Lancet device

• US 20040243164A1
• Filed: 05/29/2003
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Diabetes Care Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Laboratories
• Inventors: DʼAgostino, Daniel M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,303,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/181
• 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 5/150503 Single-ended needles hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396, needle sets for catheters A61M25/06, needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15113 Manually triggered, i.e. the triggering requires a deliberate action by the user such as pressing a drive button
• 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 5/15186 Devices loaded with a single lancet, i.e. a single lancet with or without a casing is loaded into a reusable drive device and then discarded after use; drive devices reloadable for multiple use
• 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 lancet device for obtaining a blood sample from a finger or at an alternate site of a patient. The lancet device includes a body and a lancet, the lancet being movable between a retracted position in which the lancet tip is disposed within the body and an extended position in which the lancet tip extends beyond the body. The device is cocked by compressing a U-shaped spring steel accessible on opposite sides of the body, the U-shaped spring steel being coupled to the lancet. Once cocked, a pawl retains the U-shaped spring steel in a compressed state. The device is fired by contacting the patient where sampling is to occur with one end of an actuator, the opposite end of the actuator serving to release the pawl from the U-shaped spring steel.

Claims

1. A lancet device comprising:

(a) a body, said body comprising an open top end and at least one side opening;

(b) a spring, said spring being mounted in said body and being transformable between a cocked state of comparatively greater compression and an uncocked state of comparatively lesser compression, said spring being manually accessible for compression through said at least one side opening; and

(c) a lancet, said lancet having a lancet tip, said lancet being coupled to said spring for movement between a retracted position wherein said lancet tip is positioned below said open top end of said body and an extended position wherein said lancet tip is positioned above said open top end of said body, said lancet being in said retracted position when said spring is in said cocked state and in said extended position when said spring is in said uncocked state.

2. The lancet device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a releasable catch for retaining said spring in said cocked state, said releasable catch being actuated by compression of said spring, and an actuator engageable with said releasable catch for releasing said releasable catch.

3. The lancet device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spring comprises an arm biased outwardly towards said at least one side opening.

4. The lancet device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spring comprises a generally U-shaped member having a pair of outwardly biasing arms and wherein said body has a pair of side openings through which said outwardly biasing arms may be accessed and pivoted inwardly towards one another.

5. The lancet device as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a lancet holder and means for coupling said lancet holder to said spring, said lancet being received in said lancet holder, said catch being engageable with said lancet holder.

6. The lancet device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said coupling means comprises a filament secured at a first end to one of said outwardly biasing arms, at a second end to the other of said outwardly biasing arms and inserted through said lancet holder.

7. The lancet device as claimed in claim 6 further comprising means for biasing said lancet holder away from said open top end of said body.

8. The lancet device as claimed in claim 7 further comprising a support fixed within said body, said catch being a part of said support, and wherein said biasing means comprises an elastic strap, said elastic strap having a first end secured to said lancet holder and a second end secured to a tab formed on said support proximate to the bottom thereof.

9. The lancet device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said actuator comprises a cylindrical member slidably mounted in said open top end of said body.

10. The lancet device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means for biasing said actuator away from said releasable catch.

11. A lancet device comprising:

(a) a body, said body comprising an open top end;

(b) a spring, said spring being mounted in said body and being reversibly transformable between a cocked state of comparatively greater compression and an uncocked state of comparatively lesser compression;

(c) a lancet, said lancet having a lancet tip, said lancet being coupled to said spring for movement between a retracted position wherein said lancet tip is positioned below said open top end of said body and an extended position wherein said lancet tip is positioned above said open top end of said body, said lancet being in said retracted position when said spring is in said cocked state and in said extended position when said spring is in said uncocked state;

(d) a releasable catch for retaining said spring in said cocked state; and

(e) an actuator engageable with said releasable catch for releasing said releasable catch, said actuator being actuated by contact with the body part to be lanced by said lancet.

12. The lancet device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said spring comprises a generally U-shaped member having a pair of outwardly biasing arms and wherein said body has a pair of side openings through which said outwardly biasing arms may be accessed and pivoted inwardly towards one another.

13. The lancet device as claimed in claim 12 further comprising a lancet holder and means for coupling said lancet holder to said spring, said lancet being received in said lancet holder, said catch being engageable with said lancet holder.

14. The lancet device as claimed in claim 13 wherein said coupling means comprises a filament secured at a first end to one of said outwardly biasing arms, at a second end to the other of said outwardly biasing arms and inserted through said lancet holder.

15. The lancet device as claimed in claim 14 further comprising means for biasing said lancet holder away from said open top end of said body.

