Lancing Device and Multi-Lancet Cartridge

• US 20080119883A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Facet Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Facet Technologies LLC
• Inventors: LeVaughn, Richard W., Ruf, Christopher J., Robbins, Avi M., Koeppel, Bradley, Flynn, Stephen J., Lipoma, Michael V., Conway, William E., Andel, David, Irwin, John C., Vanhiel, Brian D., Leutz, Brian D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,837,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/181
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• 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 5/150503 Single-ended needles hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396, needle sets for catheters A61M25/06, needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150564 Protectors removed by pulling or pushing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150702 fully automatically removed, i.e. the removing does not require any action by the user
• 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 5/15113 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 5/15153 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 a drive mechanism, an activation mechanism, and an advancing mechanism. The advancing mechanism includes a linear-pull slide that is moved in and out to operate an indexing ratchet mechanism, a cam-guided charger mechanism, and a cam-guided lancet cap displacement mechanism. The indexing ratchet mechanism sequentially advances the lancets in the cartridge to an active position. The cam-guided charger mechanism charges the drive mechanism and separates the cap from the active lancet. And the cam-guided cap displacement mechanism moves the separated cap from the lancing stroke path of the active lancet. The activation mechanism then releases the charged active lancet to traverse the unobstructed lancing stroke path to pierce the subject'"'"'s skin at a desired lancing site.

Claims

15. A lancing device for use with a cartridge assembly having an array of lancets sequentially advanced to an active position, the lancing device comprising:

a housing for receiving the cartridge assembly;

a drive mechanism having a drive member adapted to engage and retract an active-positioned one of the lancets to an armed position and to drive the active-positioned lancet along a lancing stroke; and

a cam-guided charger mechanism adapted to retract the drive member.

1. A lancing device for use with a cartridge assembly having an array of lancets, each lancet including a detachable cap, the lancing device comprising:

a housing for receiving the cartridge assembly;

an indexing ratchet mechanism adapted to sequentially advance the lancets into an active lancet position;

a drive mechanism having a drive member adapted to engage and retract an active-positioned one of the lancets to detach the corresponding active-positioned cap, and to drive the active-positioned lancet along a lancing stroke;

a charger mechanism adapted to retract the drive member;

a cam displacement mechanism adapted to engage and move the active-positioned, detached lancet cap from the lancing stroke path of the active-positioned lancet; and

a slider that is slidable relative to the housing and adapted to actuate the indexing ratchet mechanism, the charger mechanism, and the cap displacement mechanism as the slider is moved between a first position and a second position.

2. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the cartridge assembly includes ratchet teeth, and wherein the indexing ratchet mechanism includes a resiliently deflectable pawl extending from the slider that engages the ratchet teeth to advance the lancets in the cartridge to the active position.

3. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the charger mechanism includes a resiliently deflected cam arm that extends from the slider and is adapted to retract the drive member.

4. The lancing device of claim 3, wherein the drive member has a charging follower and the cam arm is resiliently deflected by the charging follower when the slider is moved from the first position toward the second position.

5. The lancing device of claim 4, wherein the cam arm is moved past the charging follower when the slider reaches the second position, and the cam arm returns to its neutral position.

6. The lancing device of claim 5, wherein the cam arm engages the charging follower and retracts the drive member as the slider is moved from the second position back to the first position.

7. The lancing device of claim 3, wherein the drive member has a locking follower and the slider defines a locking wall that blocks a travel path of the drive member locking follower except when the slider is in the second position.

8. The lancing device of claim 3, wherein the lancet cap is detached from the active lancet when the drive member retracts the lancet.

9. The lancing device of claim 8, wherein the slider includes a cam surface and the cap displacement mechanism includes a lifter with a follower that is guided by the cam surface to move a separated lancet cap from the lancing stroke path of the active lancet when the slider is moved from the second position to the first position.

10. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the slider includes a cam surface and the cap displacement mechanism includes a lifter with a follower that is guided by the cam surface to move a separated lancet cap from the lancing stroke path of the active lancet when the slider is moved from the second position to the first position.

11. The lancing device of claim 10, wherein the cam surface is configured so that, during a first part of the slider movement from the second position to the first position, the lifter is in a lowered position so that the lifter is out of the way of the lancets being advanced out of and into the active position and so that the active lancet can be retracted to detach the cap of the active lancet, and during a second part of the slider movement from the second position to the first position, the lifter is raised to engage and move the detached cap out of the way of the lancet stroke path.

12. The lancing device of claim 11, further comprising a lifter guide track for guiding the raising and lowering movement of the lifter.

13. The lancing device of claim 10, wherein the lifter defines an opening through which the lancet passes during the lancing stroke.

