Refillable device with counting means

• US 20030205227A1
• Filed: 01/03/2003
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Hodson, Peter D., Dunn, Philip M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,080,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/200.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0045 using multiple prepacked dosages on a same carrier, e.g. blisters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0051 the dosages being arranged on a tape, e.g. strips
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0068 Indicating or counting the number of dispensed doses or of remaining doses
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0075 on a disc
• 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 2202/064 Powder

Abstract

A refillable medical device comprising a base unit (4) adapted to be engaged with a refill unit (2), the device comprising means for counting the number of different refill units which are engaged with the base unit (4). The device may be in the form of a dry powder or pressurised aerosol inhaler, needleless injector, intravenous drip system etc. The device may comprise means to disable the device after a predetermined number of refill units have been used with the base.

Claims

1. A refillable medical device assembly comprising a refill unit and a base unit adapted to engage the refill unit, said base unit comprising means for counting the number of different refill units which have been engaged with the base unit.

2. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for counting does not repeatedly count the same refill unit.

3. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the base unit comprises means to visually indicate to the user the number of different refill units that have been engaged with the based unit.

4. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in any preceding claim in which the means for counting comprises a chamber adapted to receive a tab attached to the refill unit and means to engage and detach said tab from the refill unit.

5. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in claim 4 in which the chamber is dimensioned to accommodate a predetermined number of tabs whereupon engagement of a fresh refill unit with the base unit is prevented.

6. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in claim 5 in which the base unit is constructed so that tabs present in the chamber are visible.

7. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which said visually indicating means comprises a display, the display being capable of incremental moved upon engagement of a new refill unit.

8. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in claim 7 in which the display is in the form of a rotatable disc.

9. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in claim 8 in which the rotatable disc is associated with a toothed wheel which is engaged by a finger attached to the refill unit to incremental move the disc, the base unit additionally comprising means to deform or break said finger to prevent subsequent engagement of the finger with the toothed wheel.

10. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for counting comprises a chamber in the refill unit adapted to receive a tab attached to the base unit and means to engage and detach said tab from the base unit when the refill unit is detached from the base unit.

11. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in any preceding claim in which the device is a dry powder inhaler and the refill unit is in the form of a cassette having a tape bearing powdered medicament.

12. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 in which the device is a pressurised aerosol inhaler and the refill unit comprises a pressurised aerosol container.

13. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11 in which the inhaler is breath actuated.

14. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 in thc form of a needleless injector.

15. A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 in the form of an intravenous drip system.