INHALATION-INITIATED AEROSOL DISPENSER

• US 3,636,949 A
• Filed: 08/08/1969
• Issued: 01/25/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fisons Limited (Sanofi )
• Original Assignee: Willis A. Kropp
• Inventors: Kropp, Willis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaudet, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Howell, Kyle L.
• Application Number:
  US04/850,694
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 128/173,173.3,184,185,194,201,208,211,266
• US Class Current: 128/200.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0026 Hinged caps
• 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 15/0091 mechanically breath-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0096 Hindering inhalation before activation of the dispenser

Abstract

For dispensing to a respiratory patient single discharges of metered aerosol medication, a conventional aerosol container designed to deliver in response to a single actuation a metered amount of aerosol compound, is combined with a chamber partly formed by a breath-operated membrane linked with a springretained catch and latch actuator which on release by the inhalation-deflected membrane presses on the metering valve of the container delivering a single discharge in exactly timed relation with the patient'"'"''"'"'s breathing, and also opens a valve communicating with the outside, to admit free air during the final part of the aerosol discharge for continued inhalation. The actuator linkage and the air valve have to be reset by hand to ready the device for the next cycle of operation. In an especially compact embodiment, a unitary housing fully encloses the aerosol bottle which is inserted through an opening closed by a retention cover hinged to the housing. A flexible strap serves as a protective cover for the mouthpiece and the air ingress valve, as well as for resetting the mechanism which it locks when covering the valve and the mouthpiece. The actuator linkage has two straight levers at right angles with the catch and latch at their intersection, and the spring tangentially correlated with the breath-responsive membrane.

Claims

1. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device adapted to receive a conventional aerosol container of the type having a container body and a valve means mounted on said container body, said valve means releasing a metered amount of aerosol compound when moved toward said container body and reloading upon moving away from said container body and to actuate said valve means to release said metered amount of aerosol compound at a predetermined portion of the inhalation phase of a breathing cycle, said device comprising, a walled chamber, an apertured portion of said chamber forming a mouthpiece, aperture means in said chamber in the vicinity of said mouthpiece for receiving the valve means portion of said container within said chamber in position to discharge said metered amount of aerosol compound through said mouthpiece, means for at least temporarily retaining said aerosol container in a fixed position relative to said chamber with the body of said container outside said chamber and the valve means portion in position within said chamber, a window in said chamber remote from said mouthpiece, an air-deflectable member comprising a movable wall portion associated with said window and adapted to move between a first position in which said movable wall portion at least substantially fills said window and a second position toward the interior of said chamber relative to said first position, a linking lever pivotally mounted within said chamber, said linking lever having a catch means and a portion associated with said movable wall portion to cause said lever to move about said pivot responsive to the motion of said movable wall portion, an actuating lever pivotally mounted within said chamber, said actuating lever having a latch means adapted to cooperate with the said catch means on said linking member and having a portion adapted to press against said valve means on said aerosol container, spring means to bias said movable wall portion to the said first position and correspondingly said catch toward the said latch and to move said actuating lever into pressing engagement with said valve means when said catch and said latch are released, said movable wall portion, said linking lever, said catch, said latch, said actuating lever and said spring means together constituting an actuating mechanism, resetting means associated with said actuating lever and passing to the outside of said chamber adapted to move said actuating lever against the force of said spring means to remove said actuating lever from pressing engagement with said valve means and to move said latch into position to contact and engage said catch, air valve means associated with said actuating mechanism at a position remote from said mouthpiece relative to said valve means to admit air freely from the outside of said chamber responsive to the motion of said movable wall portion from said first position to said second position, said chamber, when said movable wall portion is in said first position, being substantially isolated from the ingress of free air except through said mouthpiece, whereby when said actuating mechanism is in a normal cocked condition with the movable wall portion in said first position and with said catch means contacting said latch means, the egress of air from said chamber through said mouthpiece as in the inhalation phase of a breathing cycle actuates said actUating mechanism by causing said movable wall portion of said air deflectable member to move from said first position to said second position thereby rotating said linking lever about its pivot releasing said catch from said latch thereby releasing said actuating lever to press against said valve member releasing a metered charge from said aerosol container, the actuation of said actuating mechanism simultaneously opening said air valve means to freely admit outside air into said chamber.

2. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said movable wall portion includes a plate member which substantially fills said window when in said first position with the peripheral edge of said wall portion in close proximity to but separated from the rim of said window.

3. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said movable wall portion includes a flexible membrane means extending over said window and affixed to the rim thereof.

4. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said movable wall portion includes a bellows ring means arranged in flexing relation between the periphery of said wall portion and the rim of said window.

5. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for retaining said aerosol container in a fixed position relative to said chamber includes a shell means formed integrally with said chamber, a ledge portion of said shell means surrounding said aperture means for receiving the valve means portion of said container adapted to receive in sealing engagement that portion of the container body surrounding said valve means, and means for retaining said container body and pressing the same against said ledge.

6. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said shell means comprises a container housing and said means for retaining said container body comprises a movable member associated with said container housing adapted to press against that portion of said container body opposite said valve means.

7. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said movable member comprises a container-holding lid pivotally mounted at one end to said housing and provided with a ratchet lock adapted to engage corresponding teeth on the wall of the container housing at the other end.

8. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said shell means is generally cylindrical in shape, is provided with end closing means including an elastic biasing member adapted to press against that portion of said container body opposite said valve means and an intermediate disconnect portion.

9. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said disconnect portion comprises a bayonet joint.

10. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said resetting means includes a pull strap and a cover means, said cover means adapted to removably cover said mouthpiece.

11. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said cover means includes means wherein when said cover means covers said mouthpiece there is sufficient tension on said strap to retain said latch beyond the contact point with said catch whereby accidental movement of said movable wall portion will not uncock said activating mechanism.

12. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said linking lever and said actuating lever are substantially straight members, said linking lever being pivotally mounted at an intermediate point with said portion associated with said movable wall portion on one face of said lever on one side of said pivot and said catch on the opposite face of said lever on the other side of said pivot and said actuating lever being pivotally mounted at one end adjacent said mouthpiece having said latch means at the end opposite said pivot and the portion adapted to press against said valve meanS on one face of said lever intermediate said pivot and said latch.

13. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said spring means extends under tension generally parallel to said linking lever between a point on said actuating lever adjacent said latch and a point associated with said wall of said chamber beyond the portion of said linking lever associated with said movable wall portion.

14. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the side of said spring rests against a point on said linking lever adjacent the portion of said lever associated with said movable wall portion thereby biasing said movable wall portion toward said first position.

15. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said air valve means comprises an air valve body mounted on said actuating lever adjacent said portion adapted to press against said container valve means but on the opposite face of said lever and an associated air admission port in the wall of said chamber.

16. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 15 wherein said resetting means is a strap member passing from the end of said actuating lever through an aperture adjacent said air admission port in the wall of said chamber, said strap member having a cover portion adapted to removably cover said mouthpiece and an intermediate widened portion adapted to cover said air admission port opening when said mouthpiece cover portion is in covering position.

17. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said linking lever and said actuating lever are each a bellcrank pivoted at a midpoint, wherein the portion of said linking lever associated with the movable wall portion is adjacent the end of a first arm of said linking lever bellcrank and said catch means is adjacent the end of a second arm of said linking lever bellcrank, and wherein said latch means is adjacent a first arm of said actuating lever bellcrank and said portion of said actuating lever adapted to press against said valve means is at a midportion of said first arm of said actuating lever bellcrank.

18. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said spring means comprises a spring mounted under tension at one end to an intermediate portion of a second arm of said actuating lever bellcrank and at the other end to the second said arm of said linking lever bellcrank adjacent the pivot thereof.

19. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said resetting means is located near the end of said second arm of said actuating lever bellcrank

20. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said air valve means comprises an air valve body mounted adjacent the end of said second arm of said actuating lever bellcrank and an associated air admission port in the wall of said chamber.

21. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 20, wherein said resetting means comprises a flexible member that passes through said air admission port.

22. An inhalation-actuated dispensing device as claimed in claim 17 wherein said movable wall portion is mounted on an arm member, which arm member is slidably engaged at its opposite end with the pivot for said actuating lever bellcrank and the end of said first arm of said linking lever bellcrank is slidingly engaged to a pin at an intermediate portion of said arm member.