US3669113A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Inhalation device
Assignee: Fisons Ltd
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Filing: 1969-06-18
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Granted: 1972-06-13
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Expires: 1989-06-18
Abstract
Abstract A method and device for dispensing a particulate medicament material from a container. The container provided with at least one powder outlet is rotated by pneumatic means about an axis of the container. The axis of rotation is caused to precess so as to describe a path of precession which is contained within a generally conical surface of precession, and the axis of rotation of the container is at an angle to the axis of the generally conical surfaces of precession. This causes the walls of the container to undergo repeated changes in radial acceleration with respect to the axis of the generally conical surface of precession, which changes of acceleration are of sufficient magnitude to overcome the centrifugal and cohesive forces which hold the particles of powder in place upon the wall of the container.
Inventors
- 👤 Roger Edward Collingwood Altounyan
- 👤 Harry Howell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 15:09
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M15/00; A61M15/0028; A61M15/0001; A61M15/0005; A61M15/0006; A61M15/0008; A61M15/003; A61M15/0033; A61M2202/00; A61M2202/06; A61M2202/064
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
174 words
A method for dispensing a particulate medicament from a container, which comprises placing a container provided with at least one powder outlet on one end of a rotatable member, supporting the rotatable member only at the other end a bearing means so shaped as to give to the axis of rotation of said rotatable member during rotation of the rotatable member a path of precession which is contained within the generally conical surface of precession and maintaining the axis of rotation of the container at an angle to the axis of the generally conical surface of precession while leaving the said one end of the rotatable member free, and pneumatically rotating said rotatable member for rotating the container about an aXis of the container for causing the walls of the container to undergo repeated changes in radial acceleration with respect to the generally conical surface of precession, which changes of acceleration are of sufficient magnitude to overcome the centrifugal and cohesive forces which hold the particles in place upon the wall of the container.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
174 words
A method for dispensing a particulate medicament from a container, which comprises placing a container provided with at least one powder outlet on one end of a rotatable member, supporting the rotatable member only at the other end a bearing means so shaped as to give to the axis of rotation of said rotatable member during rotation of the rotatable member a path of precession which is contained within the generally conical surface of precession and maintaining the axis of rotation of the container at an angle to the axis of the generally conical surface of precession while leaving the said one end of the rotatable member free, and pneumatically rotating said rotatable member for rotating the container about an aXis of the container for causing the walls of the container to undergo repeated changes in radial acceleration with respect to the generally conical surface of precession, which changes of acceleration are of sufficient magnitude to overcome the centrifugal and cohesive forces which hold the particles in place upon the wall of the container.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the included angle of the generally conical surface of precession is from 1/2 * to 60*.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the included angle is from 1* to 5*
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the effective motion of a point on the container wall is a circular sequence of cusps leading into one another at nodes, and the number of said nodes occurring per rotation of the container axis about the axis of the generally conical surface of precession is from 2 to 25.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the number of nodes is from 3 to 10.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
161 words
A device for dispensing a particulate medicament material from a container, comprising a rotatable member having a free end and said free end having means to receive the container, two cooperating bearing means, one bearing means being a shaft and the other being at least one bearing member within which said shaft is journalled, one of said bearing means being on the end of said rotatable member opposite said free end and the other bearing means being fixed, said shaft and said bearing member providing the sole support for said rotatable member and being so shaped as to give the axis of rotation of said rotatable member during rotation of the rotatable member a path of precession which is contained within a generally conical surface of precession and maintaining the axis of rotation of said rotatable member at an angle to the axis of the generally conical surface of precession, and means associated with said rotatable member for pneumatically rotating it.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
161 words
A device for dispensing a particulate medicament material from a container, comprising a rotatable member having a free end and said free end having means to receive the container, two cooperating bearing means, one bearing means being a shaft and the other being at least one bearing member within which said shaft is journalled, one of said bearing means being on the end of said rotatable member opposite said free end and the other bearing means being fixed, said shaft and said bearing member providing the sole support for said rotatable member and being so shaped as to give the axis of rotation of said rotatable member during rotation of the rotatable member a path of precession which is contained within a generally conical surface of precession and maintaining the axis of rotation of said rotatable member at an angle to the axis of the generally conical surface of precession, and means associated with said rotatable member for pneumatically rotating it.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
41 words
A device as claimed in claim 6 further comprising an elongated tubular housing within which the rotatable member and the shaft and bearing member are mounted, one of said shaft and bearing member being rigidly mounted substantially co-axially with the housing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the shaft and bearing member are in frictional contact.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the rotatable member has at least one vane thereon for rotating the member upon the passage of a gas stream through the device.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
