Safety lancet device

• US 20050251188A1
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eumed Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Eumed Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Li, Fu-Yuan, Chen, Tzer-Ming
• Granted Patent: US 7,452,366 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 5/150206 Construction or design features not otherwise provided for; manufacturing or production; packages; sterilisation of piercing element, piercing device or sampling device
• 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 5/150549 Protectors removed by rotational movement, e.g. torsion or screwing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150618 Integrally moulded protectors, e.g. protectors simultaneously moulded together with a further component, e.g. a hub, of the piercing element
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150717 manually removed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150916 by blocking components, e.g. piston, driving device or fluid passageway
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15111 Semi-automatically triggered, e.g. at the end of the cocking procedure, for instance by biasing the main drive spring or when reaching sufficient contact pressure, the piercing device is automatically triggered without any deliberate action by the user
• 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 5/1513 comprising linear sliding guides comprising tooth-shaped elements A61B5/15132
• 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 safety lancet device has a casing, a driver assembly and a needle hub with a needle. The driver assembly and the needle hub are mounted within the casing. The driver assembly comprises a container, a pressing unit, a controller, a pushing unit and a resilient unit. The needle hub is controlled by the driver assembly to make the needle momentarily protrude. After the needle is used, the location of the driver assembly keeps the needle from protruding. When a new needle hub replaces the used needle hub, the driver assembly will return to the original location before use and can drive the needle momentarily from the casing. Users will not forget to change the used needle. Furthermore, the safety lancet device will decrease the danger of infection.

Claims

1. A safety lancet device comprising:

a casing;

a driver assembly mounted in the casing and comprising

a cylindrical container mounted securely with the casing and comprising

a proximal open end;

a distal open end;

an inner surface;

an outer surface;

an outer diameter;

an inner diameter,

a middle;

an annular protrusion formed integrally with and extending inward from the inner surface in the middle and having an inner surface, an inner diameter and a top; and

multiple side slots formed through the outer surface, between the annular protrusion and the distal open end and each comprising a top and a bottom;

a cylindrical pressing unit slidably mounted around the distal open end of the container and comprising

a proximal end;

a distal end;

an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the container;

multiple protruding keys formed integrally with and extending outward from the distal end and having respectively bottoms; and

a rod formed on and extending downward from the proximal end and having a free end;

a cylindrical controller slidably mounted in the distal open end of the container and comprising

a proximal end;

a distal end;

an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the container,

an outer surface;

an inner surface;

multiple arced controller tabs corresponding respectively to the protruding keys of the pressing unit and the side slots of the container and having respectively an attached end and a free end, wherein the attached end is formed on and extends from the outer surface; and

an inner annular ring formed on and extending radially inward from the inner surface and near the distal end and having an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the annular protrusion of the container;

a pushing unit slidably mounted in the controller and comprising

a proximal closed end;

a distal closed end;

an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the inner annular ring in the controller;

a head formed on and extending upward from the distal closed end and having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the inner annular ring in the controller; and

multiple arced tabs formed on and extending downward from the head and respectively having

an attached end;

a free end; and

an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the annular protrusion in the container when the free end abutting the pushing unit; and

a resilient element mounted between the pushing unit and the casing; and

a needle hub with a needle slidably mounted in the proximal open end of the container.

2. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the needle hub comprises

a needle sleeve comprising

a proximal open end;

a distal closed end;

an inner surface;

an outer surface;

a hole formed in the distal closed end; and

multiple positive limits formed near the proximal open end; and

a needle core with a needle slidably mounted in the needle sleeve and protruding from the hole.

3. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the needle sleeve of the needle hub has

multiple longitudinal grooves formed in the inner surface and the multiple positive limits are formed respectively in the longitudinal grooves near the proximal open end;

and

the needle core has

a proximal end;

a distal end;

a middle;

a top plate formed on the proximal end and having an outer surface; and

multiple protrusions formed on the outer surface of the top plate and corresponding to the longitudinal grooves to limit the needle core in the needle sleeve.

4. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the needle sleeve has multiple flat tapers formed in the inner surface of the distal closed end;

and

the needle core has

multiple longitudinal keys formed on and extending outward from the middle of the needle core, and corresponding respectively to the longitudinal grooves to guide the movement of the needle core; and

multiple middle arced tabs formed on the middle and between the longitudinal keys of the needle core and having an attached end and an free end, wherein the free end of the middle arced tabs abuts the taper of the needle sleeve.

5. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the multiple protrusions respectively have at least one nub formed on and extending outward from the protrusion, and the multiple longitudinal keys respectively have multiple nubs formed on and extending outward from the longitudinal key.

6. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the needle core has multiple resilient core members attached to the top plate and the distal closed end of the needle sleeve and mounted between the needle core and the needle sleeve.

7. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the needle sleeve has multiple longitudinal flanges formed on the outer surface, and the container has longitudinal recesses formed in the inner surface of the proximal open end and corresponding to the longitudinal flanges of the needle sleeve.

8. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the needle core further has a detachment joint formed in the middle of the needle core and separates to form a needle point sheath, and the needle is attached in the middle of the needle core and located at the detachment joint.

9. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the container further has

a slot formed through the proximal open end;

multiple annular flanges formed radially and extending outward from the outer surface near the middle and mounted with the casing;

multiple gaps formed respectively in the corresponding annular flange for mounting the rod of the pressing unit.

10. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the slot of the container is a cross shape.

11. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the container further has multiple grooves formed longitudinally in the inner surface of the distal open end for mounting the arced controller tabs of the controller.

12. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the pressing unit further has a thumb tab formed on and extends outward from the distal end.

13. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the rod further has a tab formed on and extending inward from the free end of the rod.

14. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the controller further has

an annular ring formed radially and extending outward from the outer surface of the proximal end of the controller;

and

multiple longitudinal ribs formed longitudinally on the outer surface and connected with the annular ring and the arc controller tabs extending respectively from the longitudinal rib.

15. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the pushing unit further has a neck formed near the distal closed end and the arc tabs are located corresponding to the neck.

16. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the casing comprises

a front casing comprising

a proximal end;

a distal end;

an inner surface;

an outer surface; and

a guide slot formed longitudinally through the front casing and near the distal end;

a rear casing engaged with the front casing to form a circular casing and comprising a proximal end, a distal end, an inner surface and an outer surface;

a bottom ring engaged with the proximal ends of the front casing and the rear casing and comprising a proximal end and a distal end;

a top ring engaged with the distal ends of the front casing and the rear casing; and

a top cap comprising a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end passes through the top ring and mounted with the pushing unit.

17. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the front casing further has multiple annular ribs formed radially around and extending inward from the inner surface near the proximal end, and the rear casing further has multiple annular ribs formed radially around and extending inward from the inner surface near the proximal end and corresponding to the annular ribs of the front casing.

18. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 17, wherein

the front casing further has multiple recesses formed around and radially inward from the outer surface respectively of the distal end and the proximal end;

the rear casing further has multiple recesses formed around and radially inward from the outer surface respectively of the distal end and the proximal end and corresponding to the recess of the front casing; and

the bottom ring further has an annular ring formed radially and extending inward from the proximal end of the bottom ring and engaged with the recesses of the front casing and the rear casing.

19. The safety lancet device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the controller further has an inner thread formed on the inner surface of the proximal end, and the proximal end of the top cap further has an outer surface and an outer thread formed on the outer surface.