Patent Description:
In general, an inhaler is a device used to inhale a composition such as a medicine through the oral cavity or nasal cavity as a liquid or gas in the process of inhalation. Such an inhaler includes a container for accommodating an inhalable composition, and the composition is sprayed from the container through a thin tube to the oral cavity or nasal cavity through an intake to be finally inhaled by a user.

The above description has been possessed or acquired by the inventor(s) in the course of conceiving the present disclosure and is not necessarily an art publicly known before the present application is filed. <CIT> relates to an inhaler apparatus having a main housing, a canister of treatment fluid removably mounted within said main housing, said canister has an outlet means through which treatment fluid can flow; a valve means, means supporting said valve means within said main housing at a location downstream of said canister, said valve means is connected to the canister outlet means for regulating flow of treatment fluid therefrom; said valve means includes a valve element, a said means supporting said valve means includes a standpipe attached to said housing, said standpipe having a hollow upper marginal inlet end within which said outlet means of said canister is received, with there being an outlet nozzle communicating with said hollow upper end through which treatment fluid can flow when said valve means is opened; said nozzle being oriented in the direction of said mouthpiece to form a mixture of air and treatment fluid within said mouthpiece; said valve means includes a sail and a needle valve connected to said nozzle for throttling flow through said nozzle in accordance with the magnitude of the pressure drop across the sail, and means associated with said sail for actuating said valve means from a closed to the open position in response to pressure differential effected across said sail; means providing a source of ambient air upstream of said sail; a mouthpiece connected to said housing at a location downstream of said valve means, said sail being arranged transversely to the direction of flow through said mouthpiece so that when the mouthpiece is placed in one's mouth and a breath of air is taken through said mouthpiece, said sail is forced to move in a downstream direction thereby opening said valve means an amount which is proportional to the pressure differential effected across the sail. <CIT> relates to a device for dispensing an aerosol spray to the lungs of a patient from an aerosol dispenser activated automatically by user inhalation. The device comprises a body having an outwardly extending nozzle, a receptacle formed within the body for receiving the dispenser, and an activator positioned within the body being interactive with patient inhalation. Vents are formed in the body for carburating air into the nozzle. A fixator is provided for detachably affixing the dispenser, in the receptacle. The fixator is a cap that is threaded to the body and has an interior area accommodating the dispenser. The activator comprises a diaphragm positioned within the body. The activator includes a pin that is fixedly positioned to the diaphragm. The pin acts as a valve between the dispenser and the nozzle. An atomizer is provided for transmitting fluid into the nozzle. <CIT> relates to a medicator provided with a needle valve for opening/ closing a medicine powder flow-out path communicated to a capsule storage chamber, flap valve to be opened by the inhale action of the patient, and interlock rod for letting the needle valve sit on the medicine powder flow-out path while being interlocked with the opening action of the flag valve. Therefore, when the patient inhales air and the flag valve is opened by negative pressure at such a time, medicine powder can be simultaneously let flow out of the medicine powder flow-out path by air discharged from a pump part so that the inhale action of the patient can be synchronized with timing for the pump part to let the medicine powder flow out. <CIT> relates to an aerosol suction device provided with a spray port for spraying a solution which is raw material of an aerosol when the suction operation by a user is performed, a movable wall to be moved corresponding to the strength of the suction operation, and a needle valve for adjusting the opening degree of the spray port in linkage with the movable wall.

An object according to an embodiment is to provide an inhaler including a valve that operates to open and close a nozzle by moving up and down in conjunction with a suction force so that an inhalable composition is sprayed when a user applies the suction force, and an spraying amount is adjusted so that an inhalable composition with fine particles is sprayed during the spraying.

The technical tasks obtainable from the present disclosure are non-limited by the above-mentioned technical tasks. And, other unmentioned technical tasks can be clearly understood from the following description by those having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains.

