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.

Prior Document: <CIT>
<CIT> is prior art according to Art. <NUM>(<NUM>) and relates to an inhaler as shown in <FIG>. <CIT> relates to an aerosol dispersion device comprising a pressurized aerosol can in which a consumable substance may be stored, wherein the aerosol can comprises a valve which can be actuated by a lever for releasing the consumable substance.

An object according to an embodiment is to provide an inhaler including a filling lever that facilitates filling of a reservoir with an inhalable composition accommodated in a canister.

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 canister which is mounted interchangeably inside the housing and accommodates an inhalable composition, a reservoir which is positioned inside the housing and to which one side of the canister is connected, and a lever having one side forming a portion of the housing, and the other side being movable between a bottom surface of the canister and the other surface of the housing. When one side of the lever is pressed, the other side of the lever moves the canister in a direction toward the reservoir and some of the inhalable composition in the canister are stored in the reservoir.

According to an aspect, when the lever is pressed, the lever may move in a first direction from one side of the housing toward the canister.

According to an aspect, the reservoir may be disposed adjacent to the one surface of the housing, the other side of the canister may extend from the one side of the canister to the other surface of the housing, and when the lever is pressed, the canister may move in a second direction from the other surface to the one surface of the housing.

According to the claimed invention, the lever includes a first lever member which forms a portion of one side surface of the plurality of side surfaces of the housing, and a second lever member which extends from the first lever member toward the canister, and when the first lever member is pressed, the second lever member moves in a first direction from one side of the housing toward the canister to be inserted between the bottom surface of the canister and the other surface of the housing, and the canister moves in a second direction from the other surface to the one surface of the housing.

According to an aspect, the second lever member may include an inclined surface formed in a shape in which a height decreases along the first direction, and when the first lever member is pressed, the inclined surface may move the bottom surface of the canister in the second direction.

According to an aspect, the lever may further include a third lever member having one end fixed to the inside of the housing, and the other end coupled to the first lever member, and when the first lever member is pressed, the third lever member may be compressed in the first direction, and when the first lever member is not pressed, the third lever member may be restored to return the second lever member to its original position.

According to an aspect, the canister may include an accommodation portion which accommodates the inhalable composition, and an injection hole having one side connected to the reservoir and the other side positioned in the accommodation portion, and the injection hole may be operated to be opened or closed with respect to the reservoir.

According to an aspect, when the lever is pressed, the injection hole may be opened to allow the inhalable composition to move to the reservoir, and when the lever is not pressed, the injection hole may be closed.

According to an aspect, the inhaler may further an elastic member which is provided in the injection hole, and the elastic member may be compressed when the canister moves in a second direction from the other surface to the one surface of the housing, and return the canister to its original position when no external force is applied to the canister.

According to an aspect, when the lever is pressed, the reservoir may be filled with the inhalable composition in an intake volume for <NUM> to <NUM> times of puffs.

According to the inhaler according to an embodiment, it is easy to fill the reservoir with the inhalable composition accommodated in the canister by pressing the filling lever.

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.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the illustrative drawings. Regarding the reference numerals assigned to the components in the drawings, it should be noted that the same components will be designated by the same reference numerals, wherever possible, even though they are shown in different drawings. Further, in the following description of the present embodiments, a detailed description of publicly known configurations or functions incorporated herein will be omitted when it is determined that the detailed description obscures the subject matters of the present embodiments.

In addition, the terms first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used to describe constituent elements 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> is a cross-sectional view of the inhaler <NUM> in a state where a lever <NUM> is not pressed according to an embodiment.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the inhaler <NUM> in a state where the lever <NUM> is pressed according to an embodiment.

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

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> and <FIG>, the reservoir <NUM> may be disposed inside the housing <NUM>. Since one side of the canister <NUM> is connected to the reservoir <NUM>, the inhalable composition accommodated in the canister <NUM> may move to be stored in the reservoir <NUM>. In addition, as a user applies a suction force through the mouthpiece <NUM>, the inhalable composition stored in the reservoir <NUM> may be discharged through the mouthpiece <NUM> in the form of an aerosol, and thus, the inhalable composition stored in the reservoir <NUM> may be gradually consumed.

The canister <NUM> may be mounted inside the housing <NUM>. In this case, the canister <NUM> may be mounted interchangeably inside the housing <NUM>. In addition, the canister <NUM> may accommodate an inhalable composition therein. A certain amount of the composition of the canister <NUM> may be filled into the reservoir <NUM>.

The lever <NUM> may be pressed by a user to fill the composition accommodate in the canister <NUM> into the reservoir <NUM>. The lever <NUM> may form one side surface of the housing <NUM> and may be positioned adjacent to the second surface. When a user presses the lever <NUM>, the lever <NUM> may push a bottom surface of the canister <NUM> up so that an injection hole <NUM> 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 <NUM>.

