Inhalers and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11896759-B2
Application number	US-202217949483-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2022
Priority date	Feb 14, 2017
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

An inhaler (10) has a main body for accommodating a medicament reservoir (84), a canister fire system for moving a canister (50) to release a dose in response to air flow, a cap housing (12) for enclosing the canister fire system and canister within an interior chamber defined by the main body (14) and a cap housing, wherein a lock system (250) is provided for locking the cap housing on the main body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inhaler for the inhalation of inhalable substances, the inhaler comprising:
a main body and a cap housing defining an interior chamber;
a canister enclosed within the interior chamber having an interior reservoir containing pressurised inhalable substances including fluid;
a metering valve including a metering chamber and a valve stem defining a communication path between the metering chamber and the interior reservoir, the communication path including an first opening configured to permit flow between a transfer space inside the valve stem and the interior reservoir, the interior reservoir being arranged for orientation above the metering chamber whereby gas located within the metering chamber is replaced with liquid from the interior reservoir; and
wherein a lock system is provided for locking the cap housing on the main body;
the lock system including helical threads having non-overlapping and distinct thread segments for providing rotational attachment of the cap housing to the main body and a first lock member that cooperates with a second lock member to achieve a snap lock between the cap housing and the main body when the cap housing is rotationally attached to the main body in a locked position;
wherein the thread segments are radially disposed about a central axis and arranged such that the thread segments are non-overlapping with respect to each other along the central axis; and
wherein the first lock member is interposed between the thread segments.

2. The inhaler of claim 1 , wherein the lock system is configured to resist relative longitudinal movement between the cap housing and the main body; and to resist rotation of the cap housing relative to the main body.

3. The inhaler of claim 1 , wherein helical threads are provided for rotational attachment of the cap housing on the main body; and wherein the lock system includes a protrusion in a region of a helical thread on one of the main body and the cap housing which is lockable in a recess in a region of a helical thread on the other of the main body and the cap housing.

4. The inhaler of claim 1 , in which the main body and the cap housing are formed of plastics material and the lock system is configured so that a release torque required to overcome the locking provided by the plastics main body and cap housing is more than 1 Nm.

5. The inhaler of claim 4 , wherein the release torque required to overcome the locking provided by the plastics main body and cap housing is lower than 4 Nm.

6. The inhaler of claim 1 , in which the lock system is configured such that a release torque is between 2 and 5 Nm.

7. The inhaler of claim 1 , in which the communication path is configured to permit liquid to flow under pressure along the communication path to the metering chamber and gas to flow in a reverse direction therealong from the metering chamber into the interior reservoir.

8. The inhaler of claim 1 , in which the first opening comprises an elongated opening.

9. The inhaler of claim 8 , which includes a second opening or further openings into the communication path.

10. The inhaler of claim 9 , in which the second opening is diametrically opposed to the first opening.

11. The inhaler of claim 1 , in which the valve stem has at least one opening into the interior reservoir with an axially oriented portion facing directly axially along a longitudinal axis of the valve stem into the interior reservoir for the flow of fluid directly into the communication path in an axial direction along the valve stem.

12. The inhaler of claim 1 , which includes a metering chamber exit port for venting the metering chamber to atmosphere via a stem block and/or nozzle.

13. The inhaler of claim 1 , including a canister fire system enclosed in the interior chamber defined by the main body and the cap housing for ejecting inhalable substances from the inhaler in response to air flow by closing communication between the metering chamber and the interior reservoir and opening communication between the metering chamber and atmosphere.

14. The inhaler of claim 13 , wherein the inhaler includes a drive for driving the canister relative to the valve stem.

15. The inhaler of claim 14 , the drive including a drive spring.

16. The inhaler of claim 13 , wherein the canister fire system is adapted to depress the valve stem into the canister to cause inhalable substances to be ejected from the inhaler and to hold the valve stem depressed with the metering chamber communicating with atmosphere.

17. The inhaler of claim 16 , in which the canister fire system includes a reset actuator which is operable so as to extend the valve stem relative to the canister in order to close communication between atmosphere and the metering chamber and to open communication between the metering chamber and the interior reservoir.

18. The inhaler of claim 17 , in which the reset actuator comprises a mouthpiece cap for a mouthpiece of the inhaler, the mouthpiece cap being closable to permit extension of the valve stem relative to the canister.

19. The inhaler of claim 18 , which includes a preventer adapted, after an inhalation has taken place, to prevent a further inhalation until the mouthpiece cap has been closed to extend the valve stem.

20. The inhaler of claim 19 , in which the preventer comprises a warning signaller comprising at least one of, an audible alarm, a visual alarm, a dose counter or a warning notice.

21. The inhaler of claim 1 , wherein the inhaler includes an actuator system for operating a drive.

22. The inhaler of claim 21 , in which the actuator system is actuable by air flow.

23. The inhaler of claim 1 , wherein the inhalable substances comprise at least one propellant.

24. The inhaler of claim 1 , which includes a dose counter for counting doses.

25. The inhaler of claim 24 , wherein the dose counter is configured to count one count for each inhalation of a dose.

26. The inhaler of claim 24 , in which the dose counter includes: (a) a tape bearing dose indicia for displaying counts and/or (b) an actuator pin for contact with the canister, or a body movable therewith, for counting doses, the actuator pin extending out of a dose counter chamber through an aperture in a wall for contact during counting with the canister.

27. The inhaler of claim 26 , further comprising a barrier configured to separate a dose counter chamber from an inner space of the inhaler for containing the canister.

28. The inhaler of claim 27 , wherein the inhaler is a nasal inhaler, and the barrier comprises a stepped barrier having a vertical surface and a horizontal surface and the dose counter is coupled to at least one of the vertical surface and the horizontal surface.

29. The inhaler of claim 1 , wherein the inhaler is a breath actuated inhaler.

30. The inhaler of claim 1 , wherein the inhaler is a metered dose inhaler.

31. The inhaler of claim 1 , wherein the inhaler is an oral inhaler.

32. The inhaler of claim 1 , wherein the inhaler is a nasal inhaler.

33. The inhaler of claim 1 , which includes a reset actuator which when actuated prevents exposure of the metering chamber to atmosphere, wherein the inhaler provides 75 to 125% of labelled claim for a dose following exposure of the metering chamber to atmosphere for a time period whi

Assignees

• Norton Waterford Ltd

Inventors

• Buck Daniel
• Prendergast Paul
• Walsh Declan

Classifications

• A61M15/0025 Primary

  with caps · CPC title

• A61K9/007

  Pulmonary tract; Aromatherapy · CPC title

• A61K31/439

  the ring forming part of a bridged ring system, e.g. quinuclidine (8-azabicyclo [3.2.1] octanes A61K31/46) · CPC title

• A61K31/569

  substituted in position 17 alpha, e.g. ethisterone · CPC title

• A61M15/009

  using medicine packages with incorporated spraying means, e.g. aerosol cans (pocket atomiser of the injector type A61M11/08) · CPC title