Inhaler

Details Inhaler Inhaler

2000-07-12

2003-10-07

Lo, Weilun (Department: 3761)

Surgery

Liquid medicament atomizer or sprayer

C128S200160, C239S338000, C239S102200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06629524

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of inhalers for delivering a plurality of droplets of medicament or other appropriate fluids to an individual, typically during inhalation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many types of medicaments or other types of fluids are delivered by inhalation for treating/addressing various types of conditions. Three general types of inhalers may be used for this type of “respiratory therapy.” Metered dose inhalers (“MDIs”) are relatively small, portable units which have a medicament disposed within a container of a pressurized gas or propellant (e.g., a mixture of medicament and propellant). The patient typically pushes down on this container to direct a “burst” of a mixture of propellant and medicament into the patient's mouth during inhalation, with the propellant “burst” being provided by the pressure within the container. A fixed number of doses are available in a given MDI. What all the medicament has been dispensed from the container, typically the MDI or at least the container of medicament/propellant is discarded.
Another categorical type of inhaler is a nebulizer. These types of inhalers are not as portable as an MDI, and are more commonly used in a clinic or hospital setting. Generally, a nebulizer houses an appropriate medicament in liquid form. Gas from an external source is directed through an appropriate line under pressure and into the nebulizer to aerosolize the medicament for transport to the patient for delivery by inhalation. At the end of the treatment or upon the consumption of all of the liquid medicament in the nebulizer, and typically after a sterilization procedure, additional liquid medicament may be poured into the nebulizer for subsequent treatments.
The third general type of inhaler has a degree of portability which is similar to that of the MDI, but which uses sources other than an external supply of pressurized gas to generate droplets of the desired medicament. Some inhalers of this type use a small “on-board” source of pressurized gas to aerosolize a liquid medicament. Other inhalers use piezoelectric crystals and the like to aerosolize a liquid medicament in some manner. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,841 to Voges, entitled “Dispenser,” discloses another inhaler of this general categorical type, but which uses a “droplet on demand” ejection device to generate droplets of medicament in the desired manner (e.g., a piezoelectric device of the kind used in ink jet printing or a thermal “bubble jet” device of the kind used in inkjet printing). The cartridge of medicament in the inhaler from U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,841 may be replaced after its medicament has been consumed or spent.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to enhancing one or more aspects associated with the delivery of medicament or other appropriate fluids/substances in typically the form of a plurality of droplets/particles for inhalation by a user of an inhaler (hereafter “medicament”).
A first aspect of the present invention is generally directed to an inhaler which includes an inhaler housing. At least one airflow passageway is interconnected with the inhaler housing. One or more portions of the airflow passageway(s) may extend beyond the inhaler housing, while other portions thereof may extend through the inhaler housing. In any case, there is at least one air inlet port for drawing air into the airflow passageway(s) utilized by the inhaler. Medicament is directed into this airflow passageway(s) by a droplet ejection cartridge. This droplet ejection cartridge includes a medicament reservoir, a plurality of droplet ejection orifices, and at least one droplet ejection actuator. Medicament from the reservoir is made available for ejection out through one or more of the droplet ejection orifices by activation of the droplet ejection actuator(s). In one embodiment there is a separately operable droplet ejection actuator for each droplet ejection orifice such that droplets of medicament may be directed out of the desired droplet ejection orifice(s). In any case, droplets of medicament which are entrained in the airflow through the airflow passageway(s) are directed into a mouthpiece when the same is appropriately interconnected with the airflow passageway(s). Therefore, a user simply positions his/her mouth about the mouthpiece and inhales for respiratory delivery of medicament by the inhaler.
The droplet ejection cartridge of the subject first aspect is removably disposed within a droplet ejection cartridge housing. In this regard, the droplet ejection cartridge housing includes a second droplet ejection cartridge aperture into which the droplet ejection cartridge may be positioned for support by the droplet ejection cartridge housing. Desirably, the second droplet ejection cartridge aperture of the droplet ejection cartridge housing is aligned with a first droplet ejection cartridge aperture which is formed in the inhaler housing. Therefore, the droplet ejection cartridge may be both loaded into and removed from the second droplet ejection cartridge aperture of the droplet ejection cartridge housing by passage through the first droplet ejection cartridge aperture of the inhaler housing. The droplet ejection cartridge housing also includes a droplet ejection aperture through which droplets are directed by the plurality of droplet ejection orifices at the desired time.
Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to the subject first aspect of the present invention. Further features may also be incorporated in the subject first aspect of the present invention as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, an appropriately configured cover may be provided for the first droplet ejection cartridge aperture formed in the inhaler housing and through which the droplet ejection cartridge may be directed for loading/unloading of the same from the droplet ejection cartridge housing. This cover may be movably interconnected with the inhaler housing, such as by a slide interface, a hinged interconnection, or the like. This particular cover may also be totally removable from the inhaler housing and may detachably interface with the inhaler housing (e.g., via a the snaplock type interconnect).
The inhaler of the subject first aspect of the present invention may also include an airflow conduit assembly which is interconnected with the inhaler housing. Each airflow passageway utilized by the inhaler of the subject first aspect may be directed through this airflow conduit assembly. Fluid interconnection between this airflow conduit assembly and the mouthpiece may be provided by engaging an inlet end of the mouthpiece on an outlet end of the airflow conduit assembly.
The droplet ejection cartridge housing may be disposed within the above-noted airflow conduit assembly and retained therein such that the droplet ejection cartridge housing and interior of the airflow conduit assembly are maintained in spaced relation so as to define at least part of the noted airflow passageway(s). One way in which this may be affected is by providing a pair of spaced apart partitions of sorts which extend between the interior surface of the airflow conduit assembly and the droplet ejection cartridge housing such that airflow is directed therebetween. In one embodiment, the droplet ejection cartridge housing includes first and second sides which are disposed opposite of each other, and further includes third and fourth sides which are disposed opposite of each other. One pair of the above-noted partitions may extend between the interior surface of the airflow conduit assembly and the first side of the droplet ejection cartridge housing to define one airflow passageway around the droplet ejection cartridge housing. Another pair of the above-noted partitions may extend between the interior surface of the airflow conduit assembly and the second side of the droplet ejection cartridge housing to define another airflow passageway around the droplet ejection cartr

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