Pulsating expression cap

• US 20050215925A1
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Chan, Frank A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,201,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/583
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1411 by percutaneous method, e.g. by lancet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150068 by tissue compression, e.g. with specially designed surface of device contacting the skin area to be pierced
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150358 Strips for collecting blood, e.g. absorbent optical reagent test strips G01N21/8483; chemical reagent test strips G01N33/4875, G01N33/52
• 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 5/15105 Purely manual piercing, i.e. the user pierces the skin without the assistance of any driving means or driving devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15142 Devices intended for single use, i.e. disposable

Abstract

A body fluid sampling device includes an expression member placed around an incision in the skin of a user, a compression member to contact and traverse the expression member, and a housing configured to contact the skin near the incision. The expression member is configured to repeatedly move from a relaxed position over the incision to a contracted position over the incision. The expression member is at least partially resilient in order to repeatedly squeeze and/or compress the skin around the incision.

Claims

1. A sampling device, comprising:

a lancet configured to form an incision in skin;

an expression member having a band for receiving the lancet;

wherein the band is moveable between a relaxed position over the incision in skin and a contracted position over the incision;

a compression member configured to contact and traverse the expression member wherein the band compresses from the relaxed position to the contracted position to express bodily fluid from the incision in skin;

a housing configured to contact the skin near the incision; and

wherein at least a portion of the expression member is resilient in order to return to the relaxed position.

2. The sampling device of claim 1, wherein the band has an annular shape.

3. The sampling device of claim 1, wherein:

the expression member includes at least one expression lobe; and

the compression member includes at least one compression lobe configured to contact the at least one expression lobe.

4. The sampling device of claim 3, wherein:

the compression lobe is configured to traverse the at least one expression lobe to compress the band.

5. The sampling device of claim 1, wherein the band is resilient.

6. The sampling device of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the expression member includes a skin contacting portion configured to surround the band and wherein the skin contacting portion is moveable between a relaxed position over the incision in skin and a contracted position over the incision to express bodily fluid from the incision in skin.

7. The sampling device of claim 1, wherein the housing has a concave shape.

8. The sampling device of claim 1, further comprising a test strip to test the bodily fluid expressed from the incision.

9. The sampling device of claim 1, further comprising an integrated test strip to test the bodily fluid expressed from the incision.

10. The sampling device of claim 1, wherein the compression member includes a passageway to at least partially receive the expression member.

11. The sampling device of claim 1, wherein the band is configured to contact the skin.

12. A sampling device, comprising:

an expression member having a skin contacting portion that is moveable between a relaxed position over an incision in skin and a contracted position over an incision;

a compression member configured to contact the skin contacting portion of the expression member to move the skin contacting portion from the relaxed position to the contracted position;

a housing to contact the skin near the incision; and

wherein at least a portion of the expression member is resilient in order to return to the relaxed position.

13. The sampling device of claim 12, wherein the expression member includes a passageway that is moveable between a relaxed position over the incision in the skin and a contracted position over the incision.

14. The sampling device of claim 13, wherein the passageway is resilient.

15. The sampling device of claim 12, wherein:

the expression member includes at least one nub; and

the compression member includes at least one bulge configured to contact and traverse the at least one nub.

16. The sampling device of claim 15, wherein the nub is made of a non-resilient material.

17. The sampling device of claim 12, wherein the expression member includes at least one resilient band.

18. The sampling device of claim 17, wherein the band is configured to express bodily fluid from the incision.

19. The sampling device of claim 17, wherein the band has an annular shape.

20. The sampling device of claim 12, wherein the expression element includes at least one resilient finger.

21. The sampling device of claim 20, wherein the finger is configured to express bodily fluid from the incision.

22. The sampling device of claim 12, further comprising a lancet configured to form the incision in skin.

23. The sampling device of claim 18, further comprising a testing element configured to test bodily fluid expressed from the incision.

24. The sampling device of claim 21, further comprising a testing element configured to test bodily fluid expressed from the incision.

25. The sampling device of claim 12, wherein the housing is a concave shape.

26. A method of expressing a body fluid, comprising:

positioning a sampling device over an incision in skin;

wherein the sampling device includes a housing to contact the skin near the incision; and

expressing body fluid from the incision with the sampling device by repeatedly squeezing and compressing the skin around the incision to allow body fluid to flow to the incision.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

forming the incision in skin with a lancet of the sampling device.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

collecting the body fluid with a test strip of the sampling device.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

wherein the sampling device includes an expression member to resiliently move from a relaxed position to a contracted position in which the skin near the incision is squeezed and compressed.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the expression member moves from the contracted position to the relaxed position.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the housing is a concave shape to urge body fluid towards the incision in skin.