1. An inhaler for administering a medicament in the form of inhalable substances, formulations or mixtures of substances, comprising:
a housing;
a chamber receptacle disposed within the housing and including a cylindrical internal volume having respective first and second openings at opposite ends thereof; and
a single-use chamber having: (i) a substantially cylindrical body sized and shaped to be releasably received into the first end of the chamber receptacle, and (ii) a single-use capsule containing the medicament disposed within the body in such a way that it cannot be lost or removed,
wherein the single-use chamber is removable through the first opening of the chamber receptacle so as to empty the cylindrical internal volume of the chamber receptacle and permit the loading on a further single-use chamber therein.
2. The inhaler according to claim 1, further comprising:
a plate pivotably joined to the housing and including an opening therethrough,
wherein the chamber receptacle is capable of being latched to the plate such that the first opening of the chamber receptacle is in communication with the opening through the plate.
3. The inhaler according to claim 1, further comprising means for holding the chamber in a defined position.
4. The inhaler according to claim 3, wherein the means are in the form of at least one tongue and groove connection.
5. The inhaler according to claim 3, wherein the chamber receptacle and the single-use chamber define a longitudinal axis, and the means comprise an insertion coding that ensures the single-use chamber is inserted into the chamber receptacle in one specific rotational position about the longitudinal axis.
6. The inhaler according to one of claim 1, wherein the chamber receptacle forms a stop for the chamber at a pushed-in end position.
7. The inhaler according to claim 1, further comprising:
a mouthpiece;
an inhalation channel in communication with the mouthpiece;
the single-use chamber is substantially cylindrical in cross-section having an end face pointing toward the mouthpiece that is connected to the inhalation channel, and having an end face opposite the mouthpiece that is operatively connected to an air inlet opening in the housing.
8. The inhaler according to claim 7, wherein the single-use chamber is non-releasably connected to the inhalation channel and the single-sue chamber is replaced together with the inhalation channel.
9. The inhaler according to claim 7, further comprising a component for dispersing particles disposed in the inhalation channel.
10. The inhaler according to claim 7, wherein: the single-use chamber comprises, on the end face opposite the inhalation channel, a connector for coupling to the air inlet opening of the housing, and the connector projects beyond a free end of the chamber receptacle on a side remote from the mouthpiece.
11. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the single-use chamber comprises, on its circumference, two spaced-apart bores in which pins for piercing the ends of the capsule engage, the pins being movably mounted in the chamber receptacle and being capable of being operated by an actuating element.
12. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the single-use chamber is made from a transparent plastics and the housing and the chamber receptacle comprise, at least in a region of the single-use chamber, at least one region made of a transparent plastics material.
13. The inhaler according to claim 1, further comprising:
a lid;
wherein the plate, the mouthpiece, and the lid are pivotably joined to the housing, the mouthpiece is capable of being latched to the plate, and the lid is capable of being latched to the housing.
14. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the chamber receptacle, the single-use chamber, and the single-use capsule cooperate for administering the medicament, and the medicament is a powdered medicament.
15. The inhaler according to claim 14, wherein the powdered medicament is selected from among the anticholinergics, betamimetics, steroids, phosphodiesterase-IV-inhibitors, LTD4-antagonists, EGFR-kinase inhibitors, antiallergics, ergot alkaloid derivatives, triptans, CGRP antagonists, phosphodiesterase-V-inhibitors, and combinations of such active substances.
16. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the medicament is a powdered medicament.
17. The inhaler according to claim 1, further comprising:
two guide connectors disposed within the chamber receptacle;
a respective pin movably mounted in each of the guide connectors; and
two bores through the single-use chamber,
wherein the two bores and the two guide connectors are disposed in such way that the two pins pass into the single-use chamber and pierce the capsule.
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. An embroidery frame carrier for an embroidery sewing machine, which carrier moves an embroidery frame holding a work cloth to be embroidered in two mutually perpendicular directions, the embroidery frame carrier comprising:
a carriage to which a connector on an end portion of the embroidery frame is detachably mounted to support the embroidery frame;
a carrier mechanism freely moving the carriage in the two mutually perpendicular directions;
an engagement mechanism including an engagement groove provided on either one of the carriage or the connector of the embroidery frame and an engagement provided on the other so as to engage the engagement groove, the engagement mechanism engaging the connector to the carriage so that the connector is slidable on the carriage horizontally along a length of extension;
a lock portion provided in the carriage to engage one end of the connector of the embroidery frame to a predetermined location in a direction of a sliding movement, the lock portion including a fastener;
a lock mechanism provided in the carriage to engage the other end of the connector engaged by the engagement mechanism in a fixed state; and
a lock member provided in the lock mechanism to be switched between a pressed position in which the connector is pressed against the fastener and a released position in which the connector is released from a pressed state.
2. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 1, wherein the connector of the embroidery frame has an end located in the direction of the sliding movement and having a contact portion which is abutted against the lock portion, and either lock portion or contact portion is provided with a resilient member rendering the abutment resilient.
3. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 1, wherein the lock member includes a rotating lever with one end rotatably supported by the carriage.
4. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 3, wherein the rotating lever is disposed at a position where the connector of the embroidery frame in engagement with the carriage is sandwiched between the lock portion and the rotating lever, and the rotating lever assumes a substantially parallel position to the direction of the sliding movement when the lock member is in the pressed position, the rotating lever further assuming a standing position in the direction of the sliding movement when the lock member is in the released position.
5. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 4, wherein the rotating lever is provided with a contacting portion contacting the connector of the embroidery frame in the pressed position and the contacting portion is arranged to contact the connector of the embroidery frame on a level with or higher than a rotational center of the rotating lever.
6. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 2, wherein the resilient member includes a lock leaf spring.
7. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 6, wherein the engagement mechanism includes a biasing member elastically biasing the connector in such a direction that the engagement of the engagement mechanism is pressed against the engagement groove while the engagement is in engagement with the engagement groove.
8. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 7, wherein the biasing member includes a holding leaf spring.
9. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 8, wherein the holding leaf spring has a pressing force set so as allow the connector to slide by the pressing force of the lock leaf spring.
10. An embroidery frame carrier for an embroidery sewing machine, which carrier moves an embroidery frame in two mutually perpendicular directions, the embroidery frame having a frame-shaped cloth holder holding a work cloth to be embroidered and a connector provided on an end of the cloth holder, the embroidery frame carrier comprising:
a carriage to which the connector of the embroidery frame is detachably mounted to support the embroidery frame;
a carrier mechanism freely moving the carriage in the two mutually perpendicular directions;
an engagement mechanism including an engagement groove provided on either one of the carriage or the connector of the embroidery frame and an engagement provided on the other so as to engage the engagement groove, the engagement mechanism engaging the connector to the carriage so that the connector is slidable on the carriage horizontally along a length of extension;
a biasing member provided on the engagement mechanism to elastically bias the connector in such a direction that the engagement of the engagement mechanism is pressed against the engagement groove while the engagement is in engagement with the engagement groove; and
a carriage abutment portion provided in an area of the connector closer to the cloth holder so as to abut against the carriage on a surface of the carriage abutment portion opposing to a portion of the connector pressed by the biasing member.
11. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 10, wherein the carriage abutment portion includes a plurality of ribs formed on an underside of the connector and each rib has such a height as to maintain the cloth holder in a horizontal position.
12. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 10, wherein the biasing member includes a holding leaf spring.
13. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 12, wherein the holding leaf spring has a fixed portion fixed to the carriage and a free end which is in contact with the connector to press the connector and is formed so as to extend substantially in parallel to the engagement groove, and a pressing force of the free end is arranged to act on the connector both in a direction in which the engagement portion is pressed against the engagement groove and in a direction substantially in parallel to the direction of the sliding movement.
14. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 13, wherein the free end of the holding leaf spring is disposed front with respect to the direction of the sliding movement of the connector when the connector is engaged with the carriage.
15. The embroidery frame carrier according to claim 13, wherein the connector has an end and the carriage has an insertion hole into which the end of the connector is inserted when the connector is engaged with the carriage and the free end of the holding leaf spring is disposed in the vicinity of the insertion hole.