Patent ID: 7284553

Claim:
In a combination comprising a capsule and a medicinal powder inhaler device comprising, (a) a generally cylindrical capsule having an outer surface, a longitudinal axis and containing a pharmaceutically active inhalable medicament, and (b) a medicinal powder inhaler device comprising, (1) a capsule chamber for receiving the capsule, said capsule chamber having an inner surface, an inlet proximate a first end, for admitting air into the chamber and an outlet, proximate a second end, which communicates with a mouthpiece, the axis of the chamber being the line running between the first and second ends, by means of which mouthpiece a patient can draw by inhalation a stream of air which flows from the inlet, through the capsule chamber, wherein it admixes with medicament which has been released from a capsule that has been received by the chamber, thence through the outlet and finally from the mouthpiece from whence the patient may inhale the mixture of air and medicament, the inner surface of said capsule chamber and the outer surface of said capsule defining clearance along the longitudinal axis and clearance in a transverse direction sufficient to enable the capsule to vibrate longitudinally (in the direction of air flow) and also transversely (at right angles to the direction of flow) while remaining aligned substantially parallel to the chamber axis when air is caused to pass through the chamber in response to inhalation by the patient, the combination including raised elements on either the inner surface of said capsule chamber or the outer surface of said capsule, which raised elements align the axis of the capsule with the longitudinal axis of the capsule chamber and which extend into the clearance of the transverse direction to constrain the capsule such that, when it vibrates within the capsule chamber, movement back and forth along its longitudinal axis is permitted with essentially no transverse movement, and (2) means for piercing a capsule placed into the capsule chamber, to thereby release medicament from the capsule into the capsule chamber.