Patent ID: 7387122

Claim:
A powder inhalator comprising: a housing; a supply member for holding a powdered drug for a large number of doses and having a drug discharge aperture at its bottom surface; a drug carrier having a flat upper surface, to which the powdered drug is supplied from the drug discharge aperture of the supply member, and having on its flat upper surface measuring recess that has a volume equivalent to one dose of the drug; and an operation member disposed so as to move freely back and forth, and operate the drug carrier, the drug carrier moving in contact with the bottom surface of the supply member to carry the powdered drug loaded into the measuring recess from the position of the drug discharge aperture to an air inhalation channel, wherein the drug carrier is supported pivotably in the housing so that the measuring recess reciprocates in a circular manner, relative to the drug discharge aperture of the supply member, by pivoting the drug carrier; wherein the flat surface is raised to form an arc-shaped sliding portion, and at one end of the flat surface the measuring recess is positioned, thereby the sliding portion alone of the drug carrier contacts the bottom surface of a surrounding portion of the drug discharge aperture of the supply member when the measuring recess moves in the circular manner.