Puncture needle cartridge

• US 8,915,937 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2013
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Company Limited (PHC Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagao, Akio, Miyata, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): SEVERSON, RYAN J
• Application Number:
  US13/938,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20130331879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: 606/167, 606/170, 606181-183, 606/185, 600/583
• US Class Current: 606/181
• 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 5/150267 Modular design or construction, i.e. subunits are assembled separately before being joined together or the device comprises interchangeable or detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150282 for piercing elements, e.g. blade, lancet, canula, needle
• 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 5/150549 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 5/1513 comprising linear sliding guides comprising tooth-shaped elements A61B5/15132
• 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 5/1519 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for propelling the piercing unit

Abstract

A puncture needle cartridge including a puncture needle, a lancet body adapted to cover part or all of a tip of the puncture needle, a cylindrical puncture needle holder disposed on an outer surface of the lancet body to permit the lancet body to move in an axial direction of the puncture needle; and a protective cap that is separable from the puncture needle holder. The protective cap includes a base adapted to cover an opening in the puncture needle holder, a shaft protruding from the base, and arms mounted on the shaft and configured to abut an inner circumferential surface of the opening in the puncture needle holder by spreading in the opening. A space between tips of the arms is larger than an inside diameter of the opening in the puncture needle holder, and is reduced by elastic deformation when the arms are housed in the opening.

Claims

1. A puncture needle cartridge comprising:

a puncture needle configured to puncture skin;

a lancet body configured to cover and protect part or all of a tip of the puncture needle;

a cylindrical puncture needle holder disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the lancet body so as to enable the lancet body to move in an axial direction of the puncture needle, and having an opening through which the puncture needle is capable of protruding; and

a protective cap configured to cover and protect the opening and configured to be separable from the puncture needle holder,

wherein the protective cap comprises a base configured to cover the opening when the protective cap is joined to the puncture needle holder, a shaft protruding from the base toward the opening, and arms mounted on the shaft and configured to abut an inner circumferential surface of the opening in the puncture needle holder by spreading in the opening, and

space between tips of the arms is larger than an inside diameter of the opening in the puncture needle holder, and is reduced by elastic deformation when the arms are housed in the opening.

2. The puncture needle cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the arms are made of an elastic material.

3. The puncture needle cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the arms are installed in any desired locations on the shaft.

4. The puncture needle cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the protective cap and the shaft are connected via tear-off portion so that the protective cap and the shaft are separated when the tear-off portion is torn.

5. A puncture device configured to puncture skin using a needle, the device comprising:

a puncture button configured to puncture the skin with a needle,

wherein the puncture needle cartridge according to claim 1 is detachably attached to the puncture device, and

the puncture device punctures the skin using the attached puncture needle cartridge when the puncture button is pressed.

6. The puncture device according to claim 5, further comprising an ejection button configured to dispose of the puncture needle cartridge.