Patent Publication Number: US-2015075521-A1

Title: Nebulizer and medicament storage module thereof

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a nebulizer and a medicament storage module, and more particularly to a nebulizer and a medicament storage module that has reduced residual medicament liquid and is easily cleaned. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Recently, a nebulizer has been widely used for health care and beauty purposes. For example, the nebulizer may be used to administer medicament to treat or alleviate pain of the patient with a respiratory disease. In addition, the nebulizer may be used to administer medicament to be inhaled into the lungs of the patient in replace of oral administration. Consequently, the absorption efficiency and action efficiency of the medicament are enhanced and the occurrence of the side effect is reduced. Moreover, the nebulizer can be carried to immediately administer medicament and quickly generate the drug action to the patient with exacerbation of the obstructive respiratory tract. In other words, the use of the nebulizer can immediately cure or relieve the patient in the event of sudden onset. 
     Generally, the nebulizer may be used to nebulize or vaporize the liquid medicament into mist droplets. After these mist droplets are inhaled by the mouth of the patient, these mist droplets can reach bronchus and lungs of the patient for therapy and alleviation of the respiratory disease. According to the nebulizing mechanism, the nebulizers are classified into several types, e.g. a pneumatic jet nebulizer, an ultrasonic nebulizer and a mesh nebulizer. The nebulizing mechanism of the mesh nebulizer for nebulizing liquid medicament into mist droplets comprises a piezoelectric element, a nozzle plate and a corresponding micro pump. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a medicament cartridge of a conventional mesh nebulizer. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the medicament cartridge  1  is substantially a rectangular hollow structure. The medicament cartridge  1  comprises a bottom wall  11 , four lateral walls  12 , an accommodation space  13 , and an outlet  14 . The bottom wall  11  is a rectangular plate. The four lateral walls  12  are connected with each other and perpendicular to each other. Moreover, the four lateral walls  12  are perpendicularly connected with the edges of the bottom wall  11 . The accommodation space  13  is defined by the bottom wall  11  and the four lateral walls  12  collaboratively. The outlet  14  runs through one of the four lateral walls  12 , and is located near the bottom wall  11 . The liquid medicament within the accommodation space  13  can be outputted or supplied through the outlet  14 . 
     In the conventional medicament cartridge  1 , the bottom wall  11  is in parallel with the horizontal plane, and the four lateral walls  12  are perpendicularly connected with the edges of the bottom wall  11 . Consequently, a plurality of inside corners are formed at the bottom of the accommodation space  13 . Due to the inside corners, a portion of the liquid medicament is usually retained at the bottom of the accommodation space  13  after the nebulizing operation of the nebulizer is completed. In other words, the conventional medicament cartridge  1  may result in the problems of wasting medicament or supplying insufficient amount of medicament. Moreover, since the medicament contained in the accommodation space  13  of the medicament cartridge  1  is viscous and the inside corners at the bottom of the accommodation space  13  are dead zones of liquid flow, the medicament is readily retained at the regions of the bottom wall  11  far from the outlet  14  and at the inside corners. Moreover, it is difficult to clean the conventional medicament cartridge  1 . The subsequent use of the medicament cartridge  1  may contaminate the medicament or cause a bacteria problem. 
     Therefore, there is a need of providing a nebulizer and a medicament storage module in order to eliminate the above drawbacks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a nebulizer and a medicament storage module for solving the problems of wasting medicament or supplying insufficient medicament. 
     The present invention provides a nebulizer and a medicament storage module that are easily cleaned. In the subsequent use of the nebulizer, the problem of contaminating the medicament or causing bacteria growth will be avoided. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nebulizer. The nebulizer includes a medicament storage module and a nebulizing unit. The medicament storage module includes an inclined bottom wall, a tubular sidewall, and a guiding part. The inclined bottom wall is inclined at an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane. The tubular sidewall is connected with a periphery of the inclined bottom wall. A storage chamber with a top entrance is defined by the inclined bottom wall and the tubular sidewall collaboratively, and a liquid medicament is accommodated within the storage chamber. The tubular sidewall has an outlet, and the inclined bottom wall is extended downwardly to the outlet. The guiding part is arranged around a junction between the inclined bottom wall and the tubular sidewall. The nebulizing unit is disposed on the medicament storage module and aligned with the outlet. The liquid medicament outputted from the outlet is nebulized into a plurality of mist droplets by the nebulizing unit. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medicament storage module. The medicament storage module includes an inclined bottom wall, a tubular sidewall, and a guiding part. The inclined bottom wall is inclined at an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane. The tubular sidewall is connected with a periphery of the inclined bottom wall. A storage chamber with a top entrance is defined by the inclined bottom wall and the tubular sidewall collaboratively, and a liquid medicament is accommodated within the storage chamber. The tubular sidewall has an outlet, and the inclined bottom wall is extended downwardly to the outlet. The guiding part is arranged around a junction between the inclined bottom wall and the tubular sidewall. 
