Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Combining of separately supplied fluids – At or beyond outlet
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-11
2004-11-30
Nguyen, Dinh Q. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Combining of separately supplied fluids
At or beyond outlet
C604S057000, C604S058000, C128S203150
Reexamination Certificate
active
06824080
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a device for feeding a powder in a predetermined amount and a method thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to a powdered medicine multi-dose administering device.
More specifically, the invention relates to a powdered medicine multi-dose administering device by which a powdered medicine of an amount of plural times of administering operation stored in the device body is picked up and weighed into a unit dose of powdered medicine of a constant quantity, which is a very small amount, and is sprayed.
The invention further provides a relatively inexpensively constructed multi-dose powered medicine administering device by which a unit dose of powdered medicine can be consecutively and precisely picked up and administered into the body cavity such as the nasal cavity, oral cavity, trachea, bronchus or lung, or into any other diseased part by spraying or inhalation, the device being sanitary, suited to being carried and easy to use.
BACKGROUND ART
Powdered medicine can be administered into a body cavity such as the nasal cavity, oral cavity or air-way by means of spraying or inhalation. For example, the powdered medicine is administered by spraying into the nasal cavity of a patient suffering from a nasal allergy, or is administered by inhalation into the air-way of a patient suffering from asthma. For a patient suffering from stomatitis, the powdered medicine is administered by spraying into the oral cavity. Recently, attention has been given to a drug delivery system in which a medicine is absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity or lung, and it has been attempted to administer powdered medicine via a mucous membrane. Peptide/proteinous drugs such as insulin and calcitonin, as well as drugs which must exhibit immediate effect such as migraine-relieving drug and the like drugs have been produced in the form of powdery orally administering agents or inhalable agents that can be conveniently used as substitutes for injected drugs, and it has been frequently reported that such drugs are more favorably absorbed than the orally administered drugs.
To administer the powdered medicine, a powdered medicine administering device is used. Powdered medicine administering devices are roughly classified into those of the two types according to the system for storing the powdered medicine.
In the first type of powdered medicine administering devices, a powdered medicine in an amount of a unit-dose administration operation is accommodated in the administering device or in an appropriate container such as a capsule. Therefore, a unit dose of powdered medicine is administered at each administering operation. This includes those of the disposable type that are discarded after each administering operation.
In the second type of powdered medicine administering devices, a powdered medicine in an amount of many times of administering operations is accommodated in an appropriate container. Each time an administering operation is carried out, a unit dose of powdered medicine is picked up from the container and is administered.
In the present invention, the amount of powdered medicine to be administered in a single operation is defined as a “unit dose”, and the amount of powdered medicine to be administered in a plurality of operations is defined as a “multi-dose”.
As an example of the powdered medicine unit-dose administering device, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 59-34267 discloses the one which sprays the powdered medicine into the nasal cavity. In these administering devices, in general, a unit dose of the powdered medicine is contained in a container such as a capsule, and provision is made of means for piercing the container and air stream introduction means for spraying the powdered medicine from the container into the nasal cavity of a patient. As an example of the disposable unit-dose administering device, International Patent Publication No. 2-500172 discloses an administering device which contains a fine powdery medicine, and includes a holding unit forming an opening in the head portion thereof for spraying the medicine so as to be inhaled, and air introduction means, the bottom of the holding unit being communicated with the air introduction means through an air-permeable diaphragm which does not permit the passage of the medicine. Further, WO 97/04826 discloses an administering device which is an improvement of the above device.
Concerning the unit-dose inhaler by which a powdered medicine is inhaled into the air-ways, a large number of devices have been proposed. For example, there is provided an inhaler employing capsules that are usually used pharmacologically. In each capsule, a unit-dose of powdered medicine is accommodated. Each administering device is provided with means for piercing the capsule. After the capsule is pierced, the powdered medicine is administered by the air flow created by the inhaling action of the user. The administering devices have their features in the air flow at the time of inhaling and in the state of the capsule. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,906,950 and 4,013,075 disclose devices in which both ends of the capsule are pierced and the capsule remains stationary during the inhalation, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,400 discloses the one in which the capsule moves during the inhalation.
As an example of the multi-dose administering device, the specification of WO 94/26338 discloses the one which administers the medicine by spraying. This specification discloses a device comprising a storage chamber detachably attached to the device body and storing multi-dose of medicine, a container chamber having a capacity of unit-dose, medicine distribution means movably attached to the device body and is communicated at the filling position with the storage chamber and with the container chamber to administer the medicine in the container chamber, and pumping means communicated at the filling position with the container chamber to inject the air into the storage chamber to stir up the medicine in the storage chamber, wherein the container chamber is filled with a predetermined amount of powdered medicine after stirred as it is transferred from the storage chamber by the sucking force created by the pumping means or by gravity.
As a nasal cavity administering device, European Patent Publication No. 0744188 discloses a nasal cavity applicator comprising a manual air flow-supplying source for spraying powdered medicine, a storage chamber for storing multi-dose of powdered medicine, a pipe for flowing out the powdered medicine, and means for distributing the multi-dose of powdered medicine into a unit-dose of powdered medicine. Means for distributing the powdered medicine includes a drum-shaped powdered medicine storage chamber and a rotary sleeve having, on the inside thereof, a plurality of container chambers for containing a unit-dose of medicine.
As a device for administering the powdered medicine into the air-ways by inhalation, European Patent Publication No. 0211595 discloses a device in which a disk-shaped pack is loaded into the device, and a series of bubbles are formed around the pack under the condition that the distances from the bubbles to the center of the pack are the same. A predetermined quantity (unit-dose) of powdered medicine is accommodated in these bubbles. This pack is put on the rotary circular tray about the center axis. The tray has holes at positions corresponding to the bubbles, and when each bubble is moved to a position where it is broken by an appropriate opening device, powdered medicine is taken out from the bubble and is inhaled.
Further, European Patent Publication No. 0069715 discloses the following device. This administering device includes a container accommodating a predetermined quantity of medicine, and a device for taking out powdered medicine accommodated in the container so as to prepare for the administration of the medicine. The administration preparation device is composed of a plate having a predetermined thickness and a predetermined
Dohi Masahiko
Makino Yuji
Matsugi Hideo
Uejima Yasuhide
Nguyen Dinh Q.
Teijin Limited
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