Meter system designed to run singulated test sensors

• US 20080034834A1
• Filed: 08/07/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG (PHC Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bayer Healthcare LLC (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Schell, Robert D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,918,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/1.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48771 Coding of information, e.g. calibration data, lot number

Abstract

A test system comprises a sensor container and a testing device. The sensor container has a base and a lid. The container encloses a plurality of test sensors therein. The container includes a calibration label attached thereto. The label includes electrical contacts located thereon that encode calibration information onto the calibration label. The testing device has a sensor-container opening formed thereon. The sensor-container opening has an auto-calibration feature located therein. The auto-calibration feature is external to the testing device. The auto-calibration feature includes calibration elements to communicate with the electrical contacts on the calibration label. The testing device determines the calibration information encoded on the calibration label in response to the calibration elements engaging the electrical contacts. A portion of the sensor container remains external to the meter while the encoded calibration information is being determined.

Claims

1. A test system for determining an analyte concentration in a fluid sample, comprising:

a sensor container having a base and a lid, the sensor container being adapted to enclose a plurality of test sensors therein, the sensor container including a calibration label attached thereto, the calibration label including a plurality of electrical contacts located thereon, the electrical contacts being adapted to encode calibration information onto the calibration label; and

a testing device having a sensor-container opening formed thereon, the sensor-container opening having an auto-calibration feature located therein, the auto-calibration feature being external to the testing device, the auto-calibration feature including a plurality of calibration elements being adapted to communicate with the plurality of electrical contacts on the calibration label,

wherein the testing device is adapted to determine the calibration information encoded on the calibration label in response to the calibration elements engaging the electrical contacts, a portion of the sensor container remaining external to the meter while the encoded calibration information is being determined.

2. The test system of claim 1, wherein the calibration label is attached to the lid of the sensor container.

3. The test system of claim 1, wherein the testing device and the auto-calibration feature form a digital electronic circuit.

4. The test system of claim 1, wherein the testing device and the auto-calibration feature form an analog electronic circuit.

5. The test system of claim 1, wherein the calibration elements are calibration pins extending from the auto-calibration feature.

6. The test system of claim 1, wherein the testing device includes at least one extension.

7. The test system of claim 6, wherein the sensor container includes a slot adapted to be engaged by the at least one extension.

8. The test system of claim 7, wherein the sensor container includes at least one notch adapted to be engaged by the at least one extension.

9. The test system of claim 7, wherein the sensor container includes at least one wing adapted to be seated on the at least one extension.

10. The test system of claim 1, wherein the testing device includes at least two sensor-container openings.

15. The test system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of calibration elements is calibration pins extending from the auto-calibration feature.

11. A test system for determining an analyte concentration in a fluid sample, comprising:

a sensor container having a base and a lid, the sensor container including a calibration label attached thereto, the calibration label including a plurality of electrical contacts located thereon, a first one of the plurality of electrical contacts being connected via a conductive trace to a first ring, a second one of the plurality of electrical contacts being connected via a conductive trace to a second ring, and a third one of the plurality of electrical contacts being disconnected from both the first and second ring, the calibration information being encoded onto the calibration label based on the connections and disconnections of the electrical contacts with the first and second ring; and

a testing device having a microprocessor internally located therein and a sensor-container opening formed thereon, the sensor-container opening having an auto-calibration feature located therein, the auto-calibration feature being external to the testing device, the auto-calibration feature including a plurality of calibration elements being adapted to communicate with the plurality of electrical contacts on the calibration label, the microprocessor being adapted to determine the calibration information encoded on the calibration label in response to the plurality of electrical contacts engaging the plurality of calibration elements external to the testing device.

12. The test system of claim 11, wherein the testing device further includes a memory device located therein, the memory device being in communication with the microprocessor, the memory device being adapted to store lookup tables for predefined calibration codes thereon.

13. The test system of claim 11, wherein the testing device and the auto-calibration feature form a digital electronic circuit.

14. The test system of claim 11, wherein the testing device and the auto-calibration feature form an analog electronic circuit.

16. The test system of claim 11, wherein the calibration label includes a sensing contact, the plurality of electrical contacts being generally located around the sensing contact, the sensing contact being adapted to be engaged by a sensing pin formed on the auto-calibration feature, the sensing contact and the sensing pin being adapted to inform the microprocessor that the plurality of calibration elements are being engaged with the plurality of electrical contacts.

17. The test system of claim 11, wherein the testing device is an integrated meter.

18. The test system of claim 11, wherein the third one of the plurality of electrical contacts indicates an index position for the calibration label.