114 words
A device as claimed in claim 6 which comprises a rotatable shaft mounted in a stationary bearing member, the free end of said shaft carrying a universal joint, a further shaft connected to said first shaft by means of said universal joint whereby the free end of said further shaft may be displaced during rotation thereof at an angle about the axis of said stationary bearing member, the free end of said further shaft carrying means to receive a container, a stationary annular bearing member loosely encircling said further shaft, said annular bearing member and a portion of said further shaft contacting one another in a frictional contact during rotation of said further shaft.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said further shaft and said stationary annular bearing member contact one another in a rolling contact at substantially all times during operation of the device.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
100 words
A device as claimed in claim 6 in which the bearing member has an annular bearing surface and the shaft is journalled loosely in the bearing member, one of said shaft and said bearing being stationary, the other being on the rotatable member to be rotated by the pneumatic rotating means, the rotatable member being capable of being displaced during rotation thereof at an angle about the axis of the stationary member, the annular bearing surface of the bearing member and at least a portion of the shaft contacting one another in frictional contact during rotation of the rotatable member.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
A device as clAimed in claim 12 wherein the bearing member is a bearing tube contacting the shaft at both ends of the bearing tube.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
A device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the shaft is a rigid substantially uniformly cylindrical shaft and the bearing tube is an internally tapered bearing tube.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
A device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the bearing tube has annular ridges at at least one end thereof, said ridges providing an annular bearing surface against which the shaft bears.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
58 words
A device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the diameter of the shaft and the internal diameter of the bearing tube at the contact between that end of the bearing tube and the shaft generating the non-dominant motion number for the non-dominant motion of a point on the container wall will have a value in excess of 15.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
36 words
A device as claimed in claim 16 wherein the total clearance between the shaft and bearing tube at that end of the bearing tube generating the non-dominant motion is minimized at the non-dominant point of contact.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
167 words
A device as claimed in claim 13 in which a bearing tube is rotatably mounted on a stationary shaft, and there is a dominant contact and a non-dominant contact between the shaft and bearing tube, the dominant contact being a rolling contact, the dimensions of the bearing tube and shaft being in the relationship. a/h (R2/R-r) > Rc and the term a/h (R2/R-r) exceeds the term Rc by a sufficient amount of achieve fluidization of powder within a container mounted in the device, and wherein a is the distance of the base of the parallel walled section of the container wall from the non-dominant contact between the shaft and bearing tube, h is the distance between the dominant and non-dominant contacts between shaft and bearing tube, R is the internal radius of the bearing tube at the dominant contact, r is the radius of the shaft and Rc is the internal radius of the container at the base of the parallel walled section of the container wall.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
168 words
A device as claimed in claim 13 in which a shaft is rotatably journalled in a stationary bearing tube and there is a dominant contact and a non-dominant contact between the shaft and bearing tube, the dominant contact being a rolling contact, the dimensions of the bearing tube and the shaft being in the relationship a/h (r2/R-r) > Rc and the term a/h (r2/R-r) exceeds the term Rc by a sufficient amount to achieve fluidization of powder within a container mounted in the device; and wherein a is the distance of the base of the parallel walled section of the container wall from the non-dominant contact between the shaft and bearing tube, h is the distance between the dominant and non-dominant contacts between the shaft and bearing tube, R is the internal radius of the bearing tube at the dominant contact, r is the radius of the shaft and Rc is the internal radius of the container at the base of the parallel walled section of the container.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
A device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the shaft is the stationary member and the bearing member is the rotatable member.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
58 words
A device as claimed in claim 12 in which the shaft is a rigid substantially uniform cylindrical shaft and the bearing member is an internally tapered rotatable bearing tube which has an internal diameter at that end at which the free end of the shaft is positioned which is smaller than the internal diameter at its outer end.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
64 words
A device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the bearing tube has an internal diameter at the inner end which is from 1.5 to 6.0 percent greater than the diameter of the shaft and an internal diameter at the outer end which is equal to the diameter of the shaft plus from 1.3 to 3.5 percent of the internal length of the bearing tube.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
26 words
A device as Claimed in claim 22 wherein the bearing tube has an internal length of from 4 to 10 times the diameter of the shaft.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
29 words
A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the shaft and bearing member contact one another in a rolling contact at substantially all times during operation of the device.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
17 words
A device as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a powder capsule mounted upon the rotatable member.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-13 | 1975-12-13 | 1976-06-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-13 | 1979-12-13 | 1980-06-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-13 | 1983-12-13 | 1984-06-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |