Inhaler

Abstract

An inhaler according to an embodiment includes: a main body including a first surface and a second surface facing the first surface and having a suction nozzle, and having a longitudinal passage formed therein from the first surface toward the second surface; a cartridge coupled to the first face of the body and in communication with the channel and containing inhalable powder; the plurality of baffles are arranged in the channel; when the suction nozzle is sucked, the baffle can limit the particle size of inhalable powder conveyed to the suction nozzle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] An inhaler is disclosed. Background Art

[0002] Generally, an inhaler is a device used to inhale a composition, such as a drug or other substance, in liquid or gaseous form, through the oral or nasal cavity during inhalation. Such inhalers are equipped with a container containing an inhalable powder, which is ejected from the container via a tube connected to the container and ultimately into the user's oral or nasal cavity through an inhalation port. In addition to liquid inhalers and steam inhalers, such inhalers also include powder inhalers that eject a fine powder of the composition in the form of microparticles, and aerosol inhalers that deliver the composition in the form of an aerosol.

[0003] Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are used to deliver pharmacological substances into the body in a single inhalation, primarily for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Inhalers utilize fine powders, sized 5 to 10 microns or less, for efficient absorption. A predetermined amount of medication is encapsulated in a hard capsule for metered dosing. In recent years, the application areas of DPIs have continued to expand, encompassing not only single-use and multiple-use powder inhalers but also powder inhalers for selective delivery of pharmacological substances, functional substances, and nicotine.

[0004] The foregoing description is information obtained during the process of developing the present disclosure or information already possessed at the time, and is not necessarily known technology before filing this application.

[0005] Prior Art Document: Korean Patent Gazette No. 10-1759972 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical problems to be solved An object of one embodiment is to provide an inhaler that enables immediate inhalation by fixing a dry powder cartridge without requiring a separate capsule crushing device, and has the function of removing impurities or particles that may cause coughing through the principle of inertial dust collection.

[0007] However, the technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the following description.

[0008] Technical means to solve the problem An inhaler according to one embodiment for achieving the above-mentioned object includes: a main body including a first surface and a second surface facing the first surface and having a mouthpiece, and having a longitudinal channel formed therein from the first surface toward the second surface; a cigarette cartridge coupled to the first surface of the main body and communicating with the channel and containing inhalable powder; and a plurality of baffles disposed in the channel; wherein, when the mouthpiece is subjected to suction, the baffles limit the particle size of the inhalable powder delivered to the mouthpiece.

[0009] According to one aspect, the baffle includes: a first baffle member, one end of which is fixed to the inner wall of the channel and the other end of which extends toward the longitudinal centerline of the channel; and a second baffle member, which further extends toward the centerline and forms an angle with the other end of the first baffle member; wherein the second baffle member can not allow particles of the inhalable powder exceeding a predetermined size to pass through the channel.

[0010] According to one aspect, the second baffle member may extend further beyond the centerline of the channel.

[0011] According to one aspect, the plurality of baffles may be spaced apart from each other within a range of 20% to 70% of the longitudinal length of the body.

[0012] According to one aspect, a portion of the channel close to the second surface may be formed in a spiral shape.

[0013] According to one aspect, the channel may be formed in a shape having a constant cross-sectional area.

[0014] According to one aspect, the channel may be formed in a shape in which a cross-sectional area decreases as approaching the second surface.

[0015] According to one aspect, a mesh net is further included, which is provided between the main body and the cigarette cartridge, and the mesh net can limit the particle size of the inhalable powder flowing from the cigarette cartridge into the channel.

[0016] According to one aspect, a plurality of magnetic fastening members are provided on the first surface of the main body and one side of the cigarette cartridge, and the fastening members of the main body and the cigarette cartridge are detachably coupled to each other.

[0017] According to one aspect, a groove is formed on one side of the cigarette cartridge, the shape of which matches the shape of the end portion of the first surface close to the main body, and the end portion of the main body can be inserted into the groove in a snap-fit ​​manner.

[0018] Effects of the Invention According to an inhaler of an embodiment, immediate inhalation can be achieved by fixing the dry powder cigarette cartridge without requiring a separate capsule crushing device, and impurities or particles that may cause coughing can be removed through the inertial dust collection principle.

[0019] However, the effects of the inhaler according to an embodiment are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 An inhaler according to an embodiment is shown.

[0021] Figure 2 Inhalers are shown with channels of different shapes formed in the body.

[0022] Figure 3 Shown is the main body and the cartridge coupled by magnetic fixation.

[0023] Figure 4 Shown is the main body and the cartridge coupled by a snap-fit ​​method.

[0024] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the present invention, are used to further understand the technical concept of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the contents described in these drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, when assigning reference numerals to components in the drawings, identical components will be designated by the same reference numerals whenever possible, even if they are depicted in different drawings. Furthermore, when describing the embodiments, detailed descriptions of related known technologies may be omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions would unnecessarily obscure the embodiments.

