Abstract:
A carrier for inhalant devices which are designed for personal usage which allows the inhalant to be easily attached to and carried by the user and which allows for operation of the inhalant without removing the same from the carrier. The carrier also selectively provides structure to removably attach a length of tubing thereto for directing the inhalant material from the inhalant device to the user&#39;s mouth as required.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Applicant is not aware of any applications by others and has not personlly filed any applications for patent which should be considered during the prosecution of this application with the exception of an Application for Provisional patent which was filed on Nov. 24, 1999, Ser. No. 60/167,318, entitled Inhaler Holder. 
    
    
     SPONSORSHIP 
     This invention has been made through the sole efforts of the Applicant and was not made under any Federal nor any Independent Sponsorship or support. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A carrier for a personal inhalant unit which releases inhalant upon the depression of one end of the unit. The carrier includes a strap for circumscribing the inhalant unit with straps for securing the unit about its ends to prevent its sliding from the circumferential strap. At least one of the end straps is flexible to permit shifting thereof to apply pressure to the inhalant unit to cause the unit to disperse medication therefrom without requiring removal of the inhalant unit from the carrier while the other end strap is shiftable to open the medicant dispensing end of the unit for administration of medicant from the carrier to the user. 
     The carrier includes, in a selectively available form, at least one additional strap structure to capture and removably retain an inhalant administration hose, tube or conduit for transmission of the medication from the unit, through the hose and to the mouth of the user. 
     The carrier may be provided with attachment means to allow for securing the same, along with the inhalant unit to the user&#39;s person. 
     BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Many persons must, because of various medical conditions, carry an inhalant administration unit with them at all times. Losing or misplacing such units is a very common occurrence. There are and currently available of which Applicant is aware, inhalant unit carriers but these require that the inhalant unit be removed from the same. This separation of carrier from the inhalant unit often results in misplacing the unit. 
     With Applicant&#39;s invention, a carrier for an inhalant unit is provided which is attachable to the user&#39;s garments, purse or the like which permits use of the unit for adminstration of medication without removing the same from the carrier. If the carrier, through a lengthy attachment device to the user allows the unit to be positioned for administration of the medication, the unit and carrier are not necessarily even removed from the user&#39;s person. Further, Applicant&#39;s invention provides a carrier adjunct which will provide for carrying an administration tube or hose through which the medication is provided to the user. 
     It is therefore and object of the Applicant&#39;s invention to provide a personal inhalant carrier which allows the inhalant unit to be utilized without removing the same from the carrier. 
     It is a further object of the Applicant&#39;s invention to provide a personal inhalant carrier which, selectively, provides means for carrying an administration conduit for relatively remote utilization of the inhalant unit by the person requiring medication. 
     It is a further object of the Applicant&#39;s invention to provide a personal inhalant carrier that is universally adapted for usage with many inhalant units and provides for the interchange of the necessary replacement of elements of the inhalant unit should they become depleted and require renewal. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the Applicant&#39;s invention will more fully appear from a consideration of the following drawings and description; 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an illustration of the various elements that are normally provided for the administration of inhalants; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the inhalant unit carrier with the elements of the inhalant unit positioned therein being shown by dotted lines; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the unit as shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the unit, similar to FIG.  3  and including the carrier for the administration tube or conduit; 
     FIG. 5 is a layout view of the carrier portion of the invention illustrating snap fasteners therefore; 
     FIG. 6 is a layout of the carrier portion of the invention illustrating a second, hook loop fastener strip fastening arrangement; and, 
     FIG. 7 is a layout of the hose or conduit carrying portion of the invention, again illustrating a hook loop fastener strip fastening arrangement. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the apparatus normally provided for a personal inhaler which is designated in its entirety  1  and is referred to hereinafter as “unit” or “inhaler unit”. Such apparatus includes the inhalant containing vial V having a dispensing end E, usually in the form of a nozzle, and a pressure application end P; a vial housing H arranged to receive the vial V and having a trigger mechanism therein, not shown, which will open the dispensing end E of the vial V when pressure is exerted thereon by forcing the vial V into the housing H by pushing upon end P and cause medicant to spray from formed nozzle, user end U. User end U is, as illustrated, angularly and outwardly directed from housing H. These two elements will effectively release the mediant upon need by the user. Additional elements that are normally provided for use of the inhaler include a housing cover C to protect the user end U of the housing H and an administration tube T which may be attached, at one end to the user end U of the housing H with the other end being placed into the mouth of the user. This tube T allows for remotely locating the housing H and vial V from the user&#39;s mouth which, for example would allow the user to hang the carrier on their belt and still effectively use the inhaler. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates the unit  1  within carrier  11 . Carrier  11  includes a first housing H encircling or strap member  12  which, as illustrated in FIG. 5 is generally rectangular in shape with a circular cutout portion  13  arranged along one side  12   a  thereof such that when strap member  12  girds the housing H, the user end U and cover C will remain uncovered. When utilizing snap connectors as fastening means, a first end  12   b  of the encircling member  12  is provided with a pair of male or female snaps  14   a ,  14   b  and the second end  12   c  of the encircling member  12  is provided with a pair of opposed, male or female snaps  15   a ,  15   b , the housing H is secured and completely surrounded by strap  12  with the user end and cover U/C extending. 
