Automatic lancing device

• US 6,986,777 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yong Pil Kim
• Original Assignee: Yong Pil Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Yong Pil
• Primary Examiner(s): THALER, MICHAEL H
• Application Number:
  US10/251,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20030199892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 606/182, 606/183, 600/583
• US Class Current: 606/182
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• 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 5/15111 Semi-automatically triggered, e.g. at the end of the cocking procedure, for instance by biasing the main drive spring or when reaching sufficient contact pressure, the piercing device is automatically triggered without any deliberate action by the user
• 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

The present invention generally relates to an automatic lancing device for withdrawing a blood sample, comprising a pushing member positioned at a back end of a body and a rotatable cap combined with a front end of the body for regulating the combination length of the body and the ejection length of a lancet, thereby obtaining a blood sample exactly at a desired position without misoperation and adjusting the penetration length of lancet according to depth of the skin.

Claims

1. An automatic lancing device for withdrawing a blood sample, comprising:

a hollow cylindrical body;

an operation mechanism having a lancet exchangeably fitted at the front of a lancet holder positioned inside the body, and an impact-receiving member combined with the other side of the lancet holder and receiving impact to eject the lancet from the body;

an impact-generating mechanism having an impact-transmitting member positioned at a back end of the operation mechanism and transmitting impact to the impact-receiving member, wherein the impact-generating mechanism includes;

a pushing member being positioned at the back end of the body and having pin-operating holes which penetrate across it;

the impact-transmitting member having a penetrating hole and inner-inserted inside the pushing member, wherein a first elastic member is also inner-inserted inside the pushing member and interposed between the impact-transmitting member and the pushing member;

a pin guide member having pin guide holes penetrating across it and located outside the pushing member, wherein a second elastic member is also located outside the pushing member and interposed between the pin guide member and the pushing member; and

an operating pin passing through the penetrating holes of the impact-transmitting member, the pin-operating holes of the pushing member and the pin-guide hole of the pin guide member and connecting these members;

wherein each of the pin guide holes has a circumferential path and a longitudinal path;

the operating pin located at the circumferential path is moved into the longitudinal path by the pin-operating hole when the pushing member is pushed; and

the impact-transmitting member is moved forward with the operating pin according to the longitudinal path due to the first elastic member storing elasticity while the operating pin is being moved, and transmits impact into the impact-receiving member; and

a length-regulating mechanism comprising a length-regulating member rotationably combined with the outer circumference of a front case enclosing the lancet at the front end of the body and regulating an ejection length of the lancet from the front case.

2. The automatic lancing device according to claim 1, wherein the front case has a helical thread at the outer circumference and the length-regulating member has a protruding portion for moving according to the helical thread.