Abstract:
A medicine administering device for nasal cavities includes (a) a medicine accommodating chamber configured to accommodate at once a powdery medicine used in a plurality of administrations; (b) a spray nozzle for spraying the powdery medicine into nasal cavities, the spray nozzle communicating with the medicine accommodating chamber; and (c) a pump for supplying an air into the medicine accommodating chamber and forcing the powdery medicine by the air out of the spray nozzle into the nasal cavities.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to improvements in a medicine administering device suitable for administering powdery medicine into nasal cavities of a patient.  
         [0002]     In general, to cure patients suffering from nasal allergy or the like, curing methods in which powdery medicine is administered through nasal cavities of the patients have been employed. Hitherto, various medicine administering devices for nasal cavities have been proposed  
         [0003]     Japanese Patent Examined Publication 63-6024 discloses a medicine administering device for nasal cavities, having a medicine administering device main body; a spray nozzle that is fixed to a tip end side of the main body and is to be inserted into the nasal cavities; and a rubber pump member attached to a base end side of the main body.  
         [0004]     In order to administer a powdery medicine into the nasal cavities by using the above conventional medicine administering device, first the spray nozzle is inserted into one of the left and right nasal cavities. Then, in this state, the pump member is pressed to compressively deform a pump chamber. With this, the air of the pump chamber is supplied into a medicine accommodating chamber to pressurize the medicine accommodating chamber. Thus, a powdery medicine is transported through a medicine transporting passage of the medicine administering device and then sprayed together with the air from the spray nozzle into the nasal cavities.  
         [0005]     In the case of the above conventional medicine administering device, it is necessary in each administration to charge the medicine accommodating chamber with a powdery medicine in the form of capsule. This is a cumbersome procedure.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a medicine administering device for nasal cavities, which can reduce a burden of charging the device with a powdery medicine.  
         [0007]     According to the present invention, there is provided a medicine administering device for nasal cavities. This device comprises:  
         [0008]     a medicine accommodating chamber configured to accommodate at once a powdery medicine used in a plurality of administrations;  
         [0009]     a spray nozzle for spraying the powdery medicine into nasal cavities, the spray nozzle communicating with the medicine accommodating chamber; and  
         [0010]     a pump for supplying an air into the medicine accommodating chamber and forcing the powdery medicine by the air out of the spray nozzle into the nasal cavities.  
         [0011]     The other objects and features of this invention will become understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a frontal view showing a medicine administering device for nasal cavities according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along the lines II-II of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged frontal view showing a medicine accommodating magazine of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged plan view showing the medicine accommodating magazine;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken along the lines V-V of  FIG. 4 ; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged sectional view showing spray nozzle portions of the medicine administering device. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     As stated above, a medicine administering device for nasal cavities according to the present invention has a medicine accommodating chamber configured to accommodate at once a powdery medicine used in a plurality of administrations. With this, it is not necessary in each administration to charge the medicine accommodating chamber with a powdery medicine. Therefore, it is possible by the present invention to reduce a burden of charging the device with a powdery medicine and to efficiently conduct a medicine administration.  
         [0019]     With reference to  FIGS. 1-6 , a medicine administering device for nasal cavities according to an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail in the following.  
         [0020]     As is seen from  FIG. 1 , medicine administering device for nasal cavities  1  is equipped with pump  3 , medicine accommodating chamber (magazine)  5  disposed above pump  3 , holding member  7  disposed above medicine accommodating magazine  5 , and a pair of spray nozzle portions  9 ,  9  that are held by and project from holding member  7 .  
         [0021]     As is seen from  FIG. 2 , pump  3  is formed of pump member  11  that is cylindrical in shape and is made of rubber. Pump chamber  13  is formed in the inside of pump member  11 .  
         [0022]     As is seen from  FIG. 4 , a plurality (seven in  FIG. 4 ) of medicine accommodating compartments  15  are formed in the inside of medicine accommodating magazine  5 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , medicine accommodating compartment  15  in position for administration communicates with pump chamber  13  through first air passage  17 .  
