SKIN PRICKING DEVICE

• US 20110313440A1
• Filed: 11/11/2009
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Owen Mumford
• Original Assignee: Owen Mumford
• Inventors: Nicholls, Clive, Hudson, Christopher William
• Application Number:
  US13/129,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20110313440A1
• 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 5/150297 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 5/150564 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 5/150717 manually removed
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a skin pricking device. The device comprises a housing (2), and, contained within the housing (2), a lancet (12) formed integrally with a spring (8).

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A skin pricking device comprising:

a housing;

a lancet needle formed integrally with a spring and contained within the housing; and

a trigger for holding the spring in a compressed state until actuation of the trigger by a user releases the spring.

18. The skin pricking device of claim 17, wherein the spring is a folded flat spring.

19. The skin pricking device of claim 17, wherein the spring and lancet needle are formed from a single strip of material.

20. The skin pricking device of claim 17, wherein the trigger comprises a thumb plate and formations depending from the thumb plate for cooperating with formations on the spring to hold the spring in a compressed state.

21. The skin pricking device of claim 17, wherein the trigger is formed integrally with the housing.

22. The skin pricking device as in any of claims 17-20, wherein the trigger is formed integrally with the spring.

23. The skin pricking device of claim 17, wherein the housing has an opening for loading the spring into the housing.

24. The skin pricking device of claim 23 when appended to claim 22, wherein the housing has an opening for accessing the trigger when the spring is loaded into the housing.

25. The skin pricking device of claim 24, wherein when the spring is loaded into the housing the trigger fits into the trigger opening such that the spring is retained within the housing.

26. The skin pricking device of claim 17, wherein the housing has an opening for allowing the lancet needle to exit the housing when the spring extends.

27. A skin pricking device comprising a housing, and, contained within the housing, a lancet needle, a spring for driving the lancet needle, and a trigger for holding the spring in a compressed state until actuation of the trigger by a user releases the spring, at least the spring and the trigger being formed integrally with one another.

28. The skin pricking device of claim 27, wherein the lancet needle is formed integrally with the spring.

29. A method of manufacturing a skin pricking device, the skin pricking device comprising a housing and a lancet mechanism, the lancet mechanism comprising a lancet needle, a spring for driving the lancet, the lancet needle being disposed at a distal end of the spring, and a trigger, at least the spring and the trigger being formed integrally with one another, the method comprising:

advancing the lancet mechanism into the housing through a loading opening in the housing; and

preventing further movement of the distal end of the spring whilst applying a force to a proximal end of the spring to compress the spring until the spring is latched by the trigger to lock the spring in a compressed state.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the force also moves the trigger further into the housing to a position where cooperating formations of the trigger and spring are engaged.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said further movement of the distal end of the spring is prevented by a blocking element temporarily located adjacent to a lancet needle exit opening in the housing through which the lancet needle projects when the device is fired.