     In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medicament storage module. The medicament storage module includes an inclined bottom wall, a tubular sidewall, and a C-shaped curvy structure. The inclined bottom wall is inclined at an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane. The C-shaped curvy structure is arranged around a junction between the inclined bottom wall and the tubular sidewall. A storage chamber with a top entrance and an outlet is defined by the inclined bottom wall, the tubular sidewall and the C-shaped curvy structure collaboratively. A liquid medicament is accommodated within the storage chamber. The inclined bottom wall is extended downwardly to the outlet. 
     The above contents of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a medicament cartridge of a conventional mesh nebulizer; 
         FIG. 2A  is a schematic side view illustrating a nebulizer according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2B  is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the nebulizer of  FIG. 2A  and taken along the line AA; 
         FIG. 3A  is a schematic perspective view illustrating the medicament storage module of the nebulizer of  FIGS. 2A and 2B ; 
         FIG. 3B  is a schematic perspective view illustrating the medicament storage module of  FIG. 3A  and taken along another viewpoint; 
         FIG. 3C  is a schematic top view illustrating the medicament storage module of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 3D  is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the medicament storage module of  FIG. 3A  and taken along the line BB; 
         FIG. 4A  is a schematic perspective view illustrating a variant example of the medicament storage module of the nebulizer of the present invention, wherein the upper cover is not shown; 
         FIG. 4B  is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the medicament storage module of  FIG. 4A  and taken along the line DD; and 
         FIG. 5  is a plot illustrating the relationship between the residual medicament percentage and the inclination angle of the inclined bottom wall of the medicament storage module of  FIGS. 2A and 2B . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed. 
       FIG. 2A  is a schematic side view illustrating a nebulizer according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2B  is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the nebulizer of  FIG. 2A  and taken along the line AA. An example of the nebulizer  2  includes but is not limited to a mesh nebulizer. The nebulizer  2  is used for nebulizing liquid medicament into a plurality of tiny mist droplets. For example, the mist droplets have a diameter in the range between 1 micrometer and 5 micrometers. After these mist droplets are inhaled by the mouth of the patient, these mist droplets can reach bronchus and lungs of the patient for therapy and alleviation of the respiratory disease. 
     In this embodiment, the nebulizer  2  comprises a medicament storage module  3 , a nebulizing unit  4 , and a conduit  5 . The medicament storage module  3  is used for containing and supplying liquid medicament. The nebulizing unit  4  comprises a piezoelectric element  41  and a nozzle plate  42 . The nebulizing unit  4  is disposed on the medicament storage module  3 . By the nebulizing unit  4 , the liquid medicament from the medicament storage module  3  is nebulized into the tiny mist droplets to be ejected. The conduit  5  is detachably connected with the medicament storage module  3 , and aligned with the nebulizing unit  4 . By the conduit  5 , the tiny mist droplets ejected from the nebulizing unit  4  is guided to the mouth of the patient. 
