Lancing device with floating lancet

• US 8,142,466 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Facet Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Facet Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Lipoma, Michael V., Buenger, David R., Griffin, Carl E., Robbins, Avi M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Houston, Elizabeth
• Application Number:
  US12/346,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20090105741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 606181-183, 606/185, 600/583, 604/156, 604/157, D24/146
• US Class Current: 606/182
• 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 5/150412 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 5/15113 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 5/1513 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 lancing device including a drive mechanism with a drive spring and a lancet carrier engaged and driven by the drive spring, and further including a lancet with a sharp lancing tip, wherein the lancet floats relative to the carrier and is decoupled from the drive mechanism during at least a portion of a lancing stroke. In one example embodiment the lancet is held in a sled that floats in the carrier, and in another example embodiment the lancet by itself floats in the carrier.

Claims

1. A lancing device comprising:

a drive mechanism comprising a drive spring and a carrier driven by the drive spring between a cocked position and an advanced position, the carrier comprising a contact surface impacting a stop at its advanced position; and

a lancet that is mounted within a bore of the carrier for coupled advancement with the carrier during a first portion of a lancing stroke, and that is decoupled from the carrier to slide inertially within the bore relative to the carrier during a second portion of the lancing stroke after the carrier impacts the stop at its advanced position.

2. The lancing device of claim 1, further comprising a cocking mechanism comprising at least one cocking arm extending from the carrier, and an engagement surface for retaining the cocking arm with the carrier in the cocked position.

3. The lancing device of claim 2, further comprising a trigger mechanism including a release button with a catch release member that, when the release button is actuated, engages the cocking arm and releases the carrier.

4. The lancing device of claim 1, further comprising an endcap that adjusts a penetration depth of the lancet.