Patent Grant
7226461
Lancing devices are known in the medical health-care products industry for piercing the skin to produce blood for analysis. Typically, a drop of blood for this type of analysis is obtained by making a small incision in the fingertip, creating a small wound, which generates a small blood droplet on the surface of the skin.
Early methods of lancing included piercing or slicing the skin with a needle or razor. Current methods utilize lancing devices that contain a multitude of spring, cam and mass actuators to drive the lancet. These include cantilever springs, diaphragms, coil springs, as well as gravity plumbs used to drive the lancet. The device may be held against the skin and mechanically triggered to ballistically launch the lancet. Unfortunately, the pain associated with each lancing event using known technology discourages patients from testing. In addition to vibratory stimulation of the skin as the driver impacts the end of a launcher stop, known spring based devices have the possibility of firing lancets that harmonically oscillate against the patient tissue, causing multiple strikes due to recoil. This recoil and multiple strikes of the lancet is one major impediment to patient compliance with a structured glucose monitoring regime.
Another impediment to patient compliance is the lack of spontaneous blood flow generated by known lancing technology. In addition to the pain as discussed above, a patient may need more than one lancing event to obtain a blood sample since spontaneous blood generation is unreliable using known lancing technology. Thus the pain is multiplied by the number of attempts required by a patient to successfully generate spontaneous blood flow. Different skin thickness may yield different results in terms of pain perception, blood yield and success rate of obtaining blood between different users of the lancing device. Known devices poorly account for these skin thickness variations.
A still further impediment to improved compliance with glucose monitoring are the many steps and inconvenience associated with each lancing event. Many diabetic patients that are insulin dependent may need to self-test for blood glucose levels five to six times daily. The large number of steps required in traditional methods of glucose testing, ranging from lancing, to milking of blood, applying blood to a test strip, and getting the measurements from the test strip, discourages many diabetic patients from testing their blood glucose levels as often as recommended. Older patients and those with deteriorating motor skills encounter difficulty loading lancets into launcher devices, transferring blood onto a test strip, or inserting thin test strips into slots on glucose measurement meters. Additionally, the wound channel left on the patient by known systems may also be of a size that discourages those who are active with their hands or who are worried about healing of those wound channels from testing their glucose levels.
The present invention provides solutions for at least some of the drawbacks discussed above. Specifically, some embodiments of the present invention provide a multiple lancet solution to measuring analyte levels in the body. The invention may use a high density design. At least some of these and other objectives described herein will be met by embodiments of the present invention.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in a device for use with a gripper. A cartridge is provided that defines a plurality of cavities. A plurality of penetrating members are at least partially contained in the cavities of the cartridge. The penetrating members are slidably movable to extend outward from the cartridge to penetrate tissue. Each cavity has a longitudinal opening that provides access to an elongate portion of the penetrating member. A sterility barrier is coupled to the cartridge. The sterility barrier covers a plurality of the longitudinal openings. The sterility barrier is configured to be moved so that the elongate portion is accessed by the gripper without touching the barrier.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a device for use in penetrating tissue to obtain a body fluid sample includes a cartridge and a plurality of penetrating members slidably coupled to the cartridge. Each penetrating member has a distal end sufficiently sharp to pierce tissue. Each penetrating member is moveable relative to the other ones so that the distal end of the respective penetrating member is movable to penetrate tissue. Each penetrating member is a bare lancet and does not penetrate an outer sterility barrier during actuation.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a device is provided with a cartridge that has a plurality of cavities. A plurality of penetrating members are at least partially contained in the cavities. The penetrating members are slidably movable to extend outward from lateral openings on the cartridge to penetrate tissue. A sterility barrier is coupled to the cartridge. The sterility barrier covers a plurality of the lateral openings and is configured to be moved so that a penetrating member exits the lateral opening without contacting the barrier.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a device is provided with means for housing a plurality of penetrating members in a radial configuration. The penetrating members are individually couplable to a driver.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a lancing system includes a cartridge that defines a plurality of cavities. A plurality of penetrating members are at least partially contained in the cavities. The penetrating members are slidably movable to extend outward from lateral openings on the cartridge to penetrate tissue. A sterility barrier is coupled to the cartridge. The sterility barrier covers at least one of the lateral openings and is configured to be moved so that a penetrating member exiting from the lateral opening during actuation will not contact the barrier. An electrically powered drive force generator is operatively coupled to an active one of the penetrating members to drive the active penetrating member into a tissue site.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a lancing system has a cartridge that defines a plurality of cavities. A plurality of penetrating members are at least partially contained in the cavities. The penetrating members are slidably movable to extend outward from lateral openings on the cartridge to penetrate tissue. A sterility barrier is coupled to the cartridge. The sterility barrier covers at least one of the lateral openings and is configured to be moved so that a penetrating member exiting the lateral opening during actuation will not contact the barrier. A feedback loop controls trajectory of each penetrating member extending outward from the cartridge during actuation.