[0026] Furthermore, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used in describing components of the embodiments. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another, and the nature, sequence, or order of the components is not limited by these terms. When a component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "in contact with" another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected or in contact with the other component, or that the other component may be "connected," "coupled," or "in contact with" the other components.

[0027] For the constituent elements and elements with common functions included in a certain embodiment, the same names can be used to describe in another embodiment. Unless otherwise mentioned, the description of a certain embodiment can be applied to other embodiments, and its detailed description will be omitted within the scope of repetition.

[0028] Figure 1 An inhaler 10 according to an embodiment is schematically shown.

[0029] Figure 2 Inhalers 10' are shown with different shaped passages formed in the body 100'.

[0030] Figure 3 The main body 100 and the cigarette cartridge 200 are shown coupled by magnetic fixing.

[0031] Figure 4 The main body 100 and the cigarette cartridge 200 ′ are shown coupled by a snap-fit ​​method.

[0032] Reference Figure 1 According to an embodiment, the inhaler 10 may include a main body 100 , a cigarette cartridge 200 , and a baffle 300 .

[0033] The main body 100 may include a first surface, a second surface facing the first surface, and a plurality of side surfaces surrounding the first and second surfaces. The cigarette cartridge 200 may be coupled to the first surface. The mouthpiece 120 may be disposed on the second surface. A channel 110 may be formed within the main body 100, extending through the first and second surfaces. The channel 110 is a passage for transporting inhalable powder to the mouthpiece 120 for inhalation by the user. At this point, the inhalable powder may be transferred longitudinally from the first surface to the second surface.

[0034] The channel 110 may be formed in a vortex shape, wherein the end portion close to the second surface is spiral-shaped, thereby generating a vortex in the flow of the inhalable powder.

[0035] Refer again Figure 1 , the channel 110 may be formed in a shape having a constant cross-sectional area.

[0036] Reference Figure 2 , the channel 110 ′ may be formed in a shape whose cross-sectional area decreases as approaching the second surface.

[0037] The cross-sectional area or cut-off size of the channels 110 , 110 ′ may be formed such that, for example, the flow rate of the inhalable powder can transition from 1.67 lpm to about 20 to 50 μm or about 50 to 100 μm.

[0038] Furthermore, the main body 100 may be provided with a flow distribution structure for controlling the degree of inhalation of the inhalable powder at the end portion close to the second face.

[0039] In addition, the main body 100 can be made of materials such as PLA, ABS, PC, PP, etc., and can also be made of other biodegradable (environmentally friendly) materials or metals.

[0040] The cigarette cartridge 200 can be coupled to the first side of the main body 100. The interior of the cigarette cartridge 200 can accommodate inhalable powder and can be connected to the interior of the channel 110 of the main body 100. The cigarette cartridge 200 can contain a single or multiple doses of inhalable powder. The inhalable powder can include substances such as nicotine, nicotine salts, caffeine, taurine, vitamins, etc. In addition, the inhalable powder can also include flavoring particles, such as natural flavor particles, menthol, etc. The inhalable powder can be made into, for example, the form of a dry powder. In this case, the dry powder used in the inhaler 10 can be with or without a carrier. The size of the inhalable powder is about 5 to 10 μm, and can include menthol particles of 20 μm or more.

[0041] As described above, the inhalable powder may be delivered through the passage 110 so that the user may inhale the inhalable powder into the body.

[0042] In addition, the cigarette cartridge 200 is detachably coupled to the first surface. Therefore, when the inhalable powder received in the cigarette cartridge 200 is used up, a new cigarette cartridge 200 can be replaced and installed on the main body 100. At this time, the cigarette cartridge 200 can be fixed magnetically or in a snap-fit ​​manner. The fixing method of the cigarette cartridge 200 will be referred to below. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Describe in more detail.

[0043] In addition, the inhaler 10 according to one embodiment is a device that utilizes the inertial force of particles to transport inhalable powder. When the transported inhalable powder particles are larger than a certain size, they may cause the user to cough. Therefore, as a filtering structure to prevent particles or impurities larger than a certain size from entering the body due to coagulation or agglomeration between particles, a plurality of baffles 300 arranged in a zigzag pattern can be provided.

[0044] The baffle 300 may be disposed in the channel 110 .

[0045] When the mouthpiece 120 is subjected to suction, the inhalable powder contained in the cartridge 200 can pass through the channel 110 and be delivered to the mouthpiece 120. At this time, the baffle 300 can control the particle size of the inhalable powder delivered to the mouthpiece 120.

[0046] For example, the baffle 300 may filter particles larger than a predetermined size from the inhalable powder passing through the channel 110 .

[0047] The baffles 300 are provided in plurality, and each baffle 300 can be alternately arranged on the inner wall of the channel 110 along the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 shown.

[0048] Reference Figure 3 , the baffle 300 may include a first baffle member 310 and a second baffle member 320 .

[0049] One end of the first baffle member 310 may be fixed to the inner wall of the channel 110, and the other end may extend toward the longitudinal centerline of the channel 110. For example, the length of the first baffle member 310 may be 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90% of the length in the transverse direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the channel 110.

