Medication inhaler

Abstract

A medication inhaler having an inhaler body with a medication container chamber for receiving a medication container and at least one air passage connecting the medication container chamber with external air and a mouthpiece axially engageable with the inhaler body and having a mouthpiece chamber for communication with a patient's respiratory system and a hollow medication delivery needle communicating with the mouthpiece chamber. The medication delivery needle extends toward the medication container chamber and has at least one opening for passing exterior air and medication from an interior space of a medication container in the medication container chamber through the needle and to mouthpiece chamber. The mouthpiece engages with the inhaler body in a first position wherein the needle extends into the medication container chamber short of the medication container in the medication container chamber and in a second position wherein the needle axially traverses the medication container so that the at least one opening in the needle communicates with the at least one air passage and the interior space of the medication container in the medication container chamber.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above discussed aspects of the prior art and the following discussed aspects of the present invention are illustrated in the figures, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic representation of a dry medication inhaler;

FIGS. 1B and 1C are diagrammatic illustrations of the stored and activated positions of an inhaler;

FIGS. 2A-2F are diagrammatic illustrations of possible implementations of a medication delivery needle;

FIGS. 3A-3D are diagrammatic representations of alternate embodiments of a dry medication inhaler;

FIG. 4 is a disassembled view of an inhaler;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of an alternate embodiment of a dry medication inhaler in which the roles of the mouthpiece and body are reversed with respect to the location and operation of the medication delivery needle;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate adaptations of the inhaler for various sizes of medication containers;

FIG. 6C is a table illustrating capsules of various sizes and capacities;

FIGS. 7A-7D are diagrammatic illustrations of one presently preferred embodiment of the present invention with a first embodiment of a medication delivery needle;

FIGS. 8A-8E illustrate further embodiments of a medication delivery needle and inhaler;

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate an inhaler having container windows;

FIG. 10A is a diagrammatic end view illustration of an inhaler accepting a linear magazine containing multiple chambers and containers;

FIG. 10B is a diagrammatic end view illustration of an inhaler accepting a rotary magazine having multiple chambers and containers;

FIG. 10C is a diagrammatic end view illustration of an inhaler having a cylindrical magazine having multiple chambers and containers; and,

FIG. 10D is a diagrammatic side view illustration of a multiple medication inhaler.

Claims

1. A medication inhaler, comprising: an inhaler body having a medication container chamber for receiving a medication container, andat least one air passage connecting the medication container chamber with external air, anda mouthpiece axially engageable with the inhaler body and having a mouthpiece chamber for communication with a patient's respiratory system, anda hollow medication delivery needle communicating with the mouthpiece chamber and extending toward the medication container chamber and having at least one opening for passing exterior air and medication from an interior space of a medication container in the medication container chamber through the needle and to mouthpiece chamber, whereinthe mouthpiece engages with the inhaler body in a first position wherein the needle extends into the medication container chamber short of the medication container in the medication container chamber, andin a second position wherein the needle axially traverses the medication container so that the at least one opening in the needle communicates with the at least one air passage and the interior space of the medication container in the medication container chamber.

2. The medication inhaler of claim 1, further comprising: a detent mechanism for retaining the mouthpiece and inhaler body in the first position for storing the inhaler with a medication container loaded into the medication container chamber, andin the second position when the inhaler is actuated to deliver medication to the patient's respiratory system.

3. The medication inhaler of claim 1, wherein the medication delivery needle comprises: a hollow cylindrical body terminating in a puncture point formed at an end of the needle toward the medication container chamber,a puncture plane extending obliquely across a diameter of the cylindrical body at an end of the needle toward the medication container, the puncture plane defining the puncture point at the end of the needle and puncture edges extending along a plane of intersection between the puncture plane and the cylindrical body,the puncture edges forming an oval opening into the interior of the needle and including cutting edges extending from the puncture point for a first part of the puncture edges and anti-coring edges for a second part of the puncture edges, wherein when the mouthpiece and inhaler body are moved from the first position to the second position, the puncture point establishes an initial opening through a wall of the medication container,the cutting edges penetrate the wall of the medication container and separate a attached flap of medication container material from the medication container wall, andthe anti-coring edges contact the medication container wall and push the attached flap of medication container aside, thereby formingan opening through the medication container wall wherein the wall material of the opening remains as a flap attached to the medication container wall.