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a lancing system includes a single cartridge with a plurality of cavities. A plurality of penetrating members are at least partially contained in the cavities. The penetrating members are slidably movable to extend outward from the cartridge to penetrate tissue. Each cavity has a longitudinal opening that provides access to an elongate portion of the penetrating member. A sterility barrier is coupled to the cartridge and covers a plurality of the longitudinal openings. A punch is movable to penetrate the sterility barrier and release one of the penetrating members from a sterile environment created by the sterility barrier.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a lancing system has a single cartridge with a plurality of cavities. A plurality of penetrating members are at least partially contained in the cavities. The penetrating members are slidably movable to extend outward from lateral openings on the cartridge to penetrate tissue. A sterility barrier is coupled to the cartridge and covers a plurality of the lateral openings. A punch is movable to penetrate the sterility barrier, and pushes the sterility barrier into a position so that the penetrating member are actuated without contacting the sterility barrier.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a device includes a single cartridge. A plurality of penetrating members are coupled to the single cartridge and are couplable to a driver. A plurality of openings on the cartridge are configured to position the cartridge to align an unused penetrating member with the driver. An actuator is configured to engage the openings and actuate the cartridge to move the unused penetrating member into alignment with the driver.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a lancing system includes a driver. A cartridge has a plurality of bare lancets coupled to the cartridge. A lancet gripper is coupled to the driver. The gripper has a slot for receiving at least one of the bare lancets. The slot creates a frictional grip with the bare lancets.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a lancing system includes a lancet driver. A plurality of lancets are in a disc-shaped housing. A lancet gripper is included. A lancet release device is provided for releasing the lancet for a sterile environment prior to use. An actuator is configured to move the disc-shaped housing relative to the lancet gripper to bring one of the lancets into contact with the lancet gripper.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a lancing system includes a lancet driver. A cartridge housing is provided with the plurality of lancets. A lancet gripper is coupled to the lancet driver. A lancet release device releases one of the lancets from a sterile environment prior to use. The cartridge is movable relative to the lancet driver to engage and disengage one of the lancets from the lancet gripper.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a lancing system is provided for use with a driver and includes means for releasing a penetrating member from a sterile enclosure on a cartridge. The cartridge has a plurality of sterile enclosures and a plurality of penetrating members. Means are included for aligning and operatively coupling the penetrating member to the driver.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for loading a cartridge that has a plurality of penetrating members into a housing of a lancing apparatus. Each penetrating member is released from a sterilized environment on the cartridge. The penetrating member is transported within the housing towards a launch position. The lancet is loaded to be operatively coupled to a penetrating member driver in the apparatus.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method provides a cartridge that has a plurality of individually sealed cavities, each containing a penetrating member. A punch plate is lowered to release an unused penetrating member from one of the sealed cavities. The cartridge is rotated to align the unused penetrating member with a gripper. A frictional engagement is created with the penetrating member by inserting the penetrating member into a receiving slot on the gripper.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method provides a cartridge that has a plurality of cavities, each containing a penetrating member. Each member is held by a coupling to the cartridge. A penetrating member is engaged with a gripper. A first force generator is used to move the gripper in a manner sufficient to release the penetrating member from the coupling to the cartridge. A second force generator is used to move the gripper in a manner sufficient to drive the penetrating member into tissue.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method provides a cartridge that has a plurality of cavities, each containing a penetrating member. Each member is held by a coupling to the cartridge. A punch device and a penetrating member gripper are provided. Relative motion between the cartridge and the gripper is created and the cartridge is separated from the gripper. Relative motion between the cartridge and the gripper is created and the gripper is aligned over an unused penetrating member in the cartridge. Relative motion between the cartridge and the gripper is created and the gripper is engaged with the unused penetrating member.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method provides a lancet driver. A visual display is installed on the lancet driver. The display is coupled to a processor, relays lancet information selected from, lancing performance or lancing setting.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method provides a cartridge that has a plurality of cavities. A plurality of penetrating members are inserted and are at least partially contained in the cavities of the cartridge. The penetrating members are slidably movable to extend outward from lateral openings on the cartridge to penetrate tissue. A sterility barrier is added to the cartridge and covers a plurality of the lateral openings.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a manufacturing method provides a cartridge that has a plurality of cavities for holding penetrating members. The cartridge is sterilized while each of the cavities is in a sealed condition. The cartridge contains a plurality of penetrating members. A planar sheet of sterility barrier material is used to cover a plurality of the cavities to create a sterile environment inside each of the cavities.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method provides a cartridge that has a plurality of bare lancets. At least a portion of a sterility barrier is moved such that an active one of the bare lancets exits the cartridge to penetrate tissue without contacting the sterility barrier. The active one of the bare lancets is retracted back into the cartridge after penetrating tissue.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and drawings.