         [0023]     First air passage  17  is formed of straight passage portion  17   a  upwardly extending from pump chamber  13 , first communication passage portion  17   b  horizontally extending from the top of straight passage portion  17   a , curved passage portion  17   c  extending in a semicircular manner in the circumferential direction of medicine administering device  1  from a terminal end of communication passage portion  17   b , and second communication passage portion  17   d  extending between a terminal end of curved passage portion  17   c  and medicine accommodating compartment  15  in position for administration.  
         [0024]     Perpendicularly bent portions  19  and  21  are respectively provided between straight passage portion  17   a  and first communication passage portion  17   b  and between first communication passage portion  17   b  and curved passage portion  17   c . The semicircular passage of the curved passage portion  17   c  itself is provided with substantially perpendicularly bent portion  23 . Substantially perpendicularly bent portion  25  is provided between the terminal end of the curved passage portion  17   c  and second communication passage portion  17   d.    
         [0025]     By the provision of bent portions  19 ,  21 ,  23  and  25 , it is possible to suitably control flow rate and flow velocity of the air supplied to medicine accommodating compartment  15  and to adjust the degree of diffusion of medicine depending on the type of medicine. Thus, it is possible to conduct a stable medicine administration.  
         [0026]     Medicine accommodating compartment  15  has a substantially cylindrical form for accommodating therein a capsule (not shown in the drawings) charged with a powdery medicine. Above and below medicine accommodating compartment  15  there are respectively disposed first and second perforators  27  and  29  for perforating or opening the capsule in position for administration.  
         [0027]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , first perforator  27  is fixed to first slider  31  and thus is allowed to slide down by moving first slider  31  down to perforate the top of the capsule. Second perforator  29  is fixed to second slider  33  and thus is allowed to slide up by moving second slider  33  up to perforate the bottom of the capsule.  
         [0028]     Medicine accommodating compartment  15  in position communicates with medicine passage  35  of each spray nozzle portion  9  through second air passage  37 . Second air passage  37  is formed of (a) first passage portion  37   a  that extends obliquely upwardly from medicine accommodating compartment  15  and (b) second passage portion  37   b  that is in line with medicine passage  35 . First passage portion  37   a  is formed at its first and second ends with bent portions  39  and  41 , respectively. By the provision of bent portions  39  and  41 , it is possible to efficiently prevent reverse flow of the powdery medicine from medicine passages  35  of spray nozzle portions  9 ,  9 . Thus, bent portions  39  and  41  can act as a temporary medicine trap.  
         [0029]     As is seen from  FIG. 2 , medicine receiver  26  for receiving the powdery medicine that drops from medicine accommodating chamber  15  is formed under medicine accommodating chamber  15  in position. This medicine receiver  26  has a cylindrical base portion and annular projection  26   a  formed on the cylindrical base portion. Medicine receiver  26  also serves as a bush or collar for supporting second perforator  29 . In fact, medicine receiver  26  has a lower cylindrical void space for supporting the sliding movement of second perforator  29  and an upper cylindrical void space (formed on the lower cylindrical void space) for receiving the powdery medicine that drops from medicine accommodating chamber  15 . Annular projection  26   a  can be brought into a temporary engagement in a snap action manner with a bottom notch formed below each medicine accommodating chamber  15 , by rotating medicine accommodating magazine  5 . Thus, each medicine accommodating chamber  15  can be stopped at proper position for administration shown in  FIG. 2  by this temporary engagement. Annular projection  26   a  can have a convex top surface to smoothly provide the temporary engagement and disengagement in alternation by rotating medicine accommodating magazine  5 . Medicine accommodating magazine  5  has seven bottom notches at respective positions below seven medicine accommodating chambers  15 . Furthermore, medicine receiver  26  has a passage portion for diffusing the air supplied from pump  3 . This passage portion extends outwardly and horizontally from the bottom of the upper void space of medicine receiver  26 . The diffused air can efficiently force the powdery medicine (including the powdery medicine dropped from medicine accommodating chamber  15 ) to move toward spray nozzle portions  9 ,  9 .  
