BLOOD SAMPLING DEVICE WITH DUAL-LINK DRIVE MECHANISM
First Claim
1. A fluid-sampling device for penetrating skin, comprising:
- a housing having a blade opening;
a blade having a sharp edge with a tip that travels along a travel path from a retracted position shielded within the housing to an extended position extending through the blade opening to penetrate the skin;
a dual-link drive mechanism including a blade link arm coupled to the blade, a rotary drive link arm that is pivotally coupled to and drives the blade arm, and a cam-and-follower guide mechanism that guides movement of the blade arm, wherein the drive arm and the cam-and-follower mechanism cooperatively drive and guide the blade arm to propel the blade tip along the travel path in a rotational and translating motion; and
a trigger operable to actuate the drive mechanism to propel the blade tip along the travel path.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A housing and an internal mechanism including a blade, a dual-link drive mechanism, and a trigger. The blade is driven by the drive mechanism through a rotating and translating slicing motion that defines a sampling sequence, from a first retracted position to an extended position to a second retracted position. The dual-link drive mechanism includes a blade link arm coupled to the blade, a rotary drive link arm that drives the blade arm, a drive spring that drives the a rotary drive arm, and a cam-and-follower mechanism that guides the blade arm as it is driven by the rotary drive arm. The trigger is operable to release the dual-link drive mechanism to propel the blade through the sampling sequence. And a sterility cap protects the blade and prevents operation of the device prior to removal.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A fluid-sampling device for penetrating skin, comprising:
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a housing having a blade opening; a blade having a sharp edge with a tip that travels along a travel path from a retracted position shielded within the housing to an extended position extending through the blade opening to penetrate the skin; a dual-link drive mechanism including a blade link arm coupled to the blade, a rotary drive link arm that is pivotally coupled to and drives the blade arm, and a cam-and-follower guide mechanism that guides movement of the blade arm, wherein the drive arm and the cam-and-follower mechanism cooperatively drive and guide the blade arm to propel the blade tip along the travel path in a rotational and translating motion; and a trigger operable to actuate the drive mechanism to propel the blade tip along the travel path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A fluid-sampling device for penetrating skin, comprising:
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a housing having a blade opening; a blade having a sharp edge with a tip that travels along a travel path from a first retracted position shielded within the housing, through an extended position extending through the blade opening to penetrate the skin, and to a second retracted position shielded within the housing; a dual-link drive mechanism including a blade link arm coupled to the blade, a rotary drive link arm that is pivotally coupled to and drives the blade arm, and a cam-and-follower guide mechanism that guides movement of the blade arm, wherein the drive arm and the cam-and-follower mechanism cooperatively drive and guide the blade arm to propel the blade tip along the travel path in a rotational and translating motion, wherein the cam-and-follower mechanism includes a cam surface and a cam follower that is guided by the cam surface so that rotary motion of the rotary drive arm is converted to the rotational and translating motion of the blade tip, wherein the cam surface is generally vertical, curved, and arranged so that the blade travel path is generally triangular and has a descent segment and an ascent segment that is steeper than the descent segment; and a trigger operable to actuate the drive mechanism to propel the blade tip along the travel path. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A blood-sampling device for penetrating skin, comprising:
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a housing having a blade opening; a blade having a sharp tip that travels along a travel path from a first retracted position shielded within the housing, to an extended position extending through the blade opening to penetrate the skin, and to a second retracted position shielded within the housing; a dual-link drive mechanism including a blade link arm coupled to the blade, a rotary drive link arm that is pivotally coupled to and drives the blade arm, a cam-and-follower guide mechanism that guides movement of the blade arm, and a drive spring that biases the rotary drive arm in a drive direction, wherein the drive arm and the cam-and-follower mechanism cooperatively drive and guide the blade arm to propel the blade tip along the travel path in a rotational and translating motion, wherein the cam-and-follower mechanism includes a cam surface and a cam follower that is guided by the cam surface so that rotary motion of the rotary drive arm is converted to the rotational and translating motion of the blade tip, wherein as the drive arm rotationally drives the blade arm, the blade arm rotates about the cam follower as the cam follower is translationally guided along the cam surface to convert the rotary motion of the rotary drive arm to the rotational and translating motion of the blade tip; and a trigger operable to actuate the drive mechanism to propel the blade tip along the travel path. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification