Apparatus for metering liquids or semiliquids

A device for metering and dispensing non-pressurized liquid or semiliquid mediums comprising:

• (a) a tube including (i) a conical tapered discharge port and (ii) a cylindrical inner wall having a conical tapered inner wall end portion thereto adjacent said discharge port for forming a first metering valve seat, said tube having an opposite end portion to said conical tapered end portion for forming a flared storage chamber for storing a non-pressurized liquid or semiliquid medium, and an intermediate inner wall portion of the cylindrical inner wall of the tube for forming a second metering valve seat;
• (b) a metering valve body including (i) first and second valve members for interacting respectively with said first and second valve seats to form first and second valves, wherein the second valve member is a cylindrical outer wall end portion slidable within the intermediate inner wall portion between open and closed valve positions with said second metering valve seat, and wherein the first valve member is a conical outer wall end portion opposite the cylindrical end portion, complementing said conical tapered inner wall end portion of said first metering valve seat and selectively movable between open and closed valve positions with said first metering valve seat, an annular duct being formed between the conical tapered end portions of said valve body and said first valve seat in the open valve portion, and (ii) metering means on said valve body for forming a sealed metering medium chamber between said valve members of the valve body and said valve seats, the chamber being sealed at one end by the conical outer wall end portion of the valve body engaging the conical tapered inner wall end portion of the valve seat and at the other end by the cylindrical outer wall end portion engaging the cylindrical inner wall of the tube for holding a predetermined amount of liquid or semiliquid medium therein when the first and second valves are in normally-closed positions and for dispensing the predetermined amount of medium when the first valve is in an open position;
• (c) at least one spring for normally biasing said valve body to closed medium sealing positions against the first and second valve seats of said tube;
• and
• (d) a conical tapered tip on the end of said valve body which extends through and complements said conical tapered discharge port and sealingly closes said tube discharge port when the valve body is spring-biased in the closed position against the first valve seat, said tip being manually actuated against the spring for selectively moving the valve body inwardly to a selected open valve position away from the first valve seat, wherein the inward movement of the tip regulates the width of the annular duct formed between the conical tapered wall end portion of the metering valve body and first valve seat for selecting the amount of liquid or semiliquid medium to be discharged from the metering chamber and determines whether the valve body is in an open valve position away from the second valve seat such that the metering chamber is in medium communication with said flared storage chamber.