According to the claimed invention for achieving the above object, an inhaler includes a housing having one surface, the other surface opposite to the one surface, and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the one surface and the other surface, a mouthpiece which is disposed on the one side of the housing, a reservoir which is disposed inside the housing and stores an inhalable composition, a nozzle which extends from the mouthpiece to the reservoir, and a needle valve which is movably disposed inside the nozzle. When a suction force is not applied to the mouthpiece, the needle valve is maintained in a first state in which the nozzle is closed. When a suction force is applied through the mouthpiece, the needle valve is switched into a second state in which the nozzle is opened.

According to an aspect, the first state may be defined as a state in which the needle valve comes into contact with the nozzle, and the second state may be defined as a state in which the needle valve does not come into contact with the nozzle.

According to the claimed invention, the inhaler further includes a piston which has one surface coupled to the needle valve, and vertically reciprocates in a first direction from the other surface to the one surface of the housing or a second direction from the one surface to the other surface of the housing, and a spring which is provided below the piston in a preloaded state. When a suction force is not applied to the mouthpiece, the spring may push the piston up in the first direction to maintain the first state. When a suction force is applied through the mouthpiece, the piston may overcome preload of the spring and move in the second direction to switch the state into the second state.

According to an aspect, the inhaler may further include a passage which is formed inside the housing and extends from one side of the mouthpiece to a bottom portion of the piston, and the passage may transfer a suction force applied to the mouthpiece to the piston.

According to an aspect, the inhaler may further include a negative pressure forming portion which forms a space between the piston and the passage, and the negative pressure forming portion may induce the piston to move in the second direction by generating a negative pressure by the suction force.

According to an aspect, the nozzle may include a first nozzle portion adjacent to the mouthpiece, and a second nozzle portion adjacent to the reservoir, and the first nozzle portion may be formed to have a diameter smaller than a diameter of the second nozzle portion.

According to an aspect, the needle valve may include a first valve portion which is formed on a front end and vertically reciprocates in a first direction from the other surface to the one surface of the housing or a second direction from the one surface to the other surface of the housing through the first nozzle portion and the second nozzle portion, and a second valve portion which is formed on a lower portion of the first valve portion, and the first valve portion may be formed to have a diameter smaller than a diameter of the second valve portion.

According to an aspect, the first valve portion may be formed to have the diameter smaller than the diameter of the first nozzle portion.

According to an aspect, the first valve portion may not come into contact with the nozzle in the first state or the second state, and the second valve portion may come into contact with the nozzle in the first state and may not come into contact with the nozzle in the second state.

According to an aspect, the nozzle may further include a sealing member provided in the second nozzle portion, and the second valve portion may come into contact with the sealing member in the first state, and may not come into contact with the sealing member by moving in the second direction in the second state.

According to an aspect, a first gap formed between the first valve portion and the first nozzle portion may be smaller than a second gap formed between the first valve portion and the sealing member.

According to an aspect, the first gap may be formed in the first state or the second state, and the second gap may be formed in the second state.

According to an aspect, the second gap may allow movement of an inhalable composition discharged from the reservoir, and the first gap may allow the movement of the inhalable composition to the mouthpiece by controlling a particle size of the inhalable composition passing through the second gap.

According to an aspect, the first gap is formed to <NUM> millimeters (mm) to <NUM>.

According to the inhaler according to an embodiment, a valve which operates to open and close a nozzle by moving up and down in conjunction with a suction force is provided to spray an inhalable composition when a user applies a suction force, thereby adjusting an spraying amount so that the inhalable composition with fine particles is sprayed during the spraying.

The effects of the inhaler are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other unmentioned effects can be clearly understood from the above description by those having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains.

The accompanying drawings illustrate desired embodiments of the present disclosure and are provided together with the detailed description for better understanding of the technical idea of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth in the drawings.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not to be limiting of the embodiments.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly-used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

When describing the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals refer to like components and a repeated description related thereto will be omitted. In the description of embodiments, detailed description of well-known related structures or functions will be omitted when it is deemed that such description will cause ambiguous interpretation of the present disclosure.

In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), and the like may be used to describe components of the embodiments. These terms are used only for the purpose of discriminating one constituent element from another constituent element, and the nature, the sequences, or the orders of the constituent elements are not limited by the terms. When one constituent element is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "attached" to another constituent element, it should be understood that one constituent element can be connected or attached directly to another constituent element, and an intervening constituent element can also be "connected", "coupled", or "attached" to the constituent elements.

