Claims for Patent: 4,811,731

Summary for Patent: 4,811,731

Title:	Devices for administering medicaments to patients
Abstract:	A device is provided for administering medicaments in solid finely divided form to patients. The device comprising a housing, a tray mounted in the housing and movable between first and second positions relative to the housing, a support disc provided on the tray and adapted to receive a carrier provided with at least one medicament container. A plunger is operable to penetrate a container registered therewith to open the container, movement of the tray from its first to its second position being such as to cause the support to bring a container into registration with the plunger. Air enters through an air inlet and there is an outlet through which a patient can inhale air having medicament therein.
Inventor(s):	Newell; Robert E. (Pinner, GB2), Rand; Paul K. (Nitchin, GB2), Fitzsimmons; Robert A. (Barnard Castle, GB2)
Assignee:	Glaxo Group Limited (London, GB2)
Application Number:	06/891,536
Patent Claims:	1. A device for administering medicaments in solid finely divided form to patients, comprising a housing; a tray mounted in the housing and rectilinearly slidable between first and second positions relative to the housing; a support provided on the tray and adapted to receive a carrier provided with at least one medicament container; plunger means on said housing for penetrating a container received on said carrier when said tray is in said second position to open the container, air inlet means in said housing through which air can enter the device, and outlet means through which a patient can inhale whereby medicament from an opened container will be entrained in the air flow produced by the patient, air entering the air inlet means and passing out through the outlet means having entrained medicament therein, and means rotatably mounting said support on said tray such that said support may receive a carrier having a plurality of medicament container arranged in a circle. 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein indexing means is provided between said housing and said support and is operable upon movement of the tray from its first to its second position to cause the support to be indexed to bring the next container into registration with the plunger means. 3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the support is in the form of a disc having a plurality of apertures therethrough, the apertures being arranged in a circle so that each is adapted to receive a respective medicament container. 4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the plunger means is of such a length that it completely penetrates the container aligned therewith to produce an air flow passage therethrough, said air inlet means and said outlet means being positioned at opposite ends of the air flow passage, and wherein the support has a plurality of rib means for bracketing each container when received on said support, and upstanding means provided on the housing adjacent the said outlet means and positioned to be aligned with respective ones of said rib means to define, together with the passage through the container, a substantially isolated air flow path which leads from said air inlet means through the penetrated container and thence to the said outlet means.