Dispensing device, storage device and method for dispensing powder

• US 9,283,335 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2005
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Dunne, Stephen Terence, Rohrschneider, Marc, Moser, Achim
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Len
• Assistant Examiner(s): CERNOCH, STEVEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/576,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20070272763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,813 Days
• Field of Search: 239/8, 239/302, 239/303, 239/309, 239/310, 239/316, 239/318, 12820312-20326
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/001 Particle size control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/002 by flow deviation causing inertial separation of transported particles
• 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 15/0003 with means for dispensing more than one drug
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/002 with air flow regulating means
• 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 15/0031 by bursting or breaking the package, i.e. without cutting or piercing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0033 Details of the piercing or cutting means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0045 using multiple prepacked dosages on a same carrier, e.g. blisters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0048 the dosages being arranged in a plane, e.g. on diskettes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0051 the dosages being arranged on a tape, e.g. strips
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/064 Powder
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/073 Syringe, piston type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8225 using incorporated gas cartridges for the driving gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2206/16 Rotating swirling helical flow, e.g. by tangential inflows

Abstract

A dispensing device, a storage device and a method for dispensing powder in which powder is dispensed through a duct with a flat cross section to de-agglomerate the powder and to generate a spray with fine particle size. A storage chamber for the powder may be closed by a bursting element which is burst by pressurized gas for discharging the powder, the gas pressure reaching or exceeding a peak value before the bursting element bursts so that the powder is dispensed at a lower gas pressure. The powder may be forced through the duct by a gas pressure of less than 300 kPa to de-agglomerate the powder and/or to generate the spray. The storage device can have multiple storage chambers and associated ducts or nozzles, so that each dose of powder can be dispensed through a separate duct or nozzle.

Claims

1. Dispensing device for dispensing a powder as a spray including fine powder particles, the dispensing device comprising at least one duct, at least one powder-containing storage chamber connected to said at least one duct, and at least two powder jets connected to the at least one duct downstream thereof, wherein the powder is dispensable via the at least two powder jets into a mouthpiece from the at least one powder-containing storage chamber and at least one duct by gas pressure for de-agglomerating the powder, wherein the at least two powder jets are arranged at a powder impinging angle so as to form a powder jet impinging means for impinging powder from the at least two powder jets against each other to at least one of deagglomerate the powder, slow down the propagation velocity of the spray and mix separate powders by said at least two powder jets, wherein said powder impinging angle between the at least two powder jets is about 90°

to 150°

in a plane containing the powder jets;

wherein said powder jets are positioned relative to a frontmost end of the device from which the spray dispensed is received by a user so as to produce impingement of powder from said jets externally, forward of the frontmost end of the device, and wherein a first cross section of a gas supply inlet to the storage chamber is smaller than a second cross section of an outlet for the powder to substantially control or restrict the gas flow during dispensing of the powder by the first cross section.

2. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a pressure sensitive element closing the at least one storage chamber such that the pressurized gas opens the pressure sensitive element for discharging powder from the associated storage chamber to dispense the powder.

3. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one duct is a duct that has a flat cross section, a ratio of a largest side of the flat cross section to a smallest side of the flat cross section being at least 2.0.

4. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one duct comprises multiple ducts and wherein each dose of powder is dispensed through a separate one of said ducts.

5. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein said storage device comprises separate storage chambers for at least two powders and wherein said at least one duct is adapted for mixing the at least two powders during dispensing thereof.

6. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing device is a dry powder inhaler, said powder jets opening into a mouthpiece.

7. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises multiple storage chambers each containing a dose of the powder, and multiple ducts, wherein at least one duct is associated to each storage chamber, wherein each storage chamber and its associated duct are formed of or in the same piece of material.

8. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the means for providing pressurized gas comprises an air pump.

9. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the angle between the jets is in a plane containing the ducts that form the impinging jets.

10. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one storage chamber contains a dose of the powder, wherein said at least one duct comprises a first duct portion that tangentially intersects said at least one storage chamber and wherein a flow divider subdivides a second duct portion into a pair of duct passages, outlet ends of which form the powder jets that are angled toward each other.

11. Dispensing device according to claim 10, wherein the duct passages are arcuately curved in opposite directions.

12. Dispensing device according to claim 2, wherein the pressure sensitive element is a bursting element that is burst by the pressurized gas.

