Claims
- 1. A dry powder medicament dispenser device comprising:
- a housing including an inhalation airway passageway having an inlet and outlet, said inhalation airway passageway affording passage of inspiratory airflow through the outlet and into the respiratory system of a user,
- an actuatable firing means for delivering a dose of a dry powder medicament to a user including a dosage member and dosage chamber for holding a pre-determined amount of dry powder medicament,
- an inhalation activated assembly for actuating the firing means without requiring the user to coordinate separate actions upon inhalation in order to actuate the firing means, the inhalation activated assembly having a flexible membrane in communication with the inhalation airway passageway and adapted to move between (1) a first position which restricts actuation of the firing means; and (2) a second position, wherein inspiratory airflow through the inhalation airway passageway biases the flexible membrane from the first toward the second position, and
- wherein movement of said flexible membrane between said first and second positions affords actuation of the firing means.
- 2. A dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said inhalation activated assembly includes an actuation body being movable between armed and fired positions, and having a portion operatively associated with the flexible membrane, and
- biasing means for biasing the actuation body toward the fired position,
- wherein, in said first position, said flexible membrane retains said actuation body in said armed position against the bias of said biasing means.
- 3. A dispenser according to claim 1 wherein, in the first position, the flexible membrane is generally arcuate and has a first radius of curvature, and
- in the second position, the flexible membrane is generally arcuate and has a second radius of curvature,
- wherein the second radius of curvature is less than the first radius of curvature.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/975,625, filed Nov. 12, 1992, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/817,331 filed Jan. 6, 1992, now abandoned, and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/749,912 filed Aug. 26, 1991, now abandoned, the entire contents of each of which are herein expressly incorporated by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/817,331 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/749,912.
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Divisions (1)
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