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US 8,132,712 B2Granted
Metered-dose inhaler
AssigneeIvax Pharmaceuticals Ireland
InventorDerek Fenlon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A metered dose inhaler dose counter, the counter includes: an actuator; a rotary gear wheel having a plurality of ratchet teeth; a driver for driving the rotary gear in a step-wise fashion in response to displacement of the actuator; a pawl that prevents reverse rotation of the rotary gear; and a display coupled to the rotary gear.
Claims19
A dose counter for a metered-dose inhaler, the counter comprising:
- an actuator;
- a rotary gear;
- a driver for driving the rotary gear in a step-wise fashion in response to displacement of the actuator, the rotary gear comprising a wheel mounted on a spindle which wheel having a plurality of ratchet teeth around its periphery;
- a pawl to prevent reverse rotation of the rotary gear;
- and a display coupled to the rotary gear, the display having a visible array of incrementing integers on a surface thereof indexable by a single integer in response to each step of the step-wise rotary motion of the rotary gear;
- wherein the pawl comprises at least two ratchet teeth each for engaging with the ratchet teeth of the wheel to prevent reverse rotation of the rotary gear, the at least two ratchet teeth being radially spaced such that one of the at least two ratchet teeth of the pawl engages with the ratchet teeth of the wheel following each step of the step-wise rotary motion of the rotary gear.
3 more elements
The use of a dose counter for preventing miscounting in a metered dose inhaler, the dose counter comprising:
- an actuator;
- a rotary gear;
- a driver for driving the rotary gear in a step-wise fashion in response to displacement of the actuator, the rotary gear comprising a wheel mounted on a spindle which wheel having a plurality of ratchet teeth around its periphery;
- a pawl to prevent reverse rotation of the rotary gear;
- and a display coupled to the rotary gear, the display having a visible array of incrementing integers on a surface thereof indexable by a single integer in response to each step of the step-wise rotary motion of the rotary gear;
- wherein the pawl comprises at least two ratchet teeth each for engaging with the ratchet teeth of the wheel to prevent reverse rotation of the rotary gear, the at least two ratchet teeth being radially spaced such that one of the at least two ratchet teeth of the pawl engages with the ratchet teeth of the wheel following each step of the step-wise rotary motion of the rotary gear.
3 more elements
The use of a dose counter for preventing undercounting in a metered dose inhaler, the dose counter comprising:
- an actuator;
- a rotary gear;
- a driver for driving the rotary gear in a step-wise fashion in response to displacement of the actuator, the rotary gear comprising a wheel mounted on a spindle which wheel having a plurality of ratchet teeth around its periphery;
- a pawl to prevent reverse rotation of the rotary gear;
- and a display coupled to the rotary gear, the display having a visible array of incrementing integers on a surface thereof indexable by a single integer in response to each step of the step-wise rotary motion of the rotary gear;
- wherein the pawl comprises at least two ratchet teeth each for engaging with the ratchet teeth of the wheel to prevent reverse rotation of the rotary gear, the at least two ratchet teeth being radially spaced such that one of the at least two ratchet teeth of the pawl engages with the ratchet teeth of the wheel following each step of the step-wise rotary motion of the rotary gear.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.