The same name may be used to describe an element included in the embodiments described above and an element having a common function. Unless otherwise mentioned, the descriptions of the embodiments may be applicable to the following embodiments and thus, duplicated descriptions will be omitted for conciseness.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment.

<FIG> illustrates the inhaler <NUM> in a first state and a second state.

Referring to <FIG>, the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment may include a housing <NUM> and a mouthpiece <NUM>.

The housing <NUM> may include a first surface formed on one surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the first surface and the second surface. The first surface of the housing <NUM> may be, for example, a surface located on the top of the housing <NUM>, and the second surface may be, for example, a bottom surface of the housing <NUM>. Hereinafter, a direction from the second surface to the first surface is defined as a first direction, and a direction from the first surface to the second surface is defined as a second direction.

The mouthpiece <NUM> may be disposed on the first surface of the housing <NUM>. A user may inhale an inhalable composition accommodated in the inhaler <NUM> through the mouthpiece <NUM>. At this time, the user may inhale the composition, for example, in the form of an aerosol or in the form of a powder. Hereinafter, the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment will be described using the inhaler <NUM> that sprays an inhalable composition in the form of an aerosol as an example.

Referring to <FIG>, in the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment, a canister <NUM> for accommodating an inhalable composition may be mounted in the housing <NUM>, and a certain amount of the composition of the canister <NUM> may be filled in a reservoir <NUM>. A user may visually identify a remaining amount of the composition stored in the reservoir <NUM> through a viewing window (not shown) provided in the housing <NUM>. A filling lever <NUM> that may be pressurized by a user may be provided to fill the reservoir <NUM> with the composition accommodated in the canister <NUM>. The filling lever <NUM> may be provided on the second surface of the housing <NUM>. When a user pressurizes the filling lever <NUM>, the filling lever <NUM> may push a bottom surface of the canister <NUM> up in the first direction so that an injection hole of the canister <NUM> communicates with the reservoir <NUM>, and the composition may move from the canister <NUM> to the reservoir <NUM> through the injection hole. In addition, the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment may include a counter (not shown) that counts the number of times of filling in connection with a vertical movement of the canister <NUM> during the filling of the reservoir <NUM>, and a display window (not shown) that displays a remaining amount of a composition in the canister <NUM>. The composition stored in the reservoir <NUM> may be sprayed in the form of an aerosol, as a user applies a suction force to the mouthpiece <NUM>. At this time, an inhale interlocking valve <NUM> that opens and closes the reservoir <NUM> may be operated by the suction force, and the opening and closing operation of the inhale interlocking valve <NUM> may be controlled by a piston <NUM>. In addition, the reservoir <NUM> may be provided with a relief valve (not shown), and a relief vent hole <NUM> may be provided on the first surface of the housing <NUM>. This relief valve is interlocked with the filling lever <NUM> through a relief bar (not shown), a relief bar moving projection (not shown), and the like. Therefore, the relief valve may be opened first to discharge a residual gas in the reservoir <NUM>, immediately before the filling lever <NUM> pushes the canister <NUM> up in the first direction to fill the reservoir <NUM>. Additionally, the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment may include a cover <NUM> and a locking device <NUM> for preventing the detachment of the canister <NUM>.

In the inhaler <NUM> described above, a needle valve method developed to solve problems that occur when an aerosol is sprayed into the user's nasal cavity or oral cavity is applied to the inside of the housing <NUM>, and this needle valve method will be described in detail below with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

In general, when a pinch valve method is applied to an inhaler, a problem of wetting the inside of the user's oral cavity may occur due to too large particles of the aerosol sprayed through a nozzle having a circular cross-sectional area. In addition, since a tip of an injection nozzle is positioned inside the oral cavity, a problem in that the aerosol hits the oral cavity hard during the spraying may occur. In order to solve such problems, a needle valve method is applied in the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment may further include the reservoir <NUM>, a nozzle <NUM>, and a needle valve <NUM>.

