Inhalation type drug dispenser

• US 6,371,111 B1
• Filed: 09/13/2000
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dott Limited Company, Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Dott Limited Company, Unisia Jecs Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yanagawa, Akira, Nakamura, Shigemi, Ohki, Hisatomo, Ishizeki, Kazunori, Yazawa, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Erezo, Darwin P.
• Application Number:
  US09/623,478
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 128/203.15, 128/203.19, 128/203.21, 128/205.21, 128/203.12, 128/203.23, 604/58
• US Class Current: 128/203.15
• 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 15/003 using capsules, e.g. to be perforated or broken-up
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/064 Powder
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2206/16 Rotating swirling helical flow, e.g. by tangential inflows

Abstract

An inhalant medicator includes a medicator body 1 which is formed therein with a cylindrical fit hole 2, an inhalant port 3, an inflow air passageway 5, and an outflow air passageway 6, and a medical powder storage cylindrical member 8 which is installed or fitted into the cylindrical fit hole 2 in a manner so as to open or close the air passageways 5 and 6 with respect to a medical powder storage chamber 12. The inhalant medicator is constructed by two component parts, namely the medicator body 1 and the medical powder storage cylindrical member 8, thus ensuring simplified structure and reduced production costs. Additionally, powder-and-granular medicine or medical powder 16 is tightly encapsulated within the medical powder storage chamber 12 by means of the medical powder storage cylindrical member 8, thus preventing loss of flow of the medical powder 16.

Claims

1. An inhalant medicator comprising:

a medicator body formed with a cylindrical fit hole opening at one axial end and formed at the other axial end with an inhalant port;

an inflow air passageway formed in the medicator body for supplying air into the cylindrical fit hole;

an outflow air passageway formed in the medicator body for discharging air from the cylindrical fit hole into the inhalant port; and

a medical powder storage cylindrical member fit to the cylindrical fit hole of the medicator body and having a cylindrical portion defining therein a medical powder storage hole whose internal space stores a medical powder,

wherein a portion of the inflow air passageway and a portion of the outflow air passageway are formed in the medical powder storage cylindrical member, and the portions of the inflow air passageway and the outflow air passageway act to establish and block fluid communication between the inflow and outflow air passageways formed in the medicator body and the medical powder storage hole by movement of the medical powder storage cylindrical member relative to the medicator body.

2. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one medical powder diffusion chamber is formed in the medicator body and located between the cylindrical fit hole and the inhalant port for diffusing the medical powder flowing out of the outflow air passageway.

3. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 2, wherein an air passageway portion of the outflow air passageway communicating with the medical powder diffusion chamber is formed to open to the medical powder diffusion chamber at an eccentric position with respect to an axis of the medical powder diffusion chamber so that the air passageway extends tangentially with respect to a cross section of the medical powder diffusion chamber.

4. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the medical powder storage cylindrical member comprises a cylindrical portion rotatably fitted into an inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical fit hole and a knob portion provided at the cylindrical portion and operated rotatably with respect to the medicator body, and inflow and outflow outlet ports through which the inflow and outflow air passageways are opened or closed by way of rotary operation of the knob portion.

5. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the medical powder storage cylindrical member comprises a cylindrical portion rotatably fitted into an inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical fit hole and a knob portion provided at the cylindrical portion and operated rotatably with respect to the medicator body, and inflow and outflow outlet ports through which the inflow and outflow air passageways are opened or closed by way of rotary operation of the knob portion.

6. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the medical powder storage cylindrical member comprises a cylindrical portion rotatably fitted into an inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical fit hole and a knob portion provided at the cylindrical portion and operated rotatably with respect to the medicator body, and inflow and outflow outlet ports through which the inflow and outflow air passageways are opened or closed by way of rotary operation of the knob portion.

7. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the medical powder storage cylindrical member comprises a cylindrical portion axially slidably fitted into an inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical fit hole, a knob portion provided at the cylindrical portion and capable of taking our or putting in with respect to the medicator body, and inflow and outflow outlet ports through which the inflow and outflow air passageways are opened or closed by way of taking-out or putting-in operation of the knob portion.

8. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the medical powder storage cylindrical member comprises a cylindrical portion axially slidably fitted into an inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical fit hole, a knob portion provided at the cylindrical portion and capable of taking our or putting in with respect to the medicator body, and inflow and outflow outlet ports through which the inflow and outflow air passageways are opened or closed by way of taking-out or putting-in operation of the knob portion.

9. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the medical powder storage cylindrical member comprises a cylindrical portion axially slidably fitted into an inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical fit hole, a knob portion provided at the cylindrical portion and capable of taking our or putting in with respect to the medicator body, and inflow and outflow outlet ports through which the inflow and outflow air passageways are opened or closed by way of taking-out or putting-in operation of the knob portion.

10. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 4, wherein a stopper means is provided between the medicator body and the medical powder storage cylindrical member for positioning the medical powder storage cylindrical member at a position where the inflow outlet port is communicated with the inflow air passageway and the outflow outlet port is communicated with the outflow air passageway when operating the medical powder storage cylindrical member.

11. The inhalant medicator as claimed in claim 7, wherein a stopper means is provided between the medicator body and the medical powder storage cylindrical member for positioning the medical powder storage cylindrical member at a position where the inflow outlet port is communicated with the inflow air passageway and the outflow outlet port is communicated with the outflow air passageway when operating the medical powder storage cylindrical member.