Dispenser with doses' counter

• US 7,107,986 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2003
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Glaxo Group Limited (GSK plc)
• Original Assignee: Glaxo Group Limited (GSK plc)
• Inventors: Rand, Paul Kenneth, Brand, Peter John, Godfrey, James William
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, TEENA KAY
• Application Number:
  US10/465,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20030209239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.24, 128/200.18, 128/200.14, 128/200.23, 128/203.12, 128/203.15, 128/203.19, 128/205.23, 128/203.23, 222/36, 222/38, 222/162, 116307-309, 116311-315, 116/318, 116/319
• US Class Current: 128/200.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0068 Indicating or counting the number of dispensed doses or of remaining doses
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0076 on a drum
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/008 Electronic counters
• 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 15/0091 mechanically breath-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 11/06 Antiasthmatics
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 11/08 Bronchodilators

Abstract

There is provided a dispenser suitable for dispensing medicament, particularly medicament for use in the treatment of respiratory disorders. The dispenser comprises a housing having a support; a container, locatable within said housing, having an outlet, wherein said container dispenses through said outlet in response to movement of the container relative to the housing; and an actuation indicator having an indexing mechanism actuatable by movement of the container relative to the housing. A couple mechanism is provided which couples the indexing mechanism to the container to compensate for any variation in pre-actuation positionings of the indexing mechanism and container.

Claims

1. A dispenser comprising:

a housing;

a container configured to contain a medicament therein, said container having an outlet member configured to dispense the medicament from the container, and

an actuation indicator engaged to the container to form a unit therewith,

wherein the unit is adapted in use to be reversibly located in the housing in an operational position in which the unit is movable relative to the housing to dispense the medicament from the outlet member; and

wherein the actuation indicator is wholly located in the housing in the operational position.

2. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the actuation indicator is engaged with the container in the vicinity of the outlet member.

3. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the actuation indicator is engaged with the outlet member.

4. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the container is an aerosol container.

5. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with an outlet.

6. The dispenser according to claim 5, wherein the outlet is present in the form of a mouthpiece.

7. The dispenser according to claim 5, comprising a passage through which dispensed doses pass when moving from the container to the outlet.

8. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the container includes a metering valve adapted to dispense metered doses.

9. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the actuation indicator is fixed to the container by structure selected from the group consisting of an adhesive, a welded shrink sleeve, a heat form, a crimp, an ultrasonic weld, and an o-ring elastomer.

10. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the actuation indicator is permanently fixed to the container.

11. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the actuation indicator comprises an indexing mechanism actuated by a predetermined movement of the container relative to the housing.

12. A dispenser comprising:

a housing;

a container configured to contain a medicament therein having an outlet member configured to dispense the medicament from the container,

an actuation indicator engaged to the container in the vicinity of the outlet member to form a unit therewith,

wherein the unit is;

reversibly locatable in the housing, and

movable relative to the housing to enable dispensing from the outlet member.

13. The dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the actuation indicator is engaged with the outlet member.

14. The dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the container is an aerosol container.

15. The dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the housing is provided with an outlet.

16. The dispenser according to claim 15, wherein the outlet is present in the form of a mouthpiece.

17. The dispenser according to claim 15, comprising a passage through which dispensed doses pass when moving from the container to the outlet.

18. The dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the container includes a metering valve adapted to dispense metered doses.

19. The dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the actuation indicator is fixed to the container by structure selected from the group consisting of an adhesive, a welded shrink sleeve, a heat form, a crimp, an ultrasonic weld, and an o-ring elastomer.

20. The dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the actuation indicator is permanently fixed to the container.

21. The dispenser according to claim 12, wherein said actuation indicator comprises an indexing mechanism actuated by a predetermined movement of said container relative to said housing.

22. An assembly for use in a medicament dispenser, said assembly comprising:

a container configured to house at least one medicament therein and having an outlet member configured to dispense the medicament from the container; and

an actuation indicator assembled to the container to form a unit;

wherein the unit is adapted in use to be reversibly located in the medicament dispenser in an operational position in which the actuation indicator is wholly located in the medicament dispenser and in which the container is able to be acted on by the dispenser to cause the outlet member to dispense the medicament from the container.

23. An actuation indicator for indicating dispensing from a container having an outlet end, the indicator having a body which is adapted to be mounted on the outlet end of the container so that the container and indicator form a unit that is reversibly removable from an actuator housing.

24. The indicator according to claim 23, wherein the body has a sleeve adapted to slide over the outlet end.

25. The indicator according to claim 23, wherein the outlet end has an outlet member configured to dispense a medicament from the container, the outlet member protruding from the outlet end, and the body has a passageway adapted to slidingly receive the outlet member.

26. The indicator according to claim 23, having an indexing mechanism in the body.

27. The indicator according to claim 26, wherein the indexing mechanism is a mechanical indexing mechanism.

28. The indicator according to claim 26, wherein the indexing mechanism has at least one indicator wheel rotatably mounted in the body.

29. The indicator according to claim 28, wherein the at least one wheel is provided with numerical indicia thereon.

30. The indicator according to claim 26, wherein the indexing mechanism has a member on which numerical indicia are provided.

31. The indicator according to claim 23, having a dose counting mechanism in the body.