Automatic aerosol medication delivery system and methods

The apparatus of claim I wherein the actuator mechanism has a cocked position and an uncocked position, the actuator release mechanism changes the actuator mechanism from the cocked to the uncocked position to release an amount of aerosol, and the cassette further comprises:

• a mouthpiece having an opening,
• a valve stem receptacle for receiving the canister valve stem,
• a nozzle for directing an aerosol through the mouthpiece opening, and
• a housing having a cavity for receiving the canister and engaging the actuator mechanism, wherein the cassette is moveable between an open position for releasing a dose of aerosol and a closed position, and movement from the open to the closed positions places the actuator mechanism in the cocked position.

A system for delivering a controlled amount of medication comprising:

• a cassette containing a canister of medication to be delivered and having thereon an identification code, the canister having a depressible valve stem;
• a durable body having a flow sensor for sensing inhalation breath flow, means for determining whether or not a sensed inhalation satisfies a flow delivery threshold for releasing an amount of medication, a receptacle for receiving the cassette, an actuator mechanism engageable with the canister in the cassette, and an actuator release mechanism for operating the actuator mechanism to depress controllably the canister and release a dose of medication in response to a sensed inhalation breath flow satisfying the flow delivery threshold;
• a cam follower fixed in the body;
• a movable cam element having a helical face cam surface engaged with the cam follower for rotation about the first axis and a radial slot extending through a portion of the movable cam element periphery;
• a driver in slidable contact with the movable cam element having a drive dog for engaging the movable cam element and rotating the movable cam element about the first axis, a first and second protrusions for engaging an inserted cassette, and a surface for engaging the canister in the cassette;
• a compression spring having one end fixed and the other end connected to the moveable cam element having a loaded condition in compression and a released condition, the compression spring translating the helical cam, release ring, and river in the first axis from a first position to a second position;
• a torsion spring having one end fixed and the other end connected to the movable cam element having a loaded condition in torsion and a released condition, the torsion spring moving from the loaded condition to the released condition to rotate the movable cam element face cam surface against the cam follower to rotate and translate the movable cam element from the second position to a third position and place the first spring element in the loaded condition;
• a lever mounted to the body;
• a trigger pin mounted on the lever, the trigger pin having a first surface for engaging the movable cam element and a second surface for engaging the slot;
• a motor for controlling the movement of the lever between a first stage position with the first surface of the trigger pin engaged in contact with the movable cam element so as to maintain the compression spring in compression and the torsion spring in torsion, a second stage position with the second surface of the trigger pin engaged in the slot to maintain the torsion spring in torsion and allow the compression spring to release and translate the driver from the first to the second positions, and a third stage position with the trigger pin out of engagement with the movable cam element and slot;
• and
• wherein the cassette further comprises a first and second slots for receiving the first and second protrusions of the driver for engagement therewith when the cassette inserted in the durable body, the cassette is rotatable about a longitudinal first axis between an open and a closed position, and wherein rotating the cassette from the open to the closed position rotates the driver so that the drive dog engages the movable cam element and places the torsion spring in torsion and the trigger pin engages the movable cam element in the first stage position.

A system for delivering a controlled amount of medication comprising:

• a cassette containing a canister of medication to be delivered and having thereon an identification code, the canister having a depressible valve stem;
• a durable body having a flow sensor for sensing inhalation breath flow, means for determining whether or not a sensed inhalation satisfies a flow delivery threshold for releasing an amount of medication, a receptacle for receiving the cassette, an actuator mechanism engageable with the canister in the cassette, and an actuator release mechanism for operating the actuator mechanism to depress controllably the canister and release a dose of medication in response to a sensed inhalation breath flow satisfying the flow delivery threshold;
• wherein the durable body flow sensor is a tube section having an asymmetrical orifice and a transducer for sensing the pressure in the tube, further;
• wherein the durable body flow sensor tube section is comprised of a contoured wall of the durable body and an airway cover having a first end with a first cross-sectional area, a second end having a second cross-sectional area, and a throat having a third cross-sectional area that is less than the first and second cross-sectional areas.

