Means for collecting and spotting small amount of blood

• US 5,569,287 A
• Filed: 12/09/1994
• Issued: 10/29/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Koizumi, Teruaki, Kitajima, Masao, Tezuka, Shigeru, Tsuruta, Hikaru
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDENBURG, MAX F
• Application Number:
  US08/353,108
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 128/770, 606/167, 606/181, 606/182
• US Class Current: 606/182
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150099 by negative pressure, other than vacuum extraction into a syringe by pulling on the piston rod or into pre-evacuated tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150435 Specific design of proximal end
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150664 Pivotable protective sleeves, i.e. sleeves connected to, or integrated in, the piercing or driving device, and which are pivoted for covering or uncovering the piercing element
• 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 5/15117 comprising biased elements, resilient elements or a spring, e.g. a helical spring, leaf spring, or elastic strap
• 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 means for collecting and spotting a small amount of blood which comprises a cylinder, a piston, and a puncturing tip, wherein: the piston is inserted airtightly into one end of the cylinder; the puncturing tip is airtightly and exchangeably fitted onto another end of the cylinder; the puncturing tip comprises a blood conduit and a needle suspended by a spring within the blood conduit; the blood conduit has a volume which is equal to a volume of blood to be spotted to analytical means; and the needle is arranged to be pushed out from the puncturing tip by descent of the piston and then return back by ascent of the piston.

Claims

1. An apparatus for collecting and delivering a small amount of blood which comprises a cylinder, a piston, and a puncturing tip, wherein

the piston is inserted airtightly into the upper end of the cylinder;

the puncturing tip is airtightly and exchangeably fitted onto the lower end of the cylinder;

the puncturing tip comprises a blood conduit and a needle suspended by a spring within the blood conduit;

the blood conduit has a volume which is equal to a volume of blood to be delivered; and

the needle is arranged to be pushed out from the puncturing tip by descent of the piston and then returned back by ascent of the piston,

wherein

the cylinder contains in its lower end, a sliding means having a through-hole therein, the top the sliding means being connected with the piston via a spring, the lower end of the sliding means protruding from the lower end of the cylinder, the lower end of the sliding means being able to be so pushed into the cylinder that the sliding means is fixed in a predetermined position under engagement with the inner surface of the cylinder and being able to be pushed down rapidly by breakage of the engagement which is caused by the descent of the piston.

2. The means as defined in claim 1, wherein the puncturing tip has a receiver for receiving an excess amount of the collected blood.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the needle is suspended within the blood conduit by means of a leaf spring of plastic material.