Patent Application
20150096888
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for attaching and sealing a lens to a blood glucose measurement meter.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Medical devices are used as diagnostic devices and/or therapeutic devices in diagnosing and/or treating medical conditions of patients. For example, a blood glucose meter is used as a diagnostic device to measure blood glucose levels of patients suffering from diabetes. Blood glucose meters use a test strip that receives a patient blood sample. Test strip electrical contacts are electrically contacted when the test strip is inserted into the meter. The meter determines a blood glucose level by measuring currents passed through strip electrical contacts, and provides glucose level readout.
Known meters provide a lens made of a transparent or semi-transparent polymeric material through which a digital display of the glucose level is presented to the user. Additional digital information as well as digital and/or manual buttons can also be provided with the meter to select functions, select alternate display data, eject the test strip, and the like. The lens of known meters is directly abutted to the rigid body of the meter, which does not always seal the meter internal components from moisture or dirt in the environment of use. A simple gasket positioned at the contact area requires a different part and a shelf adapted to receive the gasket, increasing meter complexity, assembly steps and cost.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
According to several aspects, a blood glucose test device with viewing lens seal includes a meter body rigid portion of a first polymeric material and an opening. A resilient portion of a second polymeric material more compressible than the first polymeric material integrally connected to the rigid portion defines an outer covering. A resilient portion edge extends beyond the rigid portion and partially into the opening about a substantial portion of a perimeter of the opening. A transparent polymeric material lens has an outer perimeter surface in contact with the resilient portion edge. Multiple flexible arms integrally connected to the lens each have a hook member. Each hook member engages a receiving member positioned in a meter body receiving aperture. Hook member engagement at a locking position pulls the lens toward the edge partially compressing the second polymeric material and creating a fluid seal between the perimeter surface and edge.
According to other aspects, a blood glucose test meter viewing lens seal device includes a blood glucose test meter having a meter body with: a first body portion of a first substantially rigid polymeric material; a second body portion connected to the first body portion; a circuit board having a processor and a test strip receiving member mounted thereto, the circuit board positioned between the first body portion and the second body portion; a resilient body portion of a second compressible polymeric material integrally connected to the first body portion and defining an outer perimeter covering for the first body portion; and an edge of the resilient body portion extending beyond the first body portion thereby defining a perimeter of an opening of the meter body. A lens of a transparent polymeric material is positioned at the opening of the meter body. The lens has an outer perimeter surface entirely in direct contact with the edge of the resilient portion such that the lens completely covers the opening of the meter body. Multiple flexible arms are integrally connected to the lens each having a hook member. The hook member engages a receiving member in each of multiple receiving apertures created in the meter body. Engagement of each hook member with one of the receiving members at a locking position partially compresses the second polymeric material at the edge thereby creating a fluid seal.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
A function button 26 can include the functions of powering on the device, reviewing the memory, setting the time or date, and/or selecting meal markers. The user of analysis device 10 initially inserts a test strip 28 into analysis device 10 in a loading direction “A”. Test strip 28 after being recognized by analysis device 10 is manually removed in a removal direction “B”, dosed, and then reinserted in loading direction “A”. After completion of a test, the test strip 28 is again removed from analysis device 10 by manually pulling the test strip 28 in the removal direction “B”. The function button 26 according to several aspects is a manually depressed button located in a front facing area defined as a function selection section 30 of the meter body 14. Digital data which is generated following the test performed on the fluid sample received with the dosed test strip 28 is displayed in the front facing area of analysis device 10 defined on a data display section 32.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
A positive engagement surface or web 72 extending from resilient portion 18 folds over when lens 12 contacts resilient portion 18 thereby providing for partial deflection of resilient portion 18 and enhancement of a fluid seal. The resilient portion 18 is fixed to rigid portion 16 at a bonding joint 74 which is created during a second molding operation (such as during a second shot of a two-shot molding process) which creates resilient portion 18 after initial creation of rigid portion 16.
During installation of lens 12, each beam 56 is displaced into one of the hook member receiving apertures 46 in an installation direction “E”. In the exemplary configuration shown, hook member 50 of first flexible arm 58 directly contacts a tapered surface 76 created on an outer wing 78 of panel portion 44 in one of the hook member receiving apertures 46. The hook member 50 slides along tapered surface 76 which elastically deflects beam 56 in an outward deflection direction “F”. Once the hook member 50 extends past a maximum extension point 80 of outer wing 78, hook member 50 rebounds in a return direction ‘G” and the backup ribs 57 thereafter help prevent opposite displacement of hook member 50 in the outward deflection direction “F”. At this time, a coupling surface 82 of hook member 50 contacts a receiving member or receiving member 84 of outer wing 78, which, acting together with backup rib 57 prevents release of lens 12. According to other aspects, the edge 20 of the resilient portion 18 defines an angular surface oriented at a complementary angle with respect to an angle defined by the perimeter surface 22 of the lens 12. According to several aspects, a clearance dimension “H” provided between the backup rib 57 and the flexible arm 58 in the installed condition of lens 12 is less than an overhang or contact dimension “J” of the coupling surface 82 in contact with receiving member 84. Clearance dimension “H” is provided such that flexible arm 58 will be forced to contact the backup rib 57 thereby requiring deflection of beam 56 before the hook member 50 disengages.
Referring to
According to several aspects, the blood glucose test device 10 with a viewing lens seal includes blood glucose test meter body 14. Meter body 14 includes rigid portion 16 of a first polymeric material and the opening 13 and a resilient portion 18 of a second polymeric material more compressible than the first polymeric material. The resilient portion 18 is integrally connected to the rigid portion 16 and defines an outer covering of the rigid portion 16. An edge 20 of the resilient portion 18 extends beyond the rigid portion 16 and partially into the opening 13 about an entire perimeter of the opening 13. The lens 12 is made of a transparent polymeric material having an outer perimeter surface 22 engaged for its entirety to the edge 20 of the resilient portion 18. Multiple flexible arms 48 are integrally connected to the lens 12, each flexible arm 48 having a hook member 50. The hook member 50 engages a receiving member 84 positioned in each of multiple flexible arm receiving apertures 46 created in the meter body 14. Engagement of each hook member 50 with one of the receiving members 84 at a locking position acts to pull the lens 12 toward the edge 20 partially compressing the second polymeric material and thereby creating a fluid seal 24 between the perimeter surface 22 and the edge 20.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
