11) of the syringe. A stop (42) limits rotation of the cap (30) which can be turned away from the stop through a variable angle to a selected angular position shown on a scale (39) of volumetric dose units, the pawl (32) overriding the ratchet teeth (34), to preset a dose to be expressed.

Abstract: A portable infusion device includes a disposable syringe which is located in a removable section of a compact package that comprises the device. In order to conserve space, a flexible piston rod assembly is provided wherein the syringe plunger head is connected to a thin flexible plunger stem which is reversely bent about the upstream end of the syringe body so that the outer end of the stem lies directly adjacent and parallel to the syringe body. A small motor located in the non-removable portion of the package drives the plunger through a screw which sequentially engages closely spaced teeth on the face of the plunger stem as it moves along the outer surface of the syringe. When the syringe contents have been discharged, the removable section, including the syringe and plunger stem assembly, can be readily removed and replaced.

Abstract: A one-hand operated dispenser for metering dental compositions comprises a casing for receiving the dental composition between a forward dispensing end and a plunger which is movably mounted within the casing. The plunger is moved forwardly by means of a threaded spindle which engages with a nut disposed on the rear casing end so as to be secured against rotation and axial movement. The thus formed assembly may be inserted into two bifurcated brackets of a generally U-shaped receptacle forming part of a manipulating member. The spindle is guided in the one bracket so as to be axially movable and non-rotatable, while the casing with the nut is mounted in the other bracket so as to be non-displaceable but rotatable. When the manipulating member is gripped, the casing may be turned between thumb and index finger such that the spindle is pushed forwards, whereby the dental composition exits from the dispensing opening.

Abstract: An embroidering tool has an adjustable needle penetration capability and is formed from two interfitting components that are relatively rotatable about a common axis to provide the adjusting movement. One part has a cannulation needle assembly in accord with certain aspects of the invention and which at the proximal end of the needle thereof is encased in a plastic member which is a molded plastic product provided with an exterior flat screw thread. The other component is a unitary unmodified molded plastic structure with an interior wall that has a protuberance which is engaged by the thread of the outer part in the assembled structure of the tool. The two components snap together when they are assembled although modifications are contemplated to facilitate separate use of the needle carrying component from the other component.

Abstract: A syringe assist device including a frame and moveable carriage that are respectively attached to a conventional syringe and its plunger. The frame has a toothed rack and the carriage contains a force amplifying gear and lever mechanism. A thumb ring transmits the force applied by the user's thumb to the lever to rotate the gear and move the carriage along the frame. This action in turn applies amplified compression to the syringe plunger. A ratchet connection between the lever and the gear enables the movement of the carriage to be continued without force amplification when the lever has reached the end of its stroke.

Abstract: A dental container receives and separately stores mercury and silver ingredients until they are subsequently brought together and mixed within the container for making a ready-to-use amalgam which is directly injected from the container into a prepared tooth cavity. Visual indicators are provided on the container to advise a dental operator of the current status of the dental container.

Abstract: A compact anesthetic syringe is provided for injecting a medication under high pressure into a confined space. The instrument is particularly adapted for injecting a medication into the dental periodontal ligament (PDL) and may be used by any dentist without special training.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for collecting saliva from a test subject comprises providing a flavored absorbent mass, such as a sponge, for mastication and charging with saliva and then expressing the saliva from the mass. Apparatus for this method comprises a barrel-piston arrangement in association with a specimen vial for storage until diagnostic testing.