Inhaler
AssigneeKind Consumer Limited
InventorsAlex Hearn, Iain McDerment
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inhaler comprising a reservoir of an inhalable composition. A valve element moved by a flexible diaphragm and biased into a position in which it closes a composition flow path from a reservoir. A first air flow path is partly defined by one side of the diaphragm and a second air flow path is partly defined by the opposite side of the diaphragm. Each flow path has an outlet opening at an outlet end and the second flow path has an inlet upstream of the outlet end. The air flow paths are arranged such that suction at the outlet end causes a reduction in pressure in the first air flow path relative to the pressure in the second air flow path creating a pressure differential across the diaphragm that moves the valve element against the biasing force to open the composition flow path.
Claims7
An inhaler comprising;
- a reservoir of an inhalable composition;
- a housing containing the reservoir and having an outlet end;
- a composition flow path for the flow of the composition from the reservoir and out of a composition outlet at the outlet end of the housing;
- a valve element biased by a biasing force into a first position in which it closes the composition flow path;
- a flexible diaphragm arranged to move the valve element;
- and
- a first air flow path partly defined by one side of the diaphragm, a second air flow path partly defined by the opposite side of the diaphragm, each flow path having an outlet opening at the outlet end and the second flow path having an inlet upstream of the outlet end, wherein the air flow paths are separate from the composition flow path and are arranged such that suction at the outlet end causes a reduction in pressure in the first air flow path relative to the pressure in the second air flow path creating a pressure differential across the diaphragm that moves the diaphragm and hence moves the valve element against the biasing force to a second position in which the composition flow path is open, and wherein:
- cessation of the suction at the outlet end equalizes the pressure differential across the diaphragm, causing the biasing force is configured to return the valve element to the first position in which it closes the composition flow path,
- the composition flows from the reservoir and out of the composition outlet as long as the suction is continuously applied at the outlet end, and
- cessation of the suction at the outlet end causes the composition to stop flowing from the reservoir when a user stops sucking on the outlet end of the inhaler.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.