Inhaler Mechanical Return Assembly Valve Reset

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Solution Overview

Problem

Breath-actuated inhalers face challenges such as high manufacturing costs, complexity, and performance issues due to mechanical breath-actuation systems requiring tight tolerances, leading to issues like incomplete dose delivery and medicament instability, especially in price-sensitive markets like Asia.

Innovation Solution

A mechanical return assembly for valved-container inhalers featuring a resilient structure, a clutch mechanism, and a damper to ensure proper valve reset and full dose release, allowing the valved container to resile after actuation, thereby preventing valve open for too long and ensuring complete medicament delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If mechanical breath-actuation systems are used to coordinate dose release with inhalation, then dosing accuracy is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedosing accuracyVSAvoidmechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical breath-actuation systems with a simpler pressure-responsive valve mechanism. The valve automatically responds to pressure changes during inhalation without requiring complex mechanical linkages, sensors, or actuators, thereby maintaining dosing accuracy while significantly reducing device complexity and manufacturing cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The valve mechanism is designed to automatically respond to inhalation pressure changes and trigger dose release without external control systems. The system self-regulates based on the patient's breathing pattern, eliminating the need for complex mechanical actuation systems while maintaining accurate dose delivery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Manufacturing precision

If mechanical breath-actuation systems with tight tolerances are used, then dosing precision is improved, but manufacturing cost and production difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedosing precisionVSAvoidproduction difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the operating parameters of the valve mechanism to operate within broader tolerance ranges. By designing the valve to respond to pressure changes within a wider range, the system maintains dosing precision without requiring tight manufacturing tolerances, thereby reducing production difficulty and manufacturing cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the valve remains open after actuation to ensure complete dose delivery, then dosing completeness is improved, but medicament stability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedosing completenessVSAvoidmedicament stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The valve mechanism incorporates a feedback system that monitors the actuation process and automatically closes the valve once complete dose delivery is achieved. This feedback control ensures the valve remains open long enough for complete dose delivery but closes promptly afterward to maintain medicament stability, resolving the contradiction between dosing completeness and medicament stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution reduces manufacturing costs, simplifies the mechanism, and ensures reliable full dose release by allowing the valved container to resile after actuation, addressing issues of incomplete dose delivery and medicament stability.

Implementation Method 1

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectResilient structure energy storage and release: Spring

Implementation Method 2

a clutch mechanism, and a damper to ensure proper valve reset and full dose release, allowing the valved container to resile after actuation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical force transfer: Mechanical Force

Implementation Method 3

A mechanical return assembly for valved-container inhalers featuring a resilient structure, a clutch mechanism, and a damper to ensure proper valve reset and full dose release

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDamping: Damping

Data Source

PatentUS11298478B2Reset mechanism for an inhaler

Publication Date: 2022.04.12 KINDEVA DRUG DELIVERY LP

AI summary

A valved-container inhaler (150) has a mechanical return assembly with a spring (214) and a transfer (212) configured to transfer stored potential energy from the spring to a canister (51) and a clutch (208, 210) in a load path of the force between the spring and the transfer, the clutch being rotatable between a first condition in which load is transferred from the spring to the transfer, and a second condition in which the spring and the transfer can move relative to one another to interrupt the load path and thereby allow the canister to resile after actuation.