PROTECTIVE CONTAINER FOR HOLDING REUSABLE DIAGNOSTIC COMPONENTS

• US 20140316223A1
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Heck, Wolfgang, Roesicke, Bernd, Frisch, Gerhard
• Granted Patent: US 9,610,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/309
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/18 Shielding or protection of sensors from environmental influences, e.g. protection from mechanical damage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/182 Electrical shielding, e.g. using a Faraday cage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/10 specially adapted for instruments, e.g. microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14865 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter or needle or using implanted sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6849 in combination with a needle set
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/30 Containers specially adapted for packaging, protecting, dispensing, collecting or disposing of surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments for wound clamps A61B17/10; for ligaturing clips A61B17/122; packages or dispensers for surgical gloves or finger-stalls A61B42/40

Abstract

A protective container for holding a reusable control part of a transcutaneous sensor system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid is disclosed. The control part includes at least one coupling, which has at least one sensor coupling for connection to at least one transcutaneous sensor. The protective container has at least one container housing. The control part can be held in the container housing. The container housing is adapted to shield the control part from environmental influences. The container housing also has at least one connector which can be connected to the coupling and seals the latter in a media-tight fashion.

Claims

1. A protective container for holding a reusable control part of a transcutaneous sensor system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, wherein the control part includes at least one coupling having at least one sensor coupling for connection to at least one transcutaneous sensor, wherein the protective container comprises:

at least one container housing, wherein the control part is positionable in the container housing, wherein the container housing is adapted to shield the control part from environmental influences, and wherein the container housing has at least one connector, the connector being connectable to the coupling and sealing the coupling in a media-tight fashion when connected thereto.

2. The protective container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the coupling has at least one control coupling for connecting the control part to at least one control component, and wherein the connector comprises at least one sensor connector for connection to the sensor coupling and at least one control connector for connection to the control coupling.

3. The protective container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container housing comprises an electrically conductive material and thereby at least partially electrically shields the control part when the control part is received in the container housing.

4. The protective container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connector is adapted to establish an electrical connection to the coupling.

5. The protective container as claimed in claim 4 wherein the connector provides ESD protection for the control part.

6. The protective container as claimed in claim 4 wherein the protective container is adapted to receive at least one item of calibration information from an external measuring instrument for detecting the at least one analyte by means of at least one test element, and wherein the protective container communicates the calibration information to the control part.

7. The protective container of claim 1 further comprising at least one O-ring sealingly engageable with the at least one connector and the coupling to thereby provide the media-tight seal.

8. The protective container of claim 1 wherein the protective container further comprises a closure element and a sealing element, the sealing element being positioned between the closure element and the container housing when the closure element is in a closed position to thereby seal an inner space within the container housing.

9. The protective container of claim 8 wherein the inner space is hermetically sealed when the closure element is in a closed position.

10. The protective container of claim 9 further comprising a desiccant disposed in the inner space.

11. The protective container of claim 1 wherein the protective container is formed out of materials that include at least one of a biocidal materia and a fungicidal material.

12. The protective container of claim 1 further comprising a network, the network being in communication with the control part when the connector is connected with the coupling.

13. A kit comprising at least one protective container as claimed in claim 1 and at least one reusable control part of a transcutaneous sensor system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, wherein the control part comprises at least one coupling having at least one sensor coupling for connection to at least one transcutaneous sensor.

14. A sensor device for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, said sensor device comprising:

at least one transcutaneous sensor implantable into a body tissue, wherein the transcutaneous sensor is adapted to detect at least one analyte in the body tissue, and wherein the sensor device furthermore comprises a kit as claimed in claim 13.

15. The sensor device as claimed in claim 14 further comprising at least one control component connectable to the sensor.

16. A method for protecting a reusable control part of a transcutaneous sensor system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, wherein the control part comprises at least one coupling having at least one sensor coupling for connection to at least one transcutaneous sensor, and wherein the control part is isolated from the transcutaneous sensor and shielded from environmental influences with the coupling being sealed in a media-tight fashion using a protective container as claimed in claim 1.

17. A protective container for holding a reusable control part of a transcutaneous sensor system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, wherein the control part includes at least one coupling having at least one sensor coupling for connection to at least one transcutaneous sensor, wherein the protective container comprises:

at least one container housing, wherein the control part is positionable in the container housing, wherein the container housing is adapted to shield the control part from environmental influences, and wherein the container housing has at least one connector, the connector being connectable to the coupling and sealing the coupling in a media-tight fashion when connected thereto and wherein the protective container has at least one electrical energy supply.

18. The protective container of claim 17 wherein the at least one electrical energy supply comprises an internal energy supply.

19. The protective container of claim 18 wherein the internal energy supply comprises a battery.

20. The protective container of claim 19 wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery.

21. The protective container of claim 17 wherein the at least one electrical energy supply comprises a coupling for an external energy supply.

22. The protective container of claim 21 wherein the coupling for an external energy supply comprises a mains plug.

23. The protective container of claim 17 further comprising a microcontroller powered by the electrical power supply.

24. The protective container of claim 17 further comprising a user interface powered by the electrical power supply.

25. The protective container of claim 17 wherein the container housing comprises an electrically conductive material and thereby at least partially electrically shields the control part when the control part is received in the container housing.

26. The protective container of claim 17 wherein connecting the connector to the coupling establishes an electrical connection between the connector and the coupling.

27. The protective container of claim 26 wherein the protective container is adapted to supply electrical power from the electrical power supply when the connector is connected with the coupling.

28. The protective container of claim 26 further comprising a microcontroller disposed within the container housing and powered by the electrical power supply, the microcontroller being in communication with an interface and with the control part when the connector is connected to the coupling thereby adapting the protective container to communicate calibration information from an external measuring instrument to the control part when the control part when the connector is connected to the coupling.

29. A protective container for holding a reusable control part of a transcutaneous sensor system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, wherein the control part includes at least one coupling having at least one sensor coupling for connection to at least one transcutaneous sensor, wherein the protective container comprises:

at least one container housing, wherein the control part is positionable in the container housing, wherein the container housing is adapted to shield the control part from environmental influences, and wherein the container housing has at least one connector, the connector being connectable to the coupling wherein connecting the connector to the coupling seals the coupling in a media-tight fashion and establishes an electrical connection between the connector and the coupling.

30. The protective container of claim 29 further comprising a microcontroller disposed within the container housing, the microcontroller being in communication with an interface and with the control part when the connector is connected to the coupling.

31. The protective container of claim 30 further comprising a data storage device in communication with the microcontroller.

32. The protective container of claim 29 wherein the protective container further comprises a closure element and a sealing element, the sealing element being positioned between the closure element and the container housing when the closure element is in a closed position to thereby seal an inner space within the container housing.