CAP DISPLACEMENT MECHANISM FOR LANCING DEVICE AND MULTI-LANCET CARTRIDGE

• US 20080058849A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Facet Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Tower Square Capital Partners (Barings LLC (Private Equity))
• Inventors: Conway, William, Vanhiel, Brian, Ruf, Christopher, Irwin, John, Leutz, Brian, Robbins, Avi, LeVaughn, Richard, Lipoma, Michael, Flynn, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US11/932,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20080058849A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/183
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32053 Punch like cutting instruments, e.g. using a cylindrical or oval knife A61B17/326 takes precedence; trepans A61B17/1695; for use on the cornea A61F9/007
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32093 for skin incisions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150183 Depth adjustment mechanism using end caps mounted at the distal end of the sampling device, i.e. the end-caps are adjustably positioned relative to the piercing device housing for example by rotating or screwing
• 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 5/150519 Details of construction of hub, i.e. element used to attach the single-ended needle to a piercing device or sampling device
• 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 5/150725 removal procedure linked to further actions, e.g. cocking of the piercing device, which indicate that the piercing device is used or tempered
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150885 Preventing re-use
• 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 5/15146 Devices loaded with multiple lancets simultaneously, e.g. for serial firing without reloading, for example by use of stocking means. multiple simultaneous cutting or piercing A61B5/150977
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15153 Multiple piercing elements stocked in a single compartment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15161 Characterized by propelling the piercing element in a radial direction relative to the disc
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15176 Stocking means comprising cap, cover, sheath or protection for aseptic stocking
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15182 Means for keeping track or checking of the total number of piercing elements already used or the number of piercing elements still remaining in the stocking, e.g. by check window, counter, display

Abstract

A medical lancing device including a replaceable multi-lancet cartridge. The lancing device includes an advancing mechanism that advances lancets within the cartridge into an active position, separates a protective cap from the active lancet, and energize a drive mechanism of the lancing device. A cap displacement mechanism moves the separated cap out of the travel path of the active lancet. In a first example embodiment, the cap displacement mechanism includes a cantilevered spring arm that displaces the detached cap of the active lancet. In a second example embodiment, the cap displacement mechanism includes a spring-biased cam-driven plunger that displaces the detached cap of the active lancet. Then an activation mechanism releases the energized active lancet to traverse the unobstructed lancing stroke path to pierce the subject'"'"'s skin at a desired lancing site.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A multi-lancet cartridge for use with and replaceable in a lancing device having an advancer mechanism and a drive mechanism, the cartridge comprising:

a disk-shaped cartridge housing;

a disk-shaped carrier rotationally received in the cartridge shell; and

an array of lancets carried by the carrier, each lancet having a lancet body and a lancet tip extending from the body,

wherein the carrier is engageable and moveable by the advancer mechanism to rotate the carrier of lancets within the cartridge housing to sequentially advance the lancets into an active lancet position, and wherein an active one of the lancets in the active position is engageable and movable by the drive mechanism through a lancing stroke from a retracted position to an extended position with the lancet tip extending from the cartridge housing to lance skin.

13. The lancing device of claim 12, wherein the lancets are radially arranged on the carrier.

14. The lancing device of claim 12, wherein the cartridge housing has a single lancet opening that defines the active lancet position, wherein the tip of the active-positioned lancet extends through the single lancet opening during its lancing stroke.

15. The lancing device of claim 14, wherein the lancets are radially arranged on the carrier and the cartridge housing has an outer circumferential rim with the single lancet opening defined therein.

16. The lancing device of claim 15, wherein the cartridge housing has a radial lancing channel that receives and guides the active-positioned lancet in its lancing stroke, wherein the radial lancing channel and the single lancet opening are aligned and cooperatively define the active lancet position.

17. The lancing device of claim 12, wherein the cartridge housing has a radial lancing channel that receives and guides the active-positioned lancet in its lancing stroke, wherein the radial lancing channel defines the active lancet position.

18. The lancing device of claim 12, wherein the lancets and the carrier have cooperating engagement surfaces that prevent the lancets from moving radially except when in the active lancet position.

19. The lancing device of claim 18, wherein the cooperating engagement surfaces include a foot on each of the lancets and a circular foot channel defined by the cartridge housing that engages the feet of the lancets.

20. The lancing device of claim 19, wherein the cartridge housing has a radial lancing channel that receives and guides the active-positioned lancet in its lancing stroke, wherein the radial lancing channel defines the active lancet position, and wherein the radial lancing channel extends through the circular foot channel to permit the active-positioned lancet to move radially in its lancing stroke.

21. The lancing device of claim 12, wherein the cartridge housing and the lancet carrier have cooperating mechanical stop surfaces that prevent the carrier from rotating more than one complete revolution to prevent reuse of the lancets.

22. The lancing device of claim 21, wherein the cooperating mechanical stop surfaces include a groove in the carrier and a pin on the cartridge housing that contact each other after a last one of the lancets is used to prevent further rotation of the carrier.

23. The lancing device of claim 12, wherein the carrier or the lancets include lancet-count indicia and the cartridge housing has a single viewing opening through which the lancet-count indicia are viewable.

24. The lancing device of claim 12, wherein the carrier has an array of radial guide channels that receive and guide the lancets in their lancing strokes when the lancets are sequentially advanced into the active position.

25. The lancing device of claim 12, wherein each of the lancets includes a detachable cap on the tip, wherein cartridge housing includes a plurality of guide tracks defining an array of transverse guide paths along which the lancet caps are displaced transversely from the lancing stroke path, and wherein the guide tracks are adapted to retain the lancet caps after displacement from the lancing stroke path.

26. The cartridge assembly of claim 25, wherein the lancet caps define one or more cap guide surfaces that engage and ride along the guide tracks as the caps are displaced from the lancing stroke path.

27. The cartridge assembly of claim 26, wherein the guide tracks engage the cap guide surfaces to retain the active-positioned cap from being retracted with the active-positioned lancet so that the retained active-positioned cap separates from the retracted active-positioned lancet.

28. The lancing device of claim 12 in combination with the multi-lancet cartridge assembly of claim 12.

29. A multi-lancet cartridge for use with and replaceable in a lancing device having an advancer mechanism and a drive mechanism, the cartridge comprising:

a disk-shaped cartridge housing having a radial lancing channel and an outer circumferential rim with a single lancet opening therein, wherein the radial lancing channel and the single lancet opening are aligned and cooperatively define an active lancet position;

a disk-shaped carrier rotationally received in the cartridge shell; and

a radial array of lancets carried by the carrier, each lancet having a lancet body and a lancet tip extending from the body,

wherein the carrier is engageable and moveable by the advancer mechanism to rotate the carrier of lancets within the cartridge housing to sequentially advance the lancets into the active lancet position, and wherein an active one of the lancets in the active position is engageable and movable by the drive mechanism and guided by the radial lancing channel through a lancing stroke from a retracted position to an extended position with the lancet tip extending through the single lancet opening in the cartridge housing to lance skin.

30. The lancing device of claim 29, wherein the lancets and the carrier have cooperating engagement surfaces that prevent the lancets from moving radially except when in the active lancet position.

31. The lancing device of claim 29, wherein the cartridge housing and the lancet carrier have cooperating mechanical stop surfaces that prevent the carrier from rotating more than one complete revolution to prevent reuse of the lancets.