Hereinafter, a direction from one side surface of the housing <NUM>, where the lever <NUM> is disposed, to the canister <NUM> is defined as a first direction, and a direction from the second surface to the first surface of the housing <NUM> is defined as a second direction.

Referring to <FIG>, in the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment, 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>. 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 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 lever <NUM> pushes the canister <NUM> up 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>.

The lever <NUM> that facilitates the filling of a reservoir with an inhalable composition of a canister is applied to the inhaler <NUM> described above, and the specific configuration and operating mechanism of the lever <NUM> will be described below in detail with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, one side of the lever <NUM> of the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment may form a portion of the housing <NUM>. Also, the other side thereof is movable between the bottom surface of the canister <NUM> and the second surface of the housing <NUM>. When the one side of the lever <NUM> is pressed by a user, the other side of the lever <NUM> may move the canister <NUM> in a direction to the reservoir <NUM>. Accordingly, some of the inhalable composition in the canister <NUM> may be moved to and stored in the reservoir <NUM>.

For example, the lever <NUM> may move in the first direction when pressed by a user. At this time, the canister <NUM> may move in the second direction by the lever <NUM>.

For example, the reservoir <NUM> may be disposed adjacent to the first surface of the housing <NUM>. The canister <NUM> may be disposed between the reservoir <NUM> and the second surface of the housing <NUM>. That is, the canister <NUM> may be vertically disposed on the second surface of the housing <NUM>, and at this time, the canister <NUM> may be disposed adjacent to a side surface opposite to the one side surface of the housing <NUM> formed by the lever <NUM>. That is, the canister <NUM> may be disposed so that the bottom surface thereof is adjacent to the second surface of the housing <NUM> and an upper portion of the canister <NUM> may be adjacent to the first surface of the housing <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the lever <NUM> may include a first lever member <NUM> and a second lever member <NUM>.

The first lever member <NUM> may form a portion of one side surface of the plurality of side surfaces of the housing <NUM>.

The second lever member <NUM> may extend from the first lever member <NUM> toward the canister <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, when the first lever member <NUM> is pressed by a user and moves in the first direction, the second lever member <NUM> may move in the first direction together to be inserted between the bottom surface of the canister <NUM> and the second surface of the housing <NUM>. Accordingly, the canister <NUM> may move in the second direction. That is, the second lever member <NUM> may push the canister <NUM> up toward the reservoir <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the second lever member <NUM> may include an inclined surface <NUM>. The inclined surface <NUM> may be formed in a shape in which a height decreases along the first direction. That is, a height of a portion close to the canister <NUM> may be smaller than a height of a portion close to the first lever member <NUM>. When the first lever member <NUM> is pressed, the inclined surface <NUM> may be inserted between the bottom surface of the canister <NUM> and the second surface of the housing <NUM>. At this time, the inclined surface <NUM> may come into contact with the bottom surface of the canister <NUM>, and a corner portion of the bottom surface may slide on the inclined surface <NUM>. Accordingly, the bottom surface of the canister <NUM> may be pushed up in the second direction. That is, when the first lever member <NUM> is pressed, the canister <NUM> may move in the second direction due to the shape of the inclined surface <NUM>.

Referring again to <FIG> and <FIG>, the lever <NUM> of the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment may further include a third lever member <NUM>.

One end of the third lever member <NUM> may be fixed inside the housing, and the other end thereof may be coupled to the first lever member <NUM>. In addition, the third lever member <NUM> may be positioned between the first lever member <NUM> and the second lever member <NUM>. The third lever member <NUM> may be provided with, for example, a compression spring. As shown in <FIG>, the third lever member <NUM> may be compressed in the first direction when the first lever member <NUM> is pressed. Also, when the first lever member <NUM> is not pressed, the third lever member <NUM> may be restored to return the second lever member <NUM> to its original position as shown in <FIG>. As the second lever member <NUM> returns to its original position, the canister <NUM> may also return to its original position and the filling of the reservoir <NUM> with the inhalable composition may be stopped.

Specifically, the canister <NUM> of the inhaler <NUM> according to an embodiment may include an accommodation portion <NUM> and the injection hole <NUM>.

The accommodation portion <NUM> may accommodate an inhalable composition.

One side of the injection hole <NUM> may be connected to the reservoir <NUM> and the other side thereof may be positioned in the accommodation portion <NUM>. The injection hole <NUM> may be opened or closed with respect to the reservoir <NUM>. For example, the injection hole <NUM> may be opened when the first lever member <NUM> is pressed. When the injection hole <NUM> is opened, the inhalable composition accommodated in the accommodation portion <NUM> may be allowed to move to the reservoir <NUM>. On the other hand, when the first lever member <NUM> is not pressed, the injection hole <NUM> may be closed. When the injection hole <NUM> is closed, a moving path of the inhalable composition to the reservoir <NUM> may be blocked, and accordingly, the filling of the reservoir <NUM> may be stopped.

