Medicament dispenser

• US 7,597,099 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2007
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Glaxo Group Limited (Glaxosmithkline Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Glaxo Group Limited (Glaxosmithkline Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hartley, Richard William, Horton, Andrew Paul, Jones, Anthony Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Douglas; Steven O
• Application Number:
  US11/851,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20080017193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.14, 128/200.23, 128/202.27, 128/203.12, 128/205.23
• US Class Current: 128/200.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/008 Electronic counters
• 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 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8212 with means or measures taken for minimising energy consumption

Abstract

A medicament dispenser comprising:

• (i) a housing having an outlet;
• (ii) a medicament container locatable within said housing;
• (iii) an electronic dose counter associated with said outlet, wherein said dose counter comprises a first sensor for directly detecting a medicament release dispensible from said medicament container through said outlet is disclosed.

Claims

1. A metered dose inhaler for dispensing metered doses of a medicament comprising:

(i) a housing having an outlet; and

(ii) an aerosol container locatable within said housing, wherein the container;

(a) contains a plurality of metered doses of the medicament, and

(b) has a dispensing valve, the dispensing valve being actuable to cause, in use, dispensing of a metered dose of the medicament from the container through the outlet;

the metered dose inhaler further comprising;

(iii) an electronic dose counter associated with said outlet which comprises;

a sensor for directly detecting a metered medicament dose dispensed from said container through said outlet, and

a visual display unit for displaying the number of metered doses of medicament used or remaining within the container in response to the sensor detecting dispensing of a metered medicament dose,

wherein said sensor comprises an emitter to emit electromagnetic radiation and a detector to detect the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitter, the emitter being arranged to emit the electromagnetic radiation such that it is interfered with by a metered dose of the medicament being dispensed from the container through the outlet whereby the sensor is able to detect said dispensing of the metered medicament dose.

2. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the emitter is infrared, visible or ultraviolet radiation.

3. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the radiation is in the infrared range.

4. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the emitter is selected from the group consisting of light emitting diode, laser, incandescent lamp, electroluminescent or fluorescent light sources.

5. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the detector is selected from the group consisting of photodiode, phototransistor, light dependent resistor and bolometer.

6. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the amount of radiation reaching the detector is maintained at a constant level by using an electronic feedback circuit to alter the level of radiation emitted by the emitter.

7. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the sensor further comprises a reflector to reflect radiation from the emitter to the detector.

8. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the emitter emits radiation of more than one wavelength and the detector detects radiation of more than one wavelength.

9. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 8, wherein the sensor quantifies the concentration of medicament with the medicament release by measuring radiation at more than one wavelength.

10. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a first sensor and the dispenser additionally comprises a second sensor for detecting a medicament release.

11. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 10, wherein the second sensor comprises an emitter and a detector.

12. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 10, wherein the medicament release passes the second sensor subsequent to passing the first sensor.

13. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is integral with the outlet.

14. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is reversibly attachable to the outlet.

15. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is located on the dose counter.

16. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser further comprises one or more optical wave guides.

17. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 16, wherein the one or more optical wave guides are located on the housing.

18. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 16, wherein the medicament dispenser comprises a first and second optical wave guide for the sensor.

19. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 18, wherein the first optical wave guide channels radiation from the emitter to the outlet and the second optical wave guide channels radiation from the outlet to the detector.

20. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the emitter and detector are located on the same side of the outlet.

21. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 20, wherein the radiation emitted from the emitter is reflected back to the detector by a reflective surface on the opposite side of the outlet to the emitter and detector.

22. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 21, wherein the reflective surface is a surface of the outlet or is an additional component attached thereto.

23. A metered dose inhaler according to any one of claims 20, wherein the emitter and detector are integrated into a single component.

24. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser is actuable manually by the patient.

25. A metered dose inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the outlet comprises a mouthpiece for inhalation therethrough.