MXPA00001859A - Lancing device having a releasable connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A lancing device (10) has a spring-loaded lancet holder (20) slidably mounted within a housing (16) for carrying a disposable lancet (40) and needle (42). A slider (26) mounted in a slot in the housing is moved back for cocking the device and, after the lancet is fired, is moved forward to eject the used lancet. A releasable connector (28) reversibly immobilizes the holder (20) while the lancet is being ejected. The releasable connector permits a shortened ejection stroke, which, in turn, permits a shorter slot in the housing.

Description

LANCET DEVICE WITH A DEPENDABLE CONNECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a lancet device for traversing the skin in order to obtain a blood sample; more in particular, a lancet device having a short stroke to eject the lancet after application thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART Lancet devices are an unfortunate reality for the millions of people with diabetes who have to test their blood glucose levels up to 5 or more times each day. Typically, these people use the devices to draw a drop of blood from a finger, apply the blood on a disposable strip, and measure the concentration of glucose in the blood in a meter. The obvious goals of such lancet devices are to provide a sufficient blood sample with minimal pain, minimal inconvenience and minimal cost to the user. US Patent 4,503,856, issued March 12, 1985 to Cornell et al, discloses a lancet device having a tubular housing, a sliding lancet holder in the housing and a compressible spring that provides the force to move the fastener linearly to a position to traverse the skin, after which it returns to a neutral position. The patent of E.U.A. 4,527,561, issued on July 9, 1985 to Burns discloses a lancet unit that includes a second spring for retracting the lancet holder after the lancet has penetrated the user's skin (see also U.S. Patent 4,535,769 and 4,553,541). The patent of E.U.A. No. 4,895,147, issued January 23, 1990 to Bodicky et al, describes a lancet device that includes a depth of penetration selector and a mechanism to create a vacuum after the skin has been traversed to help draw blood from the site. the puncture The patent of E.U.A. No. 4,976,724, issued December 11, 1990 to Nieto et al, describes a lancet device that includes a mechanism that allows the user to eject a used lancet without touching it. The patent of E.U.A. 5,318,584, issued June 7, 1994 to Lange et al, discloses a lancet device that includes a rotary / sliding transmission system that allows for a puncture with less pain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a lancet device for drawing a blood sample. It consists of a generally elongated housing having a cover with a through hole at an anterior end and a closure at the posterior end, opposite the anterior end and containing: (a) a lancet holder, slidably mounted within the housing, ( b) a first spring for pushing the fastener forward, having a first end related to the housing and a second end related to the fastener, (c) a slider, slidably mounted on a wall of the housing, comprising (i) ) a projection off the wall and (ii) a pushing means, which reversibly engages the fastener, to push the fastener back to a raised position and to push a lancet forwardly from the device, (d) a second spring for pushing the return fastener, which has a first end that is related to the fastener and a second end related to the slider, (e) a button, movable between a first a position in which the clip is restricted when the device is lifted and a second position in which the restriction is removed, allowing the first spring to push the clip forward, and (f) a removable connector mounted within the housing to immobilize the holder when the slider moves forward to eject the lancet from the device. Many advantages are obtained from the detachable connector of the lancet device of the present. First, allows the lifting and ejection mechanisms to join directly, allowing a short hit. A short blow facilitates the operation of the device with one hand. In addition, a short stroke allows a smaller slot for sliding the slider. By using a smaller groove, it is possible to provide the groove with a cover to prevent the infiltration of debris, without the cover interferes with the actuator during ejection of the lancet. Another advantage of the detachable connector is that it creates interference between the slider and the housing during ejection of the lancet, which provides friction feedback to allow the user to know that the device is in the ejection mode. The interference also eliminates the need for a return spring to provide tension for the slider. If there was no interference, the slider would be free to move (not desired). Yet another advantage of the detachable connector is to prevent the slider from moving forward unintentionally when the lid is removed. On the contrary, the slider is forced forward against a stop on the connector by means of the second spring (retraction). The connector in this way allows the lid to be removed and re-adjusted without interference from the slider.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device of this invention to which half of the housing has been removed. Figure 2 is a cross section of the device of Figure 1 in its rest position. Figure 3 is a cross section of the device of the figure 1 when it is getting up. Figure 4 is a cross section of the device of Figure 1 in a very upright position. Figure 5 is a cross section of the device of Figure 1 when lifted. Figure 6 is a cross section of the device of Figure 1 while it is firing. Fig. 7 is a cross-section showing the ejection of the lancet from the device of this invention. Figures 7A-7F are enlarged views of a piece of Figure 7, showing various alternative embodiments of a detachable connector. Figure 8 is a cross section of a device of this invention after the expulsion of the lancet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a lancet device incorporating a detachable connector for simpler construction and more useful operation. Figure 1 describes a lancet device 10 of this invention, which has one side of the housing removed to allow an interior view. The front end of the device has a cover 12, with a through hole 14. The cover 12 is movably connected, for example by means of a screw thread, to the housing 16, which is conveniently formed of two parts. One half 16a is shown, while the other half has been removed. At the rear end of the device opposite the lid 12, the housing 16 is attached to the pepilla 18. The knob 18 has cantilevered projections 18A that provide a mechanical stop, whose position can be varied by a thread, such as a spiral thread, which joins the knob to the housing. The mechanical stop is preferably provided by means of indentations in the inner part of the cantilevered projections. A lancet holder 20 holds and guides a disposable lancet during the entire operation of the device. A pulse spring 22 stores the energy needed to drive the lancet forward. The thrust spring 22 is contained within the fastener 20 and is related to the post 23 of the housing. A second "retraction" spring 24, which is also contained in the fastener 20, provides a mechanism for removing the lancet needle from the skin after the lancet has been punctured. The spring constant of the retraction spring 24 is substantially less than that of the thrust spring 22; therefore, the thrust spring 22 is substantially "stronger". The slider 26 is slidably mounted on the housing 16 and has a projection 26A outside the housing that can be moved manually - backward to lift the device and forward to eject the lancet. When the device is being lifted, the slider 26 engages the fastener 20. The button 30 is mounted through the housing, with the tab 30A projecting into the housing. After the device is lifted, pressing the button 30 releases the restriction on the lancet holder 20 to allow the spring 22 to push the holder forward. The reference to element 30 as a "button" is not to suggest that the illustrated actuator element is the only one contemplated. In this specification and in the appended claims, it should be understood that "button" is generally applied to any actuator, of the type well known in the art, which can release the restriction on the lancet holder. The operation of the lancet device can be understood with the help of a series of figures showing the configuration of the elements of the device in order during the operation of the device. Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the device at rest, with the internal part 26B of the slider 26 resting against the upper part 28A of the detachable connector 28. The impulse spring 22 and the retraction spring 24 are in equilibrium, one in relation to the other.

