SAFETY LANCET

• US 20120116436A1
• Filed: 11/04/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Wiegel, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US12/939,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20120116436A1
• 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 5/150274 Manufacture or production processes or steps for blood sampling devices
• 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 5/150534 Design of protective means for piercing elements for preventing accidental needle sticks, e.g. shields, caps, protectors, axially extensible sleeves, pivotable protective sleeves
• 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 5/150641 comprising means to impede repositioning of protection sleeve from covering to uncovering position
• 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 5/150778 having complementary physical shapes for indexing or registration purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15128 comprising 2D- or 3D-shaped elements, e.g. cams, curved guide rails or threads comprising tooth-shaped elements A61B5/15132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15186 Devices loaded with a single lancet, i.e. a single lancet with or without a casing is loaded into a reusable drive device and then discarded after use; drive devices reloadable for multiple use
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A lancet, a lancing device, a method of loading a lancet into a lancing device, and methods of manufacturing and utilization thereof are disclosed. The lancet may have a needle, a body attached to the base of the needle, arm members attached to the body, and a tip cover attached to the arm members and slidably attached to the needle, wherein at least one of the tip cover and the body is selectively moveable between an operative configuration and a protective configuration. The lancing device may have a lancet holder having surfaces which retain the lancet. The method of loading a lancet may involve providing the lancet in a protective configuration and inserting the lancet into a lancet holder of the lancing device, such that the tip cover or the body is selectively moveable between an operative configuration and a protective configuration.

Claims

1. A lancet comprising:

a needle having a sharpened tip and a base remote from the sharpened tip;

a body attached to the base of the needle;

a pair of arm members attached to the body; and

a tip cover attached to the pair of arm members and slidably attached to the needle, wherein the tip cover forms an aperture which accommodates the sharpened tip of the needle, and wherein at least one of the tip cover and the body is selectively moveable between an operative configuration and a protective configuration such that;

when in the operative configuration the at least one of the tip cover and the body is displaced such that the sharpened tip of the needle is exposed, and

when in the protective configuration the sharpened tip is concealed by the tip cover.

2. The lancet of claim 1, wherein the lancet comprises retaining surfaces such that the lancet is retained with a lancing device having a lancet holder.

3. The lancet of claim 2, wherein the lancing device is selectively moveable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position provides the operative configuration of the lancet and the second position provides the protective configuration of the lancet.

4. The lancet of claim 3, wherein the body is attached to the base of the needle via insert molding.

5. The lancet of claim 3, wherein the pair of arm members comprise a pair of outwardly-flexing, substantially V-shaped arm members.

6. The lancet of claim 5, wherein the tip cover is selectively moveable between the operative configuration and the protective configuration, such that when in the operative configuration the tip cover is displaced.

7. The lancet of claim 6, wherein displacement of the tip cover comprises the pair of arm members flexing outwardly in a direction substantially normal to the needle axis such that the tip cover translates in a direction substantially toward the body.

8. The lancet of claim 5, wherein the protective configuration comprises selective fixation of the tip cover.

9. The lancet of claim 3, wherein the body forms a guide track which extends through at least a portion of the body, such that the body is engageable with the pair of arm members through the guide track.

10. The lancet of claim 9, wherein the body further comprises a pair of gripping members.

11. The lancet of claim 9, wherein the pair of arm members comprise a pair of substantially rectangular members.

12. The lancet of claim 9, wherein the body is selectively moveable between the operative configuration and the protective configuration, such that when in the operative configuration the body is displaced.

13. The lancet of claim 12, wherein displacement of the body comprises the body rotating and translating relative to the pair of arm members, such that the body rotates in a substantially radial direction and translates in a direction substantially toward the tip cover.

14. The lancet of claim 13, wherein the body rotates in a substantially radial direction approximately 90°

relative to the pair of arm members.

15. The lancet of claim 9, wherein the protective configuration comprises selective fixation of the body.

16. The lancet of claim 3, wherein the lancet retained with the lancing device is released from the lancing device in the protective configuration.

17. A method of providing selective exposure to and concealment of the sharpened tip of the needle which comprises utilizing the lancet of claim 1.

18. A lancing device comprising:

a lancet comprising;

a needle having a sharpened tip and a base remote from the sharpened tip;

a body attached to the base of the needle;

a pair of arm members attached to the body; and

a tip cover attached to the pair of arm members and slidably attached to the needle, wherein the tip cover forms an aperture which accommodates the sharpened tip of the needle, and wherein at least one of the tip cover and the body is selectively moveable between an operative configuration and a protective configuration, such that when in the operative configuration the at least one of the tip cover and the body is displaced such that the sharpened tip of the needle is exposed, and when in the protective configuration the sharpened tip is concealed by the tip cover; and

a lancet holder having surfaces such that the removable lancet is retained with the lancet holder.

19. A method of loading a lancet into a lancing device having a lancet holder, the method comprising:

providing the lancet in a protective configuration, wherein the lancet comprises a needle having a sharpened tip and a base remote from the sharpened tip, a body attached to the base of the needle, a pair of arm members attached to the body, and a tip cover attached to the pair of arm members and slidably attached to the needle; and

inserting the lancet into the lancet holder of the lancing device, wherein at least one of the tip cover and the body is selectively moveable between an operative configuration and the protective configuration, such that when in the operative configuration the at least one of the tip cover and the body is displaced such that the sharpened tip of the needle is exposed, and when in the protective configuration the sharpened tip is concealed by the tip cover.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising operating the lancing device by selectively moving at least one of the tip cover and the body from the protective configuration to the operative configuration, exposing the sharpened tip of the needle.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising removing the lancet from the lancing device, such that at least one of the tip cover and the body selectively moves from the operative configuration to the protective configuration, concealing the sharpened tip by the tip cover.

22. A method of manufacturing a lancet, comprising:

providing a needle having a sharpened tip and a base remote from the sharpened tip;

providing a body attached to the base of the needle;

providing a pair of arm members attached to the body; and

providing a tip cover attached to the pair of arm members and slidably attached to the needle, wherein the tip cover forms an aperture which accommodates the sharpened tip of the needle, and wherein at least one of the tip cover and the body is selectively moveable between an operative configuration wherein the sharpened tip of the needle is exposed and a protective configuration wherein the sharpened tip of the needle is concealed by the tip cover.