Protective container for holding reusable diagnostic components

• US 9,610,127 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Heck, Wolfgang, Roesicke, Bernd, Frisch, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Larkin, Daniel S
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOLB, NATHANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US14/319,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20140316223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 600309, 600347, 600365, 600366
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/18 Shielding or protection of sensors from environmental influences, e.g. protection from mechanical damage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/182 Electrical shielding, e.g. using a Faraday cage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/10 specially adapted for instruments, e.g. microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14865 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter or needle or using implanted sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6849 in combination with a needle set
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/30 Containers specially adapted for packaging, protecting, dispensing, collecting or disposing of surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments for wound clamps A61B17/10; for ligaturing clips A61B17/122; packages or dispensers for surgical gloves or finger-stalls A61B42/40

Abstract

A protective container for holding a reusable control part of a transcutaneous sensor system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid is disclosed. The control part includes at least one coupling, which has at least one sensor coupling for connection to at least one transcutaneous sensor. The protective container has at least one container housing. The control part can be held in the container housing. The container housing is adapted to shield the control part from environmental influences. The container housing also has at least one connector which can be connected to the coupling and seals the latter in a media-tight fashion.

Claims

1. A protective container for holding a reusable control part of a transcutaneous sensor system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, wherein the control part includes at least one coupling assembly having a sensor coupling for connection to at least one transcutaneous sensor when the control part is being used, wherein the protective container comprises:

at least one container housing, wherein the control part is positionable in the container housing when the control part is not in use, wherein the container housing is adapted to shield the control part from environmental influences, and wherein the container housing has a connector assembly with at least one sensor connector, the at least one sensor connector being connectable to the sensor coupling and forming a sealing engagement with the sensor coupling when connected thereto and wherein the protective container has at least one electrical energy supply, the coupling assembly of the control part being engageable with only one of the transcutaneous sensor and the sensor connector of the protective container at any one time and wherein connecting the connector assembly to the at least one coupling assembly establishes an electrical connection between the connector assembly and the at least one coupling assembly; and

a microcontroller disposed within the container housing and powered by the at least one electrical energy supply, the microcontroller being in communication with an interface and with the control part when the connector assembly is connected to the at least one coupling assembly thereby adapting the protective container to communicate calibration information from an external measuring instrument to the control part when the connector assembly is connected to the at least one coupling assembly.

2. The protective container of claim 1 wherein the at least one electrical energy supply comprises an internal energy supply.

3. The protective container of claim 2 wherein the internal energy supply comprises a battery.

4. The protective container of claim 3 wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery.

5. The protective container of claim 1 wherein the at least one electrical energy supply comprises a coupling for an external energy supply.

6. The protective container of claim 5 wherein the coupling for an external energy supply comprises a mains plug.

7. The protective container of claim 1 further comprising a user interface powered by the at least one electrical energy supply.

8. The protective container of claim 1 wherein the container housing comprises an electrically conductive material and thereby at least partially electrically shields the control part when the control part is received in the container housing.

9. The protective container of claim 1 wherein the protective container is adapted to supply electrical power from the at least one electrical energy supply when the connector assembly is connected with the at least one coupling assembly.