1. (canceled)
2. (canceled)
3. An automatic, water dispensing, filter shutoff device including a replaceable and disposable filter, the shutoff device being in removable engagement and fluid communication with a water container and adapted to disable dispensing after a predetermined amount of dispensing substantially corresponding with the filtration capacity of the filter has occurred, comprising:
a monitoring and disabling apparatus having a shutoff mechanism moveable between dispensing and disabling locations, the disabling location being one in which the shutoff apparatus is placed in an interfering position with the engagement between the device and the water container;
wherein the shutoff mechanism automatically moves into the interfering position once the predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, and without interrupting dispensing, from an engaged water container; and
wherein the device is capable of distinguishing between water containers having different volumetric capacities, and of moving the shutoff mechanism to the disabling location once the filtration capacity has been met, despite engagement of the device to differently-sized water containers;
whereby the used filter must first be removed and replaced with a new filter prior to reestablishing engagement and fluid communication between the shutoff device and a new water container.
4. The filter shutoff device of claim 3, wherein the device provides visual feedback to a user that filter replacement should occur.
5. The filter shutoff device of claim 10, wherein the shutoff mechanism comprises a plunger whose vertical height may be varied to obstruct engagement between the shutoff device and the water container.
6. (canceled)
7. The filter shutoff device of claim 5, wherein the plunger includes plunger teeth located about an outer periphery of the plunger, and the plunger also includes downwardly extending plunger teeth.
8. The filter shutoff device of claim 10, wherein the number of indexing teeth are chosen to correspond with the predetermined amount of dispensing, given volumetric capacity of the water container.
9. The filter shutoff device of claim 10, wherein the indexing ring rotates as successive water containers are used, with each incremental rotation corresponding to a single water container usage.
10. An automatic, water dispensing, filter shutoff device including a replaceable and disposable filter, the shutoff device being in removable engagement and fluid communication with a water container and adapted to disable dispensing after a predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, comprising:
a monitoring and disabling apparatus having a shutoff mechanism moveable between dispensing and disabling locations, the disabling location being one in which the shutoff apparatus is placed in an interfering position with the engagement between the device and the water container, the monitoring and disabling apparatus including an indexing ring carrying indexing teeth, indexing ring further comprises a retractable tooth for use in distinguishing differently-sized water containers;
wherein the shutoff mechanism automatically moves into the interfering position once the predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, and without interrupting dispensing from an engaged water container;
whereby the used filter must first be removed and replaced with a new filter prior to reestablishing engagement and fluid communication between the shutoff device and a new water container.
11. The filter shutoff device of claim 3, wherein the filter comprises a filter media.
12. The filter shutoff device of claim 11, wherein the filter media comprises a carbon-loaded, non-woven media combined with pleated support media.
13. An automatic water dispensing, filter shutoff device including a replaceable and disposable filter the shutoff device being in removable engagement and fluid communication with a water container and adapted to disable dispensing after a predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, the filter comprising a replaceable filter cartridge that is automatically ejected once the predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, comprising:
a monitoring and disabling apparatus having a shutoff mechanism moveable between dispensing and disabling location, the disabling location being one in which the shutoff apparatus is placed in an interfering position with the engagement between the device and the water container;
wherein the shutoff mechanism automatically moves into the interfering position once the predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, and without interrupting dispensing, from an engaged water container;
whereby the used filter must first be removed and replaced with a new filter prior to reestablishing engagement and fluid communication between the shutoff device and a new water container.
14. The filter shutoff device of claim 10, wherein the filter comprises a replaceable filter cartridge that is automatically ejected once the predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, and wherein the monitoring and disabling apparatus further comprises an automatic indexing-reset mechanism such that when a used water bottle is removed from engagement with the shutoff device, the indexing ring is reset to an initial rotation position.
15. An automatic water dispensing, filter shutoff device including a replaceable and disposable filter, the shutoff device being in removable engagement and fluid communication with a water container and adapted to disable dispensing after a predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, comprising
a valve mechanism allowing air to enter the shutoff device during water dispensing, and preventing water from exiting the filter during engagement of a water container to the shutoff device; and
a monitoring and disabling apparatus having a shutoff mechanism moveable between dispensing and disabling locations, the disabling location being one in which the shutoff apparatus is placed in an interfering position with the engagement between the device and the water container;
wherein the shutoff mechanism automatically moves into the interfering position once the predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, and without interrupting dispensing, from an engaged water container;
whereby the used filter must first be removed and replaced with a new filter prior to reestablishing engagement and fluid communication between the shutoff device and a new water container.
