Stack of test strips and method for the production thereof

• US 8,591,827 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2012
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Harttig, Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): FISHER, BRITTANY I
• Application Number:
  US13/418,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20120224996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 422/400
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00089 Magazines
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00108 Test strips, e.g. paper
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48757 Test elements dispensed from a stack
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48778 Containers specially adapted therefor, e.g. for dry storage
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00029 provided with flat sample substrates, e.g. slides G01N35/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor

Abstract

A stack of test strips comprises individual test strips which are stacked over each other and carry a test field for examining a bodily fluid sample. Test strips lying one on top of the other are detachably adhesively bonded to each other so that the test strips can be individually removed from the stack, wherein the test fields are packed in chambers and adjacent test strips form the bottom and the lid of such a chamber. A method for producing such a stack of test strips is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A stack of test strips, comprising a plurality of individual strips which are stacked on top of each other and at least a portion of each of the plurality of test strips carries a test field for examining a body fluid sample, each test field comprising detection reagents, wherein adjacent test strips lying on top of one another are detachably adhesively bonded to each other so that the test strips can be individually removed from the stack, wherein in the stack the test field of each test strip is packed in a sealed chamber having a bottom, an adhesive that surrounds the test field, and a closure that is formed by the adjacent strip.

2. The stack according to claim 1, wherein the chambers contain a desiccant.

3. The stack according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent test strips form the bottom and the ceiling of the chamber lying between them.

4. The stack according to claim 3, wherein the adjacent test strips are adhesively bonded to each other by the adhesive which is arranged between the adjacent test strips and surrounds the test field arranged between the adjacent test strips.

5. The stack according to claim 4, wherein the adhesive forms lateral walls of each of the chambers.

6. The stack according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive adheres differently on a front side than on a back side of each of the test strips so that when removing a selected test strip from the stack, the adhesive disengages always from a same one of the front and back sides of the test strips.

7. The stack according to claim 1, wherein the stack is surrounded at its lateral sides by a protective layer.

8. The stack according to claim 1, wherein the individual test strips are stacked in offset relation on top of the adjacent test strip.

9. The stack according to claim 1, wherein the stack is covered on its lateral sides with an adhesive.

10. The stack according to claim 1, wherein the stack is encased by a film.

11. The stack according to claim 10, wherein the film is a metal film.

12. The stack according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of test strips include front sides having an access to the test field that are roughened to increase the adhesion of an adhesive between the adjacent test strips.

13. The stack according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of the test strips include front sides having an access to the test field that is covered with a material increasing adhesion of an adhesive between the adjacent test strips.

14. The stack according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of the test strips include back sides labeled with human readable characters.

15. The stack according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of the test strips include back sides labeled with machine-readable characters.

16. The stack according to claim 1, wherein the last test field of a stack is closed by an adjacent test strip without a test field.

17. A method for producing a stack of test strips, comprising:

stacking a plurality of individual strips on top of each other, wherein each of test strips includes a front side and an opposite back side and at least a portion of each of the plurality of test strips includes a test field for examining a body fluid sample on the front side thereof, each test field comprising detection reagents, wherein individual test strips which carry the test fields are adhesively bonded to an adjacent test strip to form a stack configured with the front side of the test strips which carry the test fields adhesively bonded to the back side of the adjacent test strip; and

stacking of the plurality of individual test strips encloses the test fields in sealed chambers each having a bottom, an adhesive that surrounds the test field, and a closure that is formed by the adjacent strip.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein for adhesive bonding, the individual strips are placed into a holder which holds the individual test strips spaced apart from each other so that the front side of the test strips which carry the test fields faces toward the back side of the adjacent strip to which it is to be adhesively bonded, and then adhesive is filled into the gaps between the adjacent test strips.

19. A stack of test strips, comprising a plurality of individual test strips which are stacked on top of each other and at least a portion of each of the plurality of test strips carries a test field for examining a body fluid sample, each test field comprising detection reagents, wherein adjacent test strips lying on top of one another are detachably adhesively bonded to each other so that the test strips can be individually removed from the stack, wherein in the stack the test field of each test strip is packed in a sealed chamber having a bottom and a closure that is formed by the adjacent test strip, wherein the adjacent test strips form the bottom and the ceiling of the chamber lying between them, and wherein the adjacent strips are adhesively bonded to each other by an adhesive which is arranged between the adjacent test strips and surrounds the test field arranged between the adjacent test strips.