Disposable skin pricker

• US 8,425,547 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2004
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Owen Mumford
• Original Assignee: Owen Mumford
• Inventors: Marshall, Jeremy, Mumford, Adam John
• Primary Examiner(s): Sirmons, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bosworth, Kami A
• Application Number:
  US10/547,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20060253146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,332 Days
• Field of Search: 606181-185, 606/167, 600/583, 604/110, 604/111, 604/157, 604/192
• 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 5/150717 manually removed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150916 by blocking components, e.g. piston, driving device or fluid passageway
• 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 5/15142 Devices intended for single use, i.e. disposable

Abstract

A lancet body for a skin pricker has resiliently flexible fingers (9) with outwardly splayed tips (10). The device is fired by pressing a trigger (13) and a spring (5) urges the lancet forwards and the fingers (9) flex inwards as the tips (10) snap past barbs (11), so that the tips (10) of the arms (9) engage behind the barbs (11). If the user tries to push the lancet back into the cocked condition, the fingers (9) are trapped and will flex as the tips (10) press against the barbs (11) until the arms buckle and the tips (10) are pushed out through openings (14). Thus the lancet is arrested and immobilized before a re-cocked position is reached, and re-firing is prevented.

Claims

1. A disposable skin pricker, comprising:

an elongate housing having a forward end and a rearward end;

a longitudinally movable lancet carried in said housing and having a body and a lancet tip at a forward end, the lancet tip normally being within the housing;

a spring spring-loading said lancet;

a trigger mechanism to retain the lancet in a fully retracted position in which it energizes the spring, the trigger mechanism being actuable to release or fire the lancet to cause the lancet tip to have a momentary position projecting from the forward end of the housing; and

an arrangement for preventing re-use comprising a spring finger extending rearwardly from the lancet alongside but spaced from the body thereof, an abutment on the inside of the housing projecting inwardly past which a tip of the finger will snap during forward motion of the lancet, and an aperture disposed in the side wall of the housing such that any attempt to push the lancet back with a greater than a predetermined force after firing results in the abutment deflecting the tip of the finger out through said aperture to an exterior of the housing thereby to prevent return of said lancet to its fully retracted position.

2. The disposable pricker according to claim 1, wherein two fingers are on opposite sides of the lancet, and each finger inclines outwardly from the lancet body as well as extending rearwardly.

3. The disposable pricker according to claim 1, wherein the lancet tip is initially protected by an elongate cap by which the lancet is adapted to be pushed back to the fully retracted position from an initial pre-fired position in which each finger tip is immediately to the rear of the associated abutment or abutments.

4. The disposable pricker according to claim 1, wherein the lancet is symmetrical, with two fingers on opposite sides thereof.

5. The disposable pricker according to claim 4, wherein each finger is generally parallel to and spaced from the adjacent part or parts of the body of the lancet but with the finger tip flaring outwardly.

6. The disposable pricker according to claim 4, wherein each finger inclines outwardly from the lancet body as well as extending rearwardly.

7. The disposable pricker according to claim 4, wherein the housing has two opposed apertures and abutments.

8. The disposable pricker according to claim 7, wherein each finger inclines outwardly from the lancet body as well as extending rearwardly.

9. The disposable pricker according to claim 7, wherein the abutments are shaped as barbs pointing inwards and forwards.

10. The disposable pricker according to claim 9, wherein each finger inclines outwardly from the lancet body as well as extending rearwardly.