       FIG. 3A  is a schematic perspective view illustrating the medicament storage module of the nebulizer of  FIGS. 2A and 2B .  FIG. 3B  is a schematic perspective view illustrating the medicament storage module of  FIG. 3A  and taken along another viewpoint.  FIG. 3C  is a schematic top view illustrating the medicament storage module of  FIG. 3A .  FIG. 3D  is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the medicament storage module of  FIG. 3A  and taken along the line BB. Please refer to  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  3 A,  3 B,  3 C and  3 D. The medicament storage module  3  has a cup-shaped structure. In addition, the medicament storage module  3  comprises an inclined bottom wall  31 , a tubular sidewall  32 , a storage chamber  33 , an outlet  34 , and a guiding part  35 . The inclined bottom wall  31  is inclined at an inclination angle θ1 with respect to a horizontal plane C. The inclination angle θ1 is in the range between 3 and 30 degrees, and preferably in the range between 5 and 15 degrees. The tubular sidewall  32  is connected with a periphery of the inclined bottom wall  31 . Moreover, the storage chamber  33  has a top entrance  331  at a top side thereof. The storage chamber  33  is defined by the inclined bottom wall  31  and the tubular sidewall  32 . The storage chamber  33  is used for accommodating or storing the liquid medicament. In an embodiment, the tubular sidewall  32  and the inclined bottom wall  31  are integrally formed with each other, and the tubular sidewall  32  is protruded upwardly from the periphery of the inclined bottom wall  31 . Preferably, the tubular sidewall  32  is a circular sidewall. That is, the tubular sidewall  32  or the storage chamber  33  has a center axis Z. The center axis Z is perpendicular to the horizontal plane C. Moreover, there is an equidistance D between the center axis Z and the tubular sidewall  32 . In this embodiment, the thickness and the diameter of the inclined bottom wall  31  and the thickness and the height of the tubular sidewall  32  may be varied according to the practical requirements. 
     The guiding part  35  of the medicament storage module  3  is located at a bottom surface  332  of the storage chamber  33 , and arranged around the junction between the inclined bottom wall  31  and the tubular sidewall  32 . In other words, the guiding part  35  is arranged around the periphery of the bottom surface  332  of the storage chamber  33 . By means of the guiding part  35 , no inside corners are formed within the storage chamber  33  of the medicament storage module  3 . Consequently, the possibility of retaining the liquid medicament in the storage chamber  33  can be reduced, and the storage chamber  33  can be easily cleaned. In this embodiment, the guiding part  35  is a C-shaped curvy structure, but is not limited thereto. Preferably, the C-shaped curvy structure  35  has a concave curvy surface  351 . Moreover, the radian of the curvy surface  351  of the C-shaped curvy structure  35  is not restricted, and may be varied according to the practical requirements. In some embodiments, the inclined bottom wall  31 , the tubular sidewall  32  and the guiding part  35  are integrally formed with each other. 
     The outlet  34  is formed in the tubular sidewall  32  of the medicament storage module  3 . That is, the outlet  34  runs through the tubular sidewall  32 . The liquid medicament within the storage chamber  33  can be outputted or supplied through the outlet  34 . The outlet  34  has a first opening  341  and a second opening  342 . The first opening  341  is open to an inner surface  321  of the tubular sidewall  32  and aligned with a notch  352  of the guiding part  35 . The second opening  342  is open to an outer surface  322  of the tubular sidewall  32 . In this embodiment, the inclined bottom wall  31  is extended downwardly to the outlet  34  and aligned with the nebulizing unit  4 . The first opening  341  of the outlet  34  is close to a lowest position  332   a  of the bottom surface  332  of the storage chamber  33  (see  FIG. 3B ). The distance between the lowest position  332   a  of the bottom surface  332  of the storage chamber  33  and the horizontal plane C is the shortest among all distances between the bottom surface  332  of the storage chamber  33  and the horizontal plane C. In an embodiment, the both sides of the notch  352  of the guiding part  35  have beveled edges  353  for facilitating guiding the liquid medicament to the outlet  34 . 
     The medicament storage module  3  further comprises a coupling part  37 . The coupling part  37  is connected with the outer surface  322  of the tubular sidewall  32  and aligned with the second opening  342  of the outlet  34 . After the nebulizing unit  4  is installed in the coupling part  37 , the nozzle plate  42  of the nebulizing unit  4  is aligned with the second opening  342  of the outlet  34 . In an embodiment, the coupling part  37  and the tubular sidewall  32  are integrally formed with each other, and the coupling part  37  is extended externally from the outer surface  322  of the tubular sidewall  32  and aligned with the second opening  342  of the outlet  34 . The coupling part  37  comprises an extension wall  371  and a first recess  372 . The first recess  372  is defined by the extension wall  371  and the tubular sidewall  32  collaboratively. Moreover, the lateral surface of the first recess  372  has a multi-stepped structure mating with the piezoelectric element  41  and the nozzle plate  4  of the nebulizing unit  4 , so that the nozzle plate  42  is aligned with the second opening  342  of the outlet  34 . 
