Dosing device particularly for small quantities of liquid

Claim 1

A dosing device particularly adapted for dispensing small quantities of liquid, said device comprising a housing including a chamber, a variable displacement device for varying the pressure within said chamber, an inlet duct communicating with said chamber and an outlet duct communicating with said chamber, an inlet valve located within said inlet duct for controlling opening and closing of said inlet duct and an outlet valve located within said outlet duct for controlling opening and closing of said outlet duct, at least one of said valves comprising a disc having a generally circular outer periphery, and a central portion which cooperates with a corresponding valve seat formed in said housing to close off the duct associated therewith, said disc being radially moveable in an annular groove formed in said housing and in which the peripheral portion of the disc is received, said disc including at least passage therethrough spaced radially outwardly from said central portion and the thickness of the peripheral portion of said disc being less than the width of said annular groove in a direction transverse in the plane of the disc, said central portion of said disc being substantially rigid and the portion of said disc located outside of said central portion being flexible, said housing defining a cavity in which said at least one disc is located, said annular groove lying at the outer periphery of the cavity, and said valve seat extending into said cavity by an amount relative to the position of said groove to provide flexing of said disc when said disc is in the closed position thereof.