Abstract:
The nasal dispenser ( 1 ) consists of but two integral housing bodies ( 4, 5 ) for accommodating a medium blister ( 6 ). Bodies ( 4, 5 ) are interlocked by withdrawal prevention means against separation and by releasable blocking means ( 49 ) against actuation. The medium reservoir ( 7 ) is located freely in an innermost housing space ( 62 ) of the first housing body ( 4 ). Thus the dispenser ( 1 ) is highly compact, simple in configuration and permits facilitated handling.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a dispenser for liquid, gaseous, solid or preferably powdery media. The dispenser permits to be held and simultaneously actuated for discharge single-handedly. Furthermore, some or all of its components are partly or entirely fabricated from plastics or injection molding. The flowable medium may be conveyed by suction or inhalation. Thus the pharmaceutical active substance is inhaled or deposited on the nasal mucuous membrane. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the invention is to avoid the drawbacks of known configurations. Another object is to provide a dispenser which is highly compact and of simple structure. A further object is to make the dispenser very handy and convenient to actuate. Still another object is to prevent inadvertent actuation and damage of the dispenser by axial or radial compressive stress. A still further object is to have the weight of the dispenser very low. Another object is to permit modest manufacture and assembly of the dispenser. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention an outer guide shell freely protruding in the flow direction is readily accessible from without and serves to guide the downstream or second dispenser unit which may have a runner shell sliding on the inside of said guide shell. Where the runner shell directly engage sbetween two codirectional guide shells, these may instead freely protrude counter the flow direction and be provided on the second dispenser unit. Thus highly precise guidance and a labyrinth-type sealed closure of the dispenses inner space is achieved by these housing shells. In addition, catch members for blocking may be protectedly located between the guide shells or in the gap between a guide shell and the runner shell. 
     The reception or hold for the reservoir may be located totally within a shell into which the reservoir tray or dish then protrudes without contact. All three housing shells may thus permanently entirely surround the reservoir chamber and protect this chamber from deformation due to compressive stress from without. The catch action may prevent the units from being pulled apart and separated axially or from being mutually twisted. Thereby withdrawal may be facilitated in overcoming a snap-action force in one rotary position but prevented in another rotary position even against considerably higher withdrawal forces or made possible only by destruction. The first or the second unit may be centrically symmetric in all cross-sections. 
     Deviating therefrom the second unit may comprise transverse lugs directed away from each other. These lugs protrude as sole portions of the second unit radially beyond the outer circumference of the first unit and each serve as an actuating handle for resting a users finger during manual operation of the dispenser, namely in shortening it. The runner shell may directly and integrally adjoin the inside of these lugs and form a slightly widened continuation of an outermost stud shell of the second unit. An inner stud shell is located within the outer stud shell and may form a spike for opening the reservoir closure on the working stroke. The slimmer stud shell bounds the outlet duct. Both stud shells commonly bound the medium outlet. 
     The dispenser may consist of but two components, each of which is in one piece, and into which merely the reservoir, for example a blister, needs to be inserted. Releasable blocking means for preventing accidental actuation may be in one part with one of these units while blocking the other unit by abutting on an end face. The locking member is either turned or torn off to release actuation of the working stroke. A suitably high axial actuation force for the working stroke may also release the locking member and thus result in a high actuating tension on commencement of the working stroke. 
     The dispenser is particularly suitable for discharging biological active substances, such as biochemical expedients or remedies capable of controlling or supporting the medicinal effect of pharmaceutical active substances, e.g. by delaying release of the drug, by improving resorption or the like without it itself needing to have a direct pharmacological effect. The substances may also be peptides, proteins and or hormones, e.g. steroid hormones, polypeptide or proteo hormones or releasing hormones. Examples are oxytocin, vasopressin, insulin, glucagon, parathormon, calcitonin, thyroid hormones, catechol amines, acetylcholine, prostaglandins or the like. In addition the dispenser is suitable for discharging adjuvants such as a Freund adjuvant which when applied in conjunction with an antigen non-specifically amplifies the response of the patients immune system or alters the nature of the immune response and may contain aluminum compounds, mineral oils or inactivated mycobacteria. Such pharmacokinetic drugs may also enhance the effect of some other medicine. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Example embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following and illustrated in the drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a partially cross-sectional view of a dispenser according to the invention, 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of the first unit of the dispenser of FIG. 1, 
     FIG. 3 is a view from underneath of the second unit, and 
     FIG. 4 is a detail taken from FIG. 1 but in a turned magnified view. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 illustrates the dispenser  1  in the rest position with a length of max. 70 mm or 55 mm and a diametral extension of its two units  2 ,  3  only half as large at the most. By a working stroke units  2 ,  3  are translated into an actuated end position with shortening of the dispenser but without being twisted relative to each other. Units  2 ,  3  may be twisted relative to each other by more or less than 360° without simultaneous change in length. Units  2 ,  3  may be locked on each other to prevent rotation. First unit  2  consists exclusively of an integral first base body  2  as well as, where necessary, a reservoir body  6  inserted therein. Second unit  3  consists exclusively of an integral second base body  5 , the overall length of which amounts to at least three fifths of the dispenser length  1 . The dispenser  1  serves to accommodate a single medium dose and is suitable for recycling after delivery thereof. The medium dose is considerably smaller than the reservoir volume. On delivery the medium flows through reservoir  7  directly into a straight outlet duct  8  out of the end or medium outlet  9  of duct  8 . The diameter of outlet  9  is more than 3 mm or 5 mm. All of the cited parts are permanently located in a common dispenser axis  10  to which the discharge direction  12  and the opposing actuating direction  13  are parallel. Outlet  9  may also be an atomizing nozzle. 