The reservoir <NUM> may be disposed inside the housing <NUM>. The reservoir <NUM> may store an inhalable composition.

The nozzle <NUM> may allow the mouthpiece <NUM> to communicate with the reservoir <NUM>. The nozzle <NUM> may be provided as a tube extending from the mouthpiece <NUM> to the reservoir <NUM>.

The needle valve <NUM> may be movably disposed inside the nozzle <NUM>. For example, the needle valve <NUM> may move up and down inside the nozzle <NUM>. The needle valve <NUM> may open or close the nozzle <NUM> depending on its position within the nozzle <NUM>. That is, the needle valve <NUM> may open the nozzle <NUM> so that the mouthpiece <NUM> and the reservoir <NUM> communicate with each other, or may close the nozzle <NUM> so that the mouthpiece <NUM> and the reservoir <NUM> are isolated from each other.

In the needle valve method using the needle valve <NUM>, a cross-sectional area for spraying an aerosol may maintain a donut shape as the needle-shaped valve <NUM> is positioned in the middle of the nozzle <NUM>. In addition, finer particles may be formed by spraying the aerosol from a narrower section compared to the same injection area, and a phenomenon of hitting or wetting the inside of the oral cavity may be improved, because the nozzle <NUM> for spraying an aerosol is positioned at a lower tip of the mouthpiece <NUM> which is far from the oral cavity.

The nozzle <NUM> may be switched to one of a first state or a second state by the needle valve <NUM>. The first state is a state in which the nozzle <NUM> is closed, and the second state is a state in which the nozzle <NUM> is opened. In the first state, the mouthpiece <NUM> and the reservoir <NUM> may be isolated from each other. In the second state, the mouthpiece <NUM> and the reservoir <NUM> may communicate with each other. That is, in the second state, the inhalable composition stored in the reservoir <NUM> may be discharged to the mouthpiece <NUM> through the nozzle <NUM> as indicated by an arrow.

In addition, the needle valve <NUM> may operate in association with suction.

Specifically, when a suction force is not applied to the mouthpiece <NUM>, the needle valve <NUM> may maintain the nozzle <NUM> in the first state. When a suction force is applied through the mouthpiece <NUM>, the needle valve <NUM> may move in the second direction to switch the nozzle <NUM> into the second state.

Referring back to <FIG>, the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment may further include a piston <NUM>, a spring <NUM>, a passage <NUM>, and a negative pressure forming portion <NUM>.

The piston <NUM> may be disposed inside the housing <NUM>, and one end of the needle valve <NUM> may be coupled to one surface of the piston <NUM>. The piston <NUM> may reciprocate vertically in a cylinder.

The spring <NUM> may be provided below the piston <NUM>. At this time, the spring <NUM> may be provided in a preloaded state.

The passage <NUM> may be formed inside the housing <NUM>. The passage <NUM> may allow the mouthpiece <NUM> to communicate with the piston <NUM>. Specifically, one end of the passage <NUM> may be connected to one side of the mouthpiece <NUM>, and the other end of the passage <NUM> may be connected to the bottom of the piston <NUM>. At this time, one end of the passage <NUM> may be connected to the mouthpiece <NUM> at a position spaced apart from a position where the nozzle <NUM> is connected to the mouthpiece <NUM>. The passage <NUM> may transfer a suction force applied to the mouthpiece <NUM> to the piston <NUM>.

The negative pressure forming portion <NUM> may be formed between the piston <NUM> and one end of the passage <NUM> connected to the piston <NUM>. The negative pressure forming portion <NUM> may form a space between the piston <NUM> and the passage <NUM>. When a suction force is applied to the mouthpiece <NUM>, the suction force transferred through the passage <NUM> may reach the negative pressure forming portion <NUM>, and the negative pressure forming portion <NUM> may generate a negative pressure. Accordingly, the negative pressure forming portion <NUM> may induce the piston <NUM> to move in the second direction.

