Patent ID: 7464706

Claim:
A medicament-dispensing inhaler comprising, in combination, a mouthpiece adapted to deliver airborne medicament to a patient's upper respiratory tract at a position away from the patient's mouth front and upper oropharyngeal region, and a housing, the housing having a mixing cavity adapted to selectively mount a medicament-containing cartridge; and an air-flow cavity for assisting in the delivery of air into and through a cartridge in the mixing cavity and into and through the mouthpiece, further including a cartridge comprising a first element defining an air inlet hole and an air outlet hole, and a second element, the second element snugly fitted into the first element so as to define, with the first element, a medicament-containing cavity, the second element also defining an air inlet hole and an air outlet hole, the first element and the second element being movable with respect to one another so as to place the air inlet holes in the first element and the second element in registry with one another and to simultaneously place the air outlet holes in the first element and the second element in registry with one another so as to permit a flow of air into, through, and out of the cartridge, the first element and the second element being movable with respect to one another so as to reconfigure the first and second elements thereby placing the inlet and outlet holes out of registry with one another and thereby prohibiting air flow through the cartridge and securely retaining medicament within the cartridge.