Precision spring lancet

• US 4,203,446 A
• Filed: 08/29/1977
• Issued: 05/20/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hellige GmbH
• Original Assignee: Hellige GmbH
• Inventors: Ullrich, Georg J., Hofert, Wilhelm A., Sutor, Anton H., Schlussel, Peter F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Recla, Henry J.
• Application Number:
  US05/828,711
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 128/329 R, 128/305, 128/314, 128/316, 128/173 H, 128/330, 72/456, 72/465, 81/52.35, 30/277, 173/119, 173/114, 173/139, 227/132, 227/133
• US Class Current: 606/182
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32093 for skin incisions
• 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 5/150427 Specific tip design, e.g. for improved penetration characteristics
• 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 5/15111 Semi-automatically triggered, e.g. at the end of the cocking procedure, for instance by biasing the main drive spring or when reaching sufficient contact pressure, the piercing device is automatically triggered without any deliberate action by the user
• 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 5/15125 comprising a vacuum or compressed fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1513 comprising linear sliding guides comprising tooth-shaped elements A61B5/15132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1519 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for propelling the piercing unit
• 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 spring lancet holder for creating accurate standardized, reproducible puncture wounds in the skin for medical diagnostic purposes is disclosed in which accuracy and reproducibility is improved by minimizing the recoil transmitted to the lancet holder by actuation of the drive mechanism which pushes the lancet into the skin. In a preferred embodiment, a mass is shown which is caused to move in opposition to the motion of the lancet caused by a striker spring which is mounted between the lancet and the mass.

Claims

1. An improved lancet holder for the creation of standard puncture wounds in the skin for diagnostic purposes of the type having a housing, a lancet mounted for motion in the housing, means for urging the lancet into contact with the skin, a trigger for activating the urging means, and means for withdrawing the lancet from the skin after contact therewith, wherein the improvement comprises:

means for preventing recoil of the lancet holder in response to the activation of the urging means wherein the recoil preventing means includes a mass mounted for motion in the housing in opposition to the motion of the lancet upon activation by the trigger.

2. The improved lancet holder claimed in claim 1 wherein the mass moves away from the skin when the lancet is urged into contact therewith.

3. The improved lancet holder claimed in claim 1 wherein an impact spring is provided between the mass and the housing to resist motion therebetween.

4. The improved lancet holder claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for urging the lancet includes a striker spring mounted at one end to the mass.

5. The improved lancet holder claimed in claim 4 wherein a collar is provided for mounting the lancet and a striker plate is provided at a second end of the striker spring for contact with the collar.

6. The improved lancet holder claimed in claim 5 wherein the trigger includes means for releasably maintaining the striker spring in compression.

7. The improved lancet holder claimed in claim 6 wherein the striker plate is maintained out of contact with the collar until the trigger is activated.

8. The improved lancet holder claimed in claim 5 wherein the means for withdrawing the lancet includes a restoring spring mounted between the collar and the housing to resist motion of the lancet toward the spring.