Protecting mechanism for blood sampling device

• US 10,004,443 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medifun Corporation
• Original Assignee: Medifun Corporation
• Inventors: Hsiao, Shao-Lun
• Primary Examiner(s): Kremer, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/623,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20150272491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150412 Pointed piercing elements, e.g. needles, lancets for piercing the skin blade-like piercing elements A61B5/150442
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150648 fully automatically triggered, i.e. the triggering of the protective sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user such as terminating the contact with the patient's skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15111 Semi-automatically triggered, e.g. at the end of the cocking procedure, for instance by biasing the main drive spring or when reaching sufficient contact pressure, the piercing device is automatically triggered without any deliberate action by the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15117 comprising biased elements, resilient elements or a spring, e.g. a helical spring, leaf spring, or elastic strap
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1519 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for propelling the piercing unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15194 fully automatically retracted, i.e. the retraction does not require a deliberate action by the user, e.g. by terminating the contact with the patient's skin

Abstract

A protecting mechanism for a blood sampling device contains: a trigger unit and a switching assembly. The trigger unit includes a lancet holder, a triggering shaft, and a resilient element. The lancet holder has a launching portion, a first outer protrusion, a through orifice, and a first inner shoulder, wherein a bottom end of the triggering shaft moves in the through hole, and the triggering shaft has a first outer shoulder for engaging with the first inner shoulder of lancet holder, the resilient element is fitted with the triggering shaft and abuts against the lancet holder by ways of its bottom end. The switching assembly includes a fixing jacket having an abutting portion, a rotating tube having a first inner protrusion and two opposite second inner protrusions, and a driving sheath having two stopping sets, wherein each stopping set has two second outer protrusions.

Claims

1. A protecting mechanism for a blood sampling device comprising:

a trigger unit including a lancet holder, a triggering shaft, and a resilient element, the lancet holder having a launching portion and a first outer protrusion opposite the launching portion, the lancet holder also having a through orifice defined therein and a first inner shoulder defined on a top end of the through orifice, wherein a bottom end of the triggering shaft moves in the through orifice, and the triggering shaft has a first outer shoulder arranged on an outer wall thereof to engage with the first inner shoulder of the lancet holder, the resilient element fitted with the triggering shaft and abutting against the lancet holder by way of a bottom end of the resilient element; and

a switching assembly including a fixing jacket, a rotating tube, and a driving sheath, the fixing jacket being fitted with the lancet holder and having an abutting portion, the rotating tube being rotatably fitted with the fixing jacket between a starting position and a retracting position, and the rotating tube having a first inner protrusion arranged on an inner wall thereof and having two opposite second inner protrusions formed on the inner wall thereof, the driving sheath being fitted on a top end of the triggering shaft and contacting with a top end of the resilient element, and the driving sheath having two stopping sets arranged on an outer wall thereof, wherein each stopping set has two second outer protrusions;

wherein the lancet holder further includes a cutout defined on the first outer protrusion, such that when the rotating tube is located at the starting position, the first inner protrusion of the rotating tube moves away from the cutout of the lancet holder to remove from the first outer protrusion of the lancet holder, and when the rotating tube is located at the retracting position, the first inner protrusion of the rotating tube extends into the cutout of the lancet holder to engage with the first outer protrusion of the lancet holder.

2. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating tube further has a flexible pressing portion formed on the outer wall thereof, such that when the rotating tube is located at the starting position, the flexible pressing portion presses the launching portion of the lancet holder.

3. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the trigger unit further includes a connector fitted with the top end of the triggering shaft and abuts against the driving sheath.

4. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the top end of the triggering shaft extends out of the through orifice of the lancet holder and has a second outer shoulder above the first outer shoulder, the connector has a pushing member, and the pushing member has two opposite second inner shoulders arranged on an inner wall thereof to engage with the second outer shoulder of the triggering shaft, and the pushing member also has two opposite extensions extending outwardly from an outer wall thereof, wherein each extension contacts with the two second outer protrusions of each stopping set of the driving sheath.

5. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the connector has a housing, and the housing has an aperture and two opposite retainers formed on a peripheral wall of the aperture, wherein each extension has a locking portion for engaging with each retainer of the housing.

6. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the trigger unit further includes a cap and a returning spring, and the cap is fitted with the top end of the triggering shaft, the returning spring is fitted on the triggering shaft and is biased against the pushing member and the cap.

