IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0282652
(2007-03-13)
|
등록번호 |
US-8245906
(2012-08-21)
|
우선권정보 |
GB-0605150.2 (2006-03-14) |
국제출원번호 |
PCT/GB2007/000867
(2007-03-13)
|
§371/§102 date |
20080912
(20080912)
|
국제공개번호 |
WO2007/104964
(2007-09-20)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Crosby, Gary Thomas
- Elliman, David Vincent
- Kelly, Andrew Michael
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
7 인용 특허 :
39 |
초록
▼
A dose counter for use with a medicament dispenser which comprises a ratchet; a first count wheel arranged to rotate about a first axis of rotation, the first count wheel including one or more ratchet drive receipt elements arranged thereon for receipt of drive from the ratchet to rotate the first c
A dose counter for use with a medicament dispenser which comprises a ratchet; a first count wheel arranged to rotate about a first axis of rotation, the first count wheel including one or more ratchet drive receipt elements arranged thereon for receipt of drive from the ratchet to rotate the first count wheel about the first axis of rotation; a second count wheel arranged to rotate about the first axis of rotation, the second count wheel including a set of teeth arranged annularly thereon; and a kick wheel arranged to rotate about a second axis of rotation offset from the first axis of rotation, the kick wheel including a set of kick teeth arranged annularly thereon and in meshed relationship with the teeth of the second count wheel such that rotary motion of the kick wheel results in rotary motion of the second count wheel is described.
대표청구항
▼
1. A dose counter for use with a medicament dispenser, said dose counter comprising a ratchet;a first count wheel arranged to rotate about a first axis of rotation, said first count wheel including one or more ratchet drive receipt elements arranged thereon for receipt of drive from said ratchet to
1. A dose counter for use with a medicament dispenser, said dose counter comprising a ratchet;a first count wheel arranged to rotate about a first axis of rotation, said first count wheel including one or more ratchet drive receipt elements arranged thereon for receipt of drive from said ratchet to rotate the first count wheel about said first axis of rotation;a second count wheel arranged to rotate about the first axis of rotation, said second count wheel including a set of teeth arranged annularly thereon; anda kick wheel arranged to rotate about a second axis of rotation offset from the first axis of rotation, said kick wheel including a set of kick teeth arranged annularly thereon and in meshed relationship with the set of teeth of the second count wheel such that rotary motion of the kick wheel results in rotary motion of the second count wheel,wherein said first count wheel further includes at least one fixed index tooth arranged for intermittent meshing with the kick teeth of the kick wheel such that rotary motion of the kick wheel results from rotary motion of the first count wheel only when said intermittent meshing occurs. 2. The dose counter of claim 1 configured and arranged so that said intermittent meshing is able to occur a plurality of times. 3. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the ratchet is a ratchet wheel arranged for rotation about the first axis of rotation. 4. The dose counter of claim 3, wherein the first count wheel is provided with a circular cavity that is arranged for receipt of the ratchet, and the ratchet drive receipt elements are arranged about the inner circumferential wall of the cavity for ratcheted drive interaction with the ratchet. 5. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the ratchet is provided with one or more ratchet drive tongues. 6. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein said one or more ratchet drive receipt elements are arranged annularly about the first count wheel. 7. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the one or more ratchet drive receipt elements are selected from the group consisting of one or more teeth and indents. 8. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second count wheels has the form of a disc or a ring. 9. The dose counter of claim 8, wherein the first count wheel has the form of a ring that is arranged for disposed receipt of the ratchet, and the ratchet drive receipt elements are arranged about the inner circumferential wall of the ring for ratcheted drive interaction with the ratchet. 10. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the ratchet is provided with at least one drive receipt element for receipt of drive that results in movement thereof. 11. The dose counter of claim 10, wherein said at least one drive receipt element comprises at least one protrusion. 12. The dose counter of claim 10, wherein the at least one drive receipt element is offset to the first axis. 13. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the second count wheel teeth are arranged circumferentially on the second count wheel. 14. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the second count wheel is arranged concentric to the first count wheel. 15. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the second count wheel takes the form of a ring and the first count wheel is disposed within the ring. 16. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the set of teeth of the second count wheel are provided on an outwardly-facing circumferential surface thereof. 17. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the kick teeth are arranged circumferentially on the kick wheel. 18. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the at least one index tooth is fixed at a point at or about the circumference of the first count wheel and rotation of the first count wheel is arranged to bring the at least one index tooth into meshed relationship with the kick teeth of the kick wheel at a particular point of the rotary cycle of the first count wheel such that meshing of each index tooth occurs once during each complete rotation of the first count wheel. 19. The dose counter of claim 1, having a reverse rotation mechanism for interacting with either one or both count wheels to prevent reverse movement thereof. 20. The dose counter of claim 1 additionally comprising a housing. 21. The dose counter of claim 20, wherein said housing is shaped to define the first axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation. 22. The dose counter of claim 21, wherein the first count wheel and/or the second count wheel mounts to the housing for rotation about the first axis of rotation and the kick wheel mounts to the housing for rotation about the second axis of rotation. 