Lancing devices are typically handheld units that permit users to draw blood for testing and diagnostic purposes. These devices include a housing with a piercing aperture, a lancet that contains one or more needles, and a firing mechanism. The firing mechanism typically includes a spring or other biasing means which can be cocked either by insertion of the lancet or by movement of a cocking member. Once the lancing device is cocked, it is placed against the user's skin, often the fingertip. The user can then press a trigger to actuate the firing mechanism, which momentarily drives the sharp tip of the needle through the piercing aperture to puncture the user's skin and draw blood.
A myriad of disposable lancets are available for insertion into the lancing devices. However because of the small size of most lancets, the handling of individual lancets and the installation of the lancets into the lancing device can be difficult. A consideration in the design of lancets is to minimize the difficulty in handling one or more lancets, and to improve the portability of the lancets.
Another consideration in the design of lancing systems is the ease with which a lancet can be inserted into the lancing device while avoiding accidental needle pricks when inserting and removing lancets from the lancing device.
A lancet is provided that is stackable or otherwise packaged to carry multiple lancets as a single unit. A lancet is disclosed having a lancet body with opposing ends, a first opposing side and a second opposing side, and a sharp tip protruding from one of the opposing ends, wherein the first and second opposing sides of the lancet body are configured to fittingly engage at least one of a first and second opposing side of an adjacent lancet body.
A lancet package is also disclosed which includes a plurality of lancets each terminating in a sharp tip and an elongated member frangibly attached to each of the plurality of lancets and configured to cover the sharp tip of each of the plurality of lancets in the manner of a cap.
A method is also disclosed for loading a lancing device having a skin contact end with a piercing aperture comprising the steps of providing a lancet package comprised of a plurality of lancets each terminating in a sharp tip and an elongated member frangibly attached to each of the plurality of lancets and configured to cover the sharp tip of each of the plurality lancets in a manner of a cap. The method further includes placing the skin contact end of the lancing device over one of the plurality of lancets such that the lancet engages in a lancet engaging mechanism in the lancing device, applying a forced perpendicular to a central axis of the lancing device sufficient to detach the lancet from the elongated member and arming the lancing device by actuating the lancet engaging mechanism to move the lancet so that the sharp tip is within the lancing device.
The various features, advantages and other uses of the present apparatus will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawing in which:
A lancet device is shown in the
The first side 20 of the lancet body 12 includes one or more projections: extending therefrom. By way of example only, a pair of circular projections 24 are shown extending from the first opposing side 20 in
The second opposing side 22 of the lancet body 12 is shown in
The sharp tip 14 of the lancet body 12 protrudes from one of the opposing ends 16. The sharp tip 14 can be covered with a cap 28 to prevent inadvertent contact with a person's skin until needed. The cap 28 maintains the sharp tip portion in a sterile condition. The cap 28 is configured with a frangible attachment 29 to the lancet body 12 allowing a person to easily remove the cap 28 from the lancet body 12.
The material of the lancet body 112 has a resiliency such that when the first and second opposing sides 120, 122 of an adjacent lancet body 112 are connected to an adjacent lancet body 112, the channel or leg 128 grips the corresponding channel or notch 126 such that a force is required to disconnect one lancet body 112 from an adjacent lancet body 112.
As seen in
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment, the body 213 of the lancet 212 has an elongate configuration configured to facilitate gripping and removal of the lancet 212 by a person's fingers or by a lancing device 300. In the embodiment shown in
The plurality of lancets 212 are attached to the elongated member 216 by frangible connections 218 defined as caps. The elongated member 216 defines a sterility strip by maintaining the sharp tip 214 in a sterile environment. The caps 218 can be integrally molded to the elongated member 216 or otherwise attached in a spaced relationship along the length of the elongated member 216. The configuration of an elongated member 216 to carry a plurality of lancets also minimizes the manufacturing process.
The elongated member 216 can be configured as a planar strip as shown in
The cap 218 has an opening 220 for receiving the sharp tip 214 and the adjacent portion of the body 213 of the lancet 212. The opening 220 is configured and shaped to accommodate and receive the portion of the body 213. The opening 220 provides access to a cavity 222 in the elongated member 216 for receiving the sharp tip 214. Since the cavity 222 extends a portion through the depth of the elongated member 216, is advantageous to align the lancets 212 along one side of the elongated member 216 as shown in
The lancets 212 are frictionally held within the caps 218 so that they can be easily snapped away from the elongated member 216 and also snapped back into the caps 218 after use for later disposal when all of the lancets have been used. The lancet 212 can be manually removed from the elongated member 216 by means of a person's fingers for manually loading into a lancing device 300. As an alternative, a lancing device 300 can be configured to grasp, the lancet body 213 and remove it from the sterility strip 216.
In a simplified explanation, a lancing device 300 includes an elongated housing 310 with an elongated interior chamber 312 therein for holding a lancet 212. The chamber 312 is open at a skin-contact end 314 of the lancing device 300. The lancing device 300 also includes a lancet engaging mechanism 316 within the housing 310 positioned for engagement to the lancet 212.
The lancet 212 is loaded into the lancing device 300 by placing the skin-contact end 314 of the lancing device 300 over one of the bodies 213 of the lancets 212 such that the lancet is encompassed within the chamber 312 and engaged to the lancet engaging mechanism 316. A force (F) to the lancing device 300 in a perpendicular direction to a central axis (C) is sufficient to detach the lancet 212 from the frangible connection 218 and the elongated member 216. The lancet engaging mechanism 216 can then be manually armed to move the lancet 212 so that the sharp tip 214 is held within the chamber 312 of the lancing device 300. The lancing device 300 is then in condition for firing to draw blood from a person's fingertip or other body part.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be; understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover Various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.