Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Coated or structually defined flake – particle – cell – strand,... – Particulate matter
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-17
2003-12-30
Le, H. Thi (Department: 1773)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand,...
Particulate matter
C424S464000, C424S474000, C424S490000, C427S181000, C427S197000, C427S472000, C427S474000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06670038
ABSTRACT:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,871,010 (“Inhaler Apparatus with Modified Surfaces for Enhanced Release of Dry Powders), U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,456 (“Inhaler Apparatus with an Electronic Means for Enhanced Release of Dry Powders”), U.S. Pat. No. 5,753,302 (“Acoustic Dispenser”), U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,814 (“Chucks and Methods for Positioning Multiple Objects on a Substrate”), U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,007 (“Apparatus for Electronically Depositing a Medicament Powder Upon Predefined Regions of a Substrate”), U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,630 (“Method and Apparatus for Electrostatically Depositing a Medicament Powder Upon Predefined Regions of a Substrate”), U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,973 (“Apparatus for Electrostatically Depositing and Retaining Materials Upon a Substrate”) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,727 (“Inhaler Apparatus Using a Tribo-Electric Charging Technique”), describe, among other things, the electrostatic deposition of objects, such as particles of powder, on a substrate. The foregoing patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
The present invention is directed to electrostatic chucks, methods for their use including the electrostatic deposition of particles on an objects, and the objects themselves that have been subjected to electrostatic deposition. In one aspect, the present invention provides an electrostatic chuck for electrostatically attracting an object or objects wherein the object is used in chemical or pharmaceutical assaying or manufacturing. The objects can be pharmaceutical substrates, for example, such as a pharmaceutical tablet or an inhaler substrate.
Additional embodiments of the invention provide chucks and their use to electrostatically attract particles, such as a pharmaceutically active ingredient, to a substrate, such as a tablet. In one aspect, the electrostatic chuck comprises a floating electrode, and is used to selectively attract particles to a substrate above the floating electrode, thereby providing for charge imaging for the deposition of particles in a selected image. Additionally, the invention provides an electrostatic chuck comprising a sensing electrode for sensing the number of particles attracted to the chuck, thereby providing for deposition of an accurate amount of particles. Furthermore, the present invention provides objects having selected areas in which particles are applied to the object via electrostatic means.
In the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical compositions with an active ingredient are prepared by mechanically mixing the active ingredient with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers. A major drawback to this method is the inaccuracy of distribution of the active ingredient in the individual tablets of a batch. This problem is particularly evident when the active ingredient is present in a low dosage, and the inaccuracy of mechanical mixing can result in individual tablets in a single batch having different dosages.
Additionally, for example, some pharmaceutical compositions contain a mixture of various carriers together with the active ingredient in which the carrier is not fully compatible with the active ingredient. For example, the active ingredient may be poorly soluble in the carrier or the carrier may negatively affect the bioavailability of the active ingredient.
These drawbacks of the prior art are addressed by the present invention, in which electrostatic chucks are provided together with their use in the pharmaceutical or chemical industries, providing for accurate deposition of an active ingredient on a tablet, among other advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disadvantages heretofore associated with the prior art are overcome by inventive technique and apparatus for holding an object or multiple objects, such as tablets, without the use of mechanical force, for deposition of a pharmaceutically active ingredient, for example. The present invention provides advantages including cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and, for example, greater accuracy in the application of a specified pharmaceutical dosage to a pharmaceutical substrate such as a tablet. Further, the deposition of a pharmaceutically active ingredient using static electricity is particularly useful, for example, when the active ingredient is immiscible or otherwise incompatible with the remainder of the tablet or other substrate.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an electrostatic chuck comprising a conductive layer having at least one electrode for electrostatically attracting an object wherein the object is used in chemical or pharmaceutical assaying or manufacturing. For example, the object can be coated with a pharmaceutically active compound. The objects can be numerous types of substrates, including, for example, objects that are suitable for human consumption. The objects can be pharmaceutical substrates, such as an inhaler substrate, a pharmaceutical tablet, capsule, caplet, suppository, dressing, bandage and a patch. In certain embodiments, the pharmaceutical substrate is not dielectric.
Certain embodiments provide the use of an electrostatic chuck to electrostatically attract objects, such as particles, to a recipient substrate. “Particles” are defined herein as objects having a size less than about one millimeter in width or diameter. Thus, the electrostatic chucks of the invention can be used, for example, to attract particles of a powder having a pharmaceutically active ingredient to a recipient pharmaceutical substrate, which substrate may be pharmaceutically inert.
Another aspect of the present invention provides the use of an electrostatic chuck to attract an object wherein the thickness of the object is preferably less than about 5 mm, and more preferably, less 20 than about 3 mm.
In one embodiment of the invention, the electrostatic chuck has two electrodes in the upper conductive layer exposed to the objects, and the two electrodes are preferably interdigitated. In other embodiments, the chuck has a single electrode in the upper conductive layer. The chuck can be used, for example, to hold an object against gravitational forces, or, for example, to position multiple objects on a substrate. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,814.
Certain aspects of the invention provide an electrostatic chuck comprising a floating electrode, wherein the chuck is used to selectively attract objects, such as particles, to a substrate above the floating electrode, thereby providing for charge imaging for the deposition of particles in a selected image. Additionally, the invention provides a sensing electrode for sensing the number of objects, such as particles, that have been deposited onto a recipient substrate. In certain preferred embodiments, a sensing electrode is located on an electrostatic chuck. The sensing electrode provides for deposition of an accurate amount of objects, such as particles. The particles deposited on the recipient substrate can include, for example, a pharmaceutically active ingredient.
Furthermore, the present invention provides objects having selected areas in which particles are applied to the object via electrostatic means.
Additionally, in one aspect, the present invention provides an electrostatic chuck comprising an inhaler substrate, the substrate comprising a conductive layer having at least one electrode for electrostatically attracting particles for inhalation. Preferably, the particles comprise particles of a dry powder comprising a pharmaceutically active ingredient.
The present invention additionally provides methods using an electrostatic chuck. For example, the invention provides a method of chemical or pharmaceutical manufacturing comprising:
(a) providing an electrostatic chuck; and
(b) electrostatically attracting an object to the chuck, wherein the object is used in chemical or pharmaceutical manufacturing.
In addition to a method of manufacturing, the present invention provides the use of an electrostatic chuck to electrostatically attract an object to a substrate wherein the object is a support for a chemical reaction used in a chemical assay or to manufacture chemicals or pharmaceutica
Pletcher Timothy Allen
Steve Sun Hoi Cheong
Dechert LLP
Delsys Pharmaceutical
Le H. Thi
LandOfFree
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