Inhaler for powdered medications

US5829434A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• SCHERING CORPORATION · US

Inventors

• Thomas J. Ambrosio · Somerville, US
• Charles R. Ashley · Clinton, US
• Alan J. Bilanin · Princeton, US
• Charles M. Huck · Pottersville, US
• Andrew E. Kaufman · Lawrence, US
• David J. Kenyon · Morristown, US
• Srinivas Manthena · Bloomfield, US
• Henry R. Sochon · Clifton, US
• Ken Wilkinson · Round Lake, US
• Tsong-Toh Yang · Hackettstown, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 1, 1995
• Grant date: Nov 3, 1998
• Expiry date: Jun 1, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61M2202/064
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A powder inhaler comprising: PA1 a powder housing for holding a supply of powdered material to be dispensed and a metering plate for holding a metered amount of said powdered material, the metering plate being alternately positionable below said supply of powdered material or within an inhalation conduit, by means of a bi-directional, angle-limited relative rotation about a common central axis; PA1 a counter for providing a visual count of the number of doses of said powdered material that have been dispensed or remain to be dispensed in response to the relative rotation, the counter including: a continuous counter ring and a coaxially mounted intermittent counter ring, both rings being mounted on a base in surrounding relation to a retaining post, being rotatable about the common central axis and having counting indicia thereon for displaying said visual count; and PA1 a display means through which at least one of the counting indicia is displayed to indicate a count corresponding to a number of doses of powdered material that have been dispensed or remain to be dispensed.