The present invention provides a multiple sensor solution for body fluid sampling. Specifically, some embodiments of the present invention provides a multiple sensor and multiple lancet solution to measuring analyte levels in the body. The invention may use a high density design. It may use lancets of smaller size than known lancets. The device may be used for multiple lancing events without having to remove a disposable from the device. The invention may provide improved sensing capabilities. At least some of these and other objectives described herein will be met by embodiments of the present invention.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a material” may include mixtures of materials, reference to “a chamber” may include multiple chambers, and the like. References cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, except to the extent that they conflict with teachings explicitly set forth in this specification.
In this specification and in the claims which follow, reference will be made to a number of terms which shall be defined to have the following meanings:
“Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described circumstance may or may not occur, so that the description includes instances where the circumstance occurs and instances where it does not. For example, if a device optionally contains a feature for analyzing a blood sample, this means that the analysis feature may or may not be present, and, thus, the description includes structures wherein a device possesses the analysis feature and structures wherein the analysis feature is not present.
“Analyte sensor” refers to any use, singly or in combination, of chemical test reagents and methods, electrical test circuits and methods, physical test components and methods, optical test components and methods, and biological test reagents and methods to yield information about a blood sample. Such methods are well known in the art and may be based on teachings of, e.g. Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry, 3d Ed., Sec. V, pp. 776–78 (Burtis & Ashwood, Eds., W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1999); U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,817 to Chrismore et al. (Dec. 7, 1999); U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,394 to Phillips et al.(Oct. 22, 1991); U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,054 to Wagner et al. (Mar. 19, 1991); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,933 to Nakamura et al. (Jul. 12, 1983), the teachings of which are hereby incorporated by reference, as well as others. Analyte sensor may include sensors in the sample test chamber that test electrochemical properties of the blood, or they may include optical means for sensing optical properties of the blood (e.g. oxygen saturation level), or they may include biochemical reagents (e.g. antibodies) to sense properties (e.g. presence of antigens) of the blood. Said analyte sensor may be present at, e.g., a “test site” or an “analytical site.” The analyte sensor may comprise biosensing or reagent material that will react with an analyte in the blood (e.g. glucose) so that an appropriate signal correlating with the presence of the analyte is generated and can be read by the reader apparatus. Analyte sensor are “associated with” a chamber or other structure when the analyte sensor participates in the function of providing an appropriate signal about the blood sample to the reader device. Analyte sensor may also include nanowire sensors as described herein. Analyte sensor may use potentiometric, coulometric, or other method useful for detection of analyte levels.
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In the present embodiment, each penetrating member 18 has an elongated body 26 and a sharpened distal end 27 having a sharp tip 30. The penetrating member 18 may have a circular in cross-section with a diameter in this embodiment of about 0.315 mm.
