SPRAY DEVICE, SPRAY UNIT AND SPRAY CARTRIDGE

Abstract

The invention relates to a spray device having a spray nozzle unit and at least one further spray nozzle unit. Each spray nozzle unit has at least one spray nozzle body, wherein said at least one spray nozzle body comprises a chamber for receiving a pressurized fluid. Said chamber is bounded by a spray wall having at least one spray orifice that extends through said spray wall and opens to an external environment. Each of said at least one orifice in a spray wall has a substantially identical predetermined size lying in a predetermined range and releases a mono disperse spray jet of the pressurized fluid fed from the associated reservoir. Said range within said first spray nozzle unit differs from said range within said at least one further spray nozzle unit, particularly said ranges do not overlap.

Claims

1. A Spray device, comprising a first spray unit, said first spray unit comprising a spray nozzle unit in fluid communication with a first reservoir for holding a quantity of a fluid to be sprayed, wherein said first spray nozzle unit comprises a first spray nozzle body with a first spray wall that is provided with at least one first spray orifice extending through a thickness of said first spray wall, said at least one first spray orifice receiving, during operation, said first fluid under pressure from said first reservoir at an inlet side and releasing a spray jet of said fluid to an external environment at a spray side, and wherein each of said at least one orifice has a substantially identical predetermined size, lying in a predetermined range, and comprising at least one further spray unit, said further spray unit comprising a further spray nozzle unit in fluid communication with a further reservoir for holding a quantity of a further fluid to be sprayed, wherein said further spray nozzle unit comprises a further spray nozzle body with a further spray wall that is provided with at least one further spray orifice extending through a thickness of said further spray wall, said at least one further spray orifice receiving, during operation, said further fluid under pressure from said further reservoir at an inlet side and releasing a spray jet of said further fluid to an external environment at said spray side, wherein each of said at least one further orifice has a substantially identical further predetermined size, lying in a further predetermined range that differs from said first predetermined range of said at least one first orifice of said first nozzle body of said first spray unit, wherein said first range and said further range have substantially no overlap, wherein said first range is a range between 2 micron and 5 micron, and wherein said further range is a range beyond 5 micron, particularly said further range being in a range between 5 micron and 10 micron.

2. A Spray device comprising at least one spray nozzle unit having at least one spray nozzle body, wherein said at least one spray nozzle body comprises a chamber for receiving a pressurized fluid and said chamber is bounded by a spray wall having at least one nozzle orifice that extends through said spray wall and opens to an external environment, wherein each of said at least one orifice has a substantially identical predetermined size lying in a predetermined range, wherein said at least one nozzle orifice is configured and intended to release a spray jet of a spray to be generated by said spray nozzle unit, and wherein, during operation, said at least one nozzle body of said spray unit is fed with said pressurized fluid from a reservoir containing a quantity of said fluid, wherein said spray device comprises at least one further spray nozzle unit having at least one further spray nozzle body, wherein said at least one further spray nozzle body comprises a chamber for receiving a further pressurized fluid and said chamber is bounded by a further spray wall having at least one further nozzle orifice that extends through said of said spray wall and opens to an external environment, wherein each of said at least one further orifice has a substantially identical further predetermined size lying in a further predetermined range, wherein said at least one nozzle further orifice is configured and intended to release a spray jet of a further spray to be generated by said further spray nozzle unit, wherein, during operation, said at least one further nozzle body of said further spray unit is fed with said further pressurized fluid from a further reservoir containing a quantity of said further fluid, and wherein said predetermined range of said predetermined size of said at least one orifice differs from said further predetermined range of said further predetermined size of said at least one further orifice, wherein said first range and said further range have substantially no overlap, wherein said first range is a range between 2 micron and 5 micron, and wherein said further range is a range beyond 5 micron, particularly said further range being in a range between 5 micron and 10 micron.

3. The Spray device according to claim 1, wherein actuator means are provided that are manually operable to force said fluid and said further fluid under pressure to said nozzle unit and said further nozzle unit respectively.

4. The Spray device according to claim 3, wherein said actuator means are configured and intended to charge and release a dosed quantity of said fluid in a predetermined amount.

5. The Spray device according to claim 3, wherein said actuator means are energized by means of a tensioned spring, electrical power or manual power.

6. The Spray device according to claim 1, wherein said first spray unit and said further spray unit are both removably accommodated in said spray device.

7. The Spray device according to claim 6, wherein said first spray unit and said second spray unit are part of a spray cartridge that is removably fitted in said spray device.

8. The Spray device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein said first spray unit and said second spray unit engage said actuator means upon insertion in said spray device.

9. The Spray device according to claim 1, wherein said first and further nozzle body are made of a material from a group containing semiconductor materials, glass, metals, ceramics and polymers.

10. The Spray device according to claim 9, wherein said nozzle bodies comprises a semiconductor body.

11. The Spray device according to claim 10, wherein said nozzle bodies comprises a silicon body, particularly of mono-crystalline silicon.

12. The Spray device according to claim 10, wherein said spray wall comprises a layer of a material that is compatible with a semiconductor manufacturing process for said semiconductor body, particularly a material taken from a group of silicon, silicon nitride and silicon oxide.

13. The Spray device according to claim 12, wherein said at least one orifice and said at least one further orifice are created by means of a semiconductor manufacturing process technique, particularly by photo lithographically etching, or a micro-machining technique.

14-15. (canceled)

16. The Spray device according to claim 1, wherein said first reservoir is at least partly filled with said first fluid, said first fluid containing nicotine as an active compound, and in that wherein said second reservoir is at least partly filled with said second fluid, said second fluid containing one or more of a fragrance, flavouring and pigment.

17. The Spray device according to claim 1, wherein said first range is a range between 1.5 micron and 2.5 micron and wherein said further range is a range beyond 3 micron, particularly said further range in a range between 3 micron and 4 micron.

18. The Spray device according to claim 15, wherein said first reservoir is at least partly filled with said first fluid, said first fluid containing a corticosteroid as an active compound, and in that wherein said second reservoir is at least partly filled with said second fluid, said second fluid containing a bronchial dilatation agent.

19. The Spray nozzle device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one orifice comprises a plurality of orifices having a substantially identical predetermined cross section, deviating less than 20% from an average cross section among said plurality of orifices, particularly less than 10% from said average cross section.

20. The Spray nozzle device according to claim 17, wherein said average cross section is a substantially circular cross section with a diameter of between 2 and 5 micron.

21. The Spray nozzle device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one orifice comprises a plurality of orifices having a substantially identical length, particularly a length of between 0.5 and 2 micron.

22. The Spray nozzle device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one further orifice comprises a plurality of further orifices having a substantially identical predetermined cross section, deviating less than 20% from an average cross section among said plurality of orifices, particularly less than 10% from said average cross section.

23. The Spray nozzle device according to claim 22, wherein said average cross section is a substantially circular cross section with a diameter of between 5 and 10 micron.

24. The Spray nozzle device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one further orifice comprises a plurality of further orifices having a substantially identical length, particularly a length of between 0.5 and 2 micron.

25. The Spray cartridge for removably fitting in the spray device according to claim 1 and comprising said first spray unit and said at least one further spray unit, said first spray unit having said at least one spray orifice in said first predetermined range and said further spray unit having said at least one further spray orifice in said further predetermined range, said first and second predetermined range being distinct, in particular without overlapping one another.

26. The Spray cartridge according to claim 23, wherein said first range is a range between 2 micron and 5 micron and wherein said further range is a range beyond 5 micron, particularly said further range in a range between 5 micron and 10 micron.

27. The Spray cartridge according to claim 23, wherein said first spray unit comprises said first reservoir being at least partly filled with a first fluid, containing nicotine as an active compound, and wherein said further spray unit comprises said further reservoir being at least partly filled with said second fluid, containing one or more of a fragrance, flavouring and pigment.

