Lancet ejector for lancet injector
First Claim
1. In a lancet injector having a hollow housing with a slot in the housing extending generally longitudinally of the housing, a lancet holder movable within the housing and adapted to hold a lancet, a lancet capable of being held in the lancet holder, a control member connected to the lancet holder and extending through the slot to the exterior of the housing, the control member being movable to a retracted position in the slot, the control member being movable from the retracted position distally to a lancet skin piercing position, the control member being distally movable longitudinally in the slot beyond the skin piercing position to an access position wherein the lancet holder can be loaded with a lancet, an improvement comprising:
- the housing further including means for allowing the control member to move proximally beyond the slot in the housing, said means for allowing comprising a separation recess extending generally proximally from the slot in the housing;
means for removing the lancet from the lancet holder when the lancet holder is moved proximally beyond the slot in the housing beyond a predetermined point, said means for removing the lancet form the lancet holder comprising;
a pin rigidly attached to and extending from the proximal end of the housing into the hollow housing along the central axis of the housing; and
,wherein the lancet holder has a central bore extending through the lancet holder along the longitudinal axis of the lancet holder, the central bore sized to allow said pin to pass through the lancet holder to contact the proximal end of a lancet when a lancet is positioned in the lancet holder;
means for retaining the control member at the proximal end of said separation recess, said means for retaining comprising a retention recess extending generally proximally from the proximal end of said separation recess, said retention recess having means for retaining the control member within said retention recess, said means for retaining comprising;
said retention recess including a narrow bore that opens into an expanded roughly circular proximal stop;
wherein the control member is modified in cross-section to include an expanded roughly circular end at the most proximal end of the control member, the cross-sectional shape of said expanded end is approximately the same as the interior shape of said proximal stop, the transverse width of the control member distal to said expanded end is approximately the same as the inside diameter of said narrow bore; and
,wherein at least the part of the control member that will move proximally into contact with said retention recess should be made of a resilient material.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A lancet injector is provided having a lancet tip that may be automatically removed from the lancet injector after piercing and being retracted from the skin of the subject. A separation recess extends from the slot along the housing toward the proximal end of the housing allowing the control member to move proximally into the separation recess. The separation recess has a proximally extending retention recess that retains the lancet holder in its most proximal position. The lancet holder has a bore extending longitudinally through it aligned with the central axis of the housing. A pin extends from the proximal end of the housing along the central axis of the housing toward the central bore of the holder. The control member moves into the separation recess causing the pin to enter the bore of the lancet holder and contact the lancet. The pin stops proximal movement of the lancet during further proximal movement of the control member in the separation recess thereby causing the lancet to be pushed to the edge of frictional contact with the lancet holder. Movement of the control member proximally into the retention recess moves the lancet out of frictional contact with the holder. Thereafter, the distal end of the housing is directed downward causing the lancet to fall into an appropriate sharps container.
-
Citations
31 Claims
-
1. In a lancet injector having a hollow housing with a slot in the housing extending generally longitudinally of the housing, a lancet holder movable within the housing and adapted to hold a lancet, a lancet capable of being held in the lancet holder, a control member connected to the lancet holder and extending through the slot to the exterior of the housing, the control member being movable to a retracted position in the slot, the control member being movable from the retracted position distally to a lancet skin piercing position, the control member being distally movable longitudinally in the slot beyond the skin piercing position to an access position wherein the lancet holder can be loaded with a lancet, an improvement comprising:
-
the housing further including means for allowing the control member to move proximally beyond the slot in the housing, said means for allowing comprising a separation recess extending generally proximally from the slot in the housing; means for removing the lancet from the lancet holder when the lancet holder is moved proximally beyond the slot in the housing beyond a predetermined point, said means for removing the lancet form the lancet holder comprising; a pin rigidly attached to and extending from the proximal end of the housing into the hollow housing along the central axis of the housing; and
,wherein the lancet holder has a central bore extending through the lancet holder along the longitudinal axis of the lancet holder, the central bore sized to allow said pin to pass through the lancet holder to contact the proximal end of a lancet when a lancet is positioned in the lancet holder; means for retaining the control member at the proximal end of said separation recess, said means for retaining comprising a retention recess extending generally proximally from the proximal end of said separation recess, said retention recess having means for retaining the control member within said retention recess, said means for retaining comprising; said retention recess including a narrow bore that opens into an expanded roughly circular proximal stop; wherein the control member is modified in cross-section to include an expanded roughly circular end at the most proximal end of the control member, the cross-sectional shape of said expanded end is approximately the same as the interior shape of said proximal stop, the transverse width of the control member distal to said expanded end is approximately the same as the inside diameter of said narrow bore; and
,wherein at least the part of the control member that will move proximally into contact with said retention recess should be made of a resilient material.
-
-
2. In a lancet injector having a hollow housing with a slot in the housing extending generally longitudinally of the housing, a lancet holder movable within the housing and adapted to hold a lancet, a lancet capable of being held in the lancet holder, a control member connected to the lancet holder and extending through the slot to the exterior of the housing, the control member being movable to a retracted position in the slot, the control member being movable from the retracted position distally to a lancet skin piercing position, the control member being distally movable longitudinally in the slot beyond the skin piercing position to an access position wherein the lancet holder can be loaded with a lancet, an improvement comprising:
-
the housing further including means for allowing the control member to move proximally beyond the slot in the housing, said means for allowing comprising a separation recess extending generally proximally from the slot in the housing; and
,means for removing the lancet from the lancet holder when the lancet holder is moved proximally beyond the slot in the housing beyond a predetermined point, said means for removing the lancet from the lancet holder comprising; a pin rigidly attached to and extending from the proximal end of the housing into the hollow housing along the central axis of the housing; and
,wherein the lancet holder has a central bore extending through the lancet holder along the longitudinal axis of the lancet holder, the central bore sized to allow said pin to pass through the lancet holder to contact the proximal end of a lancet when a lancet is positioned in the lancet holder.
-
-
3. A lancet injector comprising:
-
a hollow housing, said housing having a slot in said housing extending generally longitudinally of said housing; a lancet holder movable within said housing and adapted to hold a lancet; a lancet capable of being held in the lancet holder; a control member connected to said lancet holder and extending through said slot to the exterior of said housing, said control member being movable to a retracted position in said slot, said control member being movable from the retracted position distally to a lancet skin piercing position, said control member being distally movable longitudinally in said slot beyond the lancet skin piercing position to an access position wherein said lancet holder can be loaded with a lancet; means for allowing the control member to move proximally beyond the slot in the housing; and
,means for removing the lancet from the lancet holder when the lancet holder is moved proximally beyond the slot in the housing beyond a predetermined point. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. In a lancet injector having a hollow housing with a slot in the housing extending generally longitudinally to the housing, a lancet holder movable within the housing and adapted to hold a lancet, a lancet capable of being held in the lancet holder, a control member connected to the lancet holder and extending through the slot to the exterior of the housing, the control member being movable to a retracted position in the slot, the control member being movable from the retracted position distally to a lancet skin piercing position, the control member being distally movable longitudinally in the slot beyond the skin piercing position to an access position wherein the lancet holder can be loaded with a lancet, an improvement comprising:
-
the housing further including means for allowing the control member to move proximally beyond the slot in the housing; and
,means for removing the lancet from the lancet holder when the lancet holder is moved proximally beyond the slot in the housing beyond a predetermined point. - View Dependent Claims (4, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
Specification