Patent ID: 7234459

Claim:
An inhaler apparatus for producing and releasing an air stream charged in controlled manner with fine liquid active ingredient particles, said apparatus comprising: a pump unit (P) for producing a stream of compressed air, a hand-operated drive (G) for the pump unit and a pneumatically driven nebuliser device (Z) communicating with the pump and having a container chamber ( 80 ) for holding a liquid active ingredient formulation (W), said pump unit comprising a short-stroke piston pump ( 41 – 43 ) having an air outlet and a pump piston ( 42 ), the stroke of which is not substantially more than three millimeters, said drive being built in the form of a crank gear (G) comprising a gear transmission ( 21 – 25 ) and a hand crank (K) for driving said gear transmission, said gear transmission having an output shaft ( 24 ) being kinematically connected to the pump piston ( 42 ) via and eccentric ( 28 ) thus driving said pump piston, said nebuliser device (Z) being equipped with a self-priming nebuliser nozzle ( 82 ) and with a connection ( 81 ) for leading compressed air into the nebuliser nozzle, wherein said connection ( 81 ) is connected to the outlet of said piston pump, said nebuliser device (Z) further comprising mixing means ( 90 – 97 ) in-line with the nebuliser nozzle ( 82 ) in the direction of the flow which repeatedly divert the air stream charged with liquid particles which emerges from the nebuliser nozzle ( 82 ), said mixing means comprising a plurality of longitudinally extended mixing channels ( 91 – 94 ) in which there is a mixing body ( 95 ) which provides baffles for the air stream charged with liquid particles which flows through the mixing channels, whereby said mixing body ( 95 ) comprises at least two mixing elements ( 97 ) in the form of helicoids rotating in opposite directions, and said nebuliser device being further provided with sealing means ( 788 , 890 , 891 ) to prevent liquid active ingredient formulation from leaking out of the nebuliser device.