Puncture needle cartridge and lancet for blood collection

• US 8,556,923 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Amano, Yoshinori, Kurokawa, Koya, Shinohara, Noriyuki, Ilo, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLWERDA, KATHLEEN SONNETT
• Application Number:
  US13/790,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20130190791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 221 Days
• Field of Search: 606181-183, 606/167, 206363-367, 206/380, 206528-534, 600/583
• US Class Current: 606/181
• 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 5/150305 Packages specially adapted for piercing devices or blood sampling devices kits for diabetes A61M5/003; packaging in general B65D
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150358 Strips for collecting blood, e.g. absorbent optical reagent test strips G01N21/8483; chemical reagent test strips G01N33/4875, G01N33/52
• 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 5/150725 removal procedure linked to further actions, e.g. cocking of the piercing device, which indicate that the piercing device is used or tempered
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/151 Devices specially adapted for taking samples of capillary blood, e.g. by lancets , needles or blades
• 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 5/1519 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 lancet is pressed against a puncture needle cartridge while fitting a puncture needle loading inlet of the lancet to the axis of a puncture needle on the puncture needle cartridge. In order to facilitate the operation, one of plural puncture needles, arranged in parallel, is tilted up from its initial position at a predetermined angle, and the puncture needle is guided into a puncture needle holding rod of the lancet. Simultaneously, the puncture needle is pressed up to a position where the rear end part of the needle pushes the bottom surface of a puncture needle loading chamber of the puncture needle holding rod, whereby the puncture needle is loaded. When discarding a used puncture needle, the puncture needle is inserted into a lancet guide member of the puncture needle cartridge, whereby the puncture needle is reliably captured to be discarded.

Claims

1. A puncture needle cartridge and a blood collection lancet comprising:

a puncture needle cartridge in which a plurality of puncture needles are arranged; and

a blood collection lancet for separating a puncture needle from the puncture needle cartridge, wherein

the puncture needle arranged in the puncture needle cartridge includes a neck for engaging, and

the blood collection lancet includes

a puncture depth adjustment ring provided at a front end of the blood collection lancet to adjust a puncture depth of the puncture needle;

a puncture needle holding rod having a puncture needle loading chamber for loading the puncture needle; and

a puncture needle holding claw for engaging with the neck of the puncture needle in a state that the puncture needle be held with the puncture needle holding rod, and wherein

the puncture needle holding rod and the puncture needle holding claw are arranged in the puncture depth adjustment ring, and

the puncture needle is separated from the puncture needle cartridge through a puncture needle loading inlet formed at a front end of the puncture depth adjustment ring.

2. The puncture needle cartridge and the blood collection lancet of claim 1, wherein

the puncture depth adjustment ring is rotated about an axis, whereby the puncture depth of the puncture needle is set.

3. The puncture needle cartridge and the blood collection lancet of claim 1, wherein

the puncture needle cartridge has the plurality of puncture needles arranged in a line.

4. The puncture needle cartridge and the blood collection lancet of claim 1, wherein

the puncture needle cartridge comprises

a lancet guide member into which the puncture needle loading chamber loading a used puncture needle is inserted;

and

a waste box for discarding the used puncture needle through the lancet guide member, and wherein

the lancet guide member is configured to uncouple the puncture needle holding claw from the neck of the used puncture needle by extending the puncture needle holding claw when the puncture needle holding rod is inserted into the lancet guide member.