     It should be noted that two additional snaps  16   a ,  16   b  are provided on the strap  12  approximately midpoint of the circular  13  cutout portion and when the same encircles the housing H these snaps  16   a ,  16   b  will be outwardly directed. 
     In alignment with end  12   c  of strap  12  are extending straps  17 ,  18 , each provided with snaps  17   a ,  18   a  at the ends thereof which will engage with snaps  16   a ,  16   b  and thus close over the end P and end U along with cover C of vial V. The longer of such straps  17  is provided, in this layout with apertures  19   a ,  19   b  which will align with each other when such strap  17  is folded upon itself to receive a carrying ring  20  or the like. 
     The invention, as described to this point, provides a complete carrying unit for an inhaler I which is retained therein through strap  12  and end straps  17 ,  18  and which may be conveniently secured to an article of clothing of the user through ring  20 . 
     The material from which the straps  12 ,  17  and  18  is provided is substantially flexible such that, although properly maintaining the inhaler elements will permit opening of strap  18 , removal of cover C from housing H and allow pressure to be exerted against pressure end P of the vial V to cause it to move against the internal trigger of housing H for release of medicant. 
     Applicant illustrates the primary invention, totally functional as described, with means for carrying the application or transmission tube T in FIG.  4  and to best describe the same, a description of FIG. 7 is necessary. 
     Reference is now made to FIG. 7 which illustrates a design for carrying a tube T although not illustrating connecting snaps and showing connection through hook loop fastener strips which would in placement of the snaps it being understood that such interchange does not alter the invention. 
     The following description is pertinent to FIGS. 6 and 7 and will include the necessary variation at the conclusion thereof to describe the adaptation of the elements of FIG. 7 for use with the snap connector description. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates substantially the same structure as the housing H encircling strap of FIG. 5 in which a generally rectangular strap  30 , provided with an inwardly directed circular cutout  31  along one side  30   a  thereof is provided with aligned straps  32 ,  33  arranged along one end  30   b  of strap  30 . For fastening the straps  30 ,  32 ,  33  together strips of hook loop fastener, a mechanically enhanced face to face connector is utilized. A first strip of such material  34  is provided on adjacent side  30   a  of strap  30 , face upwardly on the layout illustrated in FIG. 6 with a second strip  35  of such material arranged on adjacent side  30   c  of strap  30  and faces downwardly on the illustrated layout, thus the dotted lines illustrating the same. After strap  30  encircles the housing H, the strips  34 ,  35  are connected and the housing H is encircled. Strap  30  also includes an additional hook loop fastener strip  36 , facing downwardly on the illustrated layout, to be outwardly exposed when strap  30  encircles the inhaler housing H. 
     Connective strips of hook loop fastener  32   a ,  33   a  are provided on straps  32 ,  33  and will, when folded over the inhaler unit I connect with strip  36  and overlie the ends P of vial V and the user end U and cover C of the unit I. Again, apertures  34   a ,  34   b  may be provided through strap  33  to accommodate a mounting ring. 
     When utilizing the tube or conduit carrying portion of the invention, the structure of FIG. 7 is provided. In FIG. 7 a separable assemble includes a rectangular strap  50  with supplemental straps  51 ,  52  extending from the sides  50   a ,  50   b  thereof a spaced distance from one end  50   c  thereof to result in a tab  62 , strap  53  arrangement. As illustrated, tab  62  is provided with hook loop fastener strips,  62   a , 62   b  being designated, on both sides thereof such that one side will connect to hook loop fastener strip  34  of the article of FIG.  6  and will thus expose the other side thereof for connection to hook loop fastener strip  35  of the article of FIG.  6 . 
     As shown, again in FIG. 7, strap  53  is provided with both an interim  54  and end  55  strip of hook loop fastener with, upon strap  53  encircling housing H strip  55  will connect with strip  55   a  to leave strip  54  exposed to connection with end strips  51   a ,  52   a  provided on straps  51 ,  52 . Such straps  51 ,  52  will engage the ends of tube T while strap  53  will encircle the same. 
     To ensure that the unit, when housing both inhaler unit I and the tube T lie adjacent each other, additional hook loop fastener strips  60 ,  61  are provided on proper sides of the two units such that the combined unit will take the shape of the side view of FIG.  4 . 
     In this tube T carrying illustration, the tube T will be removed from the end straps  51 ,  52  and may simply be slid through the girding strap  53  or such strap  53  may be opened. The strap  32  of FIG. 6 is then opened and cover C is removed from housing H. Tube T is connected to user end U of the housing H and pressure is applied against strap  33  to cause discharge of medicant. 
     Whether connective hook loop fastener is utilized, snaps are utilized or other connective devices are utilized, the concept of the primary carrier and primary carrier with tube carrying adjunct is the same. The primary concept is, as stated, to provide an inhaler carrier that does not require removal of the inhaler or inhalant unit from the carrier for use and as the adjunct concept a combined inhaler carrier and administration conduit carrier.