US 12,214,121 B2
Dry powder inhaler
Andreas Meliniotis, Cambridgeshire (GB); and Roger Clarke, Cambridgeshire (GB)
Assigned to VECTURA DELIVERY DEVICES LIMITED, (GB)
Appl. No. 17/276,398
Filed by VECTURA DELIVERY DEVICES LIMITED, Wiltshire (GB)
PCT Filed Sep. 16, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/074737
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 15, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/058206, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 18194962 (EP), filed on Sep. 17, 2018; and application No. 18209763 (EP), filed on Dec. 3, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0040420 A1, Feb. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. A61M 15/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 15/0051 (2014.02) [A61M 15/0025 (2014.02); A61M 15/0026 (2014.02); A61M 15/007 (2014.02); A61M 2202/064 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inhaler comprising:
a housing which contains a blister strip having a plurality of blisters which contain powdered medicament for inhalation,
a mouthpiece through which the medicament is inhaled by a user,
an indexing wheel for indexing the blister strip and an opening mechanism for opening the blisters,
an actuator which is movable between a first position and a second position in order to operate the indexing wheel and the opening mechanism,
a coupling mechanism for coupling the actuator to the indexing wheel so that the indexing wheel rotates together with the actuator during part of the motion of the actuator,
characterized in that the coupling mechanism comprises a non-flexible shuttle that rotates on the same axis as the indexing wheel, and the entire shuttle translates along said axis axially relative to, the indexing wheel.