Pre-metered dose magazine for breath-actuated dry powder inhaler

A pre-metered dose assembly, comprising:

• a cap defining a delivery passageway;
• a rigid unitary structure magazine including a plurality of integral reservoirs, one of the magazine and the cap movable with respect to the other of the magazine and the cap for sequentially positioning the reservoirs to be adjacent to the delivery passageway of the cap;
• doses of dry powder contained in the reservoirs of the magazine;
• a film secured to the magazine and covering the dry powder in the reservoirs in a substantially airtight manner;
• and
• the cap includes means for piercing the film above each of the reservoirs prior to the reservoir being positioned within the delivery passageway of the cap.

An inhaler comprising:

• a cap defining a dry powder delivery passageway;
• a magazine including a plurality of reservoirs for holding pre-metered doses of dry powder, one of the magazine and the cap movable with respect to the other of the magazine and the cap for sequentially positioning the reservoirs within the delivery passageway of the cap;
• a chamber having an inner wall extending along an axis between a first end attached to the cap and the magazine and a second end, and cross-sectional areas arranged transverse to the axis and decreasing monotonically from the first end to the second end of the chamber;
• a dry powder supply port in the first end of the chamber in fluid communication with the dry powder delivery port of the cap, wherein the dry powder supply port faces in a direction substantially parallel to the axis;
• an outlet port at a second end of the chamber, wherein the outlet port extends substantially transverse to the axis;
• vanes at the first end of the chamber extending at least in part radially outwardly from the axis of the chamber, each of the vanes having an oblique surface facing at least in part in a direction transverse to the axis;
• and
• at least one inlet port in the inner wall adjacent to the first end of the chamber providing fluid communication between a region exterior to the inhaler and the first end of the chamber, wherein the at least one inlet port extends in a direction substantially transverse to the axis and substantially tangential to the chamber.

A method of providing pre-metered doses of dry powder for patient inhalation through a breath-actuated dry powder inhaler including a chamber extending along an axis from a first end to a second end, a dry powder supply port in the first end of the chamber, and an outlet port at the second end of the chamber, the method comprising:

• pre-metering a plurality of doses of dry powder;
• defining a dry powder delivery passageway for providing air to the dry powder supply port of the chamber;
• positioning at least one of the pre-metered doses of dry powder within the delivery passageway;
• inducing a low pressure at the outlet port of the chamber of the inhaler through patient inhalation to create an air flow through the dry powder delivery passageway, the dry powder supply port, the chamber, and the outlet port and into the patient's lungs;
• and
• restricting the air flow through the delivery passageway so that the air flow entrains the pre-metered dose of dry powder;
• directing the breath-actuated air flow entraining the pre-metered dose of dry powder through the supply port in a substantially longitudinal direction into the first end of the chamber with respect to the axis of the chamber;
• directing a second breath-actuated air flow in a substantially transverse direction into the first end of the chamber with respect to the axis of the chamber such that the second air flow collides and substantially combines with the entraining air flow;
• deflecting a portion of the combined air flows in a substantially axial direction towards the second end of the chamber;
• directing the remaining portion of the combined air flows in a substantially spiral path towards the second end of the chamber;
• and
• directing all the combined air flows from the second end of the chamber through the outlet port in a substantially transverse direction with respect to the axis of the chamber.

A method of providing pre-metered doses of dry powder for patient inhalation through a breath-actuated dry powder inhaler including a chamber extending along an axis from a first end to a second end, a dry powder supply port in the first end of the chamber, and an outlet port at the second end of the chamber, the method comprising:

• defining a dry powder delivery passageway for providing air to the dry powder supply port of the chamber of the breath-actuated dry powder inhaler;
• and
• providing a rigid unitary structure magazine including a plurality of integral reservoirs;
• pre-metering at least one dose of dry powder within each reservoir of the magazine;
• moving the magazine with respect to the dry powder delivery passageway to sequentially position one of the reservoirs within the delivery passageway;
• inducing a low pressure at the outlet port of the chamber of the inhaler through patient inhalation to create an air flow through the dry powder delivery passageway, the dry powder supply port, the chamber, and the outlet port and into the patient's lungs;
• and
• restricting the air flow through the delivery passageway so that the air flow entrains the at least one pre-metered dose of dry powder from the reservoir positioned in the passageway;
• and
• sealing the pre-metered doses in an airtight maimer within the reservoirs of the magazine using a film.

A breath-actuated dry powder inhaler comprising:

• a pre-metered dose assembly including a cap defining a delivery passageway, and a magazine including a plurality of reservoirs, and wherein one of the magazine and the cap is movable with respect to the other of the magazine and the cap for sequentially positioning the reservoirs within the delivery passageway of the cap;
• and
• a de-agglomerator including,
• an inner wall defining a chamber extending along an axis from a first end to a second end having an outlet port, wherein the chamber of the de-agglomerator includes cross-sectional areas arranged transverse to the axis and decreasing monotonically from the first end to the second end of the chamber,
• a dry powder supply port in the first end of the chamber facing in a direction substantially parallel to the axis, and in fluid communication with the dry powder delivery port of the cap,
• an outlet port at a second end of the chamber extending substantially transverse to the axis,
• at least one inlet port in the inner wall adjacent to the first end of the chamber and extending substantially transverse to the axis and substantially tangential to the chamber, and
• vanes at the first end of the chamber extending at least in part radially outwardly from the axis of the chamber, each of the vanes having an oblique surface facing at least in part in a direction transverse to the axis.

A pre-metered dose assembly, comprising:

• a. cap defining a delivery passageway;
• and
• a rigid unitary structure magazine including a plurality of integral reservoirs, one of the magazine and the cap movable with respect to the other of the magazine and the cap for sequentially positioning the reservoirs within the delivery passageway of the cap;
• a unitary structure means sealing each of the reservoirs of the magazine in a substantially airtight manner prior the reservoir being positioned within the delivery passageway of the cap, and maintaining said reservoirs unsealed otherwise.