Powder medicine applicator for nasal cavity

Abstract

Improvement for the device to deliver the powdery medicine into nasal cavities in which a capsule setting/detaching part 40 is built drawably in the capsule housing/holding part 30, and cutting blades 60 A, 60 B are built in both axial ends of the capsule setting/detaching part 40 of the capsule housing/holding part 30 for cutting both axial ends of the capsule thereby perforating the capsule. A medicine capturing/collecting part 32 and a one-way valve 33 are built in a lower portion of the capsule housing/holding part 30, and a pump 50 having an air inlet valve 54 is built in the air flow inlet side thereof. A medicine delivery part 20 is built in the air exit of the capsule housing/holding part 30, a nozzle 22 is installed and medicine in the capsule can be dosed to the nasal cavities of the user by pressing the pump 50.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A device to deliver a powdery medicine into the a nasal cavity, comprising:
 a capsule housing/holding part for housing and holding a capsule filled with a powdery medicine, 
 a pump installed in the capsule housing/holding part for supplying dosing air to the capsule housing/holding part, 
 a medicine delivery part with one or branched top end installed in the capsule housing/holding part for delivering and dosing the powdery medicine in the capsule of the capsule housing/holding part by air supplied by way of an air flow passage built in the capsule housing/holding part from the pump to the nasal cavity of a user, 
 a capsule selling/detaching part built in the capsule housing/holding part so as to move the capsule in a lateral direction relative to an axial direction of the capsule for setting and detaching a capsule and for perforating both axial ends of the capsule, and 
 cutting blades built in the capsule housing/holding part so as to be movable laterally with respect to an axial direction of the capsule for perforating both axial ends of the capsule, 
 wherein a medicine capturing/collecting part having an air flow passage shape for capturing and collecting the powdery medicine falling and flowing backwardly from the capsule after perforation and not causing them to flow backwardly to the pump, and capable of dosing the captured and collected powdery medicine by the operation of the pump, and a one-way valve the opening pressure of which is controlled by a spring are built in the air flow passage. 
 
     
     
       2. The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a nozzle of the medicine delivery part composed of a flexible tube such that it can be inserted for dosing while conforming the a nasal nostril of a user when the powdery medicine is dosed to the nasal cavities of the user. 
     
     
       3. The device according to  claim 1  wherein the medicine delivery part has a top end branched into two ways. 
     
     
       4. A device to deliver a powdery medicine into the a nasal cavity, comprising:
 a capsule housing/holding part for housing and holding a capsule filled with a powdery medicine, 
 a pump comprising an air intake valve and installed in the capsule housing/holding part for supplying dosing air to the capsule housing/holding part, 
 a medicine delivery part with one or branched top end installed in the capsule housing/holding part for delivering and dosing the powdery medicine in the capsule of the capsule housing/holding part by air supplied by way of an air flow passage built in the capsule housing/holding part from the pump to the nasal cavity of a user, 
 a capsule setting/detaching part built in the capsule housing/holding part so as to move the capsule in a lateral direction relative to an axial direction of the capsule for setting and detaching a capsule and for perforating both axial ends of the capsule, and 
 cutting blades built in the capsule housing/holding part so as to be movable laterally with respect to an axial direction of the capsule for perforating both axial ends of the capsule, 
 wherein a medicine capturing/collecting part having an air flow passage shape for capturing and collecting the powdery medicine falling and flowing backwardly from the capsule after perforation and not causing them to flow backwardly to the pump, and capable of dosing the captured and collected powdery medicine by the operation of the pump, and a one-way valve the opening pressure of which is controlled by a spring are built in the air flow passage, and  
 wherein the medicine delivery part has a top end branched into two ways. 
 
     
     
       5. The device according to  claim 2 , wherein the medicine delivery part has a top end branched into two ways. 
     
     
       6. The device according to  claim 4 , further comprising a nozzle of the medicine delivery part composed of a flexible tube such that it can be inserted for dosing while conforming the a nasal nostril of a user when the powdery medicine is dosed to the nasal cavities of the user. 
     
     
       7. A device to deliver a powdery medicine, the device comprising:
 a) a capsule housing adapted to receive a capsule filled with the powdery medicine having an upstream end and a downstream end;   b) a capsule setting/detaching part movably in communication with the capsule housing adapted to simultaneously load and perforate the capsule;   c) a pump; and   d) a medicine capturing/collecting part having:
 an air flow passage shape for capturing and collecting the powdery medicine falling and flowing backwardly from the capsule after perforation and not causing them to flow backwardly to the pump, and capable of dosing the captured and collected powdery medicine by the operation of the pump, and 
 a one-way valve the opening pressure of which is controlled by a spring built in the air flow passage.  
   
     
     
       8. The device of claim 7, wherein the capsule setting/detaching part is adapted to move in a lateral direction relative to an axial direction of the capsule.  
     
     
       9. The device of claim 7, wherein the capsule setting/detaching part comprises a capsule attaching/detaching recess for holding the capsule.  
     