Description

[0026] The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to one or more embodiments and an accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a first example of a spray device according to the invention;

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view on a second example of a spray device according to the invention;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a cross section of the spray device of FIG. 2;

[0030] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the spray device according to FIG. 2; and

[0031] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a spray cartridge to be used in any of the spray devices of FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0032] It should be noted that the figures are purely schematically and not drawn to (a same) scale. In particular certain dimensions may be exaggerated to a greater or lesser extent for sake of clarity. Corresponding parts are denoted by same reference numerals throughout the drawing.

[0033] FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a spray device according to the present invention. In this case the spray device is a respiratory inhaler that may be used to administer one or more active compounds into the lung of the user. As such the device comprises a mouth piece 10 at one end and a grip member 30 at an opposite end. The device may be taken and manually operated by the grip member 30, whereas the mouth piece 10 is intended and configured to be partially introduced into the oral cavity of the user, to be held between the lips. The mouth piece 10 is detachable in order to be easily cleanable. Besides for releasing the active compound(s) and providing an outlet opening 15, the mouth piece 10 moreover serves as a mixing chamber in which environmental air is drawn upon breath activation of the device by the user.

[0034] At the heart of the device is a spray cartridge 20. The spray cartridge 20 is detachable from the grip member 30 and releasably connected to the mouth piece 10. The spray cartridge contains a first spray unit 40 and a further spray unit 50. Each spray unit comprises a spray nozzle unit 41,51, often referred to as spray head, that comprises a dedicated spray nozzle device. Each spray unit further comprises a reservoir 42,52 that holds a quantity of a certain fluid (liquid) to be sprayed by the corresponding spray unit. A bottom of each reservoir is formed by a plunger 43,53 that is axially displaceable within the reservoir in order to expel liquid from said reservoir and to force it under pressure to the corresponding spray head 41,51.

[0035] Upon insertion of the cartridge 20 in the device, said plungers will engage actuator means 35 that comprises a set of compression springs 31,32 in the grip member 30 that are compressed by turning the grip member 30 relative to the cartridge 20 holding portion of the device. This spring drive actuation is stepwise, each step corresponding to a single dose of each liquid to be sprayed. A dose indicator 33 informs the user of the remaining number of doses still available in the device. Both springs 31,32 may exert a same spring force on both plungers 43,53 or may be tensioned differently to provide an individual spring force for each spray unit 40,50. Also by varying the surface area of the plungers 43,53 more or less pressure may be exerted on the fluid under influence of the same spring force. Particularly the pressure put on the pressurized fluid may depend on the pore size of the orifices as a larger pore size will generally require a lower pressure for an optimal spray image.

[0036] In this particular example, the first reservoir 42 within the first spray unit 40 holds a liquid containing nicotine as an active compound. The spray head 41 mounted on this spray unit comprises a silicon nozzle body, having a perforated spray wall of silicon nitride overlying one or more cavities that are provided within the nozzle body for receiving the first fluid under pressure. The perforations in said spray wall, as well as said cavities, are created using ultra precise semiconductor technology or MEMs technology, delivering orifices in said spray wall of approximately a same size. In this case the orifices are etched using photolithography with a predetermined size of between 2 and 5 micron, more specifically with a circular cross section of a diameter around and average of 2.5 micron within a tolerance of less than 20%, particularly less than 10%. The first spray unit, as a result, will deliver a mono disperse spray of nicotine containing droplets having a average of around 5 micron. These droplets will easily reach the lungs of the user to give a parasympathomimetic sensation that nicotine and cigarettes are known for.

