Low cost safety lancet

• US 20070185515A1
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Facet Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Facet Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Stout, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,955,347 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 5/150435 Specific design of proximal end
• 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 5/150908 by disconnecting components, e.g. breaking or rupturing of connected parts, e.g. piston and rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/151 Devices specially adapted for taking samples of capillary blood, e.g. by lancets , needles or blades
• 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 5/1513 comprising linear sliding guides comprising tooth-shaped elements A61B5/15132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15142 Devices intended for single use, i.e. disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15144 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for retracting the piercing unit into the housing
• 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 has a housing, an activation/retraction control assembly, and a lancet. The control assembly and the housing have cooperating engagement structures such as detents that disengage after a predetermined launch force is applied to the control assembly. In this way, the lancet is driven to its puncturing position without the use of a drive spring. In addition, the control assembly and the lancet have cooperating releasable engagement structures such as notched sections and tamped protrusions that disengage when the lancet reaches its puncturing position, thereby freeing the lancet from the control assembly. And the control assembly has angled retraction structures that engage the freed lancet to bias it back safely into the housing.

Claims

1. A lancing device, comprising:

a housing;

a lancet having a lancet body and a puncturing tip extending therefrom, wherein the lancet travels through a lancing stroke from a ready position to a fully extended position with the tip extending out of the housing;

a control assembly that engages the lancet; and

at least one set of first cooperating engagement structures configured to hold the control assembly in the ready position when less than a predetermined user-applied launch force is applied to the control assembly and to permit movement of the control assembly in the lancing stroke when the launch force is applied to the control assembly,

wherein in use when the user-applied launch force is applied to the control assembly, the first cooperating engagement structures disengage and the launch force propels the lancet through the lancing stroke.

2. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the control assembly has at least one control arm that extends into the housing, and the first cooperating engagement structures are defined by the control assembly and the housing.

3. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the first cooperating engagement structures comprise detent elements.

4. The lancing device of claim 1, further comprising at least one second engagement structure configured to hold the control assembly in a finished position.

5. The lancing device of claim 4, wherein the second engagement structure engages one of the first cooperating engagement structures to hold the control assembly in the finished position, and the first cooperating engagement structures and the second engagement structure comprise detent elements.

6. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the first cooperating engagement structures are configured so that the launch force alone propels the lancet through the lancing stroke without a drive spring.

7. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the first cooperating engagement structures are configured so that the launch force disengages the lancet from the control assembly when the lancet stops in the fully extended position.

8. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the control assembly has a pressing member to which the user-applied launch force is applied to activate the lancing device.

9. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the control assembly includes at least one control finger that extends into the housing and releasably engages the lancet, and at least one control arm that extends into the housing, further comprising at least one second engagement structure configured to engage one of the first cooperating engagement structures to hold the control assembly in a finished position, and wherein the first cooperating engagement structures and the second engagement structure are defined by the control arm and the housing.

10. A lancing device, comprising:

a housing;

a lancet having a lancet body and a puncturing tip extending therefrom, wherein the lancet travels to a fully extended position with the tip extending out of the housing, and the lancet body has a first releasable engagement structure; and

a control assembly having a second releasable engagement structure that cooperates with the first releasable engagement structure to releasably engage the lancet, wherein upon the application of a launch force the control assembly drives the lancet to the fully extended position,

wherein in use the first and second cooperating releasable engagement structures hold the control assembly and the lancet together as the lancet travels toward the fully extended position, but when the lancet stops in the fully extended position then the launch force disengages the lancet from the control assembly.

11. The lancing device of claim 10, wherein the control assembly has at least one resilient control finger that extends into the housing and that defines the second releasable engagement structure.

12. The lancing device of claim 11, wherein the first and second cooperating releasable engagement structures comprise at least one notched section and at least one ramped protrusion.

13. The lancing device of claim 12, wherein when the lancet stops in the fully extended position, the resilient control finger continues moving under the launch force, so that the notched section rides along the ramped protrusion and is deflected away from the ramped protrusion until the notched section moves past and is free of the ramped protrusion.

14. The lancing device of claim 13, wherein the resilient control finger includes an angled retraction section, the angled section is charged when the control finger is deflected to free the lancet from the control assembly, and the charged angled section engages and biases the lancet to retract the lancet from the fully extended position.

15. The lancing device of claim 10, further comprising a retraction element configured to engage the lancet after disengagement from the control assembly and retract the lancet tip into the housing.

16. The lancing device of claim 15, wherein the control assembly has at least one resilient control finger that extends into the housing, and the retraction element comprises an angled section of the control finger.

17. The lancing device of claim 15, wherein the lancing device includes a set of cooperating engagement structures configured to hold the control assembly in a finished position disengaged from the lancet so that the control assembly does not move with the lancet when the lancet is being retracted.

18. The lancing device of claim 10, wherein either the first or the second cooperating releasable engagement structure comprises at least two ramped protrusions together forming the general shape of an inverted heart, an inverted “

V”

, or a delta.

19. The lancing device of claim 18, wherein the lancet includes a removable sterility cap, and the first and the second cooperating releasable engagement structures have cooperating lock surfaces the prevent the lancet from being pulled from engagement with the control assembly when the sterility cap is removed.

20. A lancing device, comprising:

a housing;

a lancet having a lancet body and a puncturing tip extending therefrom, wherein the lancet travels through a lancing stroke from a ready position to a fully extended position with the tip extending out of the housing, and the lancet body has a first releasable engagement structure;

a control assembly having a second releasable engagement structure that cooperates with the first releasable engagement structure to releasably engage the lancet; and

at least one set of first cooperating engagement structures configured to hold the control assembly in the ready position when less than a predetermined user-applied launch force is applied to the control assembly and to permit movement of the control assembly in the lancing stroke when the launch force is applied to the control assembly,

wherein in use when the user-applied launch force is applied to the control assembly, the first cooperating engagement structures disengage and the launch force propels the lancet through the lancing stroke, and the first and second cooperating releasable engagement structures hold the control assembly and the lancet together as the lancet travels toward the fully extended position, but when the lancet stops in the fully extended position then the launch force disengages the lancet from the control assembly.

21. The lancing device of claim 20, wherein the control assembly includes at least one resilient control finger that extends into the housing and defines the second releasable engagement structure, and at least one control arm that extends into the housing, further comprising at least one second engagement structure configured to engage one of the first cooperating engagement structures to hold the control assembly in a finished position, and wherein the first cooperating engagement structures and the second engagement structure are defined by the control arm and the housing.

22. The lancing device of claim 21, wherein the first cooperating engagement structures and the second engagement structure comprise detent elements, and the first and second cooperating releasable engagement structures comprise at least one notched section and at least one ramped protrusion.

23. The lancing device of claim 21, wherein the resilient control finger includes an angled retraction section that deflects and charges when the lancet disengages from the control assembly, and the charged angled section engages and biases the lancet to retract the lancet from the fully extended position.