Dry powder nebulizer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9731088-B2
Application number	US-201514739738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2015
Priority date	Mar 8, 2010
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A dry powder delivery device may be configured to provide micronized dry powder particles to airways of a user. The device may include a cylindrical container delimiting a chamber containing at least one magnetically-responsive object, a motor external to said chamber, a magnet external to the chamber and rotatably coupled with the motor, and an outflow member configured to direct airflow to a user. The magnetically-responsive object may be coated with micronized dry powder particles, and the motor may be operable to rotate the magnet about an axis. Rotation of the magnet creates a magnetic field that causes the magnetically-responsive object to move in response to the magnetic field and collide with a side wall of the container to deaggregate the dry powder particles and aerosolize the dry powder in the chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a container delimiting a chamber containing a magnetically-responsive object, the magnetically-responsive object being coated with micronized powder particles;
a motor;
a magnet coupled with the motor, the motor being operable to move the magnet; and
an outflow conduit that directs airflow from the chamber, wherein movement of the magnet creates a magnetic field that causes the magnetically-responsive object to move in response to the magnetic field and deaggregate the micronized powder particles from the magnetically-responsive object.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetically-responsive object comprises a second magnet.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetically-responsive object is coated with a polymer.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetically-responsive object comprises a capsule containing at least one magnetically-responsive member.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the capsule comprises a polymer.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the outflow conduit includes a mouthpiece in fluid communication with the chamber.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one air inlet in a side wall of the container, the at least one air inlet being arranged to direct air into the chamber to assist aerosolization of the micronized powder particles.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one air inlet comprises one or more hollow shafts extending tangentially from the side wall of the container in directions opposite to one another.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the container includes a wall having an uneven inner surface, the uneven inner surface defining a bottom of the chamber.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the micronized powder particles comprise at least one of an antibiotic, a long-acting beta agonist, a steroid, and an immunosuppressive.

11. A method comprising:
moving a magnet to create a magnetic field that causes responsive movement of at least one magnetically-responsive object in a chamber, the at least one magnetically-responsive object being coated with micronized powder particles, wherein movement of the at least one magnetically-responsive object deaggregates the micronized powder particles from the at least one magnetically-responsive object; and
directing a flow of air including the deaggregated micronized powder particles from the chamber.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the moving of the magnet includes causing the at least one magnetically-responsive object to collide with a side wall of the chamber.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the chamber includes a bottom wall that facilitates collisions between the at least one magnetically-responsive object and the side wall.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the moving of the magnet begins in response to activation by a user.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the activation comprises inhalation by a user at a mouthpiece fluidly coupled with the chamber.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the movement of the at least one magnetically-responsive object draws air through an air inlet to assist deaggregation of the micronized powder particles.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the movement of the magnetically-responsive object in response to the magnetic field causes the magnetically-responsive object to collide with a structure in the chamber to deaggregate the micronized powder particles from the magnetically-responsive object.

18. The device of claim 4 , wherein the capsule comprises a pre-measured amount of the micronized powder particles.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein moving the magnet creates the magnetic field to cause the magnetically-responsive object to collide with a structure in the chamber to deaggregates the micronized powder particles from the magnetically-responsive object.

Assignees

• Stc Unm

Inventors

• Maynard Nicola Jeanne
• Smyth Hugh D C

Classifications

• A61M11/003

  by passing the aerosol trough sieves or filters · CPC title

• A61M15/00

  Inhalators {(drug delivery in endotracheal tubes A61M16/04)} · CPC title

• A61M15/003

  using capsules, e.g. to be perforated or broken-up · 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

• A61M2205/8287

  operated by an external magnetic or electromagnetic field · CPC title