System and method for coding information on a biosensor test strip

• US 20050019953A1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Groll, Henning
• Granted Patent: US 7,718,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/514
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48771 Coding of information, e.g. calibration data, lot number

Abstract

The present invention provides a test strip for measuring a concentration of an analyte of interest in a biological fluid, wherein the test strip may be encoded with information that can be read by a test meter into which the test strip is inserted.

Claims

1. A test strip for measuring a concentration of an analyte of interest in a biological fluid, the test strip adapted to be inserted into a test meter having at least one connector contact that touches the inserted test strip, the test strip comprising:

a substrate having a top surface;

a conductive layer formed on at least a portion of the substrate top surface; and

at least one predetermined contact pad position defined upon the substrate top surface;

wherein each of the at least one contact pad positions is touched by a respective one of the at least one connector contacts when the test strip is inserted into the test meter;

wherein a presence of the conductive layer in a respective one of the contact pad positions is operative to indicate a first binary bit to the test meter; and

wherein an absence of the conductive layer in a respective one of the contact pad positions is operative to indicate a second binary bit to the test meter.

2. The test strip of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one contact pad positions is touched by a respective one of the at least one connector contacts when the test strip is fully inserted into the test meter.

3. The test strip of claim 1, wherein the at least one predetermined contact pad position comprises at least seven predetermined contact pad positions.

4. The test strip of claim 1, wherein the at least one predetermined contact pad position comprises at least twelve predetermined contact pad positions.

5. The test strip of claim 1, wherein the presence or absence of the conductive layer in each predetermined contact pad position is selected according to at least one characteristic of the test strip that effects measuring the concentration of the analyte.