Both springs are compressed, the thrust spring 22 much less than the return spring 24, since its spring constant is much greater. The lancet 40 and the needle 42 are seen inside the lid 12. Figure 3 shows a cross section of the device in an intermediate position while it is in the process of being lifted, by the slider 26 being moved backwards (to the right in figure 3). The force exerted by the backward movement of the thrust element 26C of the slider 26 causes the retraction spring 24 to be compressed more than in Figure 2. Due to its much greater constancy of elasticity, the thrust spring 22 remains relatively uncompressed . Figure 4 illustrates the lancet device when it is in the "very raised" position; that is, the slider 26 has been moved to a later position farther. The cantilever extension 44 of the lancet holder 20 has moved slightly further (to the right) from the stop of the housing 46. The impulse spring 22 is compressed and the retraction spring 24 remains compressed to approximately the same degree as in the figure 3. Figure 5 describes the lancet device when it is lifted and at rest. The thrust spring 22 is forcing the extension 44 of the lancet holder 20 against the housing stop 46. The slider 26 has returned to its initial position (FIG. 2). The retraction spring 24 is less compressed than in FIGS. 3 and 4. If the button 30 is now depressed, the tab 30A pushes the extension 44 without the stop 46 constituting an obstacle (below) and allows the lancet holder. 20 is pushed forward (to the left) in response to the force exerted by the compressed pulse spring 22. That sequence leads to the instantaneous situation described in FIG. 6, in which the lancet 40 has reached its left position. extreme, with the needle 42 coming out through the opening of the lid 14. The protuberances in the cantilevered projections 18A, which are internal elements of the knob 18, have stopped the forward movement (to the left) of the fastener of lancet 20. As mentioned above, the cantilever projections deviate slightly, by means of which they absorb some vibrations and reduce the noise to reduce pain to the user. The slider 26 is still in its initial position. The thrust spring 22 has moved forward with the fastener 20 and is not compressed. The retraction spring 24 is compressed, whereby it will exert a backward (right) force on the fastener 20, resulting in the lancet 40 and needle 42 retracting and the configuration of the elements returning to the shown in figure 2. After an operation to pass through the skin, the lancet that was used must be removed from the device. Figure 7 is a section in partial section showing the expulsion of the lancet when the detachable connector 28 is a cantilevered pin. Cover 12 must be removed first.

