Lancing device, method of making lancing device, pump mechanism, and sucking device

• US 20070016239A1
• Filed: 09/19/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Original Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Inventors: Sato, Yoshiharu, Fukuzawa, Masahiro, Hirao, Etsuo, Uchigaki, Takatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,758,602 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 5/150068 by tissue compression, e.g. with specially designed surface of device contacting the skin area to be pierced
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150099 by negative pressure, other than vacuum extraction into a syringe by pulling on the piston rod or into pre-evacuated tubes
• 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 lancing device according to the present invention includes: a housing; a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle; a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body; a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made; and a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion. The pump mechanism is capable of adjusting the vacuum. The pump mechanism includes for example: a moving portion capable of reciprocating in a first direction and a second direction away from the first direction. Preferably, the adjustment of the vacuum is made by changing the number of reciprocations of the moving part in the first and the second directions.

Claims

1-31. -31. (canceled)

32. A lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism, comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle;

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made; and

a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion;

wherein the pump mechanism is capable of adjusting the vacuum;

wherein the driving mechanism includes;

a first engaging portion provided in the moving body;

an elastic portion for urging the moving body in the forward direction;

a second engaging portion for engagement with the first engaging portion, for latching the moving body in the housing;

a lancing operation member having at least a part thereof exposed to outside of the housing; and

an unlatching portion to act on the engagement between the first and the second engaging portions for unlatching the moving body upon operation of the lancing operation member; and

wherein the second engaging portion is provided in a latching member fixed to the housing and providing a housing space for the moving body, the elastic portion for forward movement and the elastic portion for reverse movement.

33. The lancing device according to claim 32, further comprising an elastic portion for reverse movement of the moving body, in series with the elastic portion for forward movement of the moving body, for supplying the moving body with a reverse moving force after the forward movement of the moving body.

34. A lancing device comprising:

a housing;

a moving holder for holding a needle, the moving holder being movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of the needle; and

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving holder;

wherein the driving mechanism includes;

a first elastic member for supplying the moving holder with a forward moving force; and

a second elastic member placed in series with the first elastic member for supplying the moving body with a reverse moving force after the forward movement of the moving body; and

wherein the driving mechanism further includes a latching member for latching the moving holder at a predetermined position relative to the housing, the latching member being separably joined to the moving holder to define an internal housing space for accommodating the first and second elastic members in series with each other.

35. A lancing device according to claim 34, wherein a portion of the moving holder forms a first cylinder half, a portion of the latching member forming a second cylinder half, the first and second cylinder halves providing a full cylinder when joined together.

36. A lancing device according to claim 35, wherein each of the first and second elastic members comprises a coil spring which is expanded or compressed by the forward and reverse movement of the moving holder.

37. A lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism, comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle;

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made; and

a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion,

wherein the pump mechanism includes;

a moving portion capable of reciprocating in a first direction and a second direction away from the first direction; and

an elastic force generating portion storing an elastic force by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction and moving the moving portion in the second direction by releasing the elastic force, and

wherein the vacuum is generated by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction.

38. A method of making a lancing device comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle;

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made;

a pressure chamber having a volumetric capacity varied by the reciprocation of the moving portion; and

a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion,

the pump mechanism being capable of adjusting the vacuum,

wherein a maximum vacuum to be generated inside the pressing portion is adjusted by selecting at least one of;

a volumetric capacity of the pressure chamber when there is no outer force acting on the moving portion; and

a maximum volumetric capacity increase possible in the pressure chamber when there is an outer force acting on the moving portion.

39. A method of making a lancing device comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle;

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made;

a pressure chamber having a volumetric capacity varied by the reciprocation of the moving portion; and

a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion,

the pump mechanism being capable of adjusting the vacuum,

wherein the number of reciprocations to be made by the moving portion before approaching a maximum vacuum to be generated inside the pressing portion is adjusted by selecting an actual volumetric capacity of the housing.

40. A pump mechanism having a pressure chamber for generation of a vacuum in a vacuum generation chamber, comprising:

a moving portion capable of reciprocating in a first direction and a second direction away from the first direction; and

an elastic force generating portion storing an elastic force by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction and moving the moving portion in the second direction by releasing the elastic force,

wherein the vacuum is generated by the movement of the moving portion in the first direction.

41. A lancing device incorporating a vacuum generating mechanism, comprising:

a housing;

a moving body movable relatively to the housing for forward movement of a needle;

a driving mechanism for forward movement of the moving body;

a hollow pressing portion at a front end of the housing for contact with a part where a puncture is to be made; and

a pump mechanism capable of causing a vacuum to act inside the pressing portion,

wherein the driving mechanism includes;

a first engaging portion provided on the moving body;

an elastic portion for urging the moving body in the forward direction;

a second engaging portion engageable with the first engaging portion for latching the moving body in the housing;

a lancing operation member having at least a part thereof exposed to outside of the housing; and

an unlatching portion to act on the engagement between the first and the second engaging portions for unlatching the moving body upon operation of the lancing operation member; and

wherein the lancing operation member is operable for unlatching of the moving member and for releasing the vacuum inside the pressing portion, the unlatching of the moving member occurring before releasing the vacuum, the unlatching of the moving member being caused by a smaller movement of the lancing operation member, the releasing of the vacuum being caused by a larger movement of the lancing operation member.