     
       10. The device of claim 7, wherein the capsule setting/detaching part has an interior end and an exterior end further comprising an interior end abutment adapted to prevent the complete withdrawal of the capsule setting/detaching part from the capsule housing when the capsule setting/detaching part is moved laterally away from the capsule housing.  
     
     
       11. The device of claim 7, wherein the capsule setting/detaching part is adapted to regulate the insertion depth of the capsule attaching/detaching recess into the capsule housing when the capsule setting/detaching part is moved laterally towards the capsule housing.  
     
     
       12. The device of claim 11, wherein the depth of insertion of the capsule attaching/detaching recess into the capsule housing when the capsule setting/detaching part is moved laterally towards the capsule housing is regulated by the position of the capsule attaching/detaching recess within the capsule/setting detaching part.  
     
     
       13. The device of claim 7, wherein the capsule setting/detaching part has an interior end and an exterior end further comprising an exterior end protrusion adapted to regulate the insertion depth of the capsule setting/detaching part into the capsule housing when the capsule setting/detaching part is moved laterally towards the capsule housing.  
     
     
       14. The device of claim 12 or 13, wherein the capsule housing is adapted to perforate the capsule before the setting/detaching protrusion of the setting/detaching part abuts the capsule housing/holding part.  
     
     
       15. The device of claim 13, wherein the device is adapted so that once the protrusion of the setting/detaching part abuts the capsule housing/holding part, the device is in a ready state for dosing the powdery medicine.  
     
     
       16. The device of claim 7, wherein the capsule housing further comprises one or more cutting blades adapted to perforate at least one axial end of the capsule.  
     
     
       17. The device of claim 16, wherein the one or more cutting blades are situated lateral to the axial direction of the capsule.  
     
     
       18. The device of claim 7, further comprising a medicine delivery part adapted for delivering the powdery medicine to a user having an upstream end and a downstream end.  
     
     
       19. The device of claim 18, further comprising one or more nozzles coupled to downstream end of the medicine delivery part.  
     
     
       20. The device of claim 19, wherein the one or more nozzles are flexible.  
     
     
       21. The device of claim 19, wherein the one or more nozzles conform to a user's nostril.  
     
     
       22. The device of claim 7, wherein the pump is adapted to supply dosing air to disperse the powdery medicine, and coupled to the upstream end of the capsule housing and the one-way valve in communication with the capsule housing.  
     
     
       23. The device of claim 22, wherein the pump is adapted so as not to need cleaning between uses.  
     
     
       24. The device of claim 22, wherein the pump further comprises an air intake valve.  
     
     
       25. The device of claim 22, wherein the pump further comprises a deformable volume adapted to be engaged by a user.  
     
     
       26. The device of claim 7 or 22, wherein the one-way valve comprises an upstream end and a downstream end, wherein the downstream end is coupled to the upstream end of the capsule housing.  
     
     
       27. The device of claim 7 or 22, wherein the upstream end of the one-way valve is coupled to the pump.  
     
     
       28. The device of claim 27, wherein the one-way valve is adapted to open when air from the pump reaches a predetermined pressure.  
     
     
       29. The device of claim 7 or 22, wherein the one-way valve is adapted to capture medicine that falls upstream from a perforated capsule.  
     
     
       30. The device of claim 29, wherein the device is adapted to deliver the captured medicine to the user.  
     
     
       31. The device of claim 29, wherein the one-way valve is further adapted to prevent the upstream flow of medicine into the pump.  
     
     
       32. The device of claim 7, wherein a portion of the air flow passage configured to capture the powdery medicine prevents backward flow of the powdery medicine to the pump.  
     
     
       33. The device of claim 7, wherein the device is capable of dosing the captured powdery medicine.  
     
     
       34. A method for delivering a powdery medicine, the method comprising:
 loading a capsule containing the powdery medicine into a delivery device comprising a nozzle, a capsule housing, a capsule setting/detaching part, a pump, and a medicine capturing/collecting part having:
 an air flow passage shape for capturing and collecting the powdery medicine falling and flowing backwardly from the capsule after perforation and not causing them to flow backwardly to the pump, and capable of dosing the captured and collected powdery medicine by the operation of the pump, and 
 a one-way valve the opening pressure of which is controlled by a spring built in the air flow passage, 
 wherein the loading step simultaneously sets the capsule into the delivery device and perforates the capsule; 
   positioning at least a portion of the nozzle of the delivery device into a nostril of a user; and   activating the pump, whereby the powder medicine is delivered to the user.    
     
     
       35. The method of claim 34, wherein perforation of the capsule occurs at the axial ends of the capsule.  
     
     
       36. The method of claim 34, wherein perforation of the capsule is by cutting blades.  
     
     
       37. The method of claim 36, wherein the cutting blades are built into the capsule housing.  
     
     
       38. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of activating the pump comprises squeezing the pump.