Breath-activated fluidic switch and method for drug delivery
US7921844B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 20, 2006 |
| Grant date | Apr 12, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 5, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61M2016/0015
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A drug inhaler of the type having an air jet entraining liquid medicine at an entrainment region from a medicine reservoir and nebulize or atomize entrained liquid by impacting a liquid medicine-laden air jet on a flat surface, and deliver the atomized medicine to a patient via a medicine delivery channel. A breath-activated fluidic switch has a power nozzle coupled to a source of air under pressure. The fluidic breath-activated switch has a pair of diverging legs, one of the diverging legs has a control port connected to sense inhalation of the patient, the other of the legs is coupled to the medicine entrainment region, whereby the entrainment of medicine at the medicine entrainment region is prevented by air supplied to the medicine entrainment region from the other of the legs in the absence of sensed patient inhalation at the control port. The fluidic control port is located downstream of the power nozzle a predetermined distance downstream of the wall attachment point.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.