Inhaler

Abstract

An inhaler according to an embodiment comprises: a nozzle including a capsule containing a functional material; a housing, one end of which is open so that the suction nozzle is inserted into the housing; a piercing part disposed inside the housing and extending from the other end of the housing toward one end of the housing; a sliding part which is coupled to the suction nozzle and slides inside the housing; and a stopper which is attached to one side of the housing and restricts the movement distance of the sliding part, and which can secure an air inflow space between the suction nozzle and the sliding part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] An inhaler is disclosed. Background Art

[0002] Existing dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are used to deliver a single, standardized dose of medication into the body. They are already used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. They use fine powders with particle sizes ranging from 5 to 10 μm to ensure effective absorption of the medication. Furthermore, hard capsules can be filled with a metered dose of medication to deliver a standardized dose.

[0003] The above-mentioned background technology refers to the technology possessed or acquired by the inventor in the process of deriving the present invention, and is not necessarily the known technology disclosed to the general public before submitting this application.

[0004] Prior art document: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2006-0126490 Summary of the Invention

[0005] Technical problems to be solved

[0006] An object of one embodiment is to provide an inhaler capable of inhaling dry powder and having a perforated and coupled structure for a disposable or reusable dry powder inhalation rod.

[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 ordinary technicians in this field through the following description.

[0008] Technical solutions to solve problems

[0009] An inhaler according to one embodiment for achieving the above-mentioned object includes: a mouthpiece including a capsule containing a functional material; a housing having one end open so that the mouthpiece can be inserted therein; a piercing portion disposed within the housing and extending from the other end toward one end of the housing; a sliding portion coupled to the mouthpiece and slidably movable within the housing; and a stopper mounted on one side of the housing and limiting the movement distance of the sliding portion, thereby ensuring that air flows into the space between the mouthpiece and the sliding portion.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the sliding portion includes: a moving member that slides inside the shell and has a cylindrical main body; and a plurality of placing members that are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction and are arranged on one surface of each of the moving members and protrude toward one end of the shell. The placing members can be formed in a stepped shape, and the protruding height becomes lower as it approaches the center of the placing member, and the end of the suction nozzle is combined with the placing member to form the air inflow space.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the system further comprises: a plurality of guide grooves respectively formed on the side surfaces of the moving member and respectively arranged between two spaced-apart placement members, wherein the guide grooves can be combined with guide rails formed on the inner side of the housing.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the housing further includes a through hole which penetrates the movable member in the same direction as the moving direction of the movable member, and the piercing portion can pass through the through hole when the movable member slides in the direction from one end of the housing toward the other end.

[0013] According to one embodiment, in the through hole, a diameter of an opening adjacent to the other end of the housing may be larger than a diameter of an opening adjacent to one end of the housing.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the present invention further includes: a spring, one end of which is coupled to the sliding portion, and the other end is coupled to the other end of the shell. When the sliding portion is pressed and moves toward the other end of the shell, the spring can be compressed. When the sliding portion is not pressed, the spring can support the sliding portion so that the sliding portion is located at a position separated from the piercing portion toward one end of the shell.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the stopper may be located inside the housing such that one end of the stopper is located outside the housing and the other end of the stopper is located inside the outer periphery of the sliding portion.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the stopper is formed with an air inlet penetrating the inside of the stopper, and the air inlet can connect the air inflow space and the outside of the housing.

[0017] Technical Effects

[0018] An inhaler according to an embodiment is capable of inhaling dry powder and can be used for perforating and combining disposable or reusable dry powder inhalation rods.

[0019] However, the effects of the inhaler according to an embodiment are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, 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 is a perspective view of an inhaler according to an embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an inhaler according to an embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3is a cross-sectional view of an inhaler according to an embodiment, wherein the capsule is pierced by a piercing portion.

[0023] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sliding portion of an inhaler according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a sliding portion of an inhaler according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 6 A stopper of an inhaler according to an embodiment is shown.

[0026] 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

[0027] 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.