All outer surfaces of the penetrating member 18 may have the same coefficient of friction. The penetrating member may be, but is not necessarily, a bare lancet. The lancet is “bare”, in the sense that no raised formations or molded parts are formed thereon that are complimentarily engageable with another structure. Traditional lancets include large plastic molded parts that are used to facilitate engagement. Unfortunately, such attachments add size and cost. In the most basic sense, a bare lancet or bare penetrating member is an elongate wire having sharpened end. If it is of sufficiently small diameter, the tip may be penetrating without having to be sharpened. A bare lancet may be bent and still be considered a bare lancet. The bare lancet in one embodiment may be made of one material.
In the present embodiment, each penetrating member 18 is located in a respective one of the grooves 24. The penetrating members 18 have their sharpened distal ends 27 pointed radially out from the center point of the cartridge 12. A proximal end of each penetrating member 15 may engage in an interference fit with opposing sides of a respective groove 24 as shown In
The cartridge 12 may further include a sterilization barrier 28 attached to the upper surface 26. The sterilization barrier 28 is located over the penetrating members 18 and serves to insulate the penetrating members 18 from external contaminants. The sterilization barrier 28 is made of a material that can easily be broken when an edge of a device applies a force thereto. The sterilization barrier 28 alone or in combination with other barriers may be used to create a sterile environment about at least the tip of the penetrating member prior to lancing or actuation. The sterilization barrier 28 may be made of a variety of materials such as but not limited to metallic foil, aluminum foil, paper, polymeric material, or laminates combining any of the above. Other details of the sterilization barrier are detailed herein.
In the present embodiment, the apparatus 14 may include a housing 30, an initiator button 32, a penetrating member movement subassembly 34, a cartridge advance subassembly 36, batteries 38, a capacitor 40, a microprocessor controller 42, and switches 44. The housing 30 may have a lower portion 46 and a lid 48. The lid 48 is secured to the-lower portion 46 with a hinge 50. The lower portion 46 may have a recess 52. A circular opening 54 in the lower portion 46 defines an outer boundary of the recess 52 and a level platform 56 of the lower portion 46 defines a base of the recess 52.
In use, the lid 48 of the present embodiment is pivoted into a position as shown in
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The user then releases pressure from the button, as shown in
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A bearing 91 is secured to the lever and the penetrating member accelerator 64 has a slot 92 over the bearing 91. The slot 92 allows for the movement of the penetrating member accelerator 64 in the direction 88 relative to the lever 62, so that the force created on the slug moves the penetrating member accelerator 64 in the direction 88.
The spring 68 is not entirely relaxed, so that the spring 68, through the lever 62, biases the penetrating member accelerator 64 against the lower side surface of the penetrating member 18 with a force F1. The penetrating member 18 rests against a base 88 of the cartridge 12. An equal and opposing force F2 is created by the base 88 on an upper side surface of the penetrating member 18.
The edge 82 of the penetrating member accelerator 64 has a much higher coefficient of friction than the base 88 of the cartridge 12. The higher coefficient of friction of the edge contributes to a relatively high friction force F3 on the lower side surface of the penetrating member 18. The relatively low coefficient of friction of the base 88 creates a relatively small friction force F4 on the upper side surface of the penetrating member 18. A difference between the force F3 and F4 is a resultant force that accelerates the penetrating member in the direction 88 relative to the cartridge 12. The penetrating member is moved out of the interference fit illustrated in
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Subsequent depression of the button as shown in
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Driving force as indicated by arrow 207 is applied to surface 201 perpendicular to normal force 206. The sum of the forces acting horizontally on surface 201 is the sum of driving force 207 and the friction force developed at the interface of surface 201 and penetrating member 202, which acts in opposition to driving force 207. Since the coefficient of friction between surface 203 and penetrating member 202 is less than the coefficient of friction between surface 201 and penetrating member 202, penetrating member 202 and surface 201 will remain stationary with respect to each other and can be considered to behave as one piece when driving force 207 just exceeds the maximum frictional force that can be supported by the interface between surface 203 and penetrating member 202. Surface 201 and penetrating member 202 can be considered one piece because the coefficient of friction between surface 201 and penetrating member 202 is high enough to prevent relative motion between the two.