A durable body for releasing a controlled amount of medication in response to a sensed inspiratory flow of a patient comprising:

• a channel through a portion of the body;
• a sensor for monitoring inhalation breath flow through the channel;
• a receptacle for receiving a cassette containing a canister of the aerosol medication to be delivered;
• a driver member for engaging an inserted cassette having a longitudinal first axis, a cocked position and an uncocked position, the driver member being translatable along the first axis for moving from the cocked to the uncocked position and rotatable about the first axis for moving from the uncocked to the cocked position;
• a first spring element having one end fixed and the other end connected to the driver member and moveable between a loaded condition and a released condition, wherein the first spring element moving from the loaded condition to the released condition moves the driver member from the cocked position to a first uncocked position for releasing a dose of medication;
• a second spring element having one end fixed and the other end connected to the driver member and moveable between a loaded condition and a released condition, wherein the second spring element moving from the loaded condition to the released condition moves the driver member from the first uncocked position to a second uncocked position and said movement places the first spring element in its loaded condition;
• an actuator release mechanism having a first condition for maintaining the first and second spring elements in their loaded conditions, a second condition for allowing the first spring element to release and for maintaining the second spring element in its loaded condition, and a third condition for allowing the second spring element to release for placing the first spring element in the loaded condition;
• means for determining when a sensed inspiratory flow satisfies a preselected delivery threshold;
• and
• means for operating the actuator release mechanism to change from the first to the second conditions in response to a sensed flow satisfying a preselected delivery threshold.

A system for delivering a controlled amount of medication comprising:

• a cassette containing a canister of medication to be delivered and having thereon an identification code, the canister having a depressible valve stem;
• a durable body having a flow sensor for sensing inhalation breath flow, means for determining whether or not a sensed inhalation satisfies a flow delivery threshold for releasing an amount of medication, a receptacle for receiving the cassette, an actuator mechanism engageable with the canister in the cassette, and an actuator release mechanism for operating the actuator mechanism to depress controllably the canister and release a dose of medication in response to a sensed inhalation breath flow satisfying the flow delivery threshold;
• wherein the body further comprises a pair of cam followers and the driver member further comprises:
• a second body having a helical face cam surface for rotation about the first axis against the cam followers;
• an annular ring in axial alignment with the helical cam having a radial slot extending through a portion of the groove, the second body being connected to the ring by a keyed interconnection;
• a driver in axial alignment and slidable contact with the ring for engaging an inserted cassette and having a drive dog for engaging the second body and rotating the helical face cam about the first axis;
• a compression spring connected to the second body having a loaded condition in compression and an unloaded condition and movable there between the translating the second body, ring and driver in the first axis between a cocked position and a first uncocked position;
• a torsion spring connected to the second body having a loaded condition in torsion and an unloaded condition and moveable from the loaded condition to the released condition to move the helical face cam against the cam followers to rotate and translate the second body and ring from the first uncocked position to a second uncocked position and place the first spring element in the loaded condition.

A method for releasing a controlled amount of medication from a canister in response to a sensed inspiratory flow of a patient comprising:

• monitoring the inhalation breath flow through a flow path;
• providing a driver member in axial alignment with a canister of medication to be delivered;
• connecting a first spring to the driver member for translating the driver member along a first axis;
• connecting a second spring to the driver member for rotating the driver member about the first axis;
• placing the driver member in a cocked position with the first and second springs in a loaded condition so that driver member does not move;
• determining that the sensed flow satisfies a selected delivery threshold and releasing the first spring and retaining the second spring in a loaded condition to translate the driver element to a first uncocked position, thereby to release a dose of medication;
• and
• subsequently releasing the second spring to rotate the driver member to return the first spring to a loaded condition and retaining the driver element in a second uncocked position with the first spring in a loaded condition.

An intrapulmonary drug delivery device, for delivering medication from a cassette body containing a pressurized canister containing a pharmaceutically active drug and a propellant and having a valve thereon comprising:

• a main body member;
• a flow channel formed in the main body;
• an inhalation breath flow sensor for sensing flow in the channel;
• a valve release mechanism for engaging the valved cassette canister and operating the valve;
• means for determining when a sensed inhalation breath flow satisfies a predetermined threshold of flow;
• means for automatically operating the valve to release an amount of medication in response to a determined sensed inhalation breath flow satisfying the predetermined threshold
• a driver member for engaging an inserted cassette having a longitudinal first axis, the driver member being translatable along the first axis and rotatable about the first axis;
• a first spring element having one end fixed and the other end connected to the driver member and moveable between a loaded condition and a released condition, wherein the first spring element moving from the loaded condition to the released condition moves the driver element from a first position to a second position for releasing the amount of medication;
• and
• a second spring element having one end fixed and the other end connected to the driver member and moveable between a loaded condition and a released condition, wherein the second spring element moving from the loaded condition to the released condition moves the driver member from the second position to a third position and said movement places the first spring element in its loaded condition.