Container, nebulizer and use

• US 10,195,374 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2015
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Eicher, Joachim, Graessl, Herbert, Janetzko, Mike, Jung, Andree, Meisenheimer, Martin, Wachtel, Herbert, Winkler, Robert Gerhard, Wuttke, Gilbert, Yu, Ying
• Primary Examiner(s): Douglas, Steven O
• Application Number:
  US14/703,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20150320948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/007 Syringe-type or piston-type sprayers or atomisers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0026 Hinged caps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0035 Piercing means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0041 with movable piercing or cutting means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0065 Inhalators with dosage or measuring devices A61M15/0028 takes precedence; dosage devices incorporated in aerosol cans B65D83/52
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0068 Indicating or counting the number of dispensed doses or of remaining doses
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0073 on a ring
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0076 on a drum
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0081 Locking means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/009 using medicine packages with incorporated spraying means, e.g. aerosol cans pocket atomiser of the injector type A61M11/08
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0468 non-physiological
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/123 with incorporated reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/273 preventing reuse, e.g. of disposables
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/586 Ergonomic details therefor, e.g. specific ergonomics for left or right-handed users
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2207/00 Methods of manufacture, assembly or production
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2207/10 Device therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/0054 Cartridges, i.e. containers specially designed for easy attachment to or easy removal from the rest of the sprayer attachment arrangements between pump and container B05B11/1043
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/08 using ultrasonic vibrations non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/081 having a component of vibration not perpendicular to the welding surface
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/082 : Angular, i.e. torsional ultrasonic welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1406 : Ultraviolet [UV] radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/16 : Laser beams
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/18 : using heated tools
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 : using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/4845 : Radiation curing adhesives, e.g. UV light curing adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/568 : using a swaging operation, i.e. totally deforming the edge or the rim of a first part to be joined to clamp a second part to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 : Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 : characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/742 : to metals or their alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7422 : Aluminium or alloys of aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2055/02 : ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2705/02 : Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7142 : Aerosol containers
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 1/02 : Housing for measuring instruments in general G01D

Abstract

A container, a nebulizer and a use of an indicator device are described, where the container comprises an indicator device fixedly mounted on the bottom of the container, the container is arranged within the nebulizer and the container can be detached by grabbing the indicator device.

Claims

1. A container (3) for a nebulizer (1), the container (3) containing a fluid (2), and the container (3) comprising

an indicator device (25) for at least one of counting, indicating a number of uses performed, and indicating a number of uses still possible with the container (3),

wherein the indicator device (25) comprises an indicator housing (31) which is inseparably connected with a housing (29) of the container (3) opposite to at least one of an outlet and a head (28) of the container (3);

wherein at least one of the indicator device (25) and the indicator housing (31) is connected via an ultrasonic weld with the container (3), and

wherein the housing (29) of the container (3) comprises a rotationally asymmetrical section, including at least one of an indentation, a protrusion, and a flattening (75), to secure the indicator housing (31) against rotation relative to the housing (29) of the container (3).

2. The container (3) according to claim 1, wherein the indicator device (25) is fixedly arranged at a base (21) of the container (3).

3. The container (3) according to claim 1, wherein the indicator housing (31) is secured against rotation relative to the housing (29) of the container (3).

4. The container (3) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the indicator device (25) and the indicator housing (31) comprises at least one of a riffle (77), an indention 78, and a projection 79.

5. A container (3) containing a fluid (2), comprising:

a nebulizer housing (24) for receiving the container (3);

an indicator device (25) for at least one of counting, indicating a number of uses performed, and indicating a number of uses still possible with the container (3);

wherein;

the container (3) is moveable axially within the closed nebulizer housing (24) during nebulization,

the indicator device (25) comprises an indicator housing (31) which is inseparably connected with a housing (29) of the container (3), but separable from the nebulizer housing (24), so that the indicator device (25) is replaceable together with the container (3), and

at least one of the indicator device (25) and the indicator housing (31) comprises a gripping portion, including at least one of a flattening, a riffle (77), an indention (78), and a projection (79), and the housing (29) of the container (3) comprises a rotationally asymmetrical section, including at least one of an indentation, a protrusion, and a flattening (75), to secure the indicator housing (31) against rotation relative to the housing (29) of the container (3).

6. The container (3) for the nebulizer (1) according to claim 5, wherein the indicator device (25) is fixedly arranged at a base (21) of the container (3).

7. The container (3) for the nebulizer (1) according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the indicator device (25) and the indicator housing (31) is connected by gluing with the container (3).

8. The container (3) for the nebulizer (1) according to claim 5, wherein the indicator device (25) is connected by at least one of hot-pressing and welding with the container (3).