Storage cartridge for biosensors

• US 20030175155A1
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG (PHC Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bayer Healthcare LLC (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Charlton, Steven C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,270,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/61
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48757 Test elements dispensed from a stack

Abstract

A storage cartridge for dispensing biosensors used in the determination of an analyte in body fluid comprises a hollow body for housing a stack of biosensors having an open top, a flexible conveying member disposed over the open top of the body, the flexible conveying member having an aperture formed therein for receiving a biosensor from the stack of biosensors, a plate adapted to press the sliding conveying member against the open top to form a substantially moisture-impervious seal around the open top of the body and to permit the conveying member to slide between the plate and the open top, and means for biasing the stack of biosensors towards the open top.

Claims

1. A storage cartridge for dispensing biosensors used in the determination of an analyte in body fluid, the storage cartridge comprising:

a hollow body for housing a stack of biosensors having an open top;

a flexible conveying member disposed over the open top of the body, the flexible conveying member having an aperture formed therein for receiving a biosensor from the stack of biosensors;

a plate adapted to press the sliding conveying member against the open top in a manner to form a substantially moisture-impervious seal around the open top of the body and to permit the conveying member to slide between the plate and the open top; and

a biasing member for biasing the stack of biosensors towards the open top of the body.

2. The storage cartridge of claim 1 wherein the flexible conveying member is made out of polyolefin.

3. The storage cartridge of claim 1 wherein the flexible conveying member has a lubricious surface.

4. The storage cartridge of claim 1 wherein the flexible conveying member has a low moisture vapor transmission rate.

5. The storage cartridge of claim 1 wherein the biasing member comprises a resilient member disposed between the stack of biosensors and an interior bottom surface of the hollow body.

6. The storage cartridge of claim 5 wherein the resilient member is a spring.

7. The storage cartridge of claim 1 wherein the biasing member includes a compressed gas disposed between the stack of and an interior bottom surface of the hollow body.

8. The storage cartridge of claim 1 wherein each of the biosensors have a contact area for interfacing with a testing unit and a collection area for receiving a body fluid, and wherein the biosensors are stacked within the storage cartridge such that each biosensor is dispensed contact area first.

9. The storage cartridge of claim 8 wherein the test device is adapted to measure a reaction between a reagent disposed in the biosensor and the analyte in the received body fluid.

10. The storage cartridge of claim 1 further comprising a desiccant disposed within the hollow body.

11. A method for dispensing a biosensor used in the determination of an analyte in body fluid from a biosensor storage cartridge, the method comprising:

stacking a plurality of biosensors within a hollow body of the storage cartridge, the cartridge being closed at a bottom end and open at a top end;

disposing a conveying tape over the open top end, the conveying tape having at least one aperture disposed therein for receiving a biosensor;

applying a pressure to the conveying tape for pressing the conveying tape against the open top end to form a substantially moisture-impervious seal over the open top end;

biasing the biosensors stacked within the cartridge towards the sealed top end of the cartridge;

receiving a biosensor from the stack of biosensors in the at least one aperture formed in the conveying tape; and

pulling a portion of the conveying tape from the cartridge such that the biosensor received in the at least one aperture is pulled from the cartridge.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein pulling further comprises reducing the pressure applied to the conveying tape.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the conveying tape is made out of polyolefin.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the conveying tape is made out of a flexible material.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the conveying tape is made out of a material having a lubricious surface.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the flexible conveying tape has a low moisture vapor transmission rate.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein biasing further comprises biasing the stack of biosensors towards the sealed top end with a resilient member disposed between the stack of biosensors and the bottom end of the hollow cartridge.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the resilient member is a spring.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the biosensors have a contact area for interfacing with a testing unit and a collection area for receiving the body fluid, the method further comprising stacking the biosensors within the hollow body such that each biosensor is dispensed contact area first.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising measuring a reaction between a reagent disposed in the biosensor and the analyte in the received body fluid.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising determining the concentration of the analyte in body fluid.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising disposing a desiccant within the hollow body.

23. A storage cartridge for dispensing biosensors used in the determination of an analyte in body fluid, the storage cartridge comprising:

a hollow body for housing a stack of biosensors having an open top;

a flexible conveying member disposed over the open top of the body, the flexible conveying member having an aperture formed therein for receiving a biosensor from the stack of biosensors;

a plate disposed on the open top of the body, the plate adapted to move to between a first position and a second position, the plate adapted to press the conveying member against the open top to form a substantially moisture impervious seal in the first position, the plate adapted to permit the conveying member to slide between the plate and the open top in the second position; and

a biasing member for urging the stack of biosensors towards the open top.

24. The storage cartridge of claim 23 wherein the flexible conveying member is made out of polyolefin.

25. The storage cartridge of claim 23 wherein the flexible conveying member has a low moisture vapor transmission rate.

26. The storage cartridge of claim 23 wherein the biasing member comprises a spring disposed between the stack of biosensors and an interior bottom surface of the hollow body.

27. The storage cartridge of claim 23 wherein each of the biosensors have a contact area for interfacing with a testing unit and a collection area for receiving a body fluid, and wherein the biosensors are stacked within the storage cartridge such that each biosensor is dispensed contact area first.

28. The storage cartridge of claim 27 wherein the test device is adapted to measure a reaction between a reagent disposed in the biosensor and the analyte in the received body fluid.

29. The storage cartridge of claim 23 further comprising a desiccant disposed within the hollow body.

30. A storage cartridge for dispensing biosensors used in the determination of an analyte in body fluid, the storage cartridge comprising:

a hollow body for housing a stack of biosensors having an open top;

a flexible conveying member disposed over the open top of the body, the flexible conveying member having an aperture formed therein for receiving a biosensor from the stack of biosensors;

a plate adapted to press the sliding conveying member against the open top to form a substantially moisture-impervious seal around the open top of the body and to permit the conveying member to slide between the plate and the open top; and

means for biasing the stack of biosensors towards the open top.

31. The storage cartridge of claim 30 wherein the flexible conveying member is made out of polyolefin.

32. The storage cartridge of claim 30 wherein the flexible conveying member has a lubricious surface.

33. The storage cartridge of claim 30 wherein the flexible conveying member has a low moisture vapor transmission rate.

34. The storage cartridge of claim 30 wherein the means for biasing comprises a resilient member disposed between the stack of biosensors and an interior bottom surface of the hollow body.

35. The storage cartridge of claim 34 wherein the resilient member is a spring.

36. The storage cartridge of claim 30 wherein the mean for biasing comprises a compressed gas disposed between the stack of and an interior bottom surface of the hollow body.