14. The lancing device of claim 1 in combination with the multi-lancet cartridge assembly of claim 1.

16. The lancing device of claim 15, further comprising a slider that is slidable relative to the housing and adapted to actuate the cam-guided charger mechanism as the slider is moved between a first position and a second position.

17. The lancing device of claim 16, wherein the charger mechanism includes a resiliently deflected cam arm that extends from the slider and is adapted to retract the drive member.

18. The lancing device of claim 17, wherein the drive member has a charging follower and the cam arm is resiliently deflected by the charging follower when the slider is moved from the first position toward the second position.

19. The lancing device of claim 18, wherein the cam arm is moved past the charging follower when the slider reaches the second position, and the cam arm returns to its neutral position.

20. The lancing device of claim 19, wherein the cam arm engages the charging follower and retracts the drive member as the slider is moved from the second position back to the first position.

21. The lancing device of claim 16, wherein the drive member has a locking follower and the slider defines a locking wall that blocks a travel path of the drive member locking follower except when the slider is in the second position.

22. The lancing device of claim 16, wherein the lancet cap is detached from the active lancet when the drive member retracts the lancet.

30. The lancing device of claim 15, further comprising an indexing ratchet mechanism for sequentially advancing the lancets and a cam-guided charging mechanism for retracting the drive member.

22-1. The lancing device of claim 15, further comprising an indexing ratchet mechanism for sequentially advancing the lancets and a cam-guided cap displacement mechanism for moving the detached caps out of the active lancet lancing stroke path.

23. A lancing device for use with a cartridge assembly having an array of lancets, each lancet including a detachable cap, the lancing device comprising:

a housing for receiving the cartridge assembly;

a drive mechanism having a drive member adapted to engage and retract an active-positioned one of the lancets to detach the corresponding active-positioned cap, and to drive the active-positioned lancet along a lancing stroke; and

a cam-guided cap displacement mechanism adapted to engage and move the active-positioned, detached lancet cap from the lancing stroke path of the active-positioned lancet.

24. The lancing device of claim 23, further comprising a slider that is slidable relative to the housing and adapted to actuate the cap displacement mechanism as the slider is moved between a first position and a second position.

25. The lancing device of claim 23, wherein the lancet cap is separated from the active lancet when the drive member retracts the lancet.

26. The lancing device of claim 23, wherein the slider includes a cam surface and the cap displacement mechanism includes a lifter with a follower that is guided by the cam surface to moving the detached lancet cap from the lancing stroke path of the active lancet when the slider is moved from the second position to the first position.

27. The lancing device of claim 26, wherein the cam surface is configured so that, during a first part of the slider movement from the second position to the first position, the lifter is in a lowered position so that the lifter is out of the way of the lancets being advanced out of and into the active position and so that the active lancet can be retracted to detach the cap of the active lancet, and during a second part of the slider movement from the second position to the first position, the lifter is raised to engage and move the detached cap out of the way of the lancet stroke path.

28. The lancing device of claim 26, further comprising a lifter guide track for guiding the raising and lowering movement of the lifter.

29. The lancing device of claim 26, wherein the lifter defines an opening through which the lancet passes during the lancing stroke.

31. A cartridge assembly for a lancing device having a lancet-indexing ratchet mechanism with a pawl, the cartridge assembly comprising:

a housing;

a carrier rotationally mounted within the housing;

an array of lancets carried by the carrier, the lancets each having a detachable protective cap, the lancets each moveable along a lancing stroke path; and

a plurality of ratchet teeth extending from the carrier out of the cartridge housing, wherein the teeth are configured to be sequentially engaged by the pawl and advanced to an active position for lancing.

32. The cartridge assembly of claim 31, wherein the ratchet teeth and the lancets are provided in a one-to-one ratio.

33. The cartridge assembly of claim 31, wherein cartridge housing defines a slot through which the ratchet teeth extend.

34. The cartridge assembly of claim 31, wherein the carrier defines an array of transverse guide tracks along which the lancet caps are displaced from the lancing stroke path.

35. The cartridge assembly of claim 34, 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.

36. The cartridge assembly of claim 35, wherein the guide tracks engage the cap guide surfaces to retain the active-positioned cap from moving and being retracted with the active-positioned lancet, wherein the retained active-positioned cap separates from the retracted active-positioned lancet.

37. The cartridge assembly of claim 35, wherein the guide tracks comprise resilient elongated members extending from the carrier, and the cap guide surfaces comprise two shoulders projecting from opposing sides of the cap.

38. The cartridge assembly of claim 34, wherein the guide tracks are adapted to retain the lancet caps after displacement from the lancing stroke path.

39. The cartridge assembly of claim 31, wherein the carrier defines radial guide channels that receive the lancets in a radial arrangement.