     The conduit  5  is detachably connected with the coupling part  37 . In this embodiment, the conduit  5  comprises a coupling part  51 , an entrance  52 , and a tube part  53 . The coupling part  51  of the conduit  5  is coupled with the extension wall  371  of the coupling part  37 , and fixed on the coupling part  37 . The entrance  52  of the conduit  5  is aligned with the nozzle plate  42  of the nebulizing unit  4 . After the mist droplets are ejected from the nebulizing unit  4 , the mist droplets are guided by the tube part  53  of the conduit  5 . In some embodiments, one or more waterproof gaskets  61  (e.g. ring-shaped rubbery gaskets) are arranged between the nebulizing unit  4  and the outer surface  322  of the tubular sidewall  32  and between the nebulizing unit  4  and the coupling part  51  of the conduit  5  in order to prevent leakage of the liquid medicament. 
     The medicament storage module  3  further comprises an upper cover  36 . The upper cover  36  is pivotally coupled to the tubular sidewall  32  for sheltering the top entrance  331  of the storage chamber  33 . The tubular sidewall  32  further comprises at least one first shaft sleeve  323 , and the upper cover  36  further comprises at least one second shaft sleeve  361 . The medicament storage module  3  further comprises at least one shaft lever  38 . After the shaft lever  38  is penetrated through the first shaft sleeve  323  and the second shaft sleeve  361 , the upper cover  36  is pivotally coupled to the tubular sidewall  32 . In a preferred embodiment, the first shaft sleeve  323  is integrally formed with the tubular sidewall  32 , and located near a top edge  324  or the entrance  321  of the tubular sidewall  32 , and located near the coupling part  37 . Moreover, the tubular sidewall  32  further comprises at least one first engaging element  325 , and the upper cover  36  comprises at least one second engaging element  362  corresponding to the at least one first engaging element  325 . After the upper cover  36  is rotated to the position over the top entrance  331  of the storage chamber  33 , the first engaging element  325  of the tubular sidewall  32  and the second engaging element  362  of the upper cover  36  are engaged with each other. Consequently, the top entrance  331  of the storage chamber  33  is tightly sealed by the upper cover  36 . In an embodiment, the first engaging element  325  is located near the top edge  324  or the entrance  321  of the tubular sidewall  32 , and is opposed to the first shaft sleeve  323 . Moreover, a second recess  326  is formed in the top edge  324  of the tubular sidewall  32 . A waterproof gasket  62  (e.g. a ring-shaped rubbery gasket) is accommodated within the second recess  326  in order to prevent leakage of the liquid medicament. In some other embodiments, the upper cover  36  further comprises one or more ventilation holes (not shown), but is not limited thereto. 
     The nebulizing unit  4  comprises the piezoelectric element  41  and the nozzle plate  42 . The piezoelectric element  41  is a vibrating element for driving vibration of the nozzle plate  42 . The nozzle plate  42  comprises a plurality of nozzles (not shown). As the nozzle plate  42  is vibrated by the piezoelectric element  41 , the liquid medicament is nebulized into the tiny mist droplets to be ejected through the nozzles. The piezoelectric element  41  and the nozzle plate  4  of the nebulizing unit  4  are disposed within the first recess  372  of the coupling part  37  of the medicament storage module  3 . In addition, the nozzle plate  42  is aligned with the second opening  342  of the outlet  34 . Consequently, the liquid medicament outputted from the outlet  34  can be nebulized into the tiny mist droplets by the nebulizing unit  4 . In an embodiment, the nozzle plate  42  has a circular profile. In particular, the nozzles of the nozzle plate  42  (i.e. the effective action region) are directly aligned with the second opening  342  of the outlet  34 . Consequently, the nebulizing efficiency of the nebulizer  2  is enhanced. 