[0028] In addition, in the description of the constituent elements of the embodiments, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the constituent element from another constituent element, and the nature, sequence, or order of the constituent element is not limited by these terms. When a constituent element is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "in contact with" another constituent element, it should be understood that the constituent element can be directly connected or in contact with the other constituent element, or it can be understood that another constituent element is "connected," "coupled," or "in contact with" the constituent elements.

[0029] For constituent elements included in a certain embodiment and constituent elements having common functions, the same names may be used to describe in another embodiment. Unless otherwise stated, the description recorded in a certain embodiment may apply to other embodiments, and its detailed description will be omitted within the scope of repetition.

[0030] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inhaler 10 according to an embodiment.

[0031] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an inhaler 10 according to one embodiment.

[0032] Figure 3FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inhaler 10 according to one embodiment, wherein the capsule C is pierced by the piercing portion 300 .

[0033] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sliding portion 400 of the inhaler 10 according to one embodiment.

[0034] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sliding portion 400 of the inhaler 10 according to one embodiment.

[0035] Figure 6 A stopper 500 of an inhaler 10 is shown according to an embodiment.

[0036] Reference Figures 1 to 3 According to one embodiment, the inhaler 10 may include a mouthpiece 100, a housing 200, a piercing portion 300, a sliding portion 400, and a stopper 500. The components of the inhaler 10 according to one embodiment may be made of materials such as polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), or other biodegradable (environmentally friendly) materials. Alternatively, these materials may be metals, such as aluminum.

[0037] The nozzle 100 can be formed into a cylindrical shape extending in the length direction, and an air inlet can be formed on its side. A capsule C containing a functional material can be included in the nozzle 100. The functional material can include, for example, nicotine, nicotine salts, caffeine, taurine, vitamins, etc. The functional material can be included in the capsule C in the form of a dry powder, for example. In this case, the size of the dry powder is about 5μm to 10μm, and the dry powder can include menthol particles of 20μm or more. Alternatively, the size of the dry powder can be less than 5μm. Such dry powder may or may not contain a carrier. In this case, the size of the carrier is 20μm to 50μm or more, and can be about 100μm. The suction end of the nozzle 100 that the user contacts can include a mesh, and the material of the mesh can include the same polylactic acid (PLA) as the shell 200, or a chemically safe and non-inhalation toxic metal, such as stainless steel. The nozzle 100 may be made of a composite of other biodegradable (environmentally friendly) materials, paper, cellulose acetate tow, and the like.

[0038] One end of the housing 200 may be open. The housing 200 may be configured in various shapes, such as a circular or rectangular shape, so that the user can easily hold it. The nozzle 100 may be inserted into the interior of the housing 200 through one end. The housing 200 may be separated into an upper housing and a lower housing to facilitate operations such as maintaining the components inside the housing 200 or removing internal contaminants. The upper housing and the lower housing may be configured to be able to be separated or combined by a screw structure formed on the upper housing.

[0039] The piercing portion 300 can be disposed inside the housing 200. The piercing portion 300 can be configured at the other end of the housing 200. Such a piercing portion 300 can extend toward one end. The piercing portion 300 can pierce the capsule C. The piercing portion 300 can be coupled to the other end of the housing 200 as a replaceable structure for separate maintenance. For example, the piercing portion 300 can be configured as a needle. The piercing portion 300 can be configured as a single needle, but preferably, two needles can be configured in parallel. The two needles can be the same or different in length, and needles of different lengths can be used with different diameters. The diameter of the needle can be configured to be, for example, 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.9 mm, or 1.0 mm, and preferably, it can be configured to be 0.7 mm.

[0040] The sliding portion 400 can be configured to slide inside the housing 200. In this case, a concave-convex structure can be formed inside the housing 200 to prevent the sliding portion 400 from deviating from its path. For example, a guide rail can be formed inside the housing 200 to which the sliding portion 400 can be movably coupled. With such a structure, the sliding portion 400 can be moved parallel to the piercing portion 300 when the suction nozzle 100 and the sliding portion 400 are lowered to pierce the capsule C. The end of the suction nozzle 100 can be coupled to the sliding portion 400. When the sliding portion 400 slides, the suction nozzle 100 can also move with it. In addition, when the suction nozzle 100 is coupled to the sliding portion 400, a space for air to flow in can be formed between the suction nozzle 100 and the sliding portion 400.

