Child-friendly analyte measurement instrument

• US 8,591,415 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Klinke, Martin, Hofmann, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): FULLER, RODNEY EVAN
• Application Number:
  US12/580,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 600/309
• US Class Current: 600/309
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6896 Toys
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/003 specially adapted for a particular function not connected with dolls as electric lighting devices A63H3/006

Abstract

Embodiments of a child-friendly analyte measurement system are provided for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid. A measurement system comprises at least one measurement instrument for detecting the analyte in the bodily fluid. The measurement instrument is configured as a portable hand-held instrument and has a housing with at least one display element. Furthermore, the measurement system comprises a toy, in particular a figurine or a toy animal. The toy has at least one receptacle for reversibly holding the measurement instrument, which receptacle is configured such that if the measurement instrument is held by the receptacle, the display element is accessible, at least in part. The measurement instrument is configured such that it can be used both in the measurement system and also, optionally, independently of the toy. Further aspects include a kit, a method, and the toy for the provided measurement system.

Claims

1. A measurement system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, comprising:

(i) at least one measurement instrument configured for detecting the analyte in the bodily fluid using at least one test element on which the bodily fluid is to be placed, the measurement instrument being configured as a portable hand-held instrument and having a housing with at least one display element and at least one operating element, the measurement instrument further including at least one application opening configured to enable a placement of a sample of the bodily fluid on the test element when the test element is held in the application opening; and

(ii) a toy having at least one receptacle for reversibly holding the measurement instrument, the receptacle including at least one fixing apparatus configured to fix the measurement instrument relative to the toy in the receptacle, the receptacle being configured such that if the measurement instrument is held by the receptacle, the sample can be placed on the test element and the display element and the operating element are accessible, at least in part, wherein the toy includes at least in part an outer cover for the measurement instrument that is configured as a human figure, an animal figure or a fantasy figure, with the receptacle having an opening, the opening being arranged at least in part in a facial region of the figure, the opening being configured such that the display element can at least in part be recognized in the opening when the measurement instrument is held in the receptacle and the measurement instrument is configured such that it can be used both in the measurement system and also independently of the toy.

2. The measurement system according to claim 1, in which the receptacle has at least one receptacle space, the measurement instrument being holdable at least in part within the receptacle space, with the receptacle furthermore having at least one closing element, the closing element being configured to secure the measurement instrument in the receptacle space when said closing element is in a closed state and to permit a removal of the measurement instrument from the receptacle when said closing element is in an opened state.

3. The measurement system according to claim 2, in which the closing element comprises at least one of the following elements:

a zipper;

a pushbutton;

a textile button; and

a lock which can be released by a user.

4. The measurement system according to claim 1, in which the measurement instrument furthermore has at least one acoustic element, the acoustic element being configured to output acoustic signals.

5. The measurement system according to claim 4, in which the output of acoustic signals comprises speech output comprising one or more of the following functions:

an output of at least one measurement result of the detection of the analyte in the bodily fluid;

a statement regarding at least one measurement result of the detection of the analyte in the bodily fluid;

a request to undertake a measurement;

a request to undertake at least one action; and

a reply to a search call of a user.

6. The measurement system according to claim 1, in which the measurement instrument comprises at least one input element for inputting acoustic signals.

7. The measurement system according to claim 1, in which the measurement instrument has at least one memory storage element, with a plurality of sets of character parameters from different types of toys being stored in the memory storage element, wherein a certain record is selectable from the memory storage element in accordance with the particular toy.

8. A measurement system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, comprising:

(i) at least one measurement instrument for detecting the analyte in the bodily fluid, the measurement instrument being configured as a portable hand-held instrument and having a housing with at least one display element; and

(ii) a toy having at least one receptacle for reversibly holding the measurement instrument, the receptacle being configured such that if the measurement instrument is held by the receptacle, the display element is accessible, at least in part, and wherein the measurement instrument is configured such that it can be used both in the measurement system and also independently of the toy, in which the toy has at least one toy control, the toy control being configured to carry out at least one toy-specific function, the toy furthermore having at least one interface for interchanging data and/or control commands with the measurement instrument, wherein the toy control is configured to communicate with a control of the measurement instrument.

9. The measurement system according to claim 8, in which the measurement instrument furthermore has at least one operating element, the receptacle being configured such that if the measurement instrument is held by the receptacle, the operating element is accessible, at least in part.

10. The measurement system according to claim 8, in which the receptacle has at least one fixing apparatus, the fixing apparatus being configured to fix the measurement instrument relative to the toy.

11. The measurement system according to claim 8, in which the measurement instrument is configured to detect the analyte using at least one test element, the measurement instrument having at least one application opening, the application opening being configured to enable a placement of a sample of the bodily fluid on a test element held in the application opening, with the receptacle being configured such that the sample can be placed when the measurement instrument is held in the receptacle.