In one embodiment, the coefficient of friction between surface 201 and penetrating member 202 is approximately 0.8 corresponding to the coefficient of friction between two surfaces of stainless steel, while the coefficient of friction between surface 203 and penetrating member 202 is approximately 0.04, corresponding to the coefficient of friction between a surface of stainless steel and one of polytetrafluoroethylene. Normal force 206 has a value of 202 Newtons. Using these values, the maximum frictional force that the interface between surface 201 and penetrating member 202 can support is 1.6 Newtons, while the maximum frictional force that the interface between surface 203 and penetrating member 202 can support is 0.08 Newtons. If driving force 207 exceeds 0.08 Newtons, surface 201 and penetrating member 202 will begin to accelerate together with respect to surface 203. Likewise, if driving force 207 exceeds 1.6 Newtons and penetrating member 202 encounters a rigid barrier, surface 201 would move relative to penetrating member 202.
Another condition, for example, for surface 201 to move relative to penetrating member 202 would be in the case of extreme acceleration. In an embodiment, penetrating member 202 has a mass of 8.24×10−6 kg. An acceleration of 194,174 m/s2 of penetrating member 202 would therefore be required to exceed the frictional force between penetrating member 202 and surface 201, corresponding to approximately 19,800 g's. Without being bound to any particular embodiment or theory of operation, other methods of applying friction base coupling may also be used. For example, the penetrating member 202 may be engaged by a coupler using a interference fit to create the frictional engagement with the member.
The shapes and configurations of surface 201 and surface 102 could be some form other than shown in
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Embodiments of the penetrating member 222 can have an outer transverse dimension or diameter of about 200 to about 400 microns, specifically, about 275 to about 325 microns. Embodiments of penetrating member 222 can have a length of about 10 to about 30 millimeters, specifically, about 15 to about 25 millimeters. Penetrating member 222 can be made from any suitable high strength alloy such as stainless steel or the like.
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As previously discussed, each cavity on the cartridge may be individually sealed with a foil cover or other sterile enclosure material to maintain sterility until or just before the time of use. In the present embodiment, penetrating members are released from their sterile environments just prior to actuation and are loaded onto a launcher mechanism for use. Releasing the penetrating member from the sterile environment prior to launch allows the penetrating member in the present embodiment to be actuated without having to pierce any sterile enclosure material which may dull the tip of the penetrating member or place contaminants on the member as it travels towards a target tissue. A variety of methods may be used accomplish this goal.
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In some embodiments, the gripper 530 may cut into the sides of the penetrating member. The penetrating member in one embodiment may be about 300 microns wide. The grooves that form in the side of the penetrating member by the knife edges are on the order of about 5–10 microns deep and are quite small. In this particular embodiment, the knife edges allow the apparatus to use a small insertion force to get the gripper onto the penetrating member, compared to the force to remove the penetrating member from the gripper the longitudinal axis of an elongate penetrating member. Thus, the risk of a penetrating member being detached during actuation are reduced. The gripper 530 may be made of a variety of materials such as, but not limited to high strength carbon steel that is heat treated to increased hardness, ceramic, substrates with diamond coating, composite reinforced plastic, elastomer, polymer, and sintered metals. Additionally, the steel may be surface treated. The gripper 130 may have high gripping force with low friction drag on solenoid or other driver.