16. The filter shutoff device of claim 15, wherein the valve mechanism comprises two or more valves.
17. The filter shutoff device of claim 3, further comprising a semi-automatic cartridge-eject mechanism.
18. (canceled)
19. An automatic, water dispensing, filter shutoff device having a disposable and replaceable filter, the shutoff device being in removable engagement and fluid communication with a water container and adapted to disable dispensing after a predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, comprising:
a monitoring and disabling apparatus comprising shutoff means moveable between dispensing and disabling locations, the disabling location being one in which the shutoff means is placed in an interfering position with the engagement between the shutoff device and the water container;
wherein the shutoff means automatically moves into the interfering position once the predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, and without interrupting dispensing, from an engaged water container, whereby the used filter must first be removed and replaced with a new filter prior to reestablishing engagement and fluid communication between the shutoff device and a new water container; and
wherein the filter comprises a filter cartridge and a semi-automatic cartridge-eject mechanism, whereby the replaceable filter is automatically ejected once the predetermined amount of dispensing has occurred, and wherein the ejection process triggers resetting of the shutoff means.
20. The filter shutoff device of claim 19, wherein the shutoff means includes a plunger and rotating indexing means, and wherein when a used water bottle is removed from engagement with the shutoff device, the rotating indexing means is reset to an initial rotation position.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A drug delivery vehicle comprising one or more cyclodextrin moieties conjugated to a dendritic polyamine.
2. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 1 wherein the cyclodextrin is \u03b2-cyclodextrin.
3. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 1 wherein the dendritic polyamine has at least 4 primary amine groups.
4. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 1 wherein the dendritic polyamine has at least 8 primary amine groups.
5. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 1 wherein the dendritic polyamine has at least 12 primary amine groups.
6. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 1 wherein the dendritic polyamine has at least 48 primary amine groups.
7. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 1 comprising a small molecule or protein therapeutic noncovalently complexed with the cyclodextrin moiety.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the small molecule therapeutic is a chemotherapeutic agent.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the chemotherapeutic agent is erlotinib.
10. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 1 comprising a nucleic acid molecule noncovalently complexed with the dendritic polyamine.
11. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 10 wherein the nucleic acid molecule is siRNA, microRNA, a decoy oligonucleotide, an aptamer, or an antisense oligonucleotide.
12. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 1 comprising siRNA noncovalently complexed with the dendritic polyamine.
13. The drug delivery vehicle of claim 1 comprising a targeting ligand conjugated thereto.
14. A method of making a drug delivery vehicle comprising one or more cyclodextrin moieties conjugated to a dendritic polyamine comprising: a) generating a polyamine backbone and b) conjugating a cyclodextrin moiety to the polyamine backbone.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein cyclodextrin is \u03b2-cyclodextrin.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein the polyamine backbone is generated by Michael addition of a core initiator and methyl acrylate to generate amino esters, and amidation of the amino asters.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the core initiator is tris(2-aminoethyl)amine.
18. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of conjugating a cyclodextrin moiety to the polyamine backbone comprises tosylating the cyclodextrin moiety to provide tosylated-cyclodextrin, and reacting the tosylated-cyclodextrin with the polyamine backbone.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the cyclodextrin moiety is tosylated using tosylimidazole to generate 6-mono-tosylated cyclodextrin.
20. A composition comprising a drug delivery vehicle comprising one or more cyclodextrin moieties conjugated to a dendritic polyamine and a carrier.
21. A method for delivering a small molecule therapeutic and a nucleic acid therapeutic to a cell comprising contacting a cell with a delivery vehicle comprising one or more cyclodextrin moieties conjugated to a dendritic polyamine, a small molecule therapeutic noncovalently complexed with the cyclodextrin moiety of the vehicle, and a nucleic acid therapeutic noncovalently complexed with the dendritic polyamine.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the cell is a human cell.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein the cell is a cancer cell.