     Reservoir  7  has a reservoir dish or tray  15 , the flat dish rim of which is hermetically sealed by a reservoir closure  16  such as a flat diaphragm, film or foil. The semispherical dish bottom  17  translates into a reservoir shell  18  adjoining a flat, annular reservoir rim  22 . 
     Reservoir body  6  has no breakthroughs and is located totally within the supporting body  20  of unit  2 . Bodies  4 ,  5  comprise housing shells  21 ,  26 ,  36 , namely two guide shells  21 ,  26  on body  4  and a runner shell  36  inbetween on base body  5 . The inner guide shell  21  forms the supporting body  20  on the free end face or shoulder  23  of which the flexibly bendable or elastic rim  22  is supported. 
     Body  4  is a cap longer relative to its diameter. The outermost and readily accessible shell of body  4  is the outer guide shell  26 . Both shells  21 ,  22  freely protrude from an end wall  27  in direction  12 . The centrically recessed outside of wall  27  forms an actuating handle  29 . Dish  15  is located within shell  21  with radial spacing and without walls  17 ,  18  being additionally supported. Shoulder  23  slightly protrudes beyond shell  26 . 
     On insertion of body  6  a positive lock becomes effective. This lock has resilient snap projections protruding beyond shoulder  23  and urging rim  22  against shoulder  23  without reservoir body  6  being positively locked against being twisted. 
     Shells  21 ,  26 ,  36  form the sole interconnection  30  of bodies  4 ,  5 . Connection  30  is totally covered from without. Body  5  too is a cap symmetrical to two mutually perpendicular axial planes  60 ,  61 . Body  5  has its largest radial extension in plane  60 . Cap shell  36  freely protrudes beyond end wall  33  in direction  13  and has a thickness greater than half the spacing between shells  21 ,  26 . Thus shell  36  is simultaneously or optionally slidingly guided at both shells  21 ,  26 . The free end face of shell  26  abuts on the free end of an outer shell or shield jacket  32  at the end of the stroke. Jacket  32  protrudes from end wall  33  radially outside of shell  36  in direction  13 . 
     In this end position passages  55  are open between the circumferential and opposed faces of shell shells  21 ,  26 ,  36 . Passages  55  form suction ducts for ambient air. These ducts define labyrinthine counterdirected flow directions and extend over the full circumference of bodies  4 ,  5 . Inlet openings  56  may be located at the free end of guide shell  26  and may be annular or formed by breakthroughs or recesses  46  in the shell  26 . The air flows between shells  21 ,  36  in direction  12  toward the plate-shaped rim  22 , from there radially to axis  10  and then in direction  13  into chamber  24 , from where it, in entraining the medium, flows back in direction  13  to directly emerge from the outlet  9 . By manually covering suction openings  46 , the air flow can be variably throttled for the same suction performance. 
     Shells  32 ,  36  and end wall  33  translate in direction  12  into a freely protruding outlet or insertion stud  34 . On both sides of plane  60  the outer stud shell  38 ,  34  translates shoulderless directly into runner shell  36  (FIG.  4 ). On both sides of plane  61  shell  38  translates into end wall  33  and then into outer shell  32 . Wall  33  and jacket  32  extend only over part of the dispenser circumference. Thus two transverse lugs  53  protrude radially outwardly and commonly with outer shell  32  form the radial outermost portions of dispenser  1 . The outsides of transition walls  33  thus form concave actuating handles  35  located radially outside of handle  29 . In the end position shell  36  is spaced from bottom or end wall  27 . 
     Closing or assembling housing  25 ,  31  simply requires shell  36  to be introduced between shells  21 ,  26  in direction  13  without bodies  5 ,  6  coming into mutual contact. Stud  34  comprises an inner stud shell or spike  37  radially spaced from and located within outer stud shell  38 . Shell  37  protrudes beyond shell  32  in direction  13  but is set back by more than its diameter relative to the free end of shell  36 . The downstream ends of shells  37 ,  38  translate with an annular zone integrally into each other. There they bound outlet  9 . Shell  37  bounds duct  8 . On the outer circumference tube or shell  37  may comprise ribs  39  located in axial planes  58  assuming an angle of 45° to planes  60 ,  61 . Ribs  39  do not adjoin shell  38 . 
     For opening the film or foil  16  the end of shell  37  is a conical tool  40  having a blunt tip  41  translating into diverging webs  42  which are located in planes  60 ,  61 . Between these parting webs  42  in each case an opening of a passage inlet  43  is located. 
