Manually-operated fluid dispenser and associated closure cap

Abstract

A manually-operated dispenser for user-controlled discharge of an internally-stored fluid includes a variable length assembly normally driven to its maximum longitudinal extension for substantially closing a fluid discharge opening and for fluid-tightly closing a vent opening disposed at opposite ends of an elongated housing, the fluid discharge opening being normally sufficiently closed so as to prevent discharge of stored fluid through the discharge opening but permitting predetermined bleeding of fluid from the housing interior through the discharge opening, a piston bounding an end of an internal fluid reservoir and operatively movable along the housing for volumetrically reducing the reservoir and for driving stored fluid toward and through the discharge opening, and an actuator assembly manually operable by the user for causing controlled foreshortening of the variable length assembly whereby the fluid discharge and vent openings are concurrently opened permitting the forced discharge of a correspondingly controlled volume of stored fluid. An associated dispenser end closure cap incorporates a movable shuttle assembly for protectively receiving and substantially fluid-tightly enclosing an applicator integrally carried on the dispenser when the cap is operably emplaced on the dispenser for storage between fluid discharging uses thereof.