Lancet Device for Forming Incision

• US 20070225741A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asahi Polyslider Company, Limited (Izumi-Cosmo Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Polyslider Company, Limited (Izumi-Cosmo Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Yoshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,879,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/182
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150259 Improved gripping, e.g. with high friction pattern or projections on the housing surface or an ergonometric shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150465 Specific design of proximal end
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150564 Protectors removed by pulling or pushing
• 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 5/15128 comprising 2D- or 3D-shaped elements, e.g. cams, curved guide rails or threads comprising tooth-shaped elements A61B5/15132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15144 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for retracting the piercing unit into the housing

Abstract

An incision device capable of preventing it from being inadvertently fired with a covered attached to the device.

The incision device (20) comprises a housing (22), and a lancet guide assembly having lancet guides (72, 74) and a lancet body (38). The lancet body (38) further comprises a lancet blade (24). The lancet blade (24) is covered by a removable protective cover (88) having a stopper (100) which prevents a trigger arm (32) from being moved so as to fire the lancet blade (24).

Claims

1. An incision device for forming an incision comprising:

(1) a housing;

(2) a lancet guide assembly which includes a lancet body which is mounted within the housing for pivotal movement and a lancet guide which guides a lancet blade through an arcuate cutting stroke;

(3) a trigger mechanism including a trigger arm mounted in the housing for pivotal movement between a ready-to-fire position and a firing position; and

(4) a spring element arranged within the housing such that it is in an unbiased condition when the trigger arm is in the ready-to-fire position and it is biased by engaging a catch arranged in the housing as the trigger arm pivots towards the firing position;

wherein

the lancet body comprises the lancet blade covered by a removable protective cover,

during the cutting stroke, the lancet blade extends through an opening in the housing when the lancet body is pivoted between an unfired position and a fired position,

the trigger mechanism and the spring element are configured such that the spring element in the biased condition is released from the catch arranged in the housing when the trigger arm reaches the firing position;

the spring element is arranged such that when it is released, it exerts a force on the lancet body which pivots the lancet body from the un-fired position to the fired position and thereby moves the lancet blade through the cutting stroke; and

the protective cover comprises a stopper which prevents the trigger arm from moving to reach the firing position when the protective cover covers the lancet blade.

2. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein each of the trigger mechanism and the lancet body are arranged independently in the housing.

3. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein each of the lancet body and the trigger arm pivots respectively.

4. The incision device according to claim 3 wherein the pivot movement of the lancet body is achieved by a pivot axis at an end of the lancet body and a bearing portion arranged in the housing which portion corresponds to the axis, and the pivot movement of the trigger arm is achieved by a pivot axis at an end of the trigger arm and a bearing portion arranged in the housing which portion corresponds to the axis.

5. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the trigger mechanism and the lancet body are integrally formed by means of connecting portion which are located between them, and there are provided a notch between the trigger mechanism and the connection portion and a notch between the connecting portion and the lancet body, so that those notches substantially allow pivot movements of the trigger mechanism and the lancet body.

6. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the spring element is connected to the trigger arm.

7. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the spring element has a resiliently compressible generally V-shaped configuration having an end connected to a trigger actuating element of the trigger arm and a free end which is engaged with the catch when the trigger arm is in the ready-to-fire position such that movement of the trigger arm from the ready-to-fire position to the firing position compresses the spring element.

8. The incision device according to claim 7 wherein the free end of the spring element strikes and then comes over the lancet body as it is when the biased spring element is released.

9. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the trigger arm is configured such that when the trigger arm reaches the firing position, the trigger arm abuts against the spring element and releases the spring element from the catch.

10. The incision device according to claim 9 wherein the spring element includes a cam surface, and the trigger arm includes a cam surface which complementarily engages the cam surface of the spring element so as to release the spring element from the catch when the trigger arm reaches the firing position.

11. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the lancet guide comprises a projecting lug carried by the lancet body which complementarily engages a guide groove arranged on the housing.

12. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the lancet guide assembly is configured such that the lancet blade is arranged entirely within the housing when the guide arm is in the un-fired position and when it is in the fired position.

13. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the lancet blade is carried on the lancet guide assembly by a blade holder included on the lancet body.

14. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the trigger arm is configured such that it cannot return to the ready-to-fire position after it has been pivoted to the firing position.

15. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the trigger arm includes a ridge which engages a complementary edge carried on the housing when the trigger arm reaches the firing position so as to prevent the trigger arm from returning to the ready-to-fire position.

16. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein a snap-off or pull-off removable protective cover is provided on the lancet body.

17. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the protective cover includes a flange portion which covers a skin-engaging portion of the housing, and the stopper is a protrusion which extends into the housing from the flange portion.

18. The incision device according to claim 1 wherein the lancet body includes an expandable section which permits linear expansion of the lancet body is pivoted between the unfired position and the fired position.

19. The incision device according to claim 18 wherein the expandable section has a bilaterally symmetrical shape.

20. The incision device according to claim 18 wherein the expandable section has an oval-shape.