Nozzle and inhaler and method for producing a nozzle

• US 9,259,540 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2013
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Company Kg (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Company Kg (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Dunne, Stephen Terence
• Primary Examiner(s): Thanh, Loan H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lo, Andrew S
• Application Number:
  US14/078,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20140076308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 12820015-20023, 239544-545, 239/596, 239/601
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/00 Sprayers or atomisers specially adapted for therapeutic purposes in general B05B; aerosol containers B65D83/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/001 Particle size control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/007 Syringe-type or piston-type sprayers or atomisers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/02 operated by air or other gas pressure applied to the liquid or other product to be sprayed or atomised sprayers for horticulture A01G, A01H; killing insects A01M; air humidifying by nozzles F24F6/14, F24F6/18; cooling by spraying F28B, F28C
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/04 operated by the vapour pressure of the liquid to be sprayed or atomised air-humidification, e.g. "room humidifiers" F24F6/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0021 Mouthpieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0045 using multiple prepacked dosages on a same carrier, e.g. blisters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0065 Inhalators with dosage or measuring devices A61M15/0028 takes precedence; dosage devices incorporated in aerosol cans B65D83/52
• 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 2202/0468 non-physiological
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/26 with means for mechanically breaking-up or deflecting the jet after discharge, e.g. with fixed deflectors; Breaking-up the discharged liquid or other fluent material by impinging jets
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/1001 Piston pumps B05B11/1087, B05B11/1088, B05B11/109 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/1091 being first hold in a loaded state by locking means or the like, then released B05B11/1092 takes precedence

Abstract

A nozzle, an inhaler with a nozzle and a method for producing a nozzle are proposed, which nozzle comprises two holes formed in a flat plate which plate is then deformed such that the axes of the holes intersect so that jets of fluids moving through the holes impinge with each other.

Claims

1. A nozzle for dispensing a fluid for inhalation, the nozzle comprising:

a plate having only two holes, wherein the two holes are circular in cross section, have a hydraulic diameter between 5 and 15 μ

m, are formed perpendicular to a surface of the plate, taper towards an outlet side of the nozzle forming a natural cone with an essentially constant taper angle of about 5 to 20 degrees from an inlet side of the nozzle to the inlet side of the nozzle such that a diameter of the two holes at the outlet side is smaller than a diameter of the two holes at an inlet side of the nozzle wherein,

the plate is deformed having a curved depression between two generally flat regions of the plate such that respective axes of the two holes intersect with each other at the outlet side of the nozzle so that respective jets of fluid exiting the two holes impact with each other at a position of impact when the fluid is dispensed, and

the diameters and orientation of the two holes is such that impact of the respective jets of fluid generate an aerosol of a shape that expands significantly as a function of an increasing distance from the position of impact such that the resulting aerosol is suitable for patient inhalation of the dispensed fluid.

2. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the plate is made of metal.

3. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the plate has a thickness of less than 200 μ

m.

4. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the two holes are located on opposite sides of the curved depression.

5. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the two holes is about between 30 and 300 μ

m.

6. An inhaler for dispensing of an inhalation formulation as an aerosol, comprising:

a conveying means for conveying a fluid from a source;

a nozzle for dispensing the fluid for inhalation, the nozzle comprising a plate with only two holes, wherein the two holes are circular in cross section, have a hydraulic diameter between 5 and 15 μ

m, are formed perpendicular to a surface of the plate, taper towards an outlet side of the nozzle forming a natural cone with an essentially constant taper angle of about 5 to 20 degrees from an inlet side of the nozzle to the outlet side of the nozzle such that a diameter of the two holes at the outlet side is smaller than a diameter of the two holes at the inlet side of the nozzle, wherein;

the plate is deformed having a curved depression between two generally flat regions of the plate such that respective axes of the two holes intersect with each other at the outlet side of the nozzle so that respective jets of fluid exiting the two holes impact with each other at a position of impact when the fluid is dispensed, and

the diameters and orientation of the two holes is such that impact of the respective jets of fluid generate an aerosol of a shape that expands significantly as a function of an increasing distance from the position of impact such that the resulting aerosol is suitable for patient inhalation of the dispensed fluid.