Skin Pricking Apparatus

• US 20080004651A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Owen Mumford Ltd. (Owen Mumford Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Owen Mumford Ltd. (Owen Mumford Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Marshall, Jeremy, Nicholls, Clive
• Granted Patent: US 8,491,618 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 5/150412 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 5/150572 Pierceable protectors, e.g. shields, caps, sleeves or films, e.g. for hygienic purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150893 by indicating if used, tampered with, unsterile or defective
• 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 5/15113 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 5/1513 comprising linear sliding guides 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

A skin pricking apparatus including a casing 1, a lancet 15 located within the casing, a firing button 9 arranged to transfer a user applied force to the lancet 15 to drive the lancet through the casing 1, and lancet retaining element 12, 13, 23a,b arranged to substantially prevent movement of the lancet 15 through the casing 1 until the user applied force exceeds a predefined threshold force.

Claims

1. A skin pricking apparatus comprising:

a casing;

a lancet located within the casing;

a firing button arranged to transfer a user applied force to the lancet to drive the lancet linearly through the casing;

lancet retaining means arranged to substantially prevent movement of the lancet through the casing until the user applied force exceeds a predefined threshold force; and

a platform spring coupled between the lancet and the casing for biasing the lancet to a withdrawn position within the casing, the spring being extended by the application of the driving force to the lancet.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lancet retaining means comprises cooperating components on the casing and lancet.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, said components comprising cooperating structural features on an inside of the casing and on an outer surface of the lancet respectively, these features arranged to be in abutment prior to said user applied force exceeding said predefined threshold force.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, said firing button being provided with an abutment surface arranged in use to contact a surface of the lancet in order to transfer said user applied force.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, said surfaces being oriented obliquely with respect to the direction of travel of the lancet through the casing.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, said firing button being moveable upon the application of a user force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the lancet through the casing.

7. Apparatus according to any claim 1, said firing button being formed integrally with the casing.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, said spring being moulded integrally with the casing.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, the lancet comprising a plastics body and a lancet needle embedded at one end within the body, the lancet body being molded integrally with the casing.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, a needle tip of the lancet being shielded by a protective cover which is an overmolded flexible plastics sheath.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, the firing button comprising means for latching the button into a depressed position following depression and firing of the button, in order to prevent reuse of the apparatus.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, the latching means comprising a latch arranged to engage a lip formed in an opening in the casing.

16. Apparatus according to claim 2, said firing button being provided with an abutment surface arranged in use to contact a surface of the lancet in order to transfer said user applied force.

17. Apparatus according to claim 3, said firing button being provided with an abutment surface arranged in use to contact a surface of the lancet in order to transfer said user applied force.

18. Apparatus according to claim 2, said firing button being moveable upon the application of a user force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the lancet through the casing.

19. Apparatus according to claim 3, said firing button being moveable upon the application of a user force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the lancet through the casing.

20. Apparatus according to claim 4, said firing button being moveable upon the application of a user force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the lancet through the casing.

13. A skin pricking apparatus comprising a casing, a lancet located within the casing and comprising a lancet driver plate, and a firing button resiliently coupled to the casing and comprising a lancet driver member, whereby depression of the firing button brings the lancet driver member into contact with the lancet driver plate and transfers a user applied force from the firing button to the lancet, the apparatus further comprising cooperating features on the casing and the lancet which substantially prevent movement of the lancet through the casing until the user applied force exceeds a predefined threshold force, and the apparatus further comprising a planar spring coupled between the lancet and the casing for biasing the lancet to a withdrawn position within the casing, the spring being extended by the application of the driving force to the lancet.

14. A skin pricking apparatus comprising:

a casing;

a lancet located within the casing;

a firing button arranged to transfer a user applied force to the lancet to drive the lancet linearly through the casing;

lancet retaining means arranged to substantially prevent movement of the lancet through the casing until the user applied force exceeds a predefined threshold force; and

a platform spring coupled between the lancet and the casing for biasing the lancet to a withdrawn position within the casing, the spring being strained by the application of the driving force to the lancet.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the spring is extended by the application of the driving force to the lancet.