16. The lancet device as claimed in claim 15 further comprising a support fixed within said body, said catch being a part of said support, and wherein said biasing means comprises an elastic strap, said elastic strap having a first end secured to said lancet holder and a second end secured to a tab formed on said support proximate to the bottom thereof.

18. The lancet device as claimed in claim 11 further comprising means for biasing said actuator away from said releasable catch.

20. The lancet device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said releasable catch is actuated by compression of said spring.

17. The lancet device as claimed in claim 111 wherein said actuator comprises a cylindrical member slidably mounted in said open top end of said body.

19. The lancet device as claimed in claim 111 further comprising a flexible seal for stretching the skin to be pierced by said lancet, said flexible seal being positioned around said open top end of said body.

21. A lancet device comprising:

(a) a body, said body comprising a tubular member terminating in an open top end;

(b) a lancet, said lancet having a lancet tip, said lancet being movable from a retracted position wherein said lancet tip is positioned below said open top end of said tubular member to an extended position wherein said lancet tip is positioned above said open top end of said tubular member;

(c) a spring, said spring being mounted in said body and being coupled to said lancet for moving said lancet from said retracted position to said extended position;

(d) a releasable catch for retaining said lancet in said retracted position;

(e) an actuator engageable with said releasable catch for releasing said releasable catch, said actuator extending through said open top end of said tubular member and being actuated by contact with the body part to be lanced by said lancet; and

(f) a flexible seal for stretching the skin to be pierced by said lancet, said flexible seal being mounted on said tubular member and extending beyond said open top end.

22. The lancet device as claimed in claim 21 wherein said spring comprises a generally U-shaped member having a pair of outwardly biasing arms and wherein said body has a pair of side openings through which said outwardly biasing arms may be accessed and pivoted inwardly towards one another.

23. The lancet device as claimed in claim 22 further comprising a lancet holder and means for coupling said lancet holder to said spring, said lancet being received in said lancet holder, said catch being engageable with said lancet holder.

24. The lancet device as claimed in claim 23 wherein said coupling means comprises a filament secured at a first end to one of said outwardly biasing arms, at a second end to the other of said outwardly biasing arms and inserted through said lancet holder.

25. The lancet device as claimed in claim 24 further comprising means for biasing said lancet holder away from said open top end of said body.

26. The lancet device as claimed in claim 25 further comprising a support fixed within said body, said catch being a part of said support, and wherein said biasing means comprises an elastic strap, said elastic strap having a first end secured to said lancet holder and a second end secured to a tab formed on said support proximate to the bottom thereof.

27. The lancet device as claimed in claim 21 wherein said actuator comprises a cylindrical member slidably mounted in said tubular member of said body.

28. The lancet device as claimed in claim 21 further comprising means for biasing said actuator away from said releasable catch.

29. The lancet device as claimed in claim 21 wherein said releasable catch is actuated by compression of said spring.

30. A lancet device comprising:

(a) a body, said body comprising

(i) a base, said base having an inner cavity and comprising a front, a back, a left side, a right side, a bottom and an open top, each of said left side and said right side including a scalloped portion having a longitudinal slot, and

(ii) a hollow cover, said hollow cover being mounted on said base and comprising a bottom portion and a tubular top portion, said tubular top portion having an open top end and an open bottom end;

(b) a spring, said spring being a generally U-shaped member mounted in said body and comprising a first outwardly biasing arm and a second outwardly biasing arm, said first outwardly biasing arm being accessible through said longitudinal slot in said left side of said base for compression towards said second outwardly biasing arm, said second outwardly biasing arm being accessible through said longitudinal slot in said right side of said base for compression towards said first outwardly biasing arm;

(c) a lancet holder;

(d) a support member, said support member being mounted in said base and comprising a cylindrical member, said cylindrical member comprising a longitudinally-extending bore aligned with said tubular top portion of said cover, said lancet holder being slidably mounted in said longitudinally-extending bore, said cylindrical member further comprising a catch, said catch being releasably engageable with said lancet holder when said spring is sufficiently compressed;

(e) a lancet, said lancet being mounted in said lancet holder and having a lancet tip, said lancet being coupled to said spring for movement between a retracted position wherein said lancet tip is positioned below said open top end of said tubular top portion of said hollow cover and an extended position wherein said lancet tip is positioned above said open top end of said tubular top portion of said hollow cover, said lancet being in said retracted position when said spring is in a cocked state and in said extended position when said spring is in an uncocked state;

(f) means for coupling said spring to said lancet holder;

(g) means for biasing said lancet holder downwardly, said biasing means being weaker than said spring;

(h) an actuator slidably mounted within said tubular top portion of said hollow cover and engageable with said catch for releasing said catch from said lancet holder, said actuator being actuated by contact with the body part to be lanced by said lancet; and

(i) means for biasing said actuator away from said catch.