Claims
- 1. An apparatus for producing shock wave aerosolization, comprising:
a source of compressed gas; a nozzle; and means associated with said nozzle for generating a supersonic jet of gas from said source of compressed gas.
- 2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a sonic shock chamber configured for receiving said supersonic jet of gas.
- 3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
a user actuated valve; and means for releasing said compressed gas in bursts by said valve and delivering said supersonic jet of gas to said shock chamber.
- 4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
means for delivering a burst of compressed gas to said nozzle and forming said supersonic jet prior to liquid being entrained and mixed with said jet.
- 5-10. (canceled)
- 11. An apparatus for producing shock wave aerosolization, comprising:
a source of compressed gas; a nozzle; means associated with said nozzle for generating a supersonic jet of gas from said source of compressed gas; and a sonic shock chamber configured for receiving said supersonic jet of gas.
- 12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising:
a user actuated valve; and means for releasing said compressed gas in bursts by said valve and delivering said supersonic jet of gas to said shock chamber.
- 13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, further comprising:
means for delivering a burst of compressed gas to said nozzle and forming said supersonic jet prior to liquid being entrained and mixed with said jet.
- 14-19. (canceled)
- 20. An inhaler apparatus, comprising:
a reservoir for containing compressed gas; a supersonic shock nozzle; and a user actuated valve configured to release said compressed gas in bursts for delivery to said supersonic shock nozzle.
- 21. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein said supersonic shock nozzle comprises:
a jet orifice configured to receive compressed gas from said reservoir; and a sonic shock chamber configured to receive compressed gas discharged from said jet orifice.
- 22. An apparatus as recited in claim 21:wherein said jet orifice is configured to produce a supersonic jet from said compressed gas; and wherein said shock chamber is configured to receive said supersonic jet and produce shock waves.
- 23-24. (canceled)
- 25. An apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein if said supersonic jet is perfectly expanded, a cylindrical shock wave will be generated in said shock chamber that envelopes the entire jet.
- 26. An apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein upon formation of said supersonic jet and resulting shock waves in said shock chamber, a vacuum is generated which causes liquid from a liquid reservoir to be entrained through a liquid feed into said shock chamber.
- 27. An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein upon entrainment of liquid into the shock chamber, the initial liquid entrained comes in contact with shock waves, producing copious amounts of aerosol particles suitable for inhalation.
- 28-34. (canceled)
- 35. An inhaler apparatus, comprising:
a reservoir for containing compressed gas; a jet orifice configured to receive compressed gas from said reservoir; a sonic shock chamber configured to receive compressed gas discharged from said jet orifice; and a user actuated valve configured to release said compressed gas in bursts for delivery to said supersonic shock nozzle.
- 36. An apparatus as recited in claim 35:wherein said jet orifice is configured to produce a supersonic jet from said compressed gas; and wherein said shock chamber is configured to receive said supersonic jet and produce shock waves.
- 37-38. (canceled)
- 39. An apparatus as recited in claim 36, wherein if said supersonic jet is perfectly expanded, a cylindrical shock wave will be generated in said shock chamber that envelopes the entire jet.
- 40. An apparatus as recited in claim 36, wherein upon formation of said supersonic jet and resulting shock waves in said shock chamber, a vacuum is generated which causes liquid from a liquid reservoir to be entrained through a liquid feed into said shock chamber.
- 41. An apparatus as recited in claim 40, wherein upon entrainment of liquid into the shock chamber, the initial liquid entrained comes in contact with shock waves, producing copious amounts of aerosol particles suitable for inhalation.
- 42-48. (canceled)
- 49. An inhaler apparatus, comprising:
a reservoir for containing compressed gas; a jet orifice configured to receive compressed gas from said reservoir and produce a supersonic jet; a sonic shock chamber configured to receive said supersonic jet and produce shock waves; and a user actuated valve configured to release said compressed gas in bursts for delivery to said supersonic shock nozzle.
- 50. (canceled)
- 51. An apparatus as recited in claim 50, wherein said supersonic jet will be approximately the diameter of the jet orifice and travel down the axis of the shock chamber.
- 52. An apparatus as recited in claim 49, wherein if said supersonic jet is perfectly expanded, a cylindrical shock wave will be generated in said shock chamber that envelopes the entire jet.
- 53. An apparatus as recited in claim 49, wherein upon formation of said supersonic jet and resulting shock waves in said shock chamber, a vacuum is generated which causes liquid from a liquid reservoir to be entrained through a liquid feed into said shock chamber.
- 54. An apparatus as recited in claim 53, wherein upon entrainment of liquid into the shock chamber, the initial liquid entrained comes in contact with shock waves, producing copious amounts of aerosol particles suitable for inhalation.
- 55-61. (canceled)
- 62. An inhaler apparatus, comprising:
a reservoir for containing compressed gas; a jet orifice configured to receive compressed gas from said reservoir and produce a supersonic jet; a sonic shock chamber configured to receive said supersonic jet and produce shock waves; a valve configured to release said compressed gas in bursts for delivery to said supersonic shock nozzle; and an actuator handle coupled to said valve.
- 63-64. (canceled)
- 65. An apparatus as recited in claim 62, wherein if said supersonic jet is perfectly expanded, a cylindrical shock wave will be generated in said shock chamber that envelopes the entire jet.
- 66. An apparatus as recited in claim 62, wherein upon formation of said supersonic jet and resulting shock waves in said shock chamber, a vacuum is generated which causes liquid from a liquid reservoir to be entrained through a liquid feed into said shock chamber.
- 67. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein upon entrainment of liquid into the shock chamber, the initial liquid entrained comes in contact with shock waves, producing copious amounts of aerosol particles suitable for inhalation.
- 68-74. (canceled)
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/963,886 filed on Sep. 25, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. ______ incorporated herein by reference, which in turn claims priority to U.S. provisional application serial No. 60/235,597 filed on Sep. 25, 2000, incorporated herein by reference, and from U.S. provisional application serial No. 60/305,088 filed on Jul. 12, 2001, incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60235597 |
Sep 2000 |
US |
|
60305088 |
Jul 2001 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09963886 |
Sep 2001 |
US |
Child |
10815049 |
Mar 2004 |
US |