Dispensing

A method for dispensing a material, which comprises:

• providing a device embracing a walled, hollow housing having an inside wall surface and having an opening on a first end;
• a piston, which sealingly engages the inside wall surface along its path of traverse, beginning at a position away from the first end, and which is “pulled,” not “pushed,” through its course of travel;
• and an actuating connection to the piston internal the housing—wherein:
• the actuating connection includes a flexible gear rack of one and only one integral piece of a flexible member having teeth for engagement with a protruding member that engages a tooth of the flexible gear rack;
• and
• the protruding member is present;
• supplying the material to inside of the hollow housing and above said piston;
• and
• actuating the actuating connection such that the material is dispensed through the opening by actuation and movement of the piston.

A device for dispensing, which comprises a walled, hollow housing having an inside wall surface and having an opening on a first end;

• a piston, which sealingly engages the inside wall surface along its path of traverse, beginning at a position away from the first end, and which is “pulled,” not “pushed,” through its course of travel;
• and an actuating connection of a flexible contrivance, which embraces a flexible gear rack, and which is attached by a distal end whereof to the piston internal the housing—such that a material for dispensing can be supplied to the inside of the hollow housing and above the piston, and dispensed through the opening by actuation and movement of the piston, wherein:
• actuation of the actuating connection is through activation of a plunger, which embraces a spring-return having a spring along with a ratchet head, which reside in a hollow top housing;
• and includes a push button, which can be pushed down by a thumb or finger, and which is in contact with an upper washer so that when the push button is pushed down the upper washer moves down as well;
• attached to or part of the upper washer is upper ratchet head, which has an orifice through which the flexible gear rack can pass in one side and out another;
• inside the orifice of the upper ratchet head is attached a first tongue having a free end, with the free end of the first tongue disposed upwardly to slip by teeth of the flexible gear rack when the push button is pushed down but engage the teeth of the flexible gear rack when the upper washer and upper ratchet head experience pushing up from the spring so as to permit the upper washer and upper ratchet head to move the flexible gear rack and hence the piston upward;
• and the spring is in contact with a lower surface of the upper washer, and is driven downward into compression when the push button is pushed down such that compression of the spring results because its lower end is in contact with an upper surface of a lower washer, which resists the downward force of the pushing by having a rim that rests on a shoulder in the hollow housing;
• and
• attached to or part of the lower washer is a lower ratchet head, which has an orifice through which the flexible gear rack can pass in one side and out another;
• inside the orifice of the lower ratchet head is attached a second tongue, with the free end of the second tongue disposed upwardly to engage the teeth of the flexible gear rack so that the flexible gear rack does not move downward and the piston can be prevented from moving downward;
• such that when compression of the spring is released, the spring extends upward, pushes the upper washer and upper ratchet head upward, and, owing to the grip on the flexible gear rack provided by the first tongue on a tooth of the flexible gear rack, and slippage of the flexible gear rack when it moves upward through the lower washer and lower ratchet head and past the second tongue, the flexible gear rack moves up with the force of the spring and draws the piston connected by the actuating connection upward.