[0037] The second reservoir 52 within the second spray unit 50 holds a further liquid that contains one or flavourings and fragranges. The further spray head 51 mounted on this spray unit 50 comprises a silicon nozzle body, having a perforated spray wall of silicon nitride overlying one or more cavities that are provided within the nozzle body for receiving the first fluid under pressure. The perforations in said spray wall, as well as said cavities, are created using ultra precise semiconductor technology or MEMs technology, delivering orifices in said spray wall of approximately a same size. In this case the orifices are etched using photolithography with a predetermined size of between 5 and 10 micron, more specifically with a circular cross section of a diameter around and average of 7.5 micron within a tolerance of less than 20%, particularly less than 10%. The second spray unit 50, as a result, will deliver a mono disperse spray of nicotine containing droplets having a average of around 15 micron. These droplets will not, or hardly not, reach the lungs but will be almost completely captured by the oral cavity.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a spray device according to the invention. This embodiment resembles to a large extent the first embodiment, but in this example the actuator means are electrically drive instead of operating based on spring force. The device consists of a grip member 30 and a detachable mouth piece 10. A first spray nozzle unit 41 and a second spray nozzle unit 51 open into the mouth piece that guides both sprays that are released by these nozzle units 41,51 into the oral cavity. The device may be energized by means of a push/touch button 350 on the gripping member to be pressed or touched by the user.

[0039] Alternatively a flow sensor, pressure sensor or other registration means may be integrated at the entrance of the mouth piece 10 to record a suction action by the user and upon such action to energize the device. The gripping member 30 has typically a length and width of less than 200 millimetre and less than 15-20 millimetre respectively, closely resembling those of a big cigar. This part of the device accommodates all essential components, apart from the mouth piece, as may become apparent from the cross section of FIG. 3 and the exploded view of FIG. 4.

[0040] The grip member is formed by a top and bottom shell portion 30 that enclose a longitudinal cavity 37. A removable spray cartridge 20 sticks into said cavity at one end to engage a pair of drive members 64,65. The spray cartridge 20 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 4 and may have a plastic shell 70 removably fitting in a bay that is formed by the open end of the cavity 37. The spray cartridge comprises a first spray unit 40 and a second spray unit 50. Each of the spray units 40,50 comprises a glass or plastic syringe 42,52 containing typically between 0.5 and a few millilitre of a first fluid and a second fluid respectively. Thereby the first fluid is a nicotine containing neutral solution. The second fluid, however, may comprise one or more of a fragrance, flavouring and pigment. This gives the product a distinctive taste, aroma and character. Both reservoirs 42,52 are closed at a bottom by a plunger 43,53 that is slidable within the respective syringe, while at the other end a first and second spray nozzle unit 41,51 are respectively mounted on the respective reservoir 42,52 in open communication with the fluid.

[0041] The spray nozzle unit 41 mounted on the reservoir 42 of the first spray unit 40 comprises a silicon nozzle body, see the enlarged view in FIG. 3, carrying a perforated spray wall 410 of silicon nitride with a group of spray orifices 415 overlying one or more cavities that are provided throughout a thickness of the nozzle body for receiving the first fluid under pressure. The perforations 415 in said spray wall, 410 as well as said cavities and said spray wall itself, are created using ultra precise semiconductor technology or MEMs technology, delivering these orifices 415 in said spray wall 410 of approximately a same size. In this case these first orifices 415 are etched using photolithography with a predetermined size of between 2 and 5 micron, more specifically with a circular cross section of a diameter around and average of 2.5 micron within a tolerance of less than 20%, particularly less than 10%. The first spray unit 40, as a result, will deliver a mono disperse spray of nicotine containing droplets having a average of around 5 micron. These droplets will easily reach the lungs of the user to give a parasympathomimetic sensation that nicotine and cigarettes are known for.

