DIAGNOSTIC TAPE CASSETTE

• US 20080008989A1
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics GmbH (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Sacherer, Klaus-Dieter
• Granted Patent: US 8,003,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/004
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14065 Positioning or centering articles in the mould
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14344 Moulding in or through a hole in the article, e.g. outsert moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14778 the article consisting of a material with particular properties, e.g. porous, brittle
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2705/00 Use of metals, their alloys or their compounds, for preformed parts, e.g. for inserts
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48764 Test tape taken off a spool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/110833 Utilizing a moving indicator strip or tape
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/12 Condition responsive control

Abstract

A diagnostic tape cassette especially for blood sugar tests comprises a test tape which is provided with a plurality of test fields for analysing body fluid, and a housing for receiving the test tape. The housing may have at least one housing part formed from a metal support and moulded-on plastic with integrated functional elements.

Claims

1. A diagnostic tape cassette including:

a test tape including a plurality of test fields; and

a housing configured to receive at least a portion of the test tape, the housing including a metal support and plastic outsert moulded onto at least a portion of the metal support.

2. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 1 wherein the housing includes at least one integrated functional element.

3. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 2 wherein the functional element includes at least one spring element.

4. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 2 wherein the functional element includes a leaf spring.

5. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 4 wherein the leaf spring includes a free end retained in a first position by a wall formed of the plastic.

6. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth claim 2 wherein the functional element includes a spiral spring configured to spring-load a tape reel.

7. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 6 wherein the spiral spring is at least partially located in a recess formed in the metal support and a portion of the spiral spring extends at least partially into the interior of the housing.

8. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 7 wherein at least a portion of the spiral spring is covered by a cover formed of plastic.

9. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 3 wherein the plastic outsert moulded onto the metal support includes at least one opening configured to receive a member capable of acting on the spring element.

10. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 2 wherein the functional element includes at least one anchoring element.

11. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 2 wherein the functional elements include a cover configured to cover at least a portion of the test tape.

12. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth claim 11 wherein the cover includes a plurality of undercut flaps formed in the metal support and the undercut flaps are at least partially coated with plastic.

13. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 2 wherein the functional element further includes a tape deflector that provides a bearing surface for the test tape.

14. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 1 wherein the metal support is formed from a pre-cut metal blank.

15. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 14 wherein the pre-cut metal blank includes a bend portion forming a spring.

16. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 1 further including a least one support hook protruding from the metal support and coated with plastic.

17. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 1 wherein the housing includes a cassette cover and a cassette body formed by outsert moulding.

18. A method of manufacturing a tape cassette for blood sugar tests including the steps of:

providing a metal blank,

bending at least one portion of the blank in order to form a metal support;

moulding plastic onto the metal support in order to form a housing; and

locating in the housing a portion of a test tape including a plurality of test fields.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the plastic is moulded onto the metal support in an outsert moulding process.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19 further including the step of forming a spring in the blank.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the spring includes a spiral spring.

22. The method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the spring includes a leaf spring.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22 wherein a portion of the plastic biases at least a portion of the leaf spring.

24. The method as set forth in claim 20 further including the step of forming a plurality of openings in the plastic configured to allow a member to act on the spring.

25. The method as set forth in claim 18 further including the step of forming a plurality of undercut flaps in the blank and moulding plastic over the flaps.

26. The method as set forth in claim 18 further including the step of forming a plurality of support hooks in the metal support and moulding plastic over the support hooks.

27. A diagnostic tape cassette for performing blood glucose tests including:

a housing including a metal support and a plastic overmould; and

a test tape including a plurality of test fields;

wherein the plastic overmould is formed by an outsert moulding process.

28. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 27 wherein the metal support includes a leaf spring and a spiral spring.

29. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 28 wherein the plastic overmould includes at least one opening configured to allow a member to act on the leaf spring.

30. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 29 wherein the plastic overmould includes a wall configured to bias the leaf spring into a pre-loaded position.

31. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 27 further including a plurality of support hooks formed in the metal support and coated with plastic.

32. The diagnostic tape cassette as set forth in claim 27 wherein the metal support includes a plurality of undercut flaps coated with plastic.