System and method for coding information on a biosensor test strip

• US 20050161345A1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Operations Limited (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Groll, Henning, Celentano, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,604,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 205/792
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3272 Test elements therefor, i.e. disposable laminated substrates with electrodes, reagent and channels optical biosensors G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48771 Coding of information, e.g. calibration data, lot number

Abstract

The present invention provides a test strip for measuring a concentration of an analyte of interest in a biological fluid, wherein the test strip may be encoded with information that can be read by a test meter into which the test strip is inserted.

Claims

1. A test strip for measuring a concentration of an analyte of interest in a biological fluid, the test strip comprising:

a substrate having a surface;

a first measurement electrode formed on the surface;

a second measurement electrode formed on the surface;

a third potential electrode formed on the surface;

a fourth potential electrode formed on the surface;

a first contact pad formed on the surface and conductively coupled to the first measurement electrode;

a second contact pad formed on the surface and conductively coupled to the second measurement electrode;

a third contact pad formed on the surface and conductively coupled to the third potential electrode;

a fourth contact pad formed on the surface and conductively coupled to the fourth potential electrode; and

a conductive link coupling one of the third and fourth potential electrodes to the first measurement electrode, whereby another one of the third and fourth potential electrodes becomes an actual electrode.

2. The test strip of claim 1, wherein the actual electrode is a dose sufficiency electrode.

3. A method of using a test meter and associated test strip for measuring a concentration of an analyte of interest in a biological fluid, comprising the steps of:

providing a test strip comprising a substrate having at least a first, second and third contact pad formed thereon;

providing a test meter comprising a connector configured to make conductive contact with the first, second and third contact pads when the test strip is inserted into the test meter;

operating the test meter to determine if conductivity exists between the first and second contact pads;

operating the test meter to determine if conductivity exists between the first and third contact pads;

designating the second contact pad to have a first function and the third contact pad to have a second function if the test meter determines that conductivity exists between the first and second contact pads and that conductivity does not exist between the first and third contact pads; and

designating the second contact pad to have the second function and the thrid contact pad to have the first function if the test meter determines that conductivity does not exist between the first and second contact pads and that conductivity exists between the first and third contact pads.

4. A method of using a test meter and associated test strip for measuring a concentration of an analyte of interest in a biological fluid, comprising the steps of:

providing a test strip comprising a substrate having at least a first, second and third contact pad formed thereon;

providing a test meter comprising a connector configured to make conductive contact with the first, second and third contact pads when the test strip is inserted into the test meter;

operating the test meter to determine if conductivity exists between the first and second contact pads;

designating the second contact pad to have a first function and the third contact pad to have a second function if the test meter determines that conductivity exists between the first and second contact pads; and

designating the second contact pad to have the second function and the third contact pad to have the first function if the test meter determines that conductivity does not exist between the first and second contact pads.