PUSH-TO-CHARGE MECHANISM FOR LANCING DEVICE

• US 20140074138A1
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Facet Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Facet Technologies LLC
• Inventors: KAN, Gil
• Granted Patent: US 9,149,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/182
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1411 by percutaneous method, e.g. by lancet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150183 Depth adjustment mechanism using end caps mounted at the distal end of the sampling device, i.e. the end-caps are adjustably positioned relative to the piercing device housing for example by rotating or screwing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150259 Improved gripping, e.g. with high friction pattern or projections on the housing surface or an ergonometric shape
• 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 5/15113 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 5/15128 comprising 2D- or 3D-shaped elements, e.g. cams, curved guide rails or threads comprising tooth-shaped elements A61B5/15132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15132 comprising tooth-shaped elements, e.g. toothed wheel or rack and pinion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1519 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for propelling the piercing unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15192 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for retracting the lancet unit into the driving device housing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15194 fully automatically retracted, i.e. the retraction does not require a deliberate action by the user, e.g. by terminating the contact with the patient's skin

Abstract

A lancing device has a charging mechanism that operates to convert an external push action by a user to an internal pull action that retracts and charges a lancet for use in a lancing stroke. In some embodiments, the charging mechanism includes a user-actuated charging push-button, a reverse charging member coupled to a lancet carrier, and a reverse-motion conversion member coupled therebetween. Depressing the user-actuated member in a first longitudinal direction causes transverse movement of the conversion member, which in turn causes longitudinal retraction of the reverse charging member and the lancet carrier coupled thereto in a second longitudinal direction opposite the first direction, thereby charging a drive mechanism of the lancing device. In other embodiments, a rack-and-pinion gear mechanism provides the same push-to-pull functionality.

Claims

1. A lancing device for propelling a lancet through a lancing stroke, the lancing device comprising:

a housing including an axial bore;

a drive mechanism including a lancet carrier and a drive spring, the lancet carrier holding the lancet and translatable axially within the housing through the lancing stroke, and the drive spring adapted to propel the lancet carrier through the lancing stroke; and

a charging mechanism adapted to retract the lancet carrier to a charged position and including a charging button, a motion-conversion member, and a first cam-engaging surface, wherein the charging button includes a second cam-engaging surface, the first cam-engaging surface is formed by a portion of the drive mechanism, and the motion-conversion member includes first and second cam surfaces engaged respectively by the first cam-engaging surface and the second cam-engaging surface and configured to convert movement of the charging button in a first axial direction to movement of the lancet carrier in a second axial direction generally opposite from the first axial direction to retract the lancet carrier to the charged position.

2. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the conversion member moves in a first transverse direction generally transverse to the first and second axial directions in response to movement of the charging button in the first axial direction.

3. The lancing device of claim 2, wherein actuation of the charging button in the first axial direction causes interaction of the now axially moving second cam-engaging surface with the second cam surface to move the conversion member in the first transverse direction, and interaction of the now transversely moving first cam surface with the first cam-engaging surface causes movement of the lancet carrier in the second opposite axial direction to retract the lancet carrier to the charged position.

4. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the portion of the drive mechanism forming the first cam-engaging surface is the lancet carrier.

5. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the charging button and the portion of the drive mechanism forming the first cam-engaging surface are mounted to translate axially relative to the housing with lateral constraint.

6. The lancing device of claim 5, wherein the charging button is movable between an extended position and a depressed position, and is spring-biased toward the extended position.

7. The lancing device of claim 6, wherein the conversion member moves in a second transverse direction generally opposite the first transverse direction in response to the charging button moving from the depressed position to the extended position.

8. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the motion-conversion member is mounted to translate transversely relative to the housing with axial constraint.

9. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the first and second cam surfaces are formed by slots in the conversion member, the first cam-engaging surface is formed by a boss on the portion of the drive mechanism, and second cam-engaging surface is formed by a boss on the charging button.

