Apparatus For Dispensing Test Strips

• US 20080118400A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trividia Health, Inc. (Sinocare, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nipro Diagnostics, Inc.
• Inventors: Rounds, George R., Modzelewski, Brent E., Oti, Carlos, Caban, Allan Javier, Neel, Gary T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,388,906 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48757 Test elements dispensed from a stack
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48771 Coding of information, e.g. calibration data, lot number

Abstract

A container for a diagnostic testing system consists essentially of a media dispenser embedded in the container and configured to house a plurality of test media; a first positioning device arranged on or near a first surface of the media dispenser and configured to push the plurality of test media toward a second surface of the media dispenser; and a meter for performing a diagnostic test on a sample applied to one of the plurality of test media, the meter including a closure portion configured to close the container.

Claims

1. A container for a diagnostic testing system, consisting essentially of:

a media dispenser embedded in the container and configured to house a plurality of test media;

a first positioning device arranged on or near a first surface of the media dispenser and configured to push the plurality of test media toward a second surface of the media dispenser; and

a meter for performing a diagnostic test on a sample applied to one of the plurality of test media, the meter including a closure portion configured to close the container.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the first positioning device includes a spring.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein the media dispenser includes a dispensing mechanism arranged on or near the second surface of the media dispenser and configured to dispense one or more of the plurality of test media.

4. The container of claim 3, wherein the dispensing mechanism is a manually-operated sliding mechanism configured to slide the one or more of the plurality of test media toward an aperture in a third surface of the media dispenser.

5. The container of claim 3, wherein the dispensing mechanism is an electromechanically-operated sliding mechanism configured to slide the one or more of the plurality of test media toward an aperture in a third surface of the media dispenser.

6. The container of claim 5, wherein the media dispenser includes a detecting mechanism arranged on or near the second surface of the media dispenser and configured to detect a position of the one or more of the plurality of test media sliding toward the aperture.

7. The container of claim 3, wherein the dispensing mechanism is an electromechanically-operated rotating mechanism configured to displace the one or more of the plurality of test media toward an aperture in a third surface of the media dispenser.

8. The container of claim 7, wherein the media dispenser includes a detecting mechanism arranged on or near the second surface of the media dispenser and configured to detect a position of the one or more of the plurality of test media being displaced toward the aperture.

9. The container of claim 1, wherein the media dispenser has a substantially rectangular internal cross-section.

10. A container for a diagnostic testing system, consisting essentially of:

a media dispenser removably arranged in the container and configured to house a plurality of test media;

a first positioning device arranged on or near a first surface of the media dispenser and configured to push the plurality of test media toward a second surface of the media dispenser;

a second positioning device arranged between a bottom exterior surface of the media dispenser and a bottom interior surface of the container; and

a meter for performing a diagnostic test on a sample applied to one of the plurality of test media, the meter including a closure portion configured to close the container.

11. The container of claim 10, wherein the media dispenser includes a media retaining device arranged on a top portion of the media dispenser.

12. The container of claim 11, wherein the media retaining device includes at least two edges configured to retain the plurality of test media while allowing a user to enter in contact with at least a top one of the plurality of test media.

13. The container of claim 10, wherein the first positioning device includes a spring.

14. The container of claim 10, wherein the second positioning device includes a spring.

15. The container of claim 13, wherein the second positioning device includes a spring.

16. The container of claim 10, wherein the second positioning device is configured to let the media dispenser protrude from the container to allow a user to obtain at least one of the plurality of test media, when the closure portion of the meter is in an open position, and to compress sufficiently to allow the media dispenser to fit within the container, when the closure portion of the meter is in a closed position.

17. The container of claim 10, wherein the media dispenser has a substantially rectangular internal cross-section.

18. The container of claim 10, wherein the media dispenser is configured to house at least 50 test media.

19. The container of claim 10, wherein the media dispenser includes a coding element.

20. The container of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of test media includes a coding element.