Lancing devices

• US 8,663,265 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Owen Mumford
• Original Assignee: Owen Mumford
• Inventors: Nicholls, Clive, Wozencroft, Robert Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Severson, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Papeika, Rachel S
• Application Number:
  US12/673,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• Field of Search: 606181-185, 606/167, 606/117, 600/573, 600/583, 604/131, 604/134
• US Class Current: 606/182
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1411 by percutaneous method, e.g. by lancet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150175 Adjustment of penetration depth
• 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 5/150519 Details of construction of hub, i.e. element used to attach the single-ended needle to a piercing device or sampling device
• 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 5/151 Devices specially adapted for taking samples of capillary blood, e.g. by lancets , needles or blades
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15107 Piercing being assisted by a triggering mechanism
• 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 5/15144 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for retracting the piercing unit into the housing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15186 Devices loaded with a single lancet, i.e. a single lancet with or without a casing is loaded into a reusable drive device and then discarded after use; drive devices reloadable for multiple use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15188 Constructional features of reusable driving devices
• 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 includes a main body having a drive spring, hammer, trigger mechanism and a lancet holder 22. A lancet 34 may be pushed to engage in snap fit with forwardly extending arms 28 of the lancet holder. Whilst free to move axially, the lancet 36 is held against rotation and, following use, is released from the lancet holder by rotating the lancet holder to disengage the lancet from the forwardly extending arms 28 thus freeing the lancet.

Claims

1. A lancing device comprising:

a housing (10, 12);

a lancet holder (22) within the housing for receiving in use a replaceable elongate lancet (34) introduced into said housing;

a drive (58, 59) actuable to drive said lancet momentarily to project a tip from the housing; and

a lancet release element (20) for effecting relative angular movement of one of said lancet holder and said lancet with respect to the other thereof generally about a longitudinal axis of the lancet from a position in which said lancet (34) is retained by said holder (22) and a position in which said lancet is released from said retention, whereby in use the lancet retained in said lancet holder is freed from said lancet holder by said relative angular movement.

2. The lancing device according to claim 1, wherein said lancet holder (22) is mounted for rotational movement with respect to said housing.

3. The lancing device according to claim 2, wherein said lancet holder (22) is slideably and non-rotatably engaged (42, 44) with said release element (20), said release element being rotatably disposed within the housing and having an externally accessible portion (48).

4. The lancing device according to claim 3, wherein said drive mechanism includes a hammer (58) moveable to a cocked position within said housing, said hammer and said release means (20) being adapted (62) to resiliently latch said hammer in its cocked position.

5. The lancing device according to claim 2, intended for use with a lancet having a portion of non-circular cross-section, said housing having a non-circular cross-section passage (74) through which said lancet (34) is introduced into said housing (10, 12).

6. The lancing device according to claim 2, wherein said lancet holder (22) is adapted to receive said lancet in snap engagement (30) when pushed into said device.

7. The lancing device according to claim 1, intended for use with a lancet having a portion of non-circular cross-section, said housing having a non-circular cross-section passage (74) through which said lancet (34) is introduced into said housing (10, 12).

8. The lancing device according to claim 7, wherein said lancet holder (22) is adapted to receive said lancet in snap engagement (30) when pushed into said device.

9. The lancing device according to claim 7, wherein said lancet holder (22) is slideably and non-rotatably engaged (42, 44) with said release element (20), said release element being rotatably disposed within the housing and having an externally accessible portion (48).

10. The lancing device according to claim 9, wherein said drive mechanism includes a hammer (58) moveable to a cocked position within said housing, said hammer and said release means (20) being adapted (62) to resiliently latch said hammer in its cocked position.

11. The lancing device according to claim 1, wherein said lancet holder (22) is adapted to receive said lancet in snap engagement (30) when pushed into said device.

12. The lancing device according to claim 11, wherein said lancet holder (22) is slideably and non-rotatably engaged (42, 44) with said release element (20), said release element being rotatably disposed within the housing and having an externally accessible portion (48).

13. The lancing device according to claim 12, wherein said drive mechanism includes a hammer (58) moveable to a cocked position within said housing, said hammer and said release means (20) being adapted (62) to resiliently latch said hammer in its cocked position.

14. The lancing device according to claim 1, including a nose portion (14) having an aperture through which said lancet projects when fired, said nose portion being threadedly engaged (78, 81) with a forward end (10) of said housing to allow the penetration depth of said lancet tip to be pre-set.

15. The lancing device according to claim 14, wherein said nose portion (14) has a generally cylindrical rearward skirt having at least one abutment (84) disposed to face one or more complementary abutments (80) on or associated with said housing, said skirt portion being resiliently deformable between a position in which said abutments (80, 84) engage to prevent or resist rotary movement of said nose portion, and a position in which said abutments move away from each other to allow rotation.

16. The lancing device according to claim 1, including a nose portion assembly (98, 104) mounted on a forward end (40) of said housing, said nose portion assembly comprising a nose portion element (98) slideably and non-rotatably mounted on the forward end (10) of said housing, the nose portion (98) being captive on a rotary collar (104) which is threadedly engage (94) with the forward end portion of the housing to allow the penetration depth of the lancing device to be pre-set.

17. The lancing device according to claim 1, wherein the lancet release element is a lancet release lever having protruding flaps which protrude through diametrically opposed slots.

18. The lancing device according to claim 17, wherein the lancet release lever is biased in a clockwise direction when viewed from a front of the lancing device by means of a torsion spring.