10. The lancing device of claim 9, wherein the conversion member includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side, with the first and second cam slots formed in the respective first and second sides.

11. The lancing device of claim 1, wherein the first and second cam surfaces are substantially similar in configuration, but oppositely arranged from each other in a generally mirror-image fashion.

12. The lancing device of claim 11, wherein the first and second cam surfaces are arranged at about 180 degrees from each other relative to lancing-stroke axis.

13. The lancing device of claim 11, wherein the first cam surface is at a first angle from the lancing-stroke axis, the second cam surface is at a second angle from the lancing-stroke axis, and the first and second angles have generally the same absolute value but are negative from each other.

14. The lancing device of claim 11, wherein the first and second cam surfaces are generally linear to form a crisscross pattern.

15. A charging mechanism for a lancing device for propelling a lancet through a lancing stroke, the lancing device comprising a housing including an axial bore, a lancet carrier translational axially within the housing through the lancing stroke with the lancet coupled to the lancet carrier, and a drive spring for propelling the lancet carrier through the lancing stroke, the charging mechanism comprising:

a charging button that is mounted to translate axially relative to the housing, with lateral constraint, and that includes a second cam-engaging surface;

a first cam-engaging surface that is formed by the lancet, which is mounted to translate axially relative to the housing with lateral constraint; and

a motion-conversion member that is mounted to translate transversely relative to the housing, with axial constraint, wherein the conversion member includes first and second cam surfaces engaged respectively by the first cam-engaging surface and the second cam-engaging surface and configured to convert movement of the charging button in a first axial-push direction to movement of the lancet carrier in a second axial-pull direction generally opposite from the first axial-push direction to retract the lancet carrier to a charged position, wherein the conversion member moves in a first transverse direction generally transverse to the first and second axial directions in response to movement of the charging button in the first axial-push direction, and wherein the first and second cam surfaces are substantially similar in configuration, but oppositely arranged from each other in a generally mirror-image fashion,

wherein pushing actuation of the charging button in the first axial-push direction causes interaction of the now axially moving second cam-engaging surface of the charging button with the second cam surface of the charging button to move the conversion member in the first transverse direction, and interaction of the now transversely moving first cam surface of the charging button with the first cam-engaging surface of the lancet carrier causes movement of the lancet carrier in the second opposite axial-pull direction to retract the lancet carrier to the charged position.

16. The lancing device of claim 15, wherein the charging button is movable between an extended position and a depressed position, and is spring-biased toward the extended position.

17. The lancing device of claim 16, wherein the conversion member moves in a second transverse direction generally opposite the first transverse direction in response to the charging button moving from the depressed position to the extended position.

18. The lancing device of claim 15, wherein the first and second cam surfaces are formed by slots in the conversion member, the first cam-engaging surface is formed by a boss on the portion of the drive mechanism, and second cam-engaging surface is formed by a boss on the charging button, and wherein the conversion member includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side, with the first and second cam slots formed in the respective first and second sides.

19. The lancing device of claim 15, wherein the first and second cam surfaces are generally linear to form a crisscross pattern, wherein the first and second cam surfaces are arranged at about 180 degrees from each other relative to lancing-stroke axis, and wherein the first cam surface is at a first angle from the lancing-stroke axis, the second cam surface is at a second angle from the lancing-stroke axis, and the first and second angles have generally the same absolute value but are negative from each other.

20. A charging mechanism for a lancing device comprising a lancet carrier that carries a lancet through a lancing stroke, the charging mechanism comprising:

a charging button slidably coupled to the lancing device to permit axial movement between an extended position and a depressed position and including a first rack gear;

a reverse charging member coupled to the lancet carrier and including a second rack gear; and

a pinion gear rotatably engaged between the first and second rack gears,

wherein movement of the charging button in a first axial direction causes rotation of the pinion gear, which in turn causes movement of the reverse charging member and lancet carrier coupled thereto in a second axial direction generally opposite the first axial direction to retract the lancet carrier to a charged position.