GB2412876A

GB2412876A - Nicotine inhaler with airflow regulator

Info

Publication number: GB2412876A
Application number: GB0407990A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Jones; Damien Tinker
Original assignee: GASFLOW SERVICES Ltd
Current assignee: GASFLOW SERVICES Ltd
Priority date: 2004-04-08
Filing date: 2004-04-08
Publication date: 2005-10-12
Also published as: GB0407990D0

Abstract

A nicotine inhaler (8) suitable for use as a substitute for a cigarette for the purposes of inhaling nicotine comprising an elongate tube (10) having an inlet end (12) and an outlet end (14), and a nicotine delivery element (16) mounted inside the tube between the respective ends. The tube is also provided with adjustable regulating means (18) in or on the tube which is capable of regulating airflow therethrough on application of suction to the outlet end. The flow of air through the device can thereby be adjusted by a user to best reflect their requirements. The device is preferably disposable and constructed so as to visually mimic a cigarette.

Description

Inhaler The present invention relates to an inhaler, in particular an

inhaler for nicotine.

Due to changes in social attitudes and in legislation an increasing number of places are subject to a ban on smoking. In some instances this can be more than simply inconvenient for a smoker. In particular, the inability of smokers to satisfy their craving for a smoke as passengers on long-haul flights has been linked to a propensity to 'air-rage', particularly when linked to consumption of alcohol in excess.

There is therefore a requirement to provide smokers with a source of nicotine to satisfy their craving whilst not actually smoking. To this end nicotine patches, as normally provided for use in giving up smoking, have been supplied to passengers.

However, such a solution is non-optimal as many of the normal cues associated with the smoking habit are absent, only the actual delivery of nicotine to the body is present. This can reduce the acceptability of such a solution to a smoker.

Furthermore skin allergies and the like may prevent use of such patches.

The present invention provides a nicotine inhaler comprising an elongate tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, and a nicotine delivery element mounted inside the tube between the respective ends, in which respect the tube is also provided with adjustable regulating means in or on the tube capable of regulating airflow therethrough on application of suction to the outlet end.

The regulating means may be in the form of at least two abutting members with apertures therein and the members are moveable relative to one another to give various degrees of overlap of the apertures.

The inhaler, by means of the airflow regulating means allows a user to regulate his/her intake of air and thus nicotine in a manner which best simulates his/her preferred smoking habit. Thus a user may use one setting of the regulating means at the beginning of use of the device and another towards the end of use so as to simulate a change in airflow characteristics present with a real cigarette when smoked. In a preferred embodiment the inhaler is intended to, as far as possible, mimic the look, feel and nicotine delivery characteristics of a cigarette and therefore seeks to mimic and more fully satisfy the needs of a smoker than do known devices. In doing so negative issues such as smoking in no-smoking areas, fire risk and passive smoking are avoided.

The nicotine delivery element may be provided by soaking a solution of nicotine into a porous element such as cotton wool. When, in use, air is drawn through the inhaler the nicotine is progressively released into the air stream for inhalation by a user.

In a preferred embodiment the inhaler is intended to be disposable.

In use the inhaler is not ignited and may be specifically made so as to be non- flammable and hence inadvertent ignition is avoided.

The invention will now be described further by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a crosssection through an embodiment of the inhaler according to the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the inhaler of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of a static regulator plate for use in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a plan view of a regulator assembly for use in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1.

The illustrated embodiment of the inhaler 8 of the invention comprises a tube 10, of length 6.5cm and diameter 8mm, composed of glossy white cardboard. The tube has an inlet end 12 and an outlet or mouthpiece end 14. The tube houses a nicotine delivery element 16 composed of cotton wool impregnated with nicotine and a regulator means 18. The outlet end 14 is covered by a gauze 14 and has a reinforcing ring 22 to provide greater rigidity to the outlet end 14.

The regulator 18 comprises two apertured discs 30, 32 each having four 34, 36 apertures. One disc 30 is static and is secured at its outer rim 38 to the inside 40 of the tube. In the centre of the static disc 30 is a spindle 42 on which the other, moveable, disc 32 is rotatably mounted by means of a congruent central aperture 44. The spindle 42 has an enlarged head 50 so as to retain the rotatable disc.

The apertures 34, 36 of the discs 30, 32 are of the same size and position relative to the spindle 42. When in a first position (not shown), the apertures completely overlap resulting in a minimum barrier to any airflow through the tube 10. When the rotatable disc 32 is in a second, rotated, position, as shown in Figure 4, the apertures 34 are effectively reduced in size and an increased barrier to any airflow is present.

The rotatable disc 32 has a protrusion 46 for facilitating manual rotation of the disc.

The protrusion 46 protrudes through a slot 48 in the wall of the tube 10. The slot 48 allows a limited degree of movement of the protrusion 46 and hence of the disc 32, thus determining the degree of regulation available from the regulator 18. The discs 30, 32 of the regulator may be coated with a rubber film to ensure an airtight seal with the tube 10 and/or between the discs 30, 32.

In use, a user places the inlet end 14 of the inhaler 8 between his/her lips and inhales. The user may then adjust the regulator 18 by means of moving protrusion 46 in slot 48 so as to adjust airflow to his/her preference. When air is drawn through the inhaler 8 in such use nicotine is vaporized from the delivery element 16 and enters the airflow, thus enabling nicotine to enter the body of the user to provide the desired intake of nicotine.

A skilled person will appreciate that variations on the inhaler described are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, a filter element, as in a conventional cigarette, may be provided at the mouthpiece end. Also the regulating means may be in the form of an external collar with apertures in the collar and the wall of the tube. The collar may alternatively be without an aperture, an edge of the collar acting to overlap the aperture in the wall of the tube so as to provide the regulating means. By rotating or sliding such collars on the tube an adjustable regulating means is thereby obtained. Such a regulator may be situated upstream of the nicotine element and act as the inlet end, i.e. as the source of inlet air. The entrance to the tube at the inlet end would then be blocked so that inlet air primarily or exclusively passes into the tube by means of the regulator.

Claims

Claims 1. A nicotine inhaler comprising an elongate tube having an inlet

end and an outlet end, and a nicotine delivery element mounted inside the tube between the respective ends, in which respect the tube is also provided with adjustable regulating means in or on the tube capable of regulating airflow therethrough on application of suction to the outlet end.
2. An inhaler as claimed in claim 1 wherein the regulating means is provided in or on the tube at a location between the nicotine delivery element and the outlet end.
3. An inhaler as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the regulating means is mounted inside the tube and serves to adjustably regulate airflow therethrough.
4. An inhaler as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the regulating means comprises a movable plate.
5. An inhaler as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the regulating means comprises adjacent plates, one fixed and one moveable.
6. An inhaler as claimed in claim 5 wherein the adjacent plates having respective apertures therethrough which may be brought into or out of register.
7. An inhaler as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6 wherein the moveable plate is a

rotatable plate.
8. An inhaler as claimed in claim 7 wherein the regulating means further comprises a protrusion on the rotatable plate for facilitating manual adjustment of the regulating means.
9. An inhaler as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the inlet end of the tube is composed of a non flammable material.
10.An inhaler as claimed in any preceding claim substantially composed of non flammable material.
11.An inhaler as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the nicotine delivery element is mounted between the inlet end of the tube and the regulating means.
12.An inhaler as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the nicotine delivery element fills half the length of the tube.
13.An inhaler as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the nicotine delivery element is a nicotine impregnated body.
14.An inhaler substantially as herein before described and as illustrated in figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.