Patent EA-001396-B1 (EA)
Title: Dispenser with doses' counter
Inventor: RAND PAUL KENNETH
IPC: A61M15/00
Filed: 1998-06-08
Abstract: 1. A dispenser for dispensing medicament comprising a housing having a support; a container, locatable within said housing, having an outlet member, wherein said container is movable relative to the housing to enable dispensing therefrom and said outlet member is connectable with said support to prevent relative movement therebetween; and an actuation indicator, locatable within said housing, wherein the container and actuation indicator are reversably removable from the housing as a single unit. 2. A dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the actuation indicator is engagable with the container in the vicinity of said outlet member. 3. A dispenser according to claim 2 wherein the actuation indicator is engagable with the outlet member. 4. A dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the actuation indicator is provided with a grip member which is engagable with a neck portion of the container. 5. A dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the neck portion is adjacent to or on the outlet member 6. A dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the container is an aerosol container. 7. A dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the housing is provided with an outlet, preferably in the form of a mouthpiece. 8. A dispenser according to claim 7 comprising a passage through which dispensed doses may pass from the container to said outlet. 9. A dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 8 wherein said container provides measured doses. 10. A dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 9 wherein said actuation indicator indicates the number of doses dispensed from or remaining in the container. 11. A dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the actuation indicator comprises an indexing mechanism actuated by a predetermined movement of the container relative to the housing. 12. A dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the indexing mechanism comprises a lost motion coupling to allow and compensate for excess movement of the container relative to the housing. 13. A dispenser according to either of claims 11 or 12, wherein the indexing mechanism indexes the actuation indicator by means of a predetermined rotary movement of a first member driven by movement relative to a second member during actuation of the dispenser 14. A dispenser according to claim 13, wherein the second member remains stationary relative to the housing during actuation of the dispenser. 15. A dispenser according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the first member comprises a pinion carried by a shaft through the lost motion coupling and the second member comprises a rack. 16. A dispenser according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the first member comprises a yoke for engagement with the second member through the lost motion coupling. 17. A dispenser according to any of claims 12 to 16, wherein the lost motion coupling comprises a friction drive mechanism. 18. A dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 17, actuable in response to the inward breath of a user. 19. An aerosol dispenser according to claim 1 comprising a housing in which a container is removably located, an outlet leading from the housing and a support in the housing arranged to receive an outlet member of the container and having a passage through which the contents of the container may pass to the outlet, the outlet member being held stationary in the housing support and the body of the container being moveable relative to the outlet member and housing to dispense its contents in measured doses, and a dose indicating device having a dose indicator for indicating the number of doses dispensed from or remaining in the container, characterised in that the dose indicating device is tightly connected to the container in the vicinity of the outlet member, such that the container and dose indicating device may be reversably removable from the housing as a single unit. 20. An actuation indicating device for use with a dispenser comprising a housing and a container having an outlet member, the actuation indicating device comprising attachment means to enable attachment to the container, such that the container and the actuation indicator, locatable within said housing may be reversably removable from the housing as a single unit. 21. An actuation indicating device according to claim 20, wherein the attachment means comprises a grip member which firmly engages a neck portion formed around the container. 22. An actuation indicating device according to claim 21, wherein the neck portion is located at the connection between the container and outlet member. 23. An actuation indicating device according to claim 20, wherein the actuation indicating device has an actuation indicator for indicating the number of doses dispensed from or remaining in the container, wherein the actuation indicating device comprises attachment means to enable tight connection to the container in the vicinity of the outlet member. 24. Electromechanical dose indicating device according to any of claims 20 to 23. 25. Use of a dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 18 for dispensing medicament.