Refillable device with counting means
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsPeter D. Hodson, Philip M. Dunn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refillable medical device comprising a base unit (4) adapted to be engaged with a refill unit (2), the device comprising means for counting the number of different refill units which are engaged with the base unit (4). The device may be in the form of a dry powder or pressurised aerosol inhaler, needleless injector, intravenous drip system etc. The device may comprise means to disable the device after a predetermined number of refill units have been used with the base.
Claims15
A refillable medical device assembly comprising a refill unit and a base unit adapted to engage the refill unit, said base unit comprising means for counting the number of different refill units which have been engaged with the base unit.
A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in any preceding claim in which the means for counting comprises a chamber adapted to receive a tab attached to the refill unit and means to engage and detach said tab from the refill unit.
A refillable medical device assembly as claimed in any preceding claim in which the device is a dry powder inhaler and the refill unit is in the form of a cassette having a tape bearing powdered medicament.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.