23. The dose counter of claim 20, wherein the housing takes the form of a bezel. 24. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the first and second count wheels are adapted in use to rotate about the first axis in the same sense. 25. The dose counter of claim 1, which includes a viewing window through which the count may be viewed. 26. The dose counter of claim 25 having a shutter to close off the viewing window at a predetermined point in the dose counter operation. 27. The dose counter of claim 26, wherein the shutter is comprised in one of the count wheels. 28. The dose counter of claim 27, wherein the count wheel is integrally formed with the shutter. 29. The dose counter of claim 27, wherein the shutter overlies the other count wheel. 30. The dose counter of claim 27, wherein the shutter is comprised in the second count wheel. 31. The dose counter of claim 1 having a display region through which the first and second count wheels are rotatable and a shutter which is movable to a shuttering position in which it shutters the display region. 32. The dose counter of claim 31 which is so configured and arranged that the shutter is only movable to the shuttering position when the first and second count wheels are in predetermined angular positions about the first axis. 33. The dose counter of claim 31 configured and arranged so that the shutter is only able to be moved to the shuttering position when the first count wheel has rotated through a plurality of revolutions about the first axis. 34. The dose counter of claim 31 configured and arranged such that the shutter moves to its shuttering position in response to movement of at least one of the count wheels. 35. The dose counter of claim 34, wherein the at least one count wheel is the second count wheel. 36. The dose counter of claim 34, wherein the at least one count wheel and the shutter have cooperating parts through which, in use, the at least one count wheel moves the shutter to its shuttering position. 37. The dose counter of claim 31, wherein the shutter is moved to its shuttering position by the at least one count wheel. 38. The dose counter of claim 37, wherein the shutter is carried to the shuttering position by the at least one count wheel. 39. The dose counter of claim 31 configured and arranged to display a count sequence with the count wheels and to cause the shutter to move to its shuttering position at the end of the count sequence. 40. The dose counter of claim 1 having count indicia on the count wheels. 41. The dose counter of claim 40, wherein the count indicia are arranged on the first and second count wheels so as to be on concentric paths. 42. The dose counter of claim 1 configured and arranged to sequence from a count mode of operation, in which the first count wheel is able to drive rotation of the second count wheel through the kick wheel, to a non-count mode of operation, in which the first count wheel is unable to drive rotation of the second count wheel through the kick wheel. 43. The dose counter of claim 42 configured and arranged to sequence from the count mode to the non-count mode when the first count wheel has completed a predetermined number of revolutions about the first axis. 44. The dose counter of claim 42 which is adapted to sequence from the count mode to the non-count mode when the second count wheel is disposed in a predetermined angular orientation about the first axis. 45. The dose counter of claim 42 configured and arranged such that in the non-count mode meshing of the kick teeth with the at least one index tooth and/or the second count wheel teeth is unable to occur. 46. The dose counter of claim 45, wherein a gap is provided in the set of kick teeth or the second count wheel teeth to disable meshing in the non-count mode. 47. The dose counter of claim 1, wherein the ratchet is movable in a first, driving direction to drivably rotate the first count wheel in a first sense through engagement of the ratchet with the ratchet drive receipt elements of the first count wheel and in a second, non-driving direction relative to the first count wheel. 48. The dose counter of claim 47, wherein the ratchet is a ratchet wheel mounted for rotation about the first axis of rotation and the first, driving direction is rotation of the ratchet wheel in the first sense and the second, non-driving direction is rotation of the ratchet wheel in the second, opposite sense. 49. A dose counter for counting the number of doses of medicament dispensed from a medicament dispenser comprising: first and second count wheels which are concentrically arranged for rotation on a common axis of rotation, each count wheel having count indicia thereon;a display region positioned for the count indicia of each count wheel to register with and display the count of the counter;a ratchet for incrementally rotating the first count wheel in a predetermined sense to change the count indicia thereof registering with the display region; anda mechanism adapted to intermittently transmit the incremental rotation of the first count wheel into an incremental rotation of the second count wheel in a predetermined sense to change the count indicia thereof registering with the display region. 50. The dose counter of claim 49, wherein the mechanism is adapted to only intermittently transmit the rotation of the first count wheel to the second count wheel at the same predetermined point in each cycle of rotation of the first count wheel. 51. The dose counter of claim 49, wherein the predetermined senses are in the same sense. 52. The dose counter of claim 49, wherein the count indicia on the count wheels are such as to provide a countdown count in the display region. 53. The dose counter of claim 49, wherein the mechanism is a gear mechanism. 54. The dose counter of claim 49, wherein the count indicia are arranged on the first and second count wheels so as to be on concentric paths. 55. The dose counter of claim 49, wherein the ratchet is movable in a first, driving direction to drive incremental rotation of the first count wheel in the predetermined sense and in a second, non-driving direction relative to the first count wheel. 56. The dose counter of claim 55, wherein the ratchet is a ratchet wheel mounted for rotation about the common axis of rotation and the first, driving direction is rotation of the ratchet wheel in the predetermined sense and the second, non-driving direction is rotation of the ratchet wheel in an opposite sense.
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