Dispensing Device, Storage Device and Method for Dispensing Powder

• US 20070272763A1
• Filed: 10/06/2005
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• 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: Rohrschneider, Marc, Moser, Achim, Dunne, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 9,283,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 239/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/001 Particle size control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/002 by flow deviation causing inertial separation of transported particles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/02 operated by air or other gas pressure applied to the liquid or other product to be sprayed or atomised sprayers for horticulture A01G, A01H; killing insects A01M; air humidifying by nozzles F24F6/14, F24F6/18; cooling by spraying F28B, F28C
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0003 with means for dispensing more than one drug
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/002 with air flow regulating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0028 using prepacked dosages, one for each application, e.g. capsules to be perforated or broken-up
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0031 by bursting or breaking the package, i.e. without cutting or piercing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0033 Details of the piercing or cutting means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0045 using multiple prepacked dosages on a same carrier, e.g. blisters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0048 the dosages being arranged in a plane, e.g. on diskettes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0051 the dosages being arranged on a tape, e.g. strips
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/064 Powder
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/073 Syringe, piston type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8225 using incorporated gas cartridges for the driving gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2206/16 Rotating swirling helical flow, e.g. by tangential inflows

Abstract

A dispensing device, a storage device and a method for dispensing powder in which powder is dispensed through a duct with a flat cross section to de-agglomerate the powder and to generate a spray with fine particle size. A storage chamber for the powder may be closed by a bursting element which is burst by pressurized gas for discharging the powder, the gas pressure reaching or exceeding a peak value before the bursting element bursts so that the powder is dispensed at a lower gas pressure. The powder may be forced through the duct by a gas pressure of less than 300 kPa to de-agglomerate the powder and/or to generate the spray. The storage device can have multiple storage chambers and associated ducts or nozzles, so that each dose of powder can be dispensed through a separate duct or nozzle.

Claims

1-59. -59. (canceled)

60. Dispensing device for dispensing a powder as a spray including fine powder particles, the dispensing device comprising at least one duct through which the powder is dispensable from at least one storage chamber by gas pressure for de-agglomerating the powder, wherein the duct has a flat cross section, a ratio of a largest side of the flat cross section to a smallest side of the flat cross section being at least 2.0.

61. Dispensing device according to claim 60, wherein the ratio is from 3 to 50.

62. Dispensing device according to claim 61, wherein the largest side is one of between 0.5 to 5 mm and between about 1 to 3 mm.

63. Dispensing device according to claim 60, wherein the smallest side is between one of 0.05 to 0.5 mm and about 0.07 to 0.25 mm.

64. Dispensing device according to claim 60, wherein the flat cross section has one of a substantially oval or rectangular shape.

65. Dispensing device according to claim 60, wherein the dispensing device comprises means for providing pressurized gas for forcing the powder through the duct and dispensing the powder.

66. Dispensing device according to claim 60, further comprising an insertable storage device with multiple storage chambers each containing a dose of powder and multiple ducts, wherein at least one duct is associated to each storage chamber.

67. Dispensing device according to claim 66, wherein each storage chamber and its associated duct are formed of or in the same piece of material.

68. Dispensing device according to claim 60, further comprising an air pump for providing pressurized gas to said at least one storage chamber.

74. Dispensing device according to claim 60 or 69, wherein the at least one duct comprises multiple ducts and wherein each dose of powder is dispensed through a separate one of said ducts.

75. Dispensing device according to claim 66 or 69, wherein said storage device comprises separate storage chambers for at least two powders and wherein said at least one duct is adapted for mixing the at least two powders during dispensing thereof.

76. Dispensing device according to claim 60 or 69, further comprising a diffuser for slowing down the propagation velocity of the spray.

77. Dispensing device according to claim 60 or 69, further comprising a powder jet impinging means for impinging at least two powder jets to at least one of deagglomerate the powder, slow down the propagation velocity of the spray and mix separate powders.

