Claims for Patent: 8,387,615

Summary for Patent: 8,387,615

Title:	Inhaler cap strap
Abstract:	An inhaler (1) for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation said inhaling which comprises a body (7) which includes a mouthpiece (5) through which the medicament is dispensed and a cap (2) which can be place in a position to substantially occlude the mouthpiece (5). The cap (2) is attached to said body (7) by a strap (3) which pivots from said body (7), said cap (2) being arranged to slide on the strap (3) such that the cap (2) must translate away from the mouthpiece (5) prior to the pivoting of the strap (3).
Inventor(s):	Bunce; Martin (Marlborough, GB)
Assignee:	AstraZeneca AB (Sodertalje, SE)
Application Number:	10/579,481
Patent Claims:	1. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation, said inhaler comprising: a body including a mouthpiece through which said medicament is dispensed; and a cap which can be placed in a position to substantially occlude said mouthpiece, wherein: said cap is attached to said body by an integrally molded strap which pivots from said body, said body having a base having contours, such that said strap underlies said body and substantially follows the contours of the base, said cap, when placed in the position to substantially occlude said mouthpiece, is configured to slide on said strap such that said cap translates away and completely disengages from said mouthpiece by sliding on said strap and prior to the pivoting of said strap, wherein said cap includes an opening for receiving the strap as the cap translates towards the mouthpiece, and said cap comprises a lug for preventing removal of the cap from the strap. 2. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mouthpiece projects from said body. 3. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cap both occludes said mouthpiece and overlies at least a part of a projection of the said mouthpiece. 4. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inhaler is a plastic material. 5. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said container is pressurized. 6. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inhaler is a metered dose inhaler. 7. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inhaler is configured to stand upright and unsupported when the base is placed on a support surface, such that when the inhaler is standing upright, the strap, by substantially following the contours of the base, is located between the base and the support surface. 8. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation as claimed in claim 7, wherein the strap has an indentation for following the contours of the base. 9. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the length of the strap is configured to allow movement of the cap such that the cap, when in the position to substantially occlude said mouthpiece, is permitted to translate away from the mouthpiece to allow the pivoting of said strap. 10. An inhaler for dispensing doses of medicament from a container under user activation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strap is configured to pivot such that the cap may abut the rear of the body opposite the mouthpiece.