Skin Pricking Apparatus

• US 20080077168A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 03/27/2008
• 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 8,070,766 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 5/150114 by tissue compression, e.g. with specially designed surface of device contacting the skin area to be pierced
• 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 5/150297 for piercing devices, i.e. devices ready to be used for lancing or piercing for piercing elements A61B5/150282, for driving devices A61B5/15029
• 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 5/150572 Pierceable protectors, e.g. shields, caps, sleeves or films, e.g. for hygienic purposes
• 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 5/150885 Preventing re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150893 by indicating if used, tampered with, unsterile or defective
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150954 Means for the detection of operative contact with patient, e.g. by temperature sensitive sensor
• 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 5/15142 Devices intended for single use, i.e. disposable

Abstract

A skin pricking apparatus includes a casing 1, a lancet 19 located within the casing, and a firing mechanism 5,13,31 for causing a needle tip 22 of the lancet 19 to be driven through an opening 14 in the casing to prick the skin of a user. The firing mechanism including a mechanical interlock 6,27 which is released by substantially simultaneous external pressure applied separately to two spaced apart components 5,13 of the firing mechanism by a user.

Claims

1. A skin pricking apparatus comprising a casing, a lancet located within the casing, a spring which is compressed in the non-use state of the apparatus coupled between the lancet and the casing for applying in use a force to drive a needle tip of the lancet through an opening in the casing to prick the skin of a user, and a firing mechanism comprising:

a finger actuable trigger;

trigger locking means moveable between a first position in which the trigger is locked and a second position in which the trigger is unlocked;

a latch formed on the lancet or on the inside of the casing which engages a catch formed on the other of the lancet or casing to retain the lancet within the casing with the spring in the compressed state and;

a lancet release member depending from the trigger to engage the catch or latch when the trigger locking means is in said second position and said trigger is depressed, to release the lancet,

wherein the trigger locking means and the finger actuable trigger together provide a mechanical interlock which is released by substantially simultaneous external pressure applied by a user to the two components.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said finger actuable trigger and said trigger locking means are molded integrally with said casing.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said trigger and said trigger locking means are arranged to be movable in substantially mutually orthogonal directions.

4. Apparatus according claim 1, wherein said trigger locking means is moveable in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the lancet through the casing.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the trigger locking means comprises a contact plate through which said opening is formed, the contact plate having an outer contact surface for engaging an area of a user'"'"'s skin to be pricked.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the contact plate is coupled to the casing by one or more spring means arranged to bias the contact plate outwardly with respect to the casing.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one such spring means is attached to the casing by a flexible hinge, whereby during assembly the trigger locking means can be folded inside the casing.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6, the spring means being arranged to provide a resistance to inward movement of the contact plate which is overcome by a force of greater than 1N.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, the finger actuable trigger comprising a stop member arranged to engage a surface of the trigger locking means when the locking means is in said first position, and is arranged to be co-located with a passage through the trigger locking means when the trigger locking means is in said second position.

17. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said trigger and said trigger locking means are arranged to be movable in substantially mutually orthogonal directions.

18. Apparatus according claim 2, wherein said trigger locking means is moveable in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the lancet through the casing.

19. Apparatus according claim 3, wherein said trigger locking means is moveable in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the lancet through the casing.

20. Apparatus according to claim 7, the spring means being arranged to provide a resistance to inward movement of the contact plate which is overcome by a force of greater than 1N.

10. A skin pricking apparatus comprising a casing, a needle located within the casing, and a lancet firing mechanism, the firing mechanism comprising:

a spring which is compressed in the non-use state for applying in use a force to the needle to drive the needle through an opening in the casing to prick the skin of a user;

a finger actuable trigger for releasing the spring; and

a trigger lock comprising a contact area for contacting a region of a users skin which is to be pricked, the lock being moveable by pressure applied to the contact area between a trigger locking position and a trigger release position.

11. A lancet for pricking a user'"'"'s skin, the lancet comprising:

a body of a substantially rigid plastics material;

a needle having one end embedded in said body, leaving the other end including a sharpened needle tip to protrude from the body; and

a flexible plastics cover covering the entire exposed length of the needle, the cover being formed of such material and with such dimensions that an axial force applied to the cover relative to the body causes at least an axial portion of the cover to concertina along the needle, thereby exposing the needle tip.

12. A lancet according to claim 11, said cover being formed of such material and with such dimensions that it does not recover to cover the needle tip following removal of said axial force.

13. A lancet according to claim 12, the flexible plastics cover comprising a head portion surrounding the needle tip and a sleeve portion which is narrower than the head portion, surrounding the remainder of the needle, whereby in use said axial force is applied to the head of the cover and the sleeve portion concertinas along the needle in response.

14. A lancet according to claim 11, said flexible plastics cover being a thermoplastic elastomer material.

15. A method of manufacturing the lancet of claim 11, the method comprising forming said flexible plastics cover by overmolding a flexible plastics material on top of the needle.

16. A method of manufacturing a skin pricking apparatus, the method comprising:

molding a single plastics component comprising upper and lower casing sections coupled together by at least one hinge, and a trigger locking section coupled to one of the upper and lower casing sections by at least one hinge;

locating a lancet comprising a lancet needle, within one of the upper and lower casing sections, and locating spring means between the lancet and the casing; and

folding the trigger locking section about its hinge(s) into one of the upper and lower casing sections, and folding the casing sections together about their hinge(s) to close the casing around the lancet and the spring means.