As a result, when a suction force is not applied to the mouthpiece <NUM>, the spring <NUM> may push the piston <NUM> up in the first direction so that the needle valve <NUM> and the nozzle <NUM> are maintained in the first state. On the other hand, when a suction force is applied to the mouthpiece <NUM>, the suction force may be transferred to the negative pressure forming portion <NUM> through the passage <NUM>, and the piston <NUM> may overcome the preload of the spring <NUM> by the negative pressure generated by the negative pressure forming portion <NUM>, and move in the second direction. Accordingly, the needle valve <NUM> may move in the second direction and the nozzle <NUM> may be switched into the second state.

Referring to <FIG>, the nozzle <NUM> and the needle valve <NUM> in the first and second states will be described in more detail.

<FIG> shows the inhaler <NUM> in the first state and <FIG> shows the inhaler <NUM> in the second state.

In the first state, the nozzle <NUM> and the needle valve <NUM> may come into contact with each other and the mouthpiece <NUM> and the reservoir <NUM> may be isolated from each other.

In the second state, the needle valve <NUM> may move in the second direction so that the nozzle <NUM> and the needle valve <NUM> may not come into contact with each other, and the mouthpiece <NUM> and the reservoir <NUM> may communicate with each other through the nozzle <NUM>. Accordingly, the inhalable composition in the reservoir <NUM> may be discharged outside from the reservoir <NUM> through the mouthpiece <NUM>.

Specifically, the nozzle <NUM> may include a first nozzle portion <NUM> and a second nozzle portion <NUM>.

The first nozzle portion <NUM> may be a portion adjacent to the mouthpiece <NUM>.

The second nozzle portion <NUM> may be, for example, a portion located on the bottom of the first nozzle portion <NUM> and adjacent to the reservoir <NUM>.

The nozzle <NUM> may be formed such that the first nozzle portion <NUM> has a diameter smaller than that of the second nozzle portion <NUM>.

The needle valve <NUM> may include a first valve portion <NUM> and a second valve portion <NUM>.

The first valve portion <NUM> may be a portion formed at a front end of the needle valve <NUM>. The first valve portion <NUM> may move adjacent to the first nozzle portion <NUM> or the second nozzle portion <NUM> when the piston <NUM> moves vertically. For example, in the first state, the first valve portion <NUM> may be disposed adjacent to the first nozzle portion <NUM>. In addition, in the second state, the first valve portion <NUM> may move in the second direction to be adjacent to the second nozzle portion <NUM>.

The second valve portion <NUM> may be, for example, a portion formed below the first valve portion <NUM>. A lower end of the second valve portion <NUM> may be coupled to one surface of the piston <NUM>. Accordingly, when the piston <NUM> vertically reciprocates, the needle valve <NUM> may vertically reciprocate.

The needle valve <NUM> may be formed such that the first valve portion <NUM> has a diameter smaller than that of the second valve portion <NUM>.

In addition, the first valve portion <NUM> may be formed to have a diameter smaller than that of the first nozzle portion <NUM>. That is, the first valve portion <NUM> may not come into contact with any of the first nozzle portion <NUM> and the second nozzle portion <NUM> in the first state or the second state.

Meanwhile, the nozzle <NUM> may further include a sealing member <NUM> provided on the second nozzle portion <NUM>. The sealing member <NUM> may be formed of, for example, an O-ring or a Quad-ring composed of an elastic material such as silicon or rubber. An inner diameter of the sealing member <NUM> may be larger than the diameter of the first valve portion <NUM> and may be equal to or smaller than the diameter of the second valve portion <NUM>. Also, the inner diameter of the sealing member <NUM> may be larger than the diameter of the first nozzle portion <NUM>.

The second valve portion <NUM> may be disposed adjacent to the sealing member <NUM> in the first state. That is, in the first state, the second valve portion <NUM> may come into contact with the sealing member <NUM>. Accordingly, the reservoir <NUM> may be sealed airtightly so that no aerosol leaks through the nozzle <NUM>.

