Inhalation Device

Abstract

An inhalation device is described for use with a medicament pack in which at least one container for medicament in powder form is defined between two sheets peelably secured to one another. The device comprises means for peeling the sheets apart at an opening station to open the container; and an outlet, communicating with the opened container, through which a user can inhale medicament in powder form from the opened container.

1 - 26 . (canceled) 
   
   
       27 . An inhalation device for use with a medicament pack configured as a strip having a length and a plurality of containers for containing medicament in powder form spaced along the length of the strip, wherein the inhalation device comprises:
 an outlet at which a user is able to inhale thereat,   an indexer to index the containers of the medicament pack when present in communication with said outlet, and   an opener to open the containers of the medicament pack when present to enable the user to inhale medicament powder from the containers through the outlet.   
   
   
       28 . A device according to  claim 27  wherein the indexer is engageable between adjacent containers of the medicament pack when present to cause each container in turn to be positioned in communication with the outlet. 
   
   
       29 . A device according to  claim 27  wherein the indexer comprises a rotatable index wheel having recesses therein, the wheel being engageable with the medicament pack when present so that the recesses receive a respective container. 
   
   
       30 . A device according to  claim 27  wherein the indexer comprises a rotatable index wheel defining a wheel axis, the wheel having grooves therein extending parallel to the wheel axis, the wheel being engageable with the medicament pack when present so that the grooves each receive a respective container. 
   
   
       31 . A device according to  claim 30  wherein the grooves are spaced at a pitch which is equal to the distance between the centre lines of adjacent containers of the medicament pack. 
   
   
       32 . A device according to  claim 27  wherein the indexer is arranged to rotate unidirectionally for unidirectional indexing of the medicament pack when present. 
   
   
       33 . A device according to  claim 27  comprising an actuator which the indexer is moveable in response to actuation of. 
   
   
       34 . A device according to  claim 33  wherein the actuator includes a lever. 
   
   
       35 . A device according to  claim 27  with the medicament pack received therein. 
   
   
       36 . A device according to  claim 35  with the medicament pack received therein and the containers being equi-spaced along the strip length. 
   
   
       37 . A device according to  claim 30  comprising an actuator for actuating the device, wherein the actuator is coupled to the index wheel such that, upon each operation of the actuator, the index wheel is caused to rotate unidirectionally in a first sense to advance the medicament pack in a first direction by an amount which indexes one of the containers in communication with the outlet. 
   
   
       38 . A device according to  claim 37  configured and arranged such that each operation of the actuator rotates the index wheel in the first sense an angular amount corresponding to the angular spacing of adjacent recesses. 
   
   
       39 . A device according to  claim 38  configured and arranged such that the index wheel rotates by the same angular amount in the first sense upon each operation of the actuator. 
   
   
       40 . A device according to  claim 38  wherein the grooves are equi-angularly spaced about the circumference of the index wheel. 
   
   
       41 . A device according to  claim 40  with the medicament pack received thereby, wherein the containers of the medicament pack are equi-spaced along the length thereof at a spacing complementary to the equi-angular spacing of the grooves. 
   
   
       42 . A device according to  claim 41 , wherein the actuator is manually-operable. 
   
   
       43 . A device according to  claim 30  comprising the medicament pack which is of blister pack form. 
   
   
       44 . An index wheel for use in an inhalation device to index medicament-powder containing containers of a medicament pack of strip form in communication with an outlet of the device at which a user is able to inhale, wherein the index wheel defines a wheel axis and is provided with a plurality of grooves extending parallel to the wheel axis for receiving therein a respective container of the medicament pack. 
   
   
       45 . The index wheel according to  claim 44 , wherein the grooves are equi-angularly spaced apart.