13. Dispensing device for dispensing a powder as a spray including fine powder particles, the dispensing device comprising at least one duct, at least one powder-containing storage chamber connected to said at least one duct, and at least two powder jets connected to the at least one duct downstream thereof, wherein the powder is dispensable via the at least two powder jets into a mouthpiece from the at least one powder-containing storage chamber and at least one duct by gas pressure for de-agglomerating the powder, wherein the at least two powder jets are arranged at a powder impinging angle so as to form a powder jet impinging means for impinging powder from the at least two powder jets against each other to at least one of deagglomerate the powder, slow down the propagation velocity of the spray and mix separate powders by said at least two powder jets, wherein said powder impinging angle between the at least two powder jets is about 90°

to 150°

in a plane containing the powder jets;

wherein said powder jets are positioned relative to a frontmost end of the device from which the spray dispensed is received by a user so as to produce impingement of powder from said jets externally, forward of the frontmost end of the device, wherein the storage device comprises a pressure sensitive element closing the at least one storage chamber such that the pressurized gas opens the pressure sensitive element for discharging powder from the associated storage chamber to dispense the powder and wherein the pressure sensitive element is a bursting element that is burst by the pressurized gas.

14. Dispensing device according to claim 13, wherein the at least one duct comprises multiple ducts and wherein each dose of powder is dispensed through a separate one of said ducts.

15. Dispensing device according to claim 13, wherein the dispensing device is a dry powder inhaler, said powder jets opening into a mouthpiece.

16. Dispensing device according to claim 13, wherein the storage device comprises multiple storage chambers each containing a dose of the powder, and multiple ducts, wherein at least one duct is associated to each storage chamber, wherein each storage chamber and its associated duct are formed of or in the same piece of material.

17. Dispensing device according to claim 13, wherein the means for providing pressurized gas comprises an air pump.

18. Dispensing device according to claim 13, wherein said at least one storage chamber contains a dose of the powder, wherein said at least one duct comprises a first duct portion that tangentially intersects said at least one storage chamber and wherein a flow divider subdivides a second duct portion into a pair of duct passages, outlet ends of which form the powder jets that are angled toward each other.

19. Dispensing device according to claim 13, wherein the angle between the jets is in a plane containing the ducts that form the impinging jets.

20. Dispensing device for dispensing a powder as a spray including fine powder particles, the dispensing device comprising at least one duct, at least one powder-containing storage chamber connected to said at least one duct, and at least two powder jets connected to the at least one duct downstream thereof, wherein the powder is dispensable via the at least two powder jets into a mouthpiece from the at least one powder-containing storage chamber and at least one duct by gas pressure for de-agglomerating the powder, wherein the at least two powder jets are arranged at a powder impinging angle so as to form a powder jet impinging means for impinging powder from the at least two powder jets against each other to at least one of deagglomerate the powder, slow down the propagation velocity of the spray and mix separate powders by said at least two powder jets, wherein said powder impinging angle between the at least two powder jets is about 90°

to 150°

in a plane containing the powder jets; and

wherein said powder jets are positioned relative to a frontmost end of the device from which the spray dispensed is received by a user so as to produce impingement of powder from said jets externally, forward of the frontmost end of the device, wherein said at least one storage chamber contains a dose of the powder, wherein said at least one duct comprises a first duct portion that tangentially intersects said at least one storage chamber and wherein a flow divider subdivides a second duct portion into a pair of duct passages, outlet ends of which form the powder jets that are angled toward each other.

21. Dispensing device according to claim 20, wherein the duct passages are accurately curved in opposite directions.

22. Dispensing device according to claim 20, wherein a gas inlet for the pressurized gas is located at an opposite end of said at least one duct from said powder jets.

23. Dispensing device according to claim 22, wherein the at least one storage chamber is cylindrical, said at least one duct extending in transverse direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

24. Dispensing device according to claim 20, wherein the at least one duct comprises multiple ducts and wherein each dose of powder is dispensed through a separate one of said ducts.

25. Dispensing device according to claim 20, wherein the dispensing device is a dry powder inhaler, said powder jets opening into a mouthpiece.

26. Dispensing device according to claim 20, wherein the storage device comprises multiple storage chambers each containing a dose of the powder, and multiple ducts, wherein at least one duct is associated to each storage chamber, wherein each storage chamber and its associated duct are formed of or in the same piece of material.

27. Dispensing device according to claim 20, wherein the means for providing pressurized gas comprises an air pump.

28. Dispensing device according to claim 20, wherein the angle between the jets is in a plane containing the ducts that form the impinging jets.