4. The medication inhaler of claim 1, wherein the at least one opening in the medication delivery needle comprises: at least one air/medication port located along the medication needle such that when the mouthpiece and inhaler body are in the second position the a first part of a length of the air/medication ports is located within the medication container and a second part of the length of the air/medication ports is located in connection with the air passage connecting the medication container chamber with the exterior air.

5. The medication inhaler of claim 4, wherein: the first part of a length of the air/medication ports is greater than the second part of the length of the air/medication ports.

6. The medication inhaler of claim 1, wherein the medication delivery needle comprises: a hollow, tubular body, anda pyramidal puncturing point closing an end of the hollow, tubular body, whereinthe body includes at least one air/medication port located along the body so that when the mouthpiece and inhaler body are moved from the first position to the second position the at least one air/medication opening in the body communicates with both the at least one air passage and the interior space of the medication container.

7. The medication inhaler of claim 7, wherein the pyramidal puncture point is located on a centerline axis of the body of the needle.

8. The medication inhaler of claim 7, wherein: the pyramidal puncture point includes a plurality of sides meeting in a pyramidal point, andpenetration of a medication container wall by the pyramidal puncture point of medication delivery needle forms an opening through the medication container wall of approximately a diameter of the needle and bounded by corresponding flaps of medication container wall material, each flap of medication container wall material corresponding to a side of the pyramidal point.

9. The medication inhaler of claim 1, further including: in the inhaler body, at least one body vent passage located between the medication container chamber and an outer surface of the inhaler body and connected to the exterior air, andin the mouthpiece, at least one mouthpiece passage communicating between the at least one body vent passage and the mouthpiece chamber to provide a flow of exterior air into the mouthpiece chamber.

10. The medication inhaler of claim 4, wherein the at least one air/medication port located along the medication needle comprises: at least one pair of diametrically opposed air/medication ports.

11. The medication inhaler of claim 1, wherein the medication delivery needle comprises: an upper needle extending from the mouthpiece chamber air passage and into the mouthpiece chamber, anda lower needle extending from the medication container chamber air passage and into the medication container chamber, whereinin the second position the upper and lower needles penetrate an upper and a lower end of the medication container to form an air and medication passage between the medication container chamber air passage, the interior space of the medication container and the mouthpiece.

12. The medication inhaler of claim 9, wherein the mouthpiece further comprises: a medication container support/guide extending into the mouthpiece chamber to support the medication container when the mouthpiece and body move from the first to the second position.

13. The medication inhaler of claim 1, wherein the medication container comprises one of: a capsule,a blister pack,a molded container, anda frangible pellet.

14. The medication inhaler of claim 1, further comprising: a container magazine having a plurality of medication chambers for receiving medication containers, anda magazine slot in the body for receiving the container magazine, wherein the container magazine is adjustable within the magazine slot to selectively position at least one selected medication chamber and a medication container therein in alignment with the medication delivery needle.

15. A multiple medication inhaler, comprising: an inhaler body having a plurality of medication container chambers for receiving at least one medication container, andat least one air passage connecting each medication container chamber with external air, anda mouthpiece axially engageable with the inhaler body and having a mouthpiece chamber for communication with a patient's respiratory system, anda plurality of hollow medication delivery needles communicating with the mouthpiece chamber, each medication delivery needle extending toward a corresponding medication container chamber and having at least one opening for passing exterior air and medication from an interior space of a medication container in the medication container chamber through the needle and to mouthpiece chamber, whereinthe mouthpiece engages with the inhaler body in a first position wherein the medication needles extend into the medication container chambers short of the medication containers in the medication container chambers, andin a second position wherein at least one needle axially traverses a corresponding medication container so that the at least one opening in the needle communicates with the at least one air passage and the interior space of the corresponding medication container.