Lancet cartridges and lancing devices
Inventors
Berkovitch, Frederick • Boozer, Brad • Flaherty, Joseph • Golnik, Timothy • Iyengar, Sridhar • Kilpinen, Malia • Vu, Sonny
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-7927345-B2
Publication Date
2011-04-19
Expiration Date
Abstract
A lancet cartridge has a U-shaped support with a pair of anchor portions, a base portion, and a pair of deformable leg portions connecting the anchor portions to the base portion. The pair of deformable leg portions change shape from an initial shape to an extended shape in response to an external applied force and recover to a retracted shape upon removal of the force. The lancet cartridge also has a lancet having a tip end, an opposing base end, and an axis extending between the tip end and the base end. A portion of the lancet is disposed between the pair of deformable leg portions of the U-shaped support. The lancet is movable between a starting position, an extended puncturing position, and an ending position along the axis of the lancet in a path defined by the U-shaped support. When the lancet is in the starting position, the tip end of the lancet is disposed at least partially through the base portion of the U-shaped support, and the U-shaped support is in the initial shape. When the lancet is in the extended puncturing position, the tip end of the lancet is extended through the base of the U-shaped support, and the U-shaped support is in the extended shape. When the U-shaped support recovers to its retracted shape upon removal of the force, the lancet is retracted to the end position.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a lancet cartridge having a U-shaped support configured to guide a lancet through a starting position, an extended puncturing position, and an ending position. The U-shaped support includes a pair of anchor portions, a base portion, and a pair of deformable leg portions connecting the anchor portions to the base portion, and the deformable leg portions change shape from an initial shape to an extended shape in response to an external applied force and recover to a retracted shape upon removal of the force.
A lancet is disposed such that a portion of the lancet is disposed between the pair of deformable leg portions of the U-shaped support. The lancet has a tip end, an opposing base end, and an axis extending between the tip end and the base end, and the lancet is movable along the axis in a path defined by the U-shaped support, with the tip end disposed at least partially through the base portion of the U-shaped support when the lancet is in the starting position while the U-shaped support is in the initial shape.
In the extended puncturing position, the tip end of the lancet is extended through the base of the U-shaped support and the U-shaped support is in the extended shape. When the U-shaped support recovers to its retracted shape upon removal of the force, the lancet is retracted to the end position by the recovery of the U-shaped support. Exemplary embodiments include a plurality of U-shaped supports in a generally circular array and a plurality of lancets, each associated with a different U-shaped support.
The invention further describes optional sterility plug configurations and a firing mechanism for a lancing device. A sterility plug can receive the lancet tip end when the lancet is in the starting position and/or the end position, with the lancet tip passing through the base portion of the U-shaped support into the sterility plug. The lancing device includes a firing hammer that engages the lancet cartridge and drives a selected lancet from a starting position to an extended puncturing position, with retraction occurring via recovery of the U-shaped support.
Claims Coverage
Independent claims are present for a lancet cartridge and a lancing device, covering a U-shaped support with deformable leg portions that elastically change shape under force and guide lancets through defined positions along an axis. Across the independent claims, the inventive coverage includes three inventive features.
U-Shaped support with deformable leg portions guiding lancet positions along an axis
A lancet cartridge comprising a U-shaped support with a pair of anchor portions, a base portion, and a pair of deformable leg portions connecting the anchor portions to the base portion, wherein the pair of deformable leg portions change shape from an initial shape to an extended shape in response to an external applied force and recover to a retracted shape upon removal of the force; and a lancet with a tip end, an opposing base end, and an axis extending between the tip end and the base end, wherein a portion of the lancet is disposed between the pair of deformable leg portions of the U-shaped support and wherein the lancet is movable between a starting position, an extended puncturing position, and an ending position along the axis of the lancet in a path defined by the U-shaped support; wherein, when the U-shaped support recovers to its retracted shape upon removal of the force, the lancet is retracted to the end position by the recovery of the U-shaped support.
Circular array of U-shaped supports and associated lancets with driver-actuated extension/retraction
A lancet cartridge having a cartridge axis, the cartridge comprising a plurality of U-shaped supports disposed about the cartridge axis in a generally circular array, each U-shaped support comprising a pair of anchor portions, a base portion, and a pair of deformable leg portions connecting the anchor portions to the base portion, the pair of deformable leg portions change shape from an initial shape to an extended shape in response to an applied force from a lancet driver and recover to a retracted shape upon removal of the force; and a plurality of lancets, each lancet associated with a different U-shaped support, each lancet having a tip end, an opposing base end, and an axis extending between the tip end and the base end, wherein a portion of the lancet is disposed between the pair of deformable leg portions of the associated U-shaped support; wherein each lancet is movable between a starting position, an extended puncturing position, and an ending position along the axis of the lancet in a path defined by the U-shaped support; and wherein, when the associated U-shaped support recovers to its retracted shape upon removal of the force, the selected lancet is retracted to the end position by the recovery of the U-shaped support.
Lancing device with firing hammer driving selected lancet and U-shaped support recovery retraction
A lancing device comprising a lancet cartridge and a firing mechanism having a firing hammer, wherein the lancet cartridge comprises a U-shaped support comprising a pair of anchor portions, a base portion, and a pair of deformable leg portions connecting the anchor portions to the base portion, wherein the pair of deformable leg portions change shape from an initial shape to an extended shape in response to an external applied force and recover to a retracted shape upon removal of the force; and a lancet with a tip end, an opposing base end, and an axis extending between the tip end and the base end, wherein a portion of the lancet is disposed between the pair of deformable leg portions of the U-shaped support; wherein the firing hammer engages the lancet cartridge and drives a selected lancet from a starting position to an extended puncturing position; and wherein the lancet is movable between a starting position, an extended puncturing position, and an ending position along the axis of the lancet in a path defined by the U-shaped support; and wherein, when the U-shaped support recovers to its retracted shape upon removal of the force, the lancet is retracted to the end position by the recovery of the U-shaped support.
The independent claims consistently center on a U-shaped support with deformable leg portions that transition from an initial shape to an extended shape under applied force and recover to a retracted shape upon force removal. This recovery directly drives lancet retraction from an extended puncturing position to an end position along a path defined by the U-shaped support, with additional claim scope covering multi-support/multi-lancet circular arrays and integration into a lancing device with a firing hammer.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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