78. Dispensing device according to claim 60 or 69, wherein the dispensing device is a dry powder inhaler.

80. Dispensing device according to claim 65 or 69, wherein the means for providing pressurized gas comprises an air pump.

69. Dispensing device for dispensing powder as a spray including fine powder particles, the dispensing device comprising:

a storage device with at least one storage chamber containing a dose of the powder, and

means for providing pressurized gas for dispensing the powder through at least one duct or nozzle.

70. Dispensing device according to claim 69, wherein a first cross section of a gas supply inlet to the storage chamber is smaller than a second cross section of an outlet for the powder to substantially control or restrict the gas flow during dispensing of the powder by the first cross section.

71. Dispensing device according to claim 69, wherein the storage device comprises a pressure sensitive element closing the at least one storage chamber such that the pressurized gas opens the pressure sensitive element for discharging powder from the associated storage chamber to dispense the powder.

72. Dispensing device according to claim 71, wherein the pressure sensitive element is a bursting element that is burst by the pressurized gas.

73. Dispensing device according to claim 69, wherein the duct or nozzle is a duct that has a flat cross section, a ratio of a largest side of the flat cross section to a smallest side of the flat cross section being at least 2.0.

79. Dispensing device according to claim 69, wherein the storage device comprises multiple storage chambers each containing a dose of the powder, and multiple ducts, wherein at least one duct is associated to each storage chamber, wherein each storage chamber and its associated duct are formed of or in the same piece of material.

81. Storage device for powder with a plurality of storage chambers, each of which contains a single dose of the powder to be discharged by gas pressure, wherein each of the storage chambers is closed by a bursting element that is adapted to be burst by the gas pressure for discharging the powder from the respective storage chamber with which it is associated to discharge the powder, and wherein at least one of a duct and nozzle is associated with each storage chamber so that each dose of powder is dispensed through a separate duct or nozzle by the gas pressure.

83. Storage device according to claim 81, wherein the storage device contains at least two or three powders in separate storage chambers, the powders being mixed during discharging thereof.

82. Storage device for powder with a plurality of storage chambers, each of which contains a single dose of the powder to be discharged by gas pressure, wherein at least one of a duct and nozzle is associated with each storage chamber so that each dose of powder is dispensed through a separate duct or nozzle by the gas pressure, and wherein each storage chamber and its associated, respective duct or nozzle are formed of or in the same piece of material.

84. Method for dispensing powder, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one chamber containing a fine powder,

pressurizing gas, and

discharging the powder from the chamber through at least one duct as a spray by means of gas pressure, the powder being forced through the at least one duct by a gauge gas pressure of less than 300 kPa to de-agglomerate the powder and to generate the spray.

85. Method according to claim 84, wherein said discharging step comprises forming at least two powder jets and causing the at least two powder jets to impinge each other to at least one of deagglomerate the powder, slow down the propagation velocity of the spray and mix at least two separate powders.

89. Method according to claim 84 or 86, wherein a ratio of a volume of the gas used to discharge the powder at atmospheric pressure to the volume of dispensed powder is one of about 10000 or less and about 200 to 2000.

90. Method according to claim 84 or 86, wherein air is pressurized and used as said gas.

86. Method for dispensing powder as a spray including fine powder particles, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one storage chamber containing a fine powder,

pressurizing gas, and

discharging the powder from the storage chamber through at least one duct as a spray by means of gas pressure,

wherein a pressure sensitive element associated with the at least one storage chamber is caused to open when the gas pressure reaches or exceeds a peak value for producing sudden mixing of the powder with the gas and subsequent discharging the powder from the at least one storage chamber at a gas pressure that is lower than the peak value.

87. Method according to claim 86, wherein said pressure sensitive element is a bursting element.

88. Method according to claim 86, wherein the gas flow is restricted by a cross section of a gas supply or inlet upstream of the at least one storage chamber during discharging of the powder.