Surgery – Liquid medicament atomizer or sprayer – Pre-pressurized container holding medicament
Patent
1995-01-06
1997-04-29
Burr, Edgar S.
Surgery
Liquid medicament atomizer or sprayer
Pre-pressurized container holding medicament
12820014, 12820019, 12820021, A61M 1100, A61M 1500
Patent
active
056239203
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to valve assemblies for pressurised fluid containers such as aerosol containers and in particular to valve assemblies capable of dispensing metered-doses of the contents of an aerosol container.
BACKGROUND
Pressurised fluid containers are in widespread use for dispensing a wide variety of materials including cosmetic materials, e.g., deodorants, body fresheners etc., and domestic cleaning materials, e.g., detergents, polishes, waxes etc. Conventional pressurised fluid containers are provided with a valve assembly for dispensing the container contents comprising a hollow, elongate valve member which is movable relative to the body of the container between an outer closed position and an inner dispensing position. The valve member is biased, usually by a spring, to the outer closed position to prevent the discharge of material from the container when not in use. To actuate the valve assembly, the valve member is depressed inwardly by the user to the dispensing position allowing material to exit from the container.
The use of aerosol devices to administer medicament, such as drugs or other therapeutically active compounds, by inhalation therapy is commonplace, particularly for the treatment of respiratory disorders, such as asthma, where it is important that the amount of material dispensed is a predetermined, accurate volume each time the valve is actuated. The aerosol container is charged with a self-propelling liquid composition containing the medicament dissolved or dispersed therein and provided with a valve assembly capable of dispensing metered amounts of the composition. Examples of such valve assemblies are disclosed in British Patent Nos. 864694, 1287126, 1336379, 2004526, 2077229 and 2086845, European Patent No. 191614 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,746,796 and 3,738,542.
Many known metering valve assemblies for pressurised aerosol containers comprise a metering chamber positioned at the outlet of the container which is filled with a fresh dose of the material to be dispensed immediately after the previous dose has been dispensed. This feature is incorporated into the valve assembly to avoid the need to prime the assembly before use. A hollow elongate valve member is arranged for reciprocal movement through the metering chamber between a closed, non-dispensing position where the metering chamber is filled with the material to be dispensed and a dispensing position, in which the metered dose of material is dispensed through the valve member to the outside environment. The valve member is again biased to the closed, non-dispensing position. This arrangement allows the dosage of material dispensed from the aerosol container to be accurately reproduced with each operation of the valve.
In such prior art valve assemblies described above, the elongate valve member is biased to its closed, non-dispensing position, normally under the influence of a spring. Generally, a force must be applied to the valve member to overcome the spring and move the valve member to its dispensing position. There may be certain disadvantages to this arrangement of valve assembly, particularly when fitted to aerosol containers for use with certain types of inhalation devices for dispensing medicament to patients in inhalation therapy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,803 discloses a valve assembly for dispensing metered amounts of material from a main reservoir. The valve assembly includes a metering chamber having a pair of apertures that respectively connect the metering chamber to the main reservoir and to the exterior. A valve seal is mounted within each of the apertures. An additional seal is mounted within the metering chamber, with all the seals in substantial alignment. A slidable valve member comprising dispensing and bypass passages is positioned within and co-operable with the seals. The bypass passage selectively interconnects the main reservoir with the metering chamber and the dispensing passage interconnects the metering chamber with the exterior. The seals selectively co-operate with th
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Burr Edgar S.
Griswold Gary L.
Hulse Dale E.
Kirn Walter N.
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
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