Orientation independent meter

• US 9,354,194 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LifeScan IP Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Zvikhachevskaya, Anna, Rodgers, James Iain, Ritchie, Lawrence, Nelson, Jonathan, Morales, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): NOGUEROLA, ALEXANDER STEPHAN
• Application Number:
  US13/921,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20140374278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3272 Test elements therefor, i.e. disposable laminated substrates with electrodes, reagent and channels optical biosensors G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3273 Devices therefor, e.g. test element readers, circuitry details not specific to biochemical electrodes G01N33/4875

Abstract

An analyte meter with a test strip port that detects an orientation of a test strip inserted therein. A control circuit of the test meter is configured to apply a first predetermined analyte measurement signal to a test strip electrode in response to detecting a first orientation of the test strip, and a second predetermined analyte measurement signal to the same, or a different, electrode in response to detecting a second orientation of the test strip.

Claims

1. A test strip and strip port connector (SPC) system comprising:

a test strip with a lug disposed on a longitudinal edge thereof;

the test strip having electrical contact pads at least at one end of the test strip; and

a strip port connector (SPC) including;

a first set of electrical contacts configured to make operable contact with electrical contact pads of the test strip inserted into the SPC in a first orientation;

a second set of electrical contacts configured to make operable contact with the electrical contact pads of the test strip inserted into the SPC in a second orientation; and

a test strip orientation detection mechanism configured to distinguish the first and second orientations based on positioning of the lug in the SPC.

2. A method for employing a hand-held test meter with a test strip comprising:

inserting the test strip into an strip port connector (SPC) of a hand-held meter, the test strip having a lug disposed on a longitudinal edge thereof and electrical contact pads at least at one end thereof;

making electrical contact to electrical contact pads of the test strip using one of;

a first set of electrical contacts configured to make operable contact with electrical contact pads of the test strip inserted into the SPC in a first orientation; and

a second set of electrical contacts configured to make operable contact with the electrical contact pads of the test strip inserted into the SPC in a second orientation; and

distinguishing the first and second orientations based on positioning of the lug in the SPC using a test strip orientation mechanism of the SPC.