Meanwhile, when the lever <NUM> is pressed in a state in which the inhalable composition in the reservoir <NUM> runs out, the reservoir <NUM> may be filled with the inhalable composition in an intake volume for <NUM> to <NUM> times of puffs. Also, in order to fill the reservoir <NUM> with the inhalable composition in an intake volume for <NUM> to <NUM> times of puffs, the lever <NUM> may need to be pressed for <NUM> to <NUM> seconds.

The operation of opening and closing the injection hole <NUM> may be controlled according to whether a user presses the lever <NUM>.

As described above, when the first lever member <NUM> is pressed, the second lever member <NUM> may push up the bottom surface of the canister <NUM>, that is, a bottom surface of the accommodation portion <NUM>. At this time, as shown in <FIG>, the accommodation portion <NUM> moves in the second direction, but one side of the injection hole <NUM> may be fixed to the reservoir <NUM>. That is, the position of the injection hole <NUM> in the housing <NUM> does not change, but the position of the other side of the injection hole <NUM> in the accommodation portion <NUM> may change due to the rising of the accommodation portion <NUM> in the second direction.

For example, when the other side of the injection hole <NUM> is pressed deeply into the accommodation portion <NUM>, the injection hole may be opened. Accordingly, the inhalable composition in the accommodation portion <NUM> may move to the reservoir <NUM> through the injection hole <NUM>. At this time, the inhalable composition may move by a pressure difference between the reservoir <NUM> and the accommodation portion <NUM>. That is, when the inhalable composition filled in the reservoir <NUM> by a user is consumed by aerosol discharge, the pressure in the reservoir <NUM> may be reduced, and therefore, when the injection hole <NUM> is opened, the inhalable composition may move from the accommodation portion <NUM> to the reservoir <NUM>. On the other hand, when the reservoir <NUM> is sufficiently filled with the inhalable composition, the inhalable composition may not additionally move to the reservoir <NUM> even if a user presses the lever <NUM> to open the injection hole <NUM>.

In addition, the canister <NUM> may further include an elastic member (not shown) that is positioned in the accommodation portion <NUM> and compressed and restored according to a pressure applied to the injection hole <NUM>. The elastic member may be provided with, for example, a compression spring.

As described above, since one side of the injection hole <NUM> is fixed to the reservoir <NUM>, the one side of the injection hole <NUM> may be pressed when the accommodation portion <NUM> receives an external force in the second direction by the lever <NUM>. At this time, the elastic member is compressed when the one side of the injection hole <NUM> is pressed, and thus, the accommodation portion <NUM> may move in the second direction with the injection hole <NUM> as an axis, as shown in <FIG>. In addition, when the lever <NUM> is not pressed by a user and returns to its original position, the external force of the lever <NUM> relative to the canister <NUM> is also removed. At this time, the accommodation portion <NUM> may move in a direction opposite to the second direction as the elastic member is restored. That is, if no external force is applied to the bottom surface of the accommodation portion <NUM> by the second lever member <NUM>, the elastic member may return the accommodation portion <NUM> to its original position as shown in <FIG>.

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 canister (<NUM>) which is mounted interchangeably inside the housing (<NUM>) and accommodates an inhalable composition;
a reservoir (<NUM>) which is positioned inside the housing (<NUM>) and to which one side of the canister (<NUM>) is connected; and
a lever (<NUM>) having one side forming a portion of the housing (<NUM>), and the other side being movable between a bottom surface of the canister (<NUM>) and the other surface of the housing (<NUM>),
wherein, when one side of the lever (<NUM>) is pressed, the other side of the lever (<NUM>) moves the canister (<NUM>) in a direction toward the reservoir (<NUM>) and some of the inhalable composition in the canister (<NUM>) are stored in the reservoir (<NUM>),
wherein the lever (<NUM>) further comprises:
a first lever member (<NUM>) which forms a portion of one side surface of the plurality of side surfaces of the housing (<NUM>); and
a second lever member (<NUM>) which extends from the first lever member (<NUM>) toward the canister (<NUM>), and
wherein, when the first lever member (<NUM>) is pressed, the second lever member (<NUM>) moves in a first direction from one side of the housing (<NUM>) toward the canister (<NUM>) to be inserted between the bottom surface of the canister (<NUM>) and the other surface of the housing (<NUM>), and the canister (<NUM>) moves in a second direction from the other surface to the one surface of the housing (<NUM>).