Skin penetration device

• US 9,603,563 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Owen Mumford
• Original Assignee: Owen Mumford
• Inventors: Hudson, Christopher, Muller, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): TYSON, MELANIE RUANO
• Application Number:
  US14/110,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20140121691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150114 by tissue compression, e.g. with specially designed surface of device contacting the skin area to be pierced
• 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 5/150503 Single-ended needles hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396, needle sets for catheters A61M25/06, needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150595 by snap-lock (i.e. based on axial displacement)
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150809 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150824 by visual feedback
• 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 lancing device includes a housing (10, 12) and a lancet holder movably mounted within the housing. The lancet holder has a forward portion defining a socket (30) for partially surrounding and retaining in use the rear portion of a lancet. A lancet release element (40, 42) can be moved forward to cooperate with lugs on the socket to expand it to allow insertion and/or removal of the lancet with minimal insertion or withdrawal force.

Claims

1. A lancing device having:

a housing comprising

a main body portion, and

a forward nose portion that is removably attached to the main body portion to allow loading and unloading of a lancet in use;

a lancet holder movably mounted in said housing and having a forward portion for receiving a lancet in use; and

a lancet release element movable among

an intermediate rest position,

a rearward position in which the lancet release element cocks the lancing device in a ready-to-fire position prior to use, and

a forward release position to release the lancet from the lancet holder,

said lancet release element comprising an elongate extension that is exterior to an outer periphery of said lancet holder, wherein forward movement of the elongate extension is prevented by said forward nose portion when said forward nose portion is connected to said main body portion so that forward movement of said lancet release element from the intermediate rest position to the forward release position is prevented by said forward nose portion when the nose portion is connected to said main body, and

wherein said lancet release element is movable from the intermediate rest position to said forward release position only after said forward nose portion is removed from said main body portion, and

wherein said lancet release element is movable longitudinally and wherein a forward end of said elongate extension directly contacts said forward nose portion to prevent the forward movement of said lancet release element when the forward nose portion is connected to said main body portion.

2. The lancing device according to claim 1, further comprising the lancet, wherein said lancet comprises a movable insertion element disposed in said housing and having a sharp tip and adapted to be inserted into skin of a recipient;

and

wherein said forward nose portion comprises a depth penetration arrangement comprising,

a first, relatively fixed portion forming part of or secured to said housing, and

a skin contacting portion being mounted for angular movement about an axis on said relatively fixed portion;

wherein one of the relatively fixed portion and the skin contacting portion has an interrupted cam surface, and the other of said relatively fixed portion and said skin contacting portion has a cam follower adapted to cooperate with said interrupted cam surface,

whereby rotation of said skin contacting portion relative to said fixed portion varies the relative axial position of said skin contacting portion and said fixed portion.

3. The skin penetration device according to claim 2, wherein said relatively fixed portion and said skin contacting portion include respective detent elements to prevent a detent action at spaced angular positions.

4. The skin penetration device according to claim 2, wherein a stop surface is associated with said interrupted cam surface to limit rotation of said skin contacting portion relative to said fixed portion.

5. The skin penetration device according to claim 2, wherein said interrupted cam surface follows a generally helical path with respect to the axis, the cam surface including alternate opposite facing cam face elements together defining a cam track for said cam follower.

6. The skin penetration device according to claim 5, wherein the cam face elements are of lesser circumferential extent than said cam follower.

7. The skin penetration device according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the cam surface and said cam follower are resiliently deformable to allow said cam follower to be introduced into said cam track by application of an axial load.

8. The skin penetration device according to claim 5, wherein said cam follower is provided on said skin contacting portion and said cam track is provided on said relatively fixed portion.

9. The lancing device according to claim 1, wherein said lancet release element is movable in a direction generally parallel to a lancing direction.

10. The lancing device according to claim 1, wherein the elongate extension projects forwardly to terminate just rearwardly of a front face of the main body when the lancet release element is in the intermediate rest position.