[0050] The second baffle member 320 may further extend toward the centerline while forming an angle with the other end of the first baffle member 310. The angle formed between the second baffle member 320 and the other end of the first baffle member 310 may be between 30 and 120 degrees. Preferably, the angle may be 90 degrees. The second baffle member 320 may further extend beyond the centerline of the passage 110. The second baffle member 320 may prevent particles in the inhalable powder exceeding a predetermined size from passing through the passage 110.

[0051] Furthermore, the predetermined particle size filtered by the baffles 300 may vary depending on the lengths or shapes of the first and second baffle members 310, 320, or the spacing between the first baffle members 310. Furthermore, the region where the plurality of baffles 300 are provided within the channel 110 may be located at 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, or 70% of the entire longitudinal length of the channel 110.

[0052] As described above, by providing a plurality of baffles in the passage 110 through which the inhalable powder passes, the inhaler 10 according to an embodiment can prevent particles or impurities above a certain size from being transferred into the body.

[0053] Refer again Figure 1 and Figure 2 The inhaler 10 according to one embodiment may further include a mesh net 400 .

[0054] The mesh net 400 may be disposed between the main body 100 and the cartridge 200. The mesh net 400 may limit the particle size of the inhalable powder flowing from the cartridge 200 into the channel 110. That is, the mesh net 400 may pre-filter the inhalable powder exceeding a predetermined size before the inhalable powder is filtered by the baffle 300.

[0055] In addition, the mesh net can be made of the same material as the main body 100, such as polylactic acid (PLA), etc. In addition, the mesh net can also be made of a metal that is chemically stable and non-toxic upon inhalation, such as stainless steel, etc.

[0056] Reference Figure 3 According to one embodiment, the inhaler 10 may be provided with a plurality of fastening members 220 on the main body 100 and the cigarette cartridge 200. The fastening members 220 may be provided near the first surface of the main body 100. In addition, the fastening members 200 may be provided on one side of the cigarette cartridge 200, and their positions correspond to the fastening members 220 provided on the main body 100. The fastening members 220 may be provided as magnetic structures, such as magnets. The fastening members 220 of the main body 100 and the fastening members 220 of the cigarette cartridge 200 may be provided as magnets of different polarities and detachably coupled to each other.

[0057] Reference Figure 4 According to another embodiment, a cartridge 200' of an inhaler may have a groove 220' formed on one side. The groove 220' may be formed in a similar shape to the end portion of the first surface near the main body 100. Thus, the end portion of the main body 100 may be inserted and coupled to the groove 220' of the cartridge 200' in a snap-fit ​​manner.

[0058] As described above, the inhaler 10 according to one embodiment can selectively remove particles larger than a specific size using the zigzag-shaped baffles 300 while delivering the inhalable powder, and the user can inhale the inhalable powder multiple times or once.

[0059] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention are described through specific details such as specific components, limited embodiments and drawings, but these are only used to help more fully understand the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various changes and strains based on the description. For example, the described technology is performed in an order different from the described method, and / or the described structures, devices and other constituent elements are combined or combined in a form different from the described method, or replaced or replaced by other constituent elements or equivalent schemes, and appropriate results can also be obtained. Therefore, other embodiments, other embodiments and equivalent schemes of the scope of the claims all fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An inhaler, characterized in that include: a main body comprising a first surface and a second surface facing the first surface and having a suction nozzle, and having a longitudinal channel formed therein from the first surface toward the second surface; a cartridge coupled to the first side of the body and communicating with the passageway and containing an inhalable powder; and a plurality of baffles disposed in the channel; Wherein, when the suction nozzle is subjected to suction, the baffle limits the particle size of the inhalable powder delivered to the suction nozzle.

2. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein The baffle comprises: a first baffle member, one end of which is fixed to the inner wall of the channel and the other end of which extends toward the longitudinal centerline of the channel; and a second baffle member extending further toward the centerline and forming an angle with the other end of the first baffle member; The second baffle member does not allow particles of the inhalable powder exceeding a predetermined size to pass through the passage.

3. The inhaler according to claim 2, wherein The second baffle member further extends beyond the centerline of the channel.

4. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein The plurality of baffles are spaced apart from each other in a range of 20% to 70% of the longitudinal length of the body.

5. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein A portion of the channel close to the second surface is formed in a spiral shape.

6. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein The channel is formed into a shape having a constant cross-sectional area.

7. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein The channel is formed in a shape whose cross-sectional area decreases as it approaches the second surface.

8. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein Also includes: A mesh net is provided between the main body and the cigarette cartridge. The mesh net limits the particle size of the inhalable powder flowing from the cartridge into the channel.

9. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein A plurality of magnetic fastening members are provided on the first surface of the main body and one side of the cigarette cartridge. The main body and the cigarette cartridge's respective fastening members are detachably coupled to each other.

10. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein A groove is formed on one side of the cigarette cartridge, the shape of which matches the shape of the end portion of the first surface close to the main body. The end of the main body is inserted into the groove in a snap-fit ​​manner.

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