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It should be understood of course, that variations can be added to the above embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the penetrating member 541 may be placed in a parked position in the cartridge 500 prior to launch. As seen in
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In another embodiment of the cartridge device, a mechanical feature may be included on the cartridge so that there is only one way to load it into the apparatus. For example, in one embodiment holding 50 penetrating members, the cartridge may have 51 pockets or cavities. The 51st pocket will go into the firing position when the device is loaded, thus providing a location for the gripper to rest in the cartridge without releasing a penetrating member from a sterile environment. The gripper 530 in that zeroth position is inside the pocket or cavity and that is the reason why one of the pockets may be empty. Of course, some embodiments may have the gripper 530 positioned to grip a penetrating member as the cartridge 500 is loaded into the device, with the patient lancing themselves soon afterwards so that the penetrating member is not contaminated due to prolonged exposure outside the sterile enclosure. That zeroth position may be the start and finish position. The cartridge may also be notched to engaged a protrusion on the apparatus, thus also providing a method for allowing the penetrating member to loaded or unloaded only in one orientation. Essentially, the cartridge 500 may be keyed or slotted in association with the apparatus so that the cartridge 500 can only be inserted or removed at one orientation. For example as seen in
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The coupler 624 may come in a variety of configurations. For example,
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The blood may be filled in the lumen that the penetrating member was in or the module may have separately defined sample chambers to the side of the penetrating member lumen. The sensor may also be placed right at the immediate vicinity or slightly setback from the module opening receiving blood so that low blood volumes will still reach the sensor. In some embodiments, the analyte sensing device and a visual display or other interface may be on board the apparatus and thus provide a readout of analyte levels without need to plug apparatus or a test strip into a separate reader device. As seen in
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Each penetrating member 802 may be contained in a molded cavity 806 in the cartridge 800 with the penetrating member's sharpened end facing radially outward and may be in the same plane as that of the cartridge. Although not limited in this manner, the ends of the protective cavities 806 may be divided into individual fingers (such as one for each cavity) on the outer periphery of the disc. The particular shape of each cavity 806 may be designed to suit the size or shape of the penetrating member therein or the amount of space desired for placement of the analyte sensors 808. For example and not limitation, the cavity 806 may have a V-shaped cross-section, a U-shaped cross-section, C-shaped cross-section, a multi-level cross section or the other cross-sections. The opening 810 through which a penetrating member 802 may exit to penetrate tissue may also have a variety of shapes, such as but not limited to, a circular opening, a square or rectangular opening, a U-shaped opening, a narrow opening that only allows the penetrating member to pass, an opening with more clearance on the sides, a slit, a configuration as shown in
After actuation, the penetrating member 802 is returned into the cartridge and may be held within the cartridge 800 in a manner so that it is not able to be used again. By way of example and not limitation, a used penetrating member may be-returned into the cartridge and held by the launcher in position until the next lancing event. At the time of the next lancing, the launcher may disengage the used penetrating member with the cartridge 800 turned or indexed to the next clean penetrating member such that the cavity holding the used penetrating member is position so that it is not accessible to the user (i.e. turn away from a penetrating member exit opening). In some embodiments, the tip of a used penetrating member may be driven into a protective stop that hold the penetrating member in place after use. The cartridge 800 is replaceable with a new cartridge 800 once all the penetrating members have been used or at such other time or condition as deemed desirable by the user.
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Depending on the orientation of the cartridge 800 in the penetrating member driver apparatus, the seal layer 820 may be on the top surface, side surface, bottom surface, or other positioned surface. For ease of illustration and discussion of the embodiment of
In a still further feature of
The use of the seal layer 820 and substrate or sensor layer 822 may facilitate the manufacture of these cartridges 10. For example, a single seal layer 820 may be adhered, attached, or otherwise coupled to the cartridge 800 as indicated by arrows 824 to seal many of the cavities 806 at one time. A sheet 822 of sensors may also be adhered, attached, or otherwise coupled to the cartridge 800 as indicated by arrows 825 to provide many sensors on the cartridge at one time. During manufacturing of one embodiment of the present invention, the cartridge 800 may be loaded with penetrating members 802, sealed with layer 820 and a temporary layer (not shown) on the bottom where substrate 822 would later go, to provide a sealed environment for the penetrating members. This assembly with the temporary bottom layer is then taken to be sterilized. After sterilization, the assembly is taken to a clean room where the temporary bottom layer is removed and the substrate 822 with sensors is coupled to the cartridge as shown in
In some embodiments, more than one seal layer 820 may be used to seal the cavities 806. As examples of some embodiments, multiple layers may be placed over each cavity 806, half or some selected portion of the cavities may be sealed with one layer with the other half or selected portion of the cavities sealed with another sheet or layer, different shaped cavities may use different seal layer, or the like. The seal layer 820 may have different physical properties, such as those covering the penetrating members 802 near the end of the cartridge may have a different color such as red to indicate to the user (if visually inspectable) that the user is down to say 10, 5, or other number of penetrating members before the cartridge should be changed out.
