Lancet device with retractable sharps member

• US 6,540,763 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Futumeds Sdn. Bhd.
• Original Assignee: Medisys Asia Pacific Pte., Ltd.
• Inventors: Teo, John Hock Meng, Goh, Liak Hiong
• Primary Examiner(s): Morris, Lesley D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Buechner, Patrick
• Application Number:
  US09/788,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20020128608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 606/167, 606/171, 606/172, 606/181, 606/182, 606/185, 604/110, 604/192, 604/194, 604/195, 604/196, 604/197, 604/198, 604/187, 604/263
• US Class Current: 606/182
• 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 5/150648 fully automatically triggered, i.e. the triggering of the protective sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user such as terminating the contact with the patient's skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150717 manually removed
• 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 5/1513 comprising linear sliding guides comprising tooth-shaped elements A61B5/15132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15144 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for retracting the piercing unit into the housing

Abstract

A retractable sharps assembly comprising a housing and a sharps unit. The housing comprises first and second open ends and a shoulder proximate the first end. The sharps unit generally comprises a frame, a shelf having a sharps member extending therefrom positioned in the frame, and at least one elastic member extending between the shelf and the forward end. As the frame is inserted into and moved forward in the hollow housing, the shelf is retained by the shoulder such that the elastic member is loaded between the shelf and forward end. A trigger mechanism interacts with the shoulder and disengages the shelf. The load in the elastic member drives the sharps member towards the forward end and through the second end opening, and simultaneously compresses the elastic member. The elastic member thereafter relaxes to retract the sharps member within the housing.

Claims

1. A retractable sharps assembly comprising:

a generally hollow housing comprising first and second ends, each end with an opening into the housing;

a shoulder proximate the first end extending into the hollow housing;

a sharps unit comprising a frame having forward and rear ends and configured such that the forward end is received through the first end and into the hollow housing;

a trigger mechanism adjacent to the frame rear end;

a shelf positioned in the frame and having a rest position a given distance from the forward end;

an elastic member extending between the shelf and the forward end; and

a sharps member extending from the shelf toward the forward end;

whereby as the frame forward end is inserted into and moved forward in the hollow housing, the shelf is initially retained by the shoulder such that the elastic member is loaded between the shelf and forward end until such time as the trigger mechanism interacts with the shoulder causing the shelf to disengage therefrom and thereby causing stored energy in the elastic member to drive the sharps member towards the forward end and through the second end opening as the shelf moves within the given distance, thereby compressing the elastic member, the elastic thereafter relaxing to retract the sharps member within the housing.

2. A retractable sharps assembly comprising

a housing including a first end having a first opening therethrough and a shoulder in the housing facing away from the first end;

a sharps unit including a frame slideably mounted in the housing to move toward and away from the first end, a trigger mechanism fixed to move with the frame, a sharps carrier slideably mounted in the frame toward and away from the first end and engageable with the shoulder, a sharps member fixed to move with the sharps carrier and extending toward the first opening, and an elastic member attached at one end to the frame and at the other end to the sharps carrier, the sharps member being within the housing with the frame extending fully toward the first end and the elastic member relaxed, the elastic member being stressed with the frame extending substantially fully toward the first end and the sharps carrier engaged with the shoulder, the trigger mechanism engaging the sharps carrier with the frame extending substantially fully toward the first end to release the sharps carrier from the shoulder, the sharps member being extendable from the housing through the first opening with the elastic member stressed.

3. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 2, the housing further including a second opening, the frame extending through the second opening and having a thumb pad fixed to the frame positioned outwardly of the housing.

4. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 3, the first and second openings being at opposite ends of the housing.

5. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 2, the elastic member being attached to the frame near the first end with the frame extending fully toward the first end and the elastic member being attached to the sharps carrier within the housing displaced from the first end.

6. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 2 further comprising a latch fixed to the housing and engaging the frame with the frame fully extended to the first end of the housing.

7. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 2 further comprising a cap removably positioned over the sharps member and extending through the first opening and outwardly of the housing.

8. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 7, the cap being frangibly coupled with the frame.

9. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 2, the housing further including first parallel guide slots, the frame including guide projections extending from the frame to engage the first parallel guide slots, respectively, with the sharps unit in the housing.

10. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 9, the housing further including second parallel guide slots, the sharps carrier having a block extending to engage the second parallel guide slots.

11. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 2, the sharps unit further including frangible rods extending between the sharps carrier and the frame.

12. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 11 further comprising

a cap removably positioned over the sharps member and extending through the first opening to outwardly of the housing, the cap being frangibly coupled with the frame.

13. A retractable sharps assembly comprising

a housing including a first end having a first opening therethrough, a second opening at a second end of the housing opposite the first opening and a shoulder in the housing facing away from the first end;

a sharps unit including a frame slideably mounted in the housing to move toward and away from the first end and extending through the second opening and having a thumb pad positioned outwardly of the housing, a trigger mechanism fixed to move with the frame, a sharps carrier slideably mounted in the frame toward and away from the first end and engageable with shoulder, a sharps member fixed to move with the sharps carrier and extending toward the first opening, and an elastic member attached at one end to the frame near the first end with the frame extending fully toward the first end and at the other end to the sharps carrier within the housing displaced from the list end, the sharps member being within the housing with the frame extending fully toward the first end and the elastic member relaxed, the elastic member being stressed with the frame extending substantially fully toward the first end and the sharps carrier engaged with the shoulder, the trigger mechanism engaging the sharps carrier with the frame extending substantially fully toward the first end to release the sharps carrier from the shoulder, the sharps member being extendable from the housing through the first opening with the elastic member stressed.

14. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 13 further comprising a latch fixed to the housing and engaging the frame with the frame fully extended to the first end of the housing.

15. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 13 further comprising

a cap removably positioned over the sharps member and extending through the first opening to outwardly of the housing.

16. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 13, the housing further including first parallel guide slots, the frame including guide projections extending from the frame to engage the first parallel guide slots, respectively, with the sharps unit in the housing, and second parallel guide slots, the sharps carrier having a block extending to engage the second parallel guide slots.

17. The retractable sharps assembly of claim 13 further comprising

a cap removably positioned over the sharps member and extending through the first opening to outwardly of the housing, the cap being frangibly coupled with the frame, the sharps unit further including frangible rods extending between the sharps carrier and the frame.