Device for dispension

• US 7,575,003 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2003
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bang & Olufsen a/s
• Original Assignee: Bang & Olufsen Medicom A/S (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Jorgen, Christrup, Soren
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu; Justine R
• Assistant Examiner(s): OSTRUP, CLINTON T
• Application Number:
  US10/533,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20050268905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,117 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.11, 128/200.12, 128/200.14, 128/200.17, 128/200.21, 128/200.23, 128/203.12, 128/203.15, 222/635, 220/915
• 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 15/0075 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for dispensing a medicament from a pressurised canister comprising a mouthpiece, a seat for engagement with the top of the canister and a housing provided with means for guiding and/or holding the canister.

Claims

1. Inhaler device (1) for dispensing a medicament comprising a housing (2), a mouthpiece (5) in the housing, a pressurized canister (6) substantially enclosed in the housing, a dose counting mechanism coupled to the pressurized canister, a mechanical actuator on the housing, wherein the mechanical actuator comprises a means (16) for engaging a bottom of the pressurized canister, a means (44, 80) for transferring actuation to the dose counting mechanism, a yoke (15, 79) disposed between and communicating with the means for engaging and the means for transferring, and a lever arm (8, 77) coupled to the yoke and disposed between the means for engaging and the means for transferring, the lever arm comprising an end operable by a user such that a movement of the lever arm transfers the movement to the yoke in a linear and/or non-linear manner thereby actuating the means for engaging and the means for transferring and dispensing measured desired dosage of the medicament from the pressurized canister through the mouthpiece to the user.

2. Inhaler device according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the pressurized canister (6) caused by said lever arm (8,77) in order to dispense a dose is shorter than the corresponding movement of said yoke (15,79).

3. Inhaler device according to claim 1, wherein the lever arm (8,77) is a pivotal section of the housing (2) constituting at least part of a top surface of the device and that the lever arm (8,77) is pivotably fastened to the housing (2) at one end of said lever arm (8,77).

4. Inhaler device according to claim 1, further comprising a member (44,54,80) optionally engaging the canister will be depressed together with depression of the lever arm (8), and that said member will transmit the depression to a dose counter for registration of a delivered dose, and that the dose counter mechanism comprises means (30,31,72,74) visible on the housing for indicating the number of dispensed doses or number of remaining doses.

5. Inhaler device according to claim 4, wherein

a groove (41) is arranged in a surface (42) of at least one of the wheels (43) at a distance from the rim, said groove (41) comprising spaced radial sections (48) connected with curved or linear sections (47) arranged such that a part of the secondary lever arm (40) is inserted and slidably arranged in said groove (41);

means (46) for urging at least one wheel to rotate.

6. Inhaler device according to claim 1, wherein a dose counter is provided, and that said dose counter comprises:

indicating means (30,31) for indicating the available content in a pressurized canister (6), which means comprises one or more indicating wheels or rollers (30,31,72,74);

a secondary lever arm (40,54) having means (55) for engaging at least ane of the indicating wheels or rollers (30,31,72,74);

a pivotable activating member which may be integral with the lever arm (8) comprising a first linear curve or circular section (50) translating into a second linear curve or circular section (51) translating into a third linear curve or circular section (52), arranged such that the secondary lever arm (40,54) will abut and slide on said sections (50,51,52) during a count.

7. Inhaler device according to claim 1, wherein the pivotably fastened lever arm (8,77) has an engagement point (78) which engages a yoke (79), which yoke comprises a projecting member (80) which is adapted to engage a secondary lever arm having means for translating the movement of the projecting member (80) to a dose counting mechanism, where the engagement point (78) engages the yoke (79) on an upper surface (81,85,86,87) of said yoke.

8. Inhaler device according to claim 7, wherein the upper surface (81,85,86,87) of the yoke (79) is linear, such that the engagement point (78) transfers the movement of the pivotably mounted lever (77) in a linear movement to the yoke (79).

9. Inhaler device according to claim 7, wherein the upper surface of the yoke (79) is divided into two or more distinct linear or non-linear sections (85,86,87), where the lever arms engagement points'"'"' (78) travel along the second section (86) creates a substantial part of the yoke'"'"'s (79) movement.

10. Inhaler device according to claim 1 comprising a mechanical return blocking arrangement where said blocking arrangement comprises two cooperating and mutually displaceable parts (92,95):

a first part (95) wherein parallel to a longitudinal axis at least one set of tracks comprising a first track (102) and a second track is provided, and that the second track comprises one or more retaining members (97) and a sliding guide (101) arranged at one end of the second track;

a second cooperating part (92) wherein a leg member comprising an engagement section (94) for engagement with the tracks provided on the first part is provided, and that said leg member is biased towards the first part (95) and that the engagement section (54) is adapted to travel in the direction of the longitudinal axis;

and further that the retaining members (97) allows the engagement section (54) of the leg member to move in a first direction towards the sliding guide (101) but blocks movement in the opposite second direction and that the engagement section (94) of the leg member slides on the sliding guide (101), whereby the engagement section (54) and thereby the leg member is directed from the second track to the first track (102).

11. Inhaler device according to claim 10, wherein in the blocking device each retaining member (97) comprises an inclined sliding surface (98) having a predetermined length along which the engagement section (94) will slide, and a step in the shape of a surface arranged at a sharp angle in relation to the sliding surface (98), said step connecting the top of one inclined sliding surface (98) and the bottom of the next sliding surface (98), such that a saw-tooth configuration is created, and such that the engagement section (54) of the leg will be retained from movement in one direction by said step.

12. Inhaler device according to claim 10, wherein the inclined sliding surface (98) overlaps an adjacent inclined sliding surface, and that the inclined sliding surface tapers perpendicular to the longitudinal axis such that the top is narrower than the bottom of the sliding surface, whereby the step at the bottom is narrower than the adjacent sliding surface at their connection point.

13. Inhaler device for dispensing a medicament from a pressurised canister (6), where said pressurized canister (6) comprises a bottom and a top, and that a valve mechanism (7) is provided in the top of said pressurized canister (6) for dispensing a medicament and that in use the pressurized canister is placed with the top downwards inside a housing proximate a mouthpiece (5), where the inhaler device comprises a mouthpiece (5) and a means for guiding and/or holding the pressurized canister, and a lever arm (8,77) comprising means (16) for engagement with the bottom end of the pressurized canister (6), such that die pressurized canister (6) is not accessible from the outside, and further that a seat for engagement with the top of the pressurized canister (6) is provided inside the housing (2), and a cap (3) is pivotally arranged on the housing and enclosing the top of the pressurized canister such that the cap (3) can be pivoted into a closed position where it covers the mouthpiece (5) and an open position where the mouthpiece (5) is accessible, and that said cap (3) further comprises means (17) for abutting the top of the pressurized canister (6) and/or for abutting the means (15,16,79) for engagement with the bottom end of the pressurized canister (6) when the cap (3) is in its closed position such that the pressurized canister (6) cannot be activated accidentally, wherein the cap no longer abuts the top of the pressurized canister or the means for engagement with the bottom end of the pressurized canister when the cap is in its open position.

15. Inhaler device according to claim 13, wherein the lever arm (8,77) is guided by three tracks (9,10,11) provided on an inside of the housing (2) where the guidance comprises pins (12) arranged on the lever arm (8,77) perpendicular to the lever arm'"'"'s longitudinal direction, and that said pins (12) engages the tracks (9,10,11) and preferably identical sets of tracks arranged symmetrically on either side of the lever arm;

a first track or set of tracks (9) in front of the pressurized canister (6) which track is generally horizontal;

a second track or set of tracks (10) provided in the yoke (15), said track also being generally horizontal and a third track or set of tracks (11) arranged behind the canister (6) and said third track (11) comprises a generally straight upper section (13) and a curved lower section (14).

16. Inhaler device according to claim 13, wherein the length of the lever arm (8) is such that when the cap (3) is closed the free end of the lever arm (8) is flush with or contained within the housing (2), and when the cap (3) is opened the free end of the lever arm (8) will project from the housing (2).

14. Inhaler device for dispensing a medicament from a pressurised canister (6), where said pressurized canister (6) comprises a bottom and a top, and that a valve mechanism (7) is provided in the top of said pressurized canister (6) for dispensing a medicament and that in use the pressurized canister is placed with the top downwards inside a housing proximate a mouthpiece (5), where the inhaler device comprises a mouthpiece (5) and a means for guiding and/or holding the pressurized canister, and a lever arm (8,77) comprising means (16) for engagement with the bottom end of the pressurized canister (6), such that the pressurized canister (6) is not accessible from the outside, and further that a seat for engagement with the top of the pressurized canister (6) is provided inside the housing (2), and a cap (3) is pivotally arranged such that the cap (3) can be pivoted into a closed position where it covers the mouthpiece (5) and an open position where the mouthpiece (5) is accessible, and that said cap (3) further comprises means (17) for abutting the top of the pressurized canister (6) and/or for abutting the means (15,16,79) for engagement with the bottom end of the pressurized canister (6) when the cap (3) is in its closed position such that the pressurized canister (6) cannot be activated accidentally wherein the means (16) for engagement with the bottom of the pressurized canister comprises a yoke (15) which yoke has a canister engagement section (16) optionally having a shape corresponding to the bottom of the pressurized canister (6), and an end section, which when the cap (3) is in its closed position engages a cam (17) provided on the cap (3), such that the engagement section (16) of the yoke (15) is not in contact with the pressurized canister (6).