         [0030]     As shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , medicine accommodating magazine  5  is substantially cylindrical in form and is formed at its central portion in diametral direction with supporting through hole  45 . Furthermore, medicine accommodating magazine  5  is formed on its outside surface with a plurality (seven in  FIG. 4 ) of gripping notches  47  that are arranged at regular intervals in circumferential direction. Each gripping notch  47  is a depression formed inward in radial direction and has a shape suitable for gripping by fingertips of a patient. As is shown in  FIG. 5 , each medicine accommodating compartment  15  extends along the axial direction of the medicine accommodating magazine  5 .  
         [0031]     Each medicine accommodating compartment  15  has upper side surface  15   a  that is cylindrical in shape and bottom surface  15   b  that is inwardly curved. As shown in  FIG. 4 , seven of medicine accommodating compartments  15  are arranged at regular intervals in circumferential direction.  
         [0032]     As is seen from  FIG. 6 , each spray nozzle portion  9  is rotatably fit into nozzle holding hole  51  formed in holding member  7 . Each spray nozzle portion  9  is a monolithic member and has base portion  9   a  that is inserted into nozzle holding hole  51  and main body  9   b  that is positioned above base portion  9   a . Nozzle main body  9   b  is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape having a diameter and an axial length, which are suitable for insertion into a nasal cavity of a patient. Center axis C 2  of nozzle main body  9   b  is designed to be away from center axis (rotation center) C 1  of base portion  9   a  of spray nozzle portion  9 . Therefore, it becomes possible to change the distance between nozzle main bodies  9   b ,  9   b  by rotating the spray nozzle portions  9 ,  9 . In other words, it is possible to adjust the distance between spray openings  53 ,  53  depending on the distance of nasal cavities of a patient.  
         [0033]     Each base portion  9   a  of spray nozzle portion  9  is formed at its outer surface with a projection that extends circumferentially and fit into an annular groove formed in holding member  7 . With this, each spray nozzle portion  9  is rotatably held in position. Furthermore, each spray nozzle portion  9  is formed with medicine passage  35  that communicates at its lower end opening with second air passage  37 . This lower end opening of medicine passage  35  has center axis C 1  at its center. Medicine passage  35  is formed at its upper end with spray opening  53  having center axis C 2  at its center. Thus, medicine passage  35  is formed into an oblique passage extending between second air passage  37  and spray opening  53 .  
         [0034]     An exemplary medicine administration using the medicine administering device for nasal cavities is explained in the following.  
         [0035]     At first, medicine accommodating magazine  5  is charged with at least one unused capsule enclosing therein a powdery medicine. In case that the distance between spray nozzle portions  9 ,  9  does not fit to the distance between nasal cavities of a patient, the former is adjusted by rotating the spray nozzle portions  9 ,  9  until spray nozzle portions  9 ,  9  fit to the nasal cavities. Then, while gripping notches  47  of medicine accommodating magazine  5  are gripped by the patient&#39;s fingers, medicine accommodating magazine  5  is rotated by a patient until an unused capsule comes to a position where the capsule is opposed to or inserted between first and second perforators  27  and  29 . Then, first and second sliders  31  and  33  are respectively slid downwardly and upwardly to perforate the capsule by first and second perforators  27  and  29 .  
         [0036]     Then, nozzle main bodies  9   b ,  9   b  are inserted into the right and left nasal cavities of a patient. Under this state, pump member  11  is pressed to compressively deform pump chamber  13 . With this, air is introduced into medicine accommodating compartment  15  in position shown in  FIG. 2  through first air passage  17  to pressurize this medicine accommodating compartment  15 . Thus, the powdery medicine of medicine accommodating compartment  15  is forced to upwardly move by the air through air passages  37 ,  37  and then medicine passages  35 ,  35 . Then, the powdery medicine is sprayed from the spray openings  53 ,  53  into the right and left nasal cavities.  
         [0037]     The entire contents of basic Japanese Patent Applications 2004-279629 (filed Sep. 27, 2004), of which priority is claimed in the present application, are incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0038]     Although the invention has been described above by reference to certain embodiments of the invention, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Modifications and variations of the embodiments described above will occur to those skilled in the art, in light of the above teachings. The scope of the invention is defined with reference to the following claims.