[0041] A stopper 500 may be installed on a side of the housing. The stopper 500 may limit the moving distance of the sliding portion 400.

[0042] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The inhaler 10 according to one embodiment may further include a spring 600 .

[0043] One end of the spring 600 may be coupled to the sliding portion 400, and the other end of the spring 600 may be coupled to the other end of the housing 200. For example, the piercing portion 300 including two needles may be disposed at a distance smaller than the diameter of the spring 600 and may be configured to be surrounded by the spring 600.

[0044] Reference Figure 2 When the nozzle 100 or the sliding portion 400 is not pressed by an external force, the spring 600 can support the sliding portion 400 so that the sliding portion 400 is located at a position spaced apart from the piercing portion 300 toward one end of the housing 200.

[0045] Reference Figure 3When the nozzle 100 or the sliding portion 400 is pressed and moves toward the other end of the housing 200, the spring 600 may be compressed. Thus, as the piercing portion 300 penetrates the sliding portion 400 and the nozzle 100, the capsule C contained in the nozzle 100 may be pierced.

[0046] The interior of capsule C may contain, for example, a functional material in dry powder form. As described above, when capsule C is pierced by piercing portion 300, the functional material in capsule C becomes inhalable by the user. Furthermore, since the user inhales the functional material with capsule C secured to nozzle 100, inhalation resistance may increase.

[0047] Reference Figure 4 The sliding portion 400 may include a moving member, a seating member 410 , a guide groove 420 and a through hole 430 .

[0048] The movable member may have a cylindrical body. The placement member 410 may be formed on one side of the movable member 410, and a protruding member may be formed on the other side thereof, protruding cylindrically toward the other end of the housing 200. The diameter of the protruding member may be smaller than that of the movable member. One end of the spring 600 may be coupled to the protruding member. This allows the movable member to efficiently compress the spring 600. In this case, the wire diameter of the spring 600 may be between 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm.

[0049] The placing member 410 may be provided in plurality and may be arranged on one side of the moving member. In this case, the plurality of placing members 410 may be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the moving member. The placing member 410 may protrude from one side of the moving member toward one end of the housing 200.

[0050] The placement member 410 may be formed into a two-step shape, for example. Figure 4 As shown, the placement member 410 can be formed into a step-like shape, and the closer the height of its protrusion from one side of the mobile member is to the center of the placement member 410, the lower it is. The end of the suction nozzle 100 can be placed on such a placement member 410. Due to the stepped shape of the placement member 410, the suction nozzle 100 can not contact with the one side of the mobile member, and can ensure that air flows into the space between its one side and the suction nozzle 100. Thus, the inhaler 10 according to an embodiment can achieve smooth air flow, and under the state that the suction nozzle 100 is fastened to the placement member 410, the user can easily inhale the functional material in the capsule C.

[0051] The guide groove 420 may be formed on a side surface of the moving member. A plurality of guide grooves 420 may be provided, and each guide groove 420 may be disposed between two spaced-apart seating members 410 .

[0052] A guide rail may be formed inside the housing 200 along the longitudinal direction of the housing 200. In the sliding portion 400, the guide rail may be combined with the guide groove 420. Therefore, when the sliding portion 400 moves inside the housing 200, the sliding portion 400 may move along the guide rail and may be prevented from rotating during the movement.

[0053] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 The through hole 430 can be formed to penetrate the moving member in the same direction as the moving direction of the moving member. When the moving member slides from one end of the housing 200 to the other end, the piercing portion 300 can pass through such a through hole 430.

[0054] Reference Figure 5 The through hole 430 can be formed in a trumpet shape. For example, the diameter of the opening of the through hole 430 adjacent to the other end of the housing 200 can be larger than the diameter of the opening adjacent to one end of the housing 200. This shape of the through hole 430 allows the piercing portion 300 to pass through the through hole 430 smoothly, thereby allowing the piercing portion 300 to reach the capsule C.