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As mentioned above, the sensors 808 may also be placed right at the immediate vicinity or slightly setback from the module opening receiving blood so that low blood volumes will still reach the sensor. The sensors 808 may be used with low volumes such as less than about 1 microliter of sample, preferably less than about 0.6 microliter, more preferably less than about 0.3 microliter, and most preferably less than about 0.1 microliter of sample. Sensors 808 may also be directly printed or formed on the bottom of the penetrating member cartridge 800. In one embodiment, a multiplicity of miniaturized sensor fields may be placed on the floor of the radial cavity or on the microfluidic module to allow many tests on a single analyte form a single drop of blood to improve accuracy and precision of measurement. Although not limited in this manner, additional sensor fields or regions may also be included for calibration or other purposes.
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A suitable method and apparatus for loading penetrating members has been described previously in commonly assigned, copending U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 60/393,706 and 60/393,707, and are included here by reference for all purposes. Suitable devices for engaging the penetrating members and for removing protective materials associated with the penetrating member cavity are described in commonly assigned, copending U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 60/422,988 and 60/424,429, and are included here by reference for all purposes. For example in the embodiment of
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While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to certain particular embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations, changes, modifications, substitutions, deletions, or additions of procedures and protocols may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, with any of the above embodiments, the location of the penetrating member drive device may be varied, relative to the penetrating members or the cartridge. With any of the above embodiments, the penetrating member tips may be uncovered during actuation (i.e. penetrating members do not pierce the penetrating member enclosure or protective foil during launch). With any of the above embodiments; the penetrating members may be a bare penetrating member during launch. With any of the above embodiments, the penetrating members may be bare penetrating members prior to launch as this may allow for significantly tighter densities of penetrating members. In some embodiments, the penetrating members may be bent, curved, textured, shaped, or otherwise treated at a proximal end or area to facilitate handling by an actuator. The penetrating member may be configured to have a notch or groove to facilitate coupling to a gripper. The notch or groove may be formed along an elongate portion of the penetrating member. With any of the above embodiments, the cavity may be on the bottom or the top of the cartridge, with the gripper on the other side. In some embodiments, sensors may be printed on the top, bottom, or side of the cavities. The front end of the cartridge maybe in contact with a user during lancing. The same driver may be used for advancing and retraction of the penetrating member. The penetrating member may have a diameters and length suitable for obtaining the blood volumes described herein. The penetrating member driver may also be in substantially the same plane as the cartridge. The driver may use a through hole or other opening to engage a proximal end of a penetrating member to actuate the penetrating member along a path into and out of the tissue.
Any of the features described in this application or any reference disclosed herein may be adapted for use with any embodiment of the present invention. For example, the devices of the present invention may also be combined for use with injection penetrating members or needles as described in commonly assigned, copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/127,395 filed Apr. 19, 2002. A sensor to detect the presence of foil may also be included in the lancing apparatus. For example, if a cavity has been used before, the foil or sterility barrier will be punched. The sensor can detect if the cavity is fresh or not based on the status of the barrier. It should be understood that in optional embodiments, the sterility barrier may be designed to pierce a sterility barrier of thickness that does not dull a tip of the penetrating member. The lancing apparatus may also use improved drive mechanisms. For example, a solenoid force generator may be improved to try to increase the amount of force the solenoid can generate for a given current. A solenoid for use with the present invention may have five coils and in the present embodiment the slug is roughly the size of two coils. One change is to increase the thickness of the outer metal shell or windings surround the coils. By increasing the thickness, the flux will also be increased. The slug may be split; two smaller slugs may also be used and offset by ½ of a coil pitch. This allows more slugs to be approaching a coil where it could be accelerated. This creates more events where a slug is approaching a coil, creating a more efficient system.
In another optional alternative embodiment, a gripper in the inner end of the protective cavity may hold the penetrating member during shipment and after use, eliminating the feature of using the foil, protective end, or other part to retain the used penetrating member. Some other advantages of the disclosed embodiments and features of additional embodiments include: same mechanism for transferring the used penetrating members to a storage area; a high number of penetrating members such as 25, 50, 75, 100, 500, or more penetrating members may be put on a disk or cartridge; molded body about a lancet becomes unnecessary; manufacturing of multiple penetrating member devices is simplified through the use of cartridges; handling is possible of bare rods metal wires, without any additional structural features, to actuate them into tissue; maintaining extreme (better than 50 micron-lateral- and better than 20 micron vertical) precision in guiding; and storage system for new and used penetrating members, with individual cavities/slots is provided. The housing of the lancing device may also be sized to be ergonