| abstract |
A dispensing cartridge is designed to dispense multiple doses of a flowable material from a collapsible container, i.e., from a container of the type which does not produce an internal vacuum as the flowable material is dispensed. The cartridge has a housing for protecting a delivery block enveloped by an elastic sheath. The delivery block receives the flowable material from the collapsible container through an input port and delivers it through an internal channel with branches to at least one output port. Sleeve valves are created at the output port or ports by the sheath. In a preferred embodiment an end of the sheath forms an outlet valve downstream of the sleeve valves. The cartridge prevents external contaminants such as air and its constituents, oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor and other atmospheric gases as well as other air-borne contaminants including smoke, dust, pollen and microorganisms from entering the container and can be mounted on tubes, bags, infusion containers, syringes, pouches, collapsible reservoirs, bellows-type containers and the like. In a particularly advantageous embodiment the dispensing cartridge is permanently bonded to the container to produce an integrated dispensing system. |