Mesh nebulizer and replacement member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10926045-B2
Application number	US-201816168881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2018
Priority date	May 9, 2016
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A mesh nebulizer includes a main body including a recess with a shape that is open upward. The main body includes a vibration portion with a vibration surface, and a liquid supply portion that supplies the liquid onto the vibration surface. The mesh nebulizer also includes a cap that openably and closeably covers the upper portion of the main body, and a replacement member that is separate from the main body and the cap and detachably mounted in the recess of the main body in advance when the nebulizer is to be used. The replacement member includes a film mesh portion, a bottom plate portion, and a side wall portion. When the cap is closed with respect to the main body, the protrusion portion of the cap presses the bottom plate portion of the replacement member toward the bottom surface of the recess, thus positioning the replacement member in the vertical axis direction of the main body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mesh nebulizer for nebulizing and ejecting a liquid through a mesh portion, the mesh nebulizer comprising:
a main body including a recess with a shape that is open upward, the main body including a vibration portion with a vibration surface arranged at a position corresponding to a bottom surface of the recess, and a liquid supply portion to supply liquid onto the vibration surface of the vibration portion;
a cap to openably and closeably cover an upper portion of the main body; and
a replacement member that is separate from the main body and the cap, and is to be detachably mounted in the recess of the main body in a state of being separated from the cap in advance of when the nebulizer is to be used; wherein
the replacement member includes a film mesh portion that is to oppose the vibration surface, a bottom surface portion to support a circumferential edge of the mesh portion, and a side wall portion that is continuous with an outer edge of the bottom surface portion and is to oppose a side surface of the recess; and
when the replacement member is detachably mounted in the recess of the main body in the state of being separated from the cap in advance of when the nebulizer is to be used, and the cap is closed with respect to the main body, a protrusion portion that protrudes toward a main body side of the cap presses the bottom surface portion of the replacement member toward the bottom surface of the recess, and positions the replacement member in a vertical axis direction of the main body.

2. The mesh nebulizer according to claim 1 , wherein
the side surface of the recess of the main body increasingly opens toward a top; and
the side wall portion of the replacement member increasingly opens toward the top so as to correspond to the side surface of the recess of the main body.

3. The mesh nebulizer according to claim 1 , wherein the replacement member includes a finger grip portion that is continuous with an upper edge of the side wall portion and extends radially in a direction in a periphery of a center of the side wall portion.

4. The mesh nebulizer according to claim 3 , wherein the finger grip portion extends in mutually opposite directions in the periphery of the center of the side wall portion.

5. The mesh nebulizer according to claim 3 , wherein a groove that extends radially in a direction from the recess is provided in a periphery of an upper edge of the recess of the main body so as to correspond to the finger grip portion of the replacement member.

6. The mesh nebulizer according to claim 1 , wherein
the vibration surface is orthogonal to the vertical axis direction of the main body;
the bottom surface of the recess of the main body is inclined with respect to the vertical axis direction of the main body; and
the mesh portion and the bottom surface portion of the replacement member are inclined with respect to a center of the side wall portion so as to correspond to the bottom surface of the recess of the main body.

7. The mesh nebulizer according to claim 1 , wherein a gasket is provided on the side surface of the recess of the main body so as to surround and be in contact with the side wall portion of the replacement member in a circumferential direction.

8. The mesh nebulizer according to claim 1 , wherein the replacement member is made of synthetic resin.

9. The mesh nebulizer according to claim 1 , wherein the cap is coupled to the main body via a hinge so as to be able to rotate.

10. A replacement member to be used to form a mesh nebulizer including a main body including a recess with a shape that is open upward, a vibration portion with a vibration surface arranged at a position corresponding to a bottom surface of the recess, and a liquid supply portion to supply liquid onto the vibration surface of the vibration portion, and a cap to openably and closeably cover an upper portion of the main body, the replacement member comprising:
a film mesh portion that is to oppose the vibration surface;
a bottom surface portion to support a circumferential edge of the mesh portion; and
a side wall portion that is continuous with an outer edge of the bottom surface portion and is to oppose a side surface of the recess; wherein
the replacement member is separate from the main body and the cap, and is to be detachably mounted in the recess of the main body in a state of being separated from the cap in advance of when the nebulizer is to be used; and
when the replacement member is detachably mounted in the recess of the main body in the state of being separated from the cap in advance of when the nebulizer is to be used, and the cap is closed with respect to the main body, a protrusion portion that protrudes toward a main body side of the cap presses the bottom surface portion of the replacement member toward the bottom surface of the recess, and positions the replacement member in a vertical axis direction of the main body.

11. The replacement member according to claim 10 , further comprising a finger grip portion that is continuous with an upper edge of the side wall portion and extends radially in a specific direction in a periphery of a center of the side wall portion.

12. The replacement member according to claim 11 , wherein the finger grip portion extends in mutually opposite directions in the periphery of the center of the side wall portion.

Assignees

• Omron Healthcare Co Ltd

Inventors

• Koike Tadashi
• Osoegawa Nobuhiko
• Mitsunami Yukiko

Classifications

• A61M15/0085 Primary

  using ultrasonics (spraying or atomising liquids using ultrasonic vibrations in general B05B17/06) · CPC title

• A61M15/0021

  Mouthpieces therefor · CPC title

• B05B17/063

  having an internal channel for supplying the liquid or other fluent material · CPC title

• A61M11/00

  Sprayers or atomisers specially adapted for therapeutic purposes (in general B05B; {aerosol containers B65D83/14}) · CPC title

• A61M11/005 Primary

  using ultrasonics (spraying or atomising liquids using ultrasonic vibrations in general B05B17/06) · CPC title