[0042] The spray nozzle unit 51 mounted on the reservoir 52 of the second spray unit 50 also comprises a silicon nozzle body comparable to the one of the first spray nozzle unit, see the enlarged view in FIG. 3, carrying a perforated spray wall 510 of silicon nitride with a group of spray orifices 515 overlying one or more cavities that are provided throughout a thickness of the nozzle body for receiving the second fluid under pressure. The perforations 515 in said spray wall 510, as well as said cavities, are created using ultra precise semiconductor technology or MEMs technology, delivering spray orifices 515 in said spray wall of approximately a same size. In this case the second orifices 515 are etched with a predetermined size of between 5 and 10 micron, more specifically with a circular cross section of a diameter around and average of 7.5 micron within a tolerance of less than 20%, particularly less than 10%. The second spray unit 50, as a result, will deliver a mono disperse spray of droplets having a average of around 15 micron. These droplets will not, or hardly not, reach the lungs but will be almost completely captured by the oral cavity. As these droplets comprise one or more fragrances and/or flavourings, these droplets will give an attractive taste and flavour experience to the user that the user will sense with his natural olfactory receptors and taste organs in his nose and mouth.

[0043] In order to release both sprays, the device contains actuation means in the form of a stepper motor 60 connected to a gear box 61. The gear box drives a spindle 62 that engages a threaded hole in a drive block 63 for forming a screw and nut relationship. The drive block 63 has two cavities at opposite sides of the spindle 62 carrying a first drive rod 64 and a second drive rod 65 respectively. The first drive rod engages the plunger 43 of the first syringe, while the second drive rod engages the plunger 53 of the second syringe. Both plungers are provided with a conical recess at their backside to provide for a solid engagement with the drive rods 64,65. To be able to deliver sufficient force, the spindle is made of solid metal, for instance stainless steel.

[0044] The motor 61 is energized by means of a rechargeable battery pack 66 at the back of the device that may be recharged through a standard usb port 68 at the end or possibly wirelessly. The device further contains a processor unit and further circuitry on a printed circuit board 69 to control the motion of the motor 61, amongst others. On a push of the push button 350, or other activation, the motor 61 will deliver an appropriate number of cycles depending on the dose that is being desired. This dose may be among other information that is stored in memory on the PCB 69 and may be factory set or may be defined by the user. This will advance the spindle 62 a number of turns thereby driving the drive member 63 and the drive rods 64,65 carried thereby. As a result the plungers 43,53 will advance over a defined axial stroke thereby pressurizing the fluids contained in the respective reservoirs 42,52 and expelling the fluid out of the respective syringe. This pressure is typically between 10- and 20 bar in order to allow both spray nozzle units 41,52 to deliver a fine mist of precisely determined droplets, as described hereinbefore. In order to secure a sudden drop and rise of the pressure of the fluid, a quick motion motor 61 is being used and a short back stroke is imposed on the plungers at the end of a dosing. Also a pressure valve may be integrated between the syringe 42,52 and the spray nozzle body 41,51 that will only open at a predetermined pressure within the indicated range and will suddenly shut off below such pressure.

[0045] The devices depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 may serve as an alternative for a traditional cigarette providing a similar nicotine driven effect to the user without the health risks involved with smoking tobacco. The device moreover provides a safe and more healthy alternative for conventional cigarette replacements, like many heat-not-burn tobacco products and vaporizers, often referred to as electronic cigarettes. Contrary to those product, no suspicious components will reach the lungs of the user when using the device according to the invention.

[0046] Although the invention has been describes to merely a single specific embodiment in the preceding, it will be clear that the invention is by no means limited to that example. Instead may alternatives and variations are feasible for a skilled person without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention, as indicated by the following claims.

[0047] As an example, the spray units might also be accommodated in the spray device separately from one another, allowing for instance to change the flavour of the cigarette in combination with the same nicotine dispenser. Also the spray dispenser members may be dimensioned differently. Especially the reservoirs of both dispensers may have a different size (volume).

[0048] Also the actuation of the device may be effected by any other appropriate means and the device may also be used outside the framework of an electronic replacement or alternative for a conventional cigarette. The invention more in general provides a device targeting selected levels, notably in the respiratory system of the user, or a same level with different spray patterns of a same or different fluids.