Allergy testing device and method of testing for allergies
Inventors
Hein, Jr., Gary L. • Hein, Douglas S.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-9504418-B2
Publication Date
2016-11-29
Expiration Date
Abstract
An allergy testing system comprises a skin test device having a grip portion for holding the device. One or more legs extend from the grip, and each leg is oriented to interact with a well containing a potential allergen. Each leg has a test head, and each test head has a plurality of elongated spike members. The elongated spike members have a sharp end configured to receive the potential allergen from a well and to puncture a patient's skin. In addition, each test head has at least one touch activator. The touch activator is longer than the plurality of elongated spike members, such that during an allergy test, the touch activator comes into contact with the skin prior to the elongated spike members, causing the touch activators to activate nerve tissue that blocks transmission of pain, resulting in a reduction of pain and/or discomfort during testing.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to an allergy testing system and a skin test device that include a tray with a plurality of wells containing test solutions and a skin test device with an elongated grip portion, an extension, and a plurality of legs spaced and oriented to interact with the wells. Each well has a reservoir sized and oriented to receive a test head, and the test heads receive test solution from the wells.
Each test head comprises a plurality of elongated spikes with sharp ends configured to receive the test solution and to puncture skin for delivering the test solution. Each test head further comprises at least one touch activator that is longer than the plurality of elongated spikes, with the elongated spikes arranged circumferentially around the touch activator.
The touch activator activates nerve tissue that suppresses transmission of pain, resulting in a reduction of pain during testing, while the legs are configured so the test heads maintain the same spacing during testing. The device also maintains the same spacing among legs/test-head components during testing to achieve uniform pain mitigation and uniform spike penetration, and variations such as touch post and touch collar arrangements are described.
Claims Coverage
The document describes independent claim coverage for three inventive features. Across these independent claims, the core inventive concepts repeatedly include spaced multi-leg interaction with wells, puncturing spikes, a longer touch activator arranged relative to the spikes, and maintaining spacing during testing.
Multi-leg allergy testing system with tray wells and reservoirs
An allergy testing system comprising a tray with a plurality of wells containing test solutions and a skin test device having an elongated grip portion, an extension, and a plurality of legs spaced and oriented to interact with the plurality of wells, where each leg has a test head with elongated spikes having sharp ends configured to receive the test solution from a well and puncture skin to deliver the test solution, each test head further having at least one touch activator longer than the plurality of elongated spikes, with the elongated spikes arranged circumferentially around the touch activator, and where the legs are configured such that the test heads maintain the same spacing during testing, and each well has a reservoir sized and oriented to receive a test head.
Circumferential spikes around a longer touch activator in a skin test device
A skin test device comprising an elongated grip portion for holding the device, an extension from the elongated grip portion, and a plurality of legs extending from the grip portion, the plurality of legs spaced and oriented to interact with a plurality of wells containing test solutions; wherein each of the plurality of legs has a test head comprising a plurality of elongated spikes and at least one touch activator; and wherein the plurality of elongated spikes are arranged circumferentially around the at least one touch activator and the touch activator is longer than the plurality of elongated spikes.
Touch activator positioned within spikes with prior skin contact in a skin test device with collar
A skin test device comprising a grip portion for holding the skin test device; at least one leg extending from the grip portion, each leg oriented to interact with a well containing a test solution; wherein the at least one leg has a collar; wherein the at least one leg has a test head comprising a plurality of elongated spikes and at least one touch activator, the plurality of elongated spikes each have a sharp end configured to receive the test solution from a well and to puncture skin for delivering the test solution, the touch activator and the elongated spikes are configured to maintain the same spacing during testing; and wherein the touch activator is positioned within the plurality of elongated spikes and arranged such that during an allergy test, the touch activator is configured to come into contact with the skin prior to the elongated spikes.
The independent claim set centers on a puncturing-spike skin test architecture combined with a longer touch activator arranged relative to the spikes to activate nerve tissue and suppress pain transmission. The claims further emphasize spatial control and device architectures that interact with wells containing test solutions, including a tray-and-system configuration and alternative device embodiments with circumferential spike arrangement and a collar with touch activator positioning among spikes.
Stated Advantages
Reduction of pain during testing.
Uniform penetration of the elongated spikes into the skin.
Uniform pain mitigation across the skin.
Uniform pain management due to the legs/test-head components maintaining the same spacing during testing.
Documented Applications
Allergy testing using the described allergy testing system and skin test device, including pain-reduction during allergy testing.
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