While the slider 26 moves forward, it pushes down the upper portion 28A of the pin 28, forcing the teeth 50 to the pin 28 to mesh with the corresponding teeth 52 in the holder 20, preventing the holder from moving forward, while the push element 26C of the slider 26 pushes the used lancet 40 out of the device. By closing the fastener in place during the procedure, a desirably shorter slider stroke serves to achieve ejection.

In addition, the friction between the slider and the upper portion 28A provides desirable tangible feedback to a user during the ejection step. Figure 7A focuses on the construction of the cantilever pin 28 and its teeth 50 which engage the corresponding teeth 52 in the fastener 20. As shown, both groups of teeth are asymmetric, which is preferred for the following reason. Although the device is preferably lifted by moving the slider 26 backward, as discussed above with respect to Figures 3, 4, and 5, can also be lifted by pushing a new lancet 40 into the device after a used lancet has been ejected. In this case, the cantilever pin and the fastener must still have their teeth engaged, as shown in Figure 7A. However, the asymmetric teeth will allow the clip to move backward (to the right) to reach, consecutively, the position shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5. Figure 8 shows the elements of the device when the slider 26 has pushed forward to the end of its displacement, causing the push member 26C of the slider 26 to urge the lancet (not shown) from the device. Although Figures 7 and 7A represent a preferred release connector 28, wherein a cantilever pin has a cantilever arm for releasable contact with the fastener 20 and the teeth 50 on the pin for engaging the teeth 52 on the fastener, other embodiments of the connector detachable are also contemplated in this invention. These are represented in a series of figures that show focused views of the pieces of the alternative peel-off connectors corresponding to the pieces of the cantilever pin shown in Figure 7A. Figure 7B depicts a connector in which the arm 128 has a pivot 128A instead of being cantilevered. Figure 7C depicts a connector in which the arm 228 is spring loaded, supported by spring means 228A and 228B.

Clearly, other types of springs, such as coil springs, can be used. Figure 7C illustrates the fact that the term "arm" is not necessarily interpreted in relation to the elongated element, but simply identifies the element that carries the coupling mechanism. Figure 7D shows a connector in which the arm 328 is mounted rotatably on the shaft 328A, spring-loaded with a torsion spring 328B. Figure 7E depicts an embodiment in which the fastener 20 has a reversible deformable surface that is deformed by the connector 428 to immobilize the fastener. Fig. 7F represents a mode in which the cantilever connector 528 has a rough surface 550 which couples a rough surface 552 on the fastener to immobilize the fastener. Those skilled in the art will understand that the description and the foregoing figures illustrate the practice of the present invention, but in no way limit it. Variations of the detail presented herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims (9)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A lancet device for obtaining a blood sample, comprising a generally elongated housing having a cover with a through hole at an anterior end and a closure at a posterior end, opposite the anterior end, and containing a) a lancet holder, mounted slidably within the housing, b) a first spring for pushing the holder forward, having a first end that is related to the housing and a second end related to the holder, c) a slider, mounted slidably on a wall of the housing, consisting of: i) a projection off the wall and ii) a pushing means, which reversibly engages the fastener, to push the fastener back into a raised position and to pushing a lancet forward from the device, d) a second spring for pushing the fastener backward, having a first end that is related to the fastener and a second end related to the slider, e) a button, movable between a first position in which the clip is restricted when the device is lifted and a second position in which the restriction is removed, allowing the first spring to push the clip forward and ) a detachable connector mounted within the housing to lock the fastener when the slider moves forward to eject the lancet from the device.

2. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises a lancet mounted on the lancet holder, the lancet includes a needle having a point to pass through the hole in the lid to perform an operation to pass through the skin.

3. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the detachable connector comprises a cantilever arm.

4. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the detachable connector comprises a rotating arm.

5. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the detachable connector comprises a spring-loaded arm.

6. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the detachable connector has a rough surface near an anterior end to frictionally engage a rough surface on the fastener.

7. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the detachable connector has at least one tooth near the front end to couple at least one depression in the fastener.

8. - The device according to claim 7, further characterized in that the detachable connector has a plurality of asymmetric teeth for coupling a plurality of asymmetric teeth on the fastener.

9. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the fastener has a reversible deformable surface that is formed by the detachable connector to reversibly immobilize the fastener. APPENDIX SHEET SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A lancet device having a spring-loaded lancet holder slidably mounted within a housing for carrying a disposable lancet and needle; a slider mounted in a slot in the housing moves backward to lift the device and, after the lancet is triggered, moves forward to eject the used lancet; a detachable connector reversibly immobilizes the fastener while the lancet is ejected; the removable connector allows a short expulsion stroke, which, in turn, allows a short hit in the housing. P00 / 243