7. A protecting mechanism for a blood sampling device comprising:

a trigger unit including a lancet holder, a triggering shaft, and a resilient element, the lancet holder having a launching portion and a first outer protrusion opposite the launching portion, the lancet holder also having a through orifice defined therein and a first inner shoulder defined on a top end of the through orifice, wherein a bottom end of the triggering shaft moves in the through orifice, and the triggering shaft has a first outer shoulder arranged on an outer wall thereof to engage with the first inner shoulder of lancet holder, the resilient element fitted with the triggering shaft and abutting against the lancet holder by way of a bottom end of the resilient element; and

a switching assembly including a fixing jacket, a rotating tube, and a driving sheath, the fixing jacket being fitted with the lancet holder and having an abutting portion, the rotating tube being rotatably fitted with the fixing jacket between a starting position and a retracting position, and the rotating tube having a first inner protrusion arranged on an inner wall thereof and having two opposite second inner protrusions formed on the inner wall thereof, the driving sheath being fitted on a top end of the triggering shaft and contacting with a top end of the resilient element, and the driving sheath having two stopping sets arranged on an outer wall thereof, wherein each stopping set has two second outer protrusions;

wherein the rotating tube further has a flexible pressing portion formed on the outer wall thereof, such that when the rotating tube is located at the starting position, the flexible pressing portion presses the launching portion of the lancet holder.

8. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the trigger unit further includes a connector fitted with the top end of the triggering shaft and abuts against the driving sheath.

9. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the top end of the triggering shaft extends out of the through orifice of the lancet holder and has a second outer shoulder above the first outer shoulder, the connector has a pushing member, and the pushing member has two opposite second inner shoulders arranged on an inner wall thereof to engage with the second outer shoulder of the triggering shaft, and the pushing member also has two opposite extensions extending outwardly from an outer wall thereof, wherein each extension contacts with the two second outer protrusions of each stopping set of the driving sheath.

10. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the connector has a housing, and the housing has an aperture and two opposite retainers formed on a peripheral wall of the aperture, wherein each extension has a locking portion for engaging with each retainer of the housing.

11. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the trigger unit further includes a cap and a returning spring, and the cap is fitted with the top end of the triggering shaft, the returning spring is fitted on the triggering shaft and is biased against the pushing member and the cap.

12. A protecting mechanism for a blood sampling device comprising:

a trigger unit including a lancet holder, a triggering shaft, and a resilient element, the lancet holder having a launching portion and a first outer protrusion opposite the launching portion, the lancet holder also having a through orifice defined therein and a first inner shoulder defined on a top end of the through orifice, wherein a bottom end of the triggering shaft moves in the through orifice, and the triggering shaft has a first outer shoulder arranged on an outer wall thereof to engage with the first inner shoulder of lancet holder, the resilient element fitted with the triggering shaft and abutting against the lancet holder by way of a bottom end of the resilient element; and

a switching assembly including a fixing jacket, a rotating tube, and a driving sheath, the fixing jacket being fitted with the lancet holder and having an abutting portion, the rotating tube being rotatably fitted with the fixing jacket between a starting position and a retracting position, and the rotating tube having a first inner protrusion arranged on an inner wall thereof and having two opposite second inner protrusions formed on the inner wall thereof, the driving sheath being fitted on a top end of the triggering shaft and contacting with a top end of the resilient element, and the driving sheath having two stopping sets arranged on an outer wall thereof, wherein each stopping set has two second outer protrusions;

wherein the trigger unit further includes a connector fitted with the top end of the triggering shaft and abuts against the driving sheath.

13. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the top end of the triggering shaft extends out of the through orifice of the lancet holder and has a second outer shoulder above the first outer shoulder, the connector has a pushing member, and the pushing member has two opposite second inner shoulders arranged on an inner wall thereof to engage with the second outer shoulder of the triggering shaft, and the pushing member also has two opposite extensions extending outwardly from an outer wall thereof, wherein each extension contacts with the two second outer protrusions of each stopping set of the driving sheath.

14. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the connector has a housing, and the housing has an aperture and two opposite retainers formed on a peripheral wall of the aperture, wherein each extension has a locking portion for engaging with each retainer of the housing.

15. The protecting mechanism for the blood sampling device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the trigger unit further includes a cap and a returning spring, and the cap is fitted with the top end of the triggering shaft, the returning spring is fitted on the triggering shaft and is biased against the pushing member and the cap.