     Shell  36  or shell  26  forms a radially yielding spring  45  to enable cams or counter stops  48  of body  5  to be brought into engagement with stops  47  of body  4 . Stops or catch members  47  form means for preventing withdrawal at the downstream ends of axial slots or recesses  46 . Recesses  46  traverse wall  27  between shells  21 ,  26 . Eight stops  47  are interspaced by arc angles larger than their own arc angle extension about axis  10 . The two counter stops  48  are located symmetrical to plane  61  on both sides of the plane  60 . Each stop  48  has an arc exension about axis  10  which is so large that the individual stop  48  can engage only two stops  47 . 
     When stop  48  is oriented rotationally symmetrical to these two stops  47  the body  5  is withdrawable from body  4  possibly only by great exertion of a very high force or by destruction of body  4 . When stop  48  is oriented symmetrical to a sole stop  47  this force is substantially less to permit non-destructive opening of housing  24 ,  31 . Counter stops or second snap members  48  connect to the free end of shell  36  and form resilient snap cams which initially override the stops or first snap members  47  on assembly. Stops  47  protrude beyond the inner circumference of shell  46  and stops  48  beyond the outer circumference of shell  36 . 
     Counter stops  48  may also engage slots  46  to thus form a lock positively preventing mutual rotation of bodies  4 ,  5 . In rest position stops  47  and  48  are in mutual contact for positively preventing withdrawal. Reservoir body  6  too is releasable from support  63  after separation of bodies  4 ,  5 . 
     To thwart tampering and also to prevent accidental actuation blocking means  49  are provided for the rest position. While active these means permit separation and also mutual twisting of housing bodies  4 ,  5 . As evident from FIG. 3 the sole locking member  52  is in contact with the outside of a flank of only one of the trapezoidal lugs  53 . Member  52  integrally adjoins via a nominal breaking element  51  or a hinge the end face of shell  32  of this lug  53 . 
     Locking member  52  thus forms a spacer which contacts the end face of shell  26  only at a spacing from element  51 . Member  52  is supported relative to body  5  only by element  51 . Member  52  is a two-armed lever. The arm remote from shell  26  can be depressed so that its locking arm as evident from FIG. 3 can be pivoted out of the motion range of shell  26 . The free end of the locking arm forms a finger rest or handle  64  and may contact the outer circumference of shell  36  so that it can be undergrasped by a finger and withdrawn from the vicinity of shell  26 . On sufficiently far swivelling element  51  may also shear off to enable member  52  to be totally separated from dispenser  1 . Member  52  may, however, also slide on shell  36  during the working stroke. 
     Furthermore, member  52  is arranged so that its element  51  tears under an accordingly high axial load excerted by shell  26  to thus overcome blocking means  59 . Thus a pressure or trigger point control  50  is created which requires the increased pressure load until element  51  is overcome whereafter control  50  abruptly permits considerably more easy shifting of bodies  4 ,  5 . This may be practical not only for quickly opening closure  16  but also for conveying the medium out of chamber  24  by a pump actuated by the axial motion. On the working or opening stroke the tip  41  pricks closure  16 , whereafter rib  39  further slits open closure  16  up to shell  18  by its end edges  54 . Then tip  41  may press bottom  17  slightly downwards to give chamber  24  a more favorable shape for the discharge flow. 
     The four locking members of support  63  are located in axial planes  59  displaced relative to planes  58 ,  60 ,  61  about axis  10 . In each of planes  59  two stops  47  and recesses  46  are located. 
     When, after closure  16  has been opened, stud  34  is introduced into a nostril the air can be inhaled valvelessly from inlet  46 ,  56  up to outlet  9  into the nose. This air entrains the medium from chamber  24  onwards. 
     The flank webs of shield jacket  32  of each lug  53  diverge at an acute angle with plane  61  and translate tangentially into shell  36 . Thus these webs form no shield jacket in the vicinity of plane  61  or as shown in FIG. 3 in the vicinity of stops  48 , whilst lugs  53  cover shell  26  or the entire body  4 . As evident from FIG. 3 body  4  or guide shell  26  protrudes beyond the outer circumference of body  5  only between lugs  53  or in the vicinity of stops  48 , whilst lugs  53  cover shell  26  or the entire body  4 . 
     In another embodiment of the dispenser, e.g. including a pump, the cited inlet flow may also be directed under pressure directly from chamber  24 , for example a pressure chamber, into inlet  43  and may contain solely the flowable, e.g. liquid, medium. Shell  21  bounds an inner space open throughout. This space forms the reception  62  for reservoir  7  when positionally secured in support  63 . Shells  21 ,  26  are longer than shell  36 . Shell  37  is the longest of all shells of the dispenser. 
     Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,473 and to allowed U.S. pat. appl. Ser. No. 09/351,711 for incorporating the features and effects of the present invention. The size relationships as shown are particularly favorable. The properties and effects may be provided precisely or merely substantially or roughly the same as described and may also differ greatly therefrom depending on the requirements.