On the other hand, the second valve portion <NUM> may move in the second direction with respect to the sealing member <NUM> and may not to come into contact with the nozzle <NUM> in the second state. Accordingly, the inhalable composition stored in the reservoir <NUM> may be discharged to the mouthpiece <NUM> through the nozzle <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a gap formed between the first nozzle portion <NUM> and the first valve portion <NUM> is defined as a first gap G1, and a gap formed between the sealing member <NUM> and the first valve portion <NUM> is defined as a second gap G2. Due to the structure of the nozzle <NUM> and the needle valve <NUM> described above, the first gap G1 may be formed to be smaller than the second gap G2.

The first gap G1 may be formed in the first state or the second state. The second gap G2 is formed when the first valve portion <NUM> is disposed adjacent to the sealing member <NUM>, and therefore, the second gap G2 may be formed in the second state in which the needle valve <NUM> is moved in the second direction.

The second gap G2 may allow the movement of the inhalable composition discharged from the reservoir <NUM>. The first gap G1 may control a particle size of an aerosol which has passed through the second gap G2. That is, since the first gap G1 is smaller than the second gap G2, the first gap G1 may allow only the movement of an aerosol with fine particles from the aerosol. As a result, only an aerosol having a size that is able to pass through the first gap G1 may move to the mouthpiece <NUM> to be discharged to the user.

That is, when the nozzle <NUM> is opened by a suction force, the aerosol is finally sprayed to the outside through the first gap G1, but the initial discharge from the reservoir <NUM> may be performed through the second gap G2 formed between the sealing member <NUM> and the first valve portion <NUM>.

That is, since both the nozzle <NUM> and the needle valve <NUM> are formed straight, the first gap G1 is constantly formed regardless of the opening and closing of the nozzle <NUM>, and therefore, the opening and closing is substantially performed by the sealing member <NUM> and the needle valve <NUM>.

In this case, the first gap G1 may be formed to have a size of <NUM> millimeters (mm) to <NUM> for the spraying of an aerosol with sufficiently small particles. For example, if the size of the first gap G1 is smaller than <NUM>, it is difficult for a liquid composition to move along a narrow gap, so that a gas is mainly sprayed, and some liquid droplets may be weakly sprayed as if boiling. On the other hand, if the size of the first gap G1 is larger than <NUM>, large liquid droplets are mainly sprayed, which may cause an extremely large spraying amount per unit time, and the user may feel that the nasal cavity or oral cavity is wet. In addition, if the second gap G2 is formed too narrow due to a manufacturing tolerance of the sealing member <NUM>, a phenomenon which is the same phenomenon occurring due to the narrow first gap G1 may occur, and therefore, in consideration of this point, the second gap G2 may be formed sufficiently larger than the first gap G1. Accordingly, the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment may spray an aerosol with fine particles and easily adjust the spraying amount.

Claim 1:
An inhaler (<NUM>) comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) having one surface, the other surface opposite to the one surface, and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the one surface and the other surface;
a mouthpiece (<NUM>) which is disposed on the one side of the housing (<NUM>);
a reservoir (<NUM>) which is disposed inside the housing (<NUM>) and stores an inhalable composition;
a nozzle (<NUM>) which extends from the mouthpiece (<NUM>) to the reservoir (<NUM>);
a needle valve (<NUM>) which is movably disposed inside the nozzle (<NUM>),
a piston (<NUM>) which has one surface coupled to the needle valve (<NUM>), and vertically reciprocates in a first direction from the other surface to the one surface of the housing (<NUM>) or a second direction from the one surface to the other surface of the housing (<NUM>); and
a spring (<NUM>) which is provided below the piston (<NUM>) in a preloaded state, wherein, when a suction force is not applied to the mouthpiece (<NUM>), the needle valve (<NUM>) is maintained in a first state in which the nozzle (<NUM>) is closed,
wherein, when a suction force is applied through the mouthpiece (<NUM>), the needle valve (<NUM>) is switched into a second state in which the nozzle (<NUM>) is opened,
wherein, when a suction force is not applied to the mouthpiece (<NUM>), the spring (<NUM>) pushes the piston (<NUM>) up in the first direction to maintain the first state, and
wherein, when a suction force is applied through the mouthpiece (<NUM>), the piston (<NUM>) overcomes preload of the spring (<NUM>) and moves in the second direction to switch the state into the second state.