       FIG. 4A  is a schematic perspective view illustrating a variant example of the medicament storage module of the nebulizer of the present invention, wherein the upper cover is not shown.  FIG. 4B  is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the medicament storage module of  FIG. 4A  and taken along the line DD. As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the medicament storage module  3  has a cup-shaped structure. In addition, the medicament storage module  3  comprises an inclined bottom wall  31 , a tubular sidewall  32 , a storage chamber  33 , an outlet  34 , and a C-shaped curvy structure  35 . The inclined bottom wall  31  is inclined at an inclination angle θ1 with respect to a horizontal plane C. The inclination angle θ1 is in the range between 3 and 30 degrees, and preferably in the range between 5 and 15 degrees. The storage chamber  33  with a top entrance  331  and the outlet  34  is defined by the inclined bottom wall  31 , the tubular sidewall  32  and the C-shaped curvy structure  33  collaboratively. The inclined bottom wall  31  is extended downwardly to the outlet  34 . The C-shaped curvy structure  35  is connected with the inclined bottom wall  31  and tubular sidewall  32 , and arranged around the periphery of the bottom surface  332  of the storage chamber  33 . By means of the guiding part  35 , no inside corners are formed within the storage chamber  33  of the medicament storage module  3 . Consequently, the possibility of retaining the liquid medicament in the storage chamber  33  can be reduced, and the storage chamber  33  can be easily cleaned. The structures and functions of the inclined bottom wall  31 , the tubular sidewall  32 , the storage chamber  33 , the outlet  34  and the C-shaped curvy structure  35  of this embodiment are similar to those illustrated in  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B,  3 C and  3 D, and are not redundantly described herein. 
     In some embodiments, the nebulizer  2  further comprises a handle (not shown), and the handle is detachably connected with the medicament storage module  3 . Moreover, a power source (not shown) may be disposed within the handle for providing electric power to associated components of the nebulizer  2 . Moreover, a control panel (not shown) may be disposed within the handle for controlling operations of the nebulizer  2 . 
       FIG. 5  is a plot illustrating the relationship between the residual medicament percentage and the inclination angle of the inclined bottom wall of the medicament storage module of  FIGS. 2A and 2B . In case that the inclination angle θ1 of the inclined bottom wall  31  of the medicament storage module  3  is 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15 and 30 degrees, the residual medicament percentage is 0.401%, 0.304%, 0.112%, 0.023%, 0.008%, 0.002% and 0.001%, respectively. That is, if the inclination angle θ1 of the inclined bottom wall  31  in the range between 3 and 30 degrees, the residual medicament percentage of the nebulizer  2  can be effectively reduced. Especially, if the inclination angle  81  of the inclined bottom wall  31  in the range between 5 and 15 degrees, the overall height and size of the nebulizer  2  and the storage chamber  33  of the medicament storage module  3  can be reduced while complying with the required medicament capacity (e.g. 4˜5 ml). Consequently, the nebulizer  2  can be carried by the user more easily. 
     From the above descriptions, the present invention provides a nebulizer and a medicament storage module. By means of a tubular sidewall and an inclined bottom wall with an inclination angle, the viscous liquid medicament can be easily guided to the outlet and outputted. By means of a guiding part (e.g. a C-shaped curvy structure) of the medicament storage module, no inside corners are formed within the storage chamber of the medicament storage module. Consequently, there are no dead zones in the storage chamber, and the liquid medicament can be naturally guided to the outlet by the guiding part. After the nebulizing operation of the nebulizer is completed, the residual medicament is reduced, and the problems of wasting medicament or supplying insufficient medicament can be overcome. Moreover, since the inclination angle is specially designed, the residual medicament percentage can be effectively reduced, and the overall height and size of the nebulizer and the storage chamber of the medicament storage module can be reduced while complying with the required medicament capacity (e.g. 4˜5 ml). Consequently, the nebulizer can be carried by the user more easily. In the subsequent use of the nebulizer, the problem of contaminating the medicament or causing bacteria growth will be avoided. Moreover, the nebulizer of the preset invention can be used to administer medicament to treat or alleviate pain of the patient with a respiratory disease. In addition, the nebulizer can be used to administer medicament to be inhaled into the lungs of the patient in replace of oral administration. Consequently, the absorption efficiency and action efficiency of the medicament are enhanced and the occurrence of the side effect is reduced. Moreover, the nebulizer of the present invention can be carried to immediately administer medicament and quickly generate the drug action to the patient with exacerbation of the obstructive respiratory tract. In other words, the use of the nebulizer can immediately cure or relieve the patient in the event of sudden onset. 
     While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.