Lancet device

• US 20040249405A1
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshioka, Toshihiko, Watanabe, Motokazu
• Application Number:
  US10/480,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20040249405A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/181
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150427 Specific tip design, e.g. for improved penetration characteristics
• 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 5/150984 Microneedles or microblades
• 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 5/1519 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 is provided capable of taking a sufficient amount of body fluid with less pain or readily healing wounds formed in the skin.

The lancet device comprises a plurality of needles for the skin, such as that of a finger tip of a diabetic patient. In the lancet device, the needles are arranged at intervals of a predetermined distance or more, which prevents the wounds formed by needle punctures in the skin from connecting to each other.

Claims

1. A lancet device comprising a plurality of needles for puncturing the skin, in which the plane formed by connecting the tips of the needles is shaped so as to match the unevenness of the skin to be punctured.

2. The lancet device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of needles are arranged at intervals of a predetermined distance or more, and

the predetermined distance is defined so that wounds formed in the skin by puncture with the plurality of needles do not connect to each other.

3. The lancet device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of needles are arranged at intervals of a predetermined distance or more, and

the predetermined distance is defined as being about 50% or more of the thickness of the plurality of needles.

4. The lancet device according to claim 1, wherein the skin to be punctured is one of a fingertip, the palm of the hand, an arm, and the belly.

5. A lancet device according to claim 1, in which the length of each of the needles is adjusted so as to reach the epidermis but not to reach the dermis during puncture.

6. The lancet device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of needles, each having a cut surface on the tip, are arranged such that the cut surfaces are directly outwardly.

7. The lancet device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of needles are hollow.

8. The lancet device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of needles are solid.

9. The lancet device according to claim 1, comprising

a lancet having a needle fixing portion for supporting the plurality of needles;

and

a holder for holding the lancet

wherein the lancet is detachably provided to the holder.

11. The lancet device according to claim 9, wherein the area of the opening portion provided in the holder for holding the lancet is about 12 mm² or more.

12. The lancet device according to claim 9, wherein the opening portion is provided in a cap provided at the tip of the holder and the cap is configured to have the opening portion whose area can be changed.

10. (Cancelled).