Meter strip dispenser assembly

• US 20020104849A1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Published: 08/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CSP Technologies North America LLC (AptarGroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Capitol Specialty Plastics Incorporated
• Inventors: Giruad, Jean-Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 7,063,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/270
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/505 flexible containers not provided for above
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48757 Test elements dispensed from a stack

Abstract

The present invention is directed to diagnostic kits that house and deliver a carrier for an analyte, such as a test strip carrying an blood glucose analyte used by persons afflicted with diabetes in order to determine their blood glucose levels.

Claims

1. ) A meter strip dispensing assembly for dispensing a test strip comprised of:

a housing;

a container for holding test strips, the container positioned within the housing;

a movable body movable to a position that engages a test strip and displaces it out of the container through a container opening;

a movable mechanism that connects the movable body to an actuator located on the housing;

wherein, when the actuator is actuated, the movable mechanism drives the movable body into engagement with the test strip and displaces it out of the container.

2. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 1 wherein the container is further comprised of:

a vial;

a cassette positioned within the vial in which the test strips reside.

3. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 2 wherein the cassette has a top surface, is open on a bottom surface, has sidewalls extending downward from the top surface, and has apertures provided on opposing sidewalls.

4. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 2 further comprised of a lift apparatus situated within the cassette, the lift apparatus comprised of a lift movably mounted over a vertically extending element having a top end and a bottom end, the bottom end resting on the vial bottom;

a biasing element situated over the vertically extending element, the lift resting against the biasing element which biases the lift towards the top end of the vertically extending element, wherein at least a portion of the lift is positioned within the cassette and is provided with a surface upon which test strips can rest.

5. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 4 wherein the cassette is provided with a vertically extending slot extending from the bottom surface to the top surface wherein the lift surface is situated within the cassette and the vertically extending element is positioned outside the cassette.

6. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 1 wherein the movable mechanism is comprised of at least one lever engaged at a first end to the actuator and at a second end to the movable body.

7. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 4 wherein the movable mechanism is comprised of at least one lever engaged at a first end to the actuator and at a second end to the movable body, and the movable body is positioned to move in and out of one of the apertures in the cassette.

8. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 5 wherein the movable mechanism is comprised of at least one lever engaged at a first end to the actuator and at a second end to the movable body, and the movable body is positioned to move in and out of one of the apertures in the cassette.

9. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 3 further comprised of a lift apparatus situated within the cassette, the lift apparatus comprised of a lift provided with a threaded aperture mounted over a vertically extending threaded element having a top end and a bottom end, the vertically extending threaded element extending into an aperture in the vial bottom;

means for rotating the vertically extending threaded element, wherein the lift moves upward in response to a rotation of the vertically extending threaded element, wherein at least a portion of the lift is positioned within the cassette and is provided with a surface upon which test strips can rest.

10. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 9 wherein the cassette is provided with a vertically extending slot extending from the bottom surface to the top surface wherein the lift surface is situated within the cassette and the vertically extending threaded element is positioned outside the cassette.

11. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 1 wherein the cassette is enclosed within the vial, the vial being provided with a movable lip seal located in the same plane as the aperture in the cassette, the lip seal being provided on the vial sidewall and is openable in response to a force applied from inside the vial when a test strip is moved against the seal.

12. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 11 wherein the lip seal is formed by blending an effective amount of elastomer with the carrier thermoplastic material used to construct the vial.

13. ) The meter strip assembly of claim 2 wherein the vial is further comprised of a desiccant plastic.

15. ) The combination of claim 14 further comprised of a lift apparatus situated within the cassette, the lift apparatus comprised of a lift movably mounted over a vertically extending element having a top end and a bottom end, the bottom end resting on the vial bottom;

a biasing element situated over the vertically extending element, the lift resting against the biasing element which biases the lift towards the top end of the vertically extending element, wherein at least a portion of the lift is positioned within the cassette and is provided with a surface upon which test strips can rest.

16. ) The combination of claim 15 wherein the cassette is provided with a vertically extending slot extending from the bottom surface to the top surface wherein the lift surface is situated within the cassette and the vertically extending element is positioned outside the cassette.

17. ) The combination of claim 14 wherein the cassette is constructed of desiccant plastic.

19. ) The combination of claim 18 wherein the cassette is enclosed within the vial, the vial being provided with a movable lip seal located in the same plane as the aperture in the cassette, the lip seal being provided on the vial sidewall and exhibiting a greater degree of flexibility when compared to the remainder of the sidewall, the lip seal being openable in response to a force applied from inside the vial when a test strip is displaced from the cassette and moved into the seal.

20. ) The combination of claim 18 wherein the lip seal is formed by blending an effective amount of elastomer with the carrier thermoplastic material used to construct the vial.

21. ) The combination of claim 18 wherein the vial is further comprised of a desiccant plastic.

