Blood letting device

• US 5,893,864 A
• Filed: 12/02/1996
• Issued: 04/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dale Robert Brakey
• Original Assignee: Dale Robert Brakey
• Inventors: Brakey, Dale Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shai, Daphna
• Application Number:
  US08/759,258
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 606/163, 606/170, 606/172, 606/181, 606/182
• US Class Current: 606/181
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• 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 5/150549 Protectors removed by rotational movement, e.g. torsion or screwing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150618 Integrally moulded protectors, e.g. protectors simultaneously moulded together with a further component, e.g. a hub, of the piercing element
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150717 manually removed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150893 by indicating if used, tampered with, unsterile or defective
• 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 5/15144 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for retracting the piercing unit into the housing

Abstract

A blood letting device comprising

a body,

a base,

an aperture in the base,

a sharp with a pointed end, having a rest position and a cocked position,

biasing apparatus adapted to rapidly urge said sharp from said cocked position to said rest position,

locking apparatus adapted to hold said sharp in said cocked position,

wherein the arrangement is such that release of said locking apparatus causes the sharp in moving to said rest position, to prick skin which has been held in the region of said aperture.

Claims

1. A blood letting device comprising:

a base,

an aperture in the base,

a sleeve fitting within the aperture, the sleeve being movable from a rest position,

a sharp with a pointed end, having a rest position and a cocked position, the sharp being spaced from the sleeve,

biasing means adapted to rapidly urge said sharp from said cocked position to said rest position,

locking means operatively connected to the sleeve for releasably holding said sharp in said cocked position, and movable to a release condition in response to movement of the sleeve towards the sharp,

wherein the arrangement is such that release of said locking means causes the sharp in moving to said rest position, to prick skin which has been held in the region of said aperture, and

tamper indicating means for indicating when said blood letting device has been used, said tamper indicating means including;

first latching means attached to the sleeve; and

second latching means attached to the base;

said first and second latching means cooperating in response to said movement of the sleeve towards the sharp to prevent the sleeve from returning to the rest position, to indicate that said blood letting device has been used.

2. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleeve fitting within the aperture extends below the base.

3. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the device is intended for use in pricking fingers the internal diameter of the sleeve is within the range of 0.35 to 0.70 cm.

4. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower end of the sleeve has a recess therein which will cause the skin to bulge up within the sleeve as the skin is pressed towards the sleeve so as to bring the skin into proximity with the sharp.

5. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, and further including a hinge, wherein the sleeve is arranged to turn from the rest position about the hinge when the device is used.

6. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, and further including a hinge, the sleeve being turnable about the hinge, and wherein the tamper indicating means comprises at least one frangible bridge extending between the sleeve and the base, said bridge breaking when the sleeve is turned about the hinge during use.

7. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biasing means comprises a resilient arm extending from the base.

8. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sharp is provided with a removable cover which protects the user from accidental sticking during handling and maintains a piercing point forming part of the sharp in sterile condition.

9. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sharp comprises a metal needle, and sterilization of the needle is achieved by moulding the needle in place in plastics using an injection moulder and at the same time moulding the cover in place as well, the needle being substantially enclosed in plastic and the heat of the injection moulding process serves to sterilize the needle.

10. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein an abutment is provided in a plastic moulded around the needle to engage with a corresponding abutment mounted on the base to act as the locking means.

11. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein locking means may be constructed in such a way that it may be disengaged by pressing upwardly on the sleeve and downwardly on the base in the region where the abutment is mounted on the base.

12. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sharp comprises a needle moulded in plastic, and the blood letting device further comprising at least one secondary abutment on the plastic moulded around the needle to limit the travel of the needle when the locking means is moved to the release condition.

13. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is arranged so that the pointed end of the sharp is surrounded by the sleeve when the sharp is in the rest position.

14. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device comprises an integral plastics injection moulding incorporating a metal needle.

15. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biasing means comprises a resilient arm extending from the base, the sharp being housed in a sharp carrier mounted on said resilient arm.

16. A blood letting device as claimed in claim 1 and further including means for impeding re-use of the blood letting device after the device has been used, said means for impeding re-use comprising said first and second latching means cooperating in response to said movement of the sleeve towards the sharp to impede the sharp from returning to the cocked position.

17. A blood letting device according to claim 1, wherein the sharp comprises a needle moulded in plastic, and the blood letting device further comprises at least one secondary abutment on the plastic moulded around the needle to provide a finger grip to facilitate manipulation of the needle into the cocked position.

18. A blood letting device according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve is movable to place the first latching means above the second latching means on the base when the sleeve moves the locking means to the release condition, the first latching means sitting atop the second latching means to prevent the sleeve from returning to its original position.

19. A blood letting device comprising:

a base;

an aperture in the base;

a hinge on the base;

a sleeve movable about the hinge and fitting within the aperture;

a sharp with a pointed end, the sharp having a rest position and a cocked position, the sharp being spaced from the sleeve;

biasing means adapted to rapidly urge said sharp from said cocked position to said rest position;

locking means operatively connected to the sleeve for releasably holding said sharp in the cocked position, and movable to a release condition in response to movement of the sleeve towards the sharp,

wherein the sharp moves to the rest position in response to movement of the locking means to the release condition, to prick skin which has been held in the region of the aperture, and

tamper indicating means comprising at least one frangible bridge extending between the sleeve and the base, the bridge breaking when the sleeve is moved about the hinge.