12. The measurement system according to claim 8, in which the toy is at least in part designed as a human figure, an animal figure or a fantasy figure, with the receptacle having an opening, the opening being arranged at least in part in a facial region of the figure, the opening being configured such that the display element can at least in part be recognized in the opening when the measurement instrument is held in the receptacle.

13. The measurement system according to claim 12, in which the measurement instrument has a control, the control being configured to display at least parts of a face of the figure on the display element in at least one mode of operation.

14. The measurement system according to claim 13, in which the control is configured to change a facial expression of the face according to one or more of the following conditions:

a measurement result of the detection of the analyte in the bodily fluid;

a time of a measurement result; and

a time for a future measurement to be carried out.

15. The measurement system according to claim 8, in which the measurement instrument is configured to adapt at least one function to the toy.

16. A measurement system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, comprising:

(i) at least one measurement instrument for detecting the analyte in the bodily fluid, the measurement instrument being configured as a portable hand-held instrument and having a housing with at least one display element; and

(ii) a toy having at least one receptacle for reversibly holding the measurement instrument, the receptacle being configured such that if the measurement instrument is held by the receptacle, the display element is accessible, at least in part, and wherein the measurement instrument is configured such that it can be used both in the measurement system and also independently of the toy, in which the toy has at least one identifier, the identifier having at least one item of information about the toy, the measurement instrument being configured to read out the identifier.

17. A toy for use in a measurement system, the toy comprising at least one toy cover which substantially determines the outer shape of the toy, the toy furthermore having at least one receptacle for reversibly holding a measurement instrument for detecting an analyte in a bodily fluid, wherein the toy cover is configured as a human figure, an animal figure or a fantasy figure, with the receptacle having an opening, the opening being arranged at least in part in a facial region of the figure, the measurement instrument being configured as a portable hand-held instrument and having a housing with at least one display element, the receptacle being configured such that if the measurement instrument is held by the receptacle, the display element is accessible, at least in part, and with the opening of the receptacle being configured such that the display element can at least in part be recognized in the opening when the measurement instrument is held in the receptacle.

18. A kit for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, the kit comprising at least one measurement instrument configured for detecting the analyte in the bodily fluid using at least one test element on which the bodily fluid is to be placed, each measurement instrument being configured as a portable hand-held instrument and having a housing with at least one display element and at least one operating element, the measurement instrument further including at least one application opening configured to enable a placement of a sample of the bodily fluid on the test element when the test element is held in the application opening, furthermore comprising a plurality of toys each having at least one receptacle for reversibly holding one of the measurement instruments, the receptacle including at least one fixing apparatus configured to fix the measurement instrument relative to the toy in the receptacle, each receptacle being configured such that if one of the measurement instruments is held by the receptacle, the sample can be placed on the test element and the display element and the operating element are accessible, at least in part, wherein the toy includes at least in part an outer cover for the measurement instrument that is configured as a human figure, an animal figure or a fantasy figure, with the receptacle having an opening, the opening being arranged at least in part in a facial region of the figure, the opening being configured such that the display element can at least in part be recognized in the opening when the measurement instrument is held in the receptacle, and each measurement instrument is configured such that it can be used both interchangeably in one of the toys and independently of the toys, and wherein each measurement instrument and respective one of the toys together form a child-friendly measurement system.

19. A method for producing a measurement system for detecting at least one analyte in a bodily fluid, comprising:

selecting a measurement instrument configured to detect the analyte in the bodily fluid using at least one test element on which the bodily fluid is to be placed, the measurement instrument being configured as a portable hand-held instrument and having a housing with at least one display element and at least one operating element, the measurement instrument further including at least one application opening configured to enable a placement of a sample of the bodily fluid on the test element when the test element is held in the application opening;

selecting a toy comprising at least one receptacle configured for reversibly holding the measurement instrument therein, the receptacle including at least one fixing apparatus configured to fix the measurement instrument relative to the toy in the receptacle, the receptacle being configured such that if the measurement is held by the receptacle the sample can be placed on the test element and the display element and the operating element of the measurement instrument are at least partially accessible, wherein the toy includes at least in part an outer cover for the measurement instrument that is configured as a human figure, an animal figure or a fantasy figure, with the receptacle having an opening, the opening being arranged at least in part in a facial region of the figure, the opening being configured such that the display element can at least in part be recognized in the opening when the measurement instrument is held in the receptacle; and

placing the measurement instrument within the receptacle, wherein the measurement instrument is configured such that it can be used for detecting the analyte both after the placing step and before the placing step.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising placing a plurality of different types of toys in a storage, wherein the step of selecting a toy comprises selecting one of the types of toys based on a target group of users of the measurement system to be produced.