14. ) In combination, a vial and cassette for housing test strips that are dispensed from the combination, the combination positioned within a dispenser of test strips that dispenses test strips in response to a movable body that engages and displaces test strips, the combination comprised of:

a vial; and

a cassette in which test strips reside, the cassette positioned within the vial, the cassette provided with a top surface, being open on a bottom surface, and having sidewalls extending downward from the top surface, and further having apertures provided on opposing sidewalls.

18. ) In combination, a vial and cassette for housing test strips that are dispensed from the combination, the combination positioned within a dispenser of test strips and dispensing test strips in response to a movable body that engages and displaces test strips, the combination comprised of:

a vial; and

a cassette positioned within the vial in which the test strips reside, the cassette provided with a top surface, being open on a bottom surface, and having sidewalls extending downward from the top surface, and further having apertures provided on opposing sidewalls, a lift apparatus situated within the cassette, the lift apparatus comprised of a lift provided with a threaded aperture mounted over a vertically extending threaded element having a top end and a bottom end, the vertically extending threaded element extending into an aperture in the vial bottom;

means for rotating the vertically extending threaded element, wherein the lift moves upward in response to a rotation of the vertically extending threaded element, wherein at least a portion of the lift is positioned within the cassette and is provided with a surface upon which test strips can rest.

22. ) A container adapted to dispense an item stored within the container, the container comprising a body having a discontinuation where a first and second portion of the body are adjoining, wherein the first and second portions are movable in response to a force applied by an object contacting the discontinuation from within the container.

23. ) The container of claim 22 wherein the container is further comprised of a cap joined to the container body by a hinge.

24. ) The container of claim 23 wherein the discontinuation is located at a junction between the cap and container body when the cap is closed onto the container body.

25. ) The container of claim 22 wherein the discontinuation is a lip seal.

26. ) The container of claim 24 wherein the discontinuation is a lip seal.

27. ) The container of claim 22 wherein the container is lined with desiccant plastic.

28. ) The container of claim 24 wherein the container is lined with desiccant plastic.

29. ) The container of claim 25 wherein the lip seal is comprised of an upper portion, a lower portion, wherein the upper and lower portions have edges which form a mating profile.

30. ) The container of claim 29 wherein one of the upper and lower edges has a member extending out therefrom which is received in a groove provided in the other of the upper and lower edges.

31. ) The container of claim 22 wherein the item is a diagnostic test strip.

32. ) The container of claim 22 wherein the item is a therapeutic agent.

33. ) The container of claim 22 wherein the item is hygroscopic.

35. ) The container of claim 34 wherein the coiling element is attached to the container at an upper portion of the cavity.

36. ) The container of claim 34 wherein the coiling element is attached to the container at an upper portion of the cavity, and the coil of the coiling element is positioned within the cavity.

37. ) The container of claim 34 wherein the upper portion of the cavity is provided with a sink and a notch which receives a head and a neck of the coiling element.

38. ) The container of claim 34 wherein the head and neck of the coiling element are positioned within a sink and notch in the upper cavity portion.

39. ) The container of claim 34 further comprised of a flat-surfaced lift apparatus for receiving the item to be dispensed, the flat-surfaced lift apparatus being positioned on the coil of the coiling element.

40. ) The container of claim 34 wherein the container is provided with a second opening for receiving an element that moves the item to be dispensed to a dispensed position.

41. ) The container of claim 40 wherein the item is a diagnostic test strip.

42. ) The container of claim 40 wherein the item is a therapeutic agent.

43. ) The container of claim 40 wherein the container is positioned in a meter strip dispensing assembly for dispensing a test strip that is comprised of:

a housing;

a movable body movable to a position that engages a test strip and displaces it out of the container through a container opening;

a movable mechanism that connects the movable body to an actuator located on the housing;

wherein, when the actuator is actuated, the movable mechanism drives the movable body into engagement with the test strip and displaces it out of the container.

44. ) The container of claim 34 wherein the container is further comprised of a body having a discontinuation where a first and second portion of the body are adjoining, wherein the first and second portions are movable in response to a force applied by an object contacting the discontinuation from within the container.

45. ) The container of claim 22 wherein the container is further comprised of:

a body defining a cavity in which an item to be dispensed from the container is stored, and a coiling element positioned within the container, the coiling element having a length dimension and exhibiting a tendency to coil in the length dimension, wherein the item to be dispensed are placed upon the coiling element and maintained in an upward position by the tendency of the element to coil, the container further being provided with an opening though which the item may be dispensed.

34. ) A container adapted to dispense an item stored within the container, the container comprised of:

a body defining a cavity in which an item to be dispensed from the container is stored, and a coiling element positioned within the container, the coiling element having a length dimension and exhibiting a tendency to coil in the length dimension, wherein the item to be dispensed is placed upon the coiling element and maintained in an upward position by the tendency of the element to coil, the container further being provided with an opening through which the item may be dispensed.