Allen Hanburys Limited

Michael James

Paul Kenneth Rand

Gerald W Hallworth

An inhaler device for administering medicaments contained in capsules of the kind including a capsule body portion fitted with a capsule cap portion. The device has a body shell provided with an internal chamber. An air inlet opening leads into the chamber. An outlet nozzle through which air can be aspirated leads from the chamber. A capsule receptacle is located inside the chamber, and is arranged so that one of said portions of a capsule can be retained therein. A capsule opening means is positioned in the chamber to engage the other said portion of the capsule retained in the capsule receptacle. The receptacle and the opening means being movable with respect to one another to separate the two said capsule portions from each other.

Device for dispensing medicaments

An inhalation device by which powdered medicaments can be self-administered to a patient comprising a chamber arranged to receive a capsule containing the powdered medicament. At least one air inlet aperture leading into the chamber. A nozzle through which air can be inhaled leads from the chamber. A magazine is slidable and rotatable in the chamber and has a longitudinal capsule loading receptacle arranged so that a capsule inserted therein will have an end portion projecting from the receptacle into the chamber. A knife is fixed in the chamber in such a position that rotation of the magazine with respect to the chamber will cause the projecting portion of a capsule located in the receptacle to engage a cutting edge of the knife thereby to sever the projecting portion of the capsule from the remainder of the capsule. A capsule ejecting member is arranged inside the chamber in a position such that it will enter the capsule loading receptacle when such receptacle has first been registered with the member by appropriate rotation of the magazine with respect to the chamber and then by sliding the magazine with respect to the chamber thereby to eject the remaining part of the capsule from the loading receptacle into the chamber so that the contents of the capsule may be inhaled through the nozzle.

An inhalation device for self-administration to a patient powdered medicaments contained in a capsule. A chamber receives a capsule containing a powdered medicament. The chamber has a nozzle through which air from the chamber can be inhaled and the air inlet apertures leading into the chamber and so arranged that the air flow caused by inhalation through the nozzle will cause the capsule to be agitated. A magazine is slidable in the chamber to and from an operative position and is also rotatable in the chamber. The magazine has therein a capsule loading passage and at least one other passage. A capsule piercing needle and a capsule ejecting member are so arranged and positioned inside the chamber that the said passages can be registered as desired with either the needle or the ejector member on rotation of the magazine and so that movement of the magazine to the operative position will cause a capsule in a passage registered with the needle to engage the needle and be pierced by it and will cause a capsule in a passage registered with the ejector member to be engaged by the member thereby to displace the capsule from its passage into the chamber so that the powdered medicament from the pierced capsule can be aspirated through the nozzle by the inhalation of the patient.

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Welwyn Garden City, United Kingdom

Michael James