[0055] Refer again Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the stopper 500 can be inserted into the side of the housing 200 along the transverse direction of the housing 200. The stopper 500 can be inserted so that one end thereof is located outside the housing 200 and the other end is located inside the housing 200 of the sliding portion 400. At this time, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the other end of the stopper 500 may be inserted into the housing 200 so as to be located further inward than the outer circumference of the moving member.

[0056] Reference Figure 6 , the stopper 500 can be formed with an air inlet 510 that runs through the inside of the stopper 500. The air inlet 510 can be communicated with the air inflow space between the above-mentioned suction nozzle 100 and the sliding portion 400 and the outside of the housing 200. Therefore, the inhaler 10 according to an embodiment can make air flow flow into the air inflow space smoothly from the outside, thereby allowing the user to easily inhale the functional material in the capsule C. A plurality of stoppers 500 can be provided to guarantee that air flows in the inhaler 10 smoothly. For example, a plurality of stoppers 500 can be configured in a symmetrical manner about the origin respectively. The stopper 500 can utilize interference fit etc. to be incorporated in the inhaler 10.

[0057] As described above, in the inhaler 10 according to one embodiment, one end of the nozzle 100 is fixed to the mounting member 410 of the sliding portion 400 to ensure that air flows into the space between the nozzle 100 and the sliding portion 400, thereby allowing air to flow smoothly from both the end of the nozzle 100 and the side of the nozzle 100.

[0058] Furthermore, the inhaler 10 according to an embodiment can perform inhalation in a state where the housing 200 is coupled to the mouthpiece 100 to ensure similarity in inhalation resistance, and the inhalation resistance level when the mouthpiece 100 is fastened can be 30 mmH2O to 50 mmH2O.

[0059] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention are described through specific contents such as specific constituent elements, limited embodiments and drawings, but these are only used to help understand the present invention more comprehensively. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations 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 equivalents, and appropriate results can also be obtained. Therefore, the concept of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and all contents of the attached claims and those equivalent to or with equivalent variations thereof fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. An inhaler, characterized in that include: a mouthpiece comprising a capsule containing a functional material, a housing, one end of which is open so that the nozzle can be inserted into the housing; a piercing portion, which is disposed inside the housing and extends from the other end toward one end of the housing, a sliding portion, which is combined with the suction nozzle and slides inside the housing, and a stopper mounted on one side of the housing and limiting a moving distance of the sliding portion; A space into which air flows is ensured between the suction nozzle and the sliding portion.

2. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein The sliding portion includes: a moving member that slides inside the housing and has a cylindrical body, and a plurality of placement members, which are arranged on one surface of each of the moving members and spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction and protrude toward one end of the housing; The placement member is formed in a stepped shape, and a protruding height thereof decreases as it approaches a center of the placement member. An end portion of the suction nozzle is combined with the placement member to form the air inflow space.

3. The inhaler according to claim 2, wherein Also includes: a plurality of guide grooves, each formed on a side surface of the moving member and each disposed between two spaced-apart placement members; The guide groove is combined with a guide rail formed on an inner side of the housing.

4. The inhaler according to claim 2, wherein Also includes: a through hole, which is a hole penetrating the moving member in the same direction as the moving direction of the moving member; When the moving member slides in a direction from one end toward the other end of the housing, the piercing portion passes through the through hole.

5. The inhaler according to claim 4, characterized in that In the through hole, a diameter of an opening adjacent to the other end of the housing is larger than a diameter of an opening adjacent to one end of the housing.

6. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein Also includes: a spring, one end of which is coupled to the sliding portion and the other end of which is coupled to the other end of the housing; When the sliding portion is pressed and moves toward the other end of the housing, the spring is compressed. When the sliding portion is not pressed, the spring supports the sliding portion so that the sliding portion is located at a position spaced apart from the piercing portion toward one end of the housing.

7. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein The stopper is located inside the housing such that one end of the stopper is located outside the housing and the other end of the stopper is located inside the outer periphery of the sliding portion.

8. The inhaler according to claim 7, characterized in that The stopper is formed with an air inlet penetrating the interior of the stopper, The air inlet communicates the air inflow space with the outside of the housing.

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