Dispenser with doses' counter

• US 8,245,704 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2006
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Glaxo Group Limited (Glaxosmithkline Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Glaxo Group Limited (Glaxosmithkline Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rand, Paul Kenneth, Brand, Peter John, Godfrey, James William
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Annette
• Application Number:
  US11/459,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20060289008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 128/203.14, 128/203.15, 128/205.23, 12820011-20024, 128/203.12, 222/36, 222/38, 222/48, 222/162, 222/32, 222/33, 222/402, 222/402.11, 222/402.13, 222/13, 116/285, 116/311, 116/312, 116/315, 116/308, 116/318, 604/58, 215/230, 206/459.1, 206/459.5
• 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. An aerosol container unit adapted for location in a housing of a metered dose inhaler (MDI) comprising a support and an outlet selected from a mouthpiece and a nasal nozzle, the aerosol container unit having:

an aerosol container for containing a number of metered doses of a pharmaceutical inhalation formulation, the container having a first end from which an outlet valve stem protrudes along an axis along which axis the stem is able to be repeatedly depressed into the container for dispensing said metered doses of the formulation from the container when present therein, and a dose indicating device for indicating the number of metered doses which;

(i) are dispensed from the container, or

(ii) remain in the container,

wherein the dose indicating device has a body which is fixedly mounted to the first end of the aerosol container so that the body and the container are fixed against axially relative movement, and the first end of the aerosol container is inserted into an open end of the body,

wherein the unit is locatable in an operational position in said MDI housing with the outlet valve stem in the MDI housing support, and

wherein when the unit is in the operational position the container and the dose indicating device body are movable axially, in an axially fixed relationship, relative to the outlet valve stem and the MDI housing support to cause the outlet valve stem to be depressed into the container so that a metered dose of the formulation, when present, is dispensed through the MDI housing support into the MDI housing outlet for delivery to a patient.

2. The unit of claim 1, wherein dose indicating device is a dose counter.

3. The unit of claim 2, wherein the dose counter has a counting mechanism which includes a plurality of coaxially mounted count wheels, the count wheels being provided with a sequence of numbers on the circumferences thereof for representing the number of metered doses (i) dispensed from the container, or (ii) remaining in the container.

4. The unit of claim 1, wherein the dose indicating device body has a tubular housing having the open end into which the first end of the aerosol container is inserted.

5. The unit of claim 1, wherein the dose indicating device is attached to the aerosol container at a neck thereof located at the first end.

6. The unit of claim 5, wherein the neck is formed by a valve ferrule.

7. A metered dose inhaler (MDI) comprising:

an aerosol container unit as claimed in claim 1, and

a said housing.