Patent ID: 8931480
Filing Date: 2015-01-13
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
1. An inhaler comprising a housing defining a chamber to receive a strip having a plurality of blisters each containing a dose of medicament for inhalation by a user, an actuating lever, and a blister strip drive member rotatably mounted in the chamber to sequentially move each blister into a blister opening position, wherein the blister strip drive member and the actuating lever comprise a drive gear and a drive gear element, respectively, that cooperate to effect rotation of the blister strip drive member in response to rotation of the actuating lever, said drive gear and drive gear element being disposed on the outside of the housing remote from the chamber; wherein the inhaler further comprises a mouthpiece through which a dose of medicament can be inhaled and a cap pivotally mounted on the housing to cover the mouthpiece, wherein the drive gear and drive gear element are disposed between the housing and the cap so as to be enclosed by said cap and wherein the housing has opposing side wall surfaces and the cap has portions that extend across respective side wall surfaces, said drive gear and drive gear element being disposed between one of said side wall surfaces and one of said cap portions; and wherein the inhaler also comprises a piercing member that pivots in response to rotation of the actuating lever to puncture the lid of an aligned blister, wherein one of the actuating lever and the blister piercing member has a drive cam element and the other of the actuating lever and the blister piercing member has a drive cam surface, the drive cam element and the drive cam surface cooperating with each other in response to rotation of the actuating lever so that the blister piercing element pivots to puncture the lid of an aligned blister.