Dispensing device

An indicating device suitable for indicating the number of dosages of a substance that have been dispensed from or remain in a container, said indicating device comprising:

• a housing;
• an actuator movably mounted in said housing, wherein said actuator is reciprocally movable relative to said housing in a longitudinal direction;
• a first indicator comprising a first indicia bearing surface, said first indicator rotatably mounted in said housing about a first rotation axis extending in said longitudinal direction;
• and
• a second indicator comprising a second indicia bearing surface, said second indicator rotatably mounted in said housing about a second rotation axis, wherein said first and second rotation axes are non-parallel, wherein said first and second indicia bearing surfaces align at a common viewing area to collectively present at least a portion of the number of dosages of substance that have been dispensed from or remain in the container.

A dispensing device for dispensing dosages of medicament comprising:

• an actuator housing comprising a cavity and a nozzle support block extending from a bottom of said cavity;
• a container containing a medicament, said container comprising a valve stem adapted to be fitted in said nozzle block, wherein said container is reciprocally movable relative to said actuator housing in a longitudinal direction;
• and
• an indicating device comprising:
• an indicator housing;
• a dose counter actuator extending from said indicator housing and engaged by and reciprocally movable with said container relative to said indicator housing in said longitudinal direction;
• a first indicator comprising a first indicia bearing surface, said first indicator rotatably mounted in said housing about a first rotation axis extending in said longitudinal direction;
• and
• a second indicator comprising a second indicia bearing surface, said second indicator rotatably mounted in said housing about a second rotation axis, wherein said first and second rotation axes are non-parallel, wherein said first and second indicia bearing surfaces align at a common viewing area to collectively present at least a portion of the number of dosages of medicament that have been dispensed from or remain in the container.

A method for dispensing a medicament to a patient comprising:

• providing an actuator housing having a support block, said actuator housing having a generally open end opposite said support block;
• inserting a container filled with a predetermined number of measured dosages of medicament into said actuator housing, and coupling a valve stem of said container with said support block;
• reciprocally moving said container relative to said actuator housing in a longitudinal direction and thereby successively moving said valve stem between closed and open positions;
• dispensing one of said measured dosages of medicament through said support block upon each reciprocal movement of said container relative to said actuator housing;
• engaging a dose counter actuator with said container and moving said dose counter actuator with said container upon said reciprocal movements of said container;
• rotating a first indicator about a first rotation axis extending in said longitudinal direction in response to a first predetermined number of movements of said dose counter actuator, said first indicator comprising a first indicia bearing surface;
• rotating a second indicator about a second rotation axis in response to a second predetermined number of movements of said dose counter actuator, said second indicator comprising a second indicia bearing surface, wherein said first and second rotation axes are non-parallel;
• and
• viewing said first and second indicia bearing surfaces aligned at a common viewing area to collectively present at least a portion of the number of dosages of medicament that have been dispensed from or remain in the container.