Claims for Patent: 5,035,237

Summary for Patent: 5,035,237

Title:	Devices for administering medicaments to patients
Abstract:	A device is provided for administering medicaments in solid finely divided form to patients. The device comprises 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. (Middlesex, GB2), Rand; Paul K. (Hertfordshire, GB2), Fitzsimmons; Robert A. (Durham, GB2)
Assignee:
Application Number:	07/290,628
Patent Claims:	1. In a device for administering medicaments to patients, the medicaments being in solid finely divided form and enclosed within at least one puncturable container mounted on a carrier, said device comprising a housing which includes a base member and a lid pivotally mounted thereon for pivotal movement about an axis between a closed position and an open position and having a plunger connected thereto; the device further including a tray slidably mounted on said housing for movement between a first position in which the tray is substantially surrounded by the housing and a second extended position in which a portion of the tray is removed from said housing but the tray remains in contact with said housing, the tray further including a support on which said carrier is mounted; means for sliding the tray into its first position thereby bringing said one puncturable medicament container into registration with the plunger and means for pivotally moving said lid from its closed position to its open position thereby puncturing a medicament container while the tray is in its first position, said tray having an air inlet through which, in use, air enters the device and an outlet through which a patient inhales and whereby medicament is released from said one punctured container and entrained in an air flow produced by a patient. 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the third tray has a third position in which the tray is completely removed from the housing. 3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the support is rotatably mounted on the tray to receive a carrier having a plurality of medicament containers arranged in a circle. 4. A device according to claim 3, wherein indexing means are provided operably by movement of the tray from its first to its second position and back to its first position to cause the support to be indexed to bring the next container into registration with the plunger. 5. A device according to claim 3, 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 receives a respective medicament container. 6. A device according to claim 3, wherein the plunger is of such a length that it completely penetrates the container aligned therewith to produce an air flow passage therethrough and wherein the support has a plurality of ribs on a face thereof, the ribs cooperating with means provided on the housing adjacent the said outlet to define, together with said passage through the container, a substantially isolated air flow path which leads from the side of the container nearer the plunger, through the container and thence to the said outlet. 7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the support is adapted to receive a carrier having a single medicament container. 8. A device according to claim 7, further comprising a magazine adapted to receive at least one further carrier. 9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the plunger is located adjacent said axis. 10. A device according to claim 1, wherein the plunger is curved in a direction such as to reduce the size of hole which it produces in the container on penetration. 11. A device according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is a blister pack defining at least one blister as the said container. 12. A device according to claim 1, in combination with another such device to form an integral device. 13. A device according to claim 12, wherein said another such device is back-to-back in tandem with the first mentioned device. 14. A device according to claim 9, whereby the plunger is arranged to penetrate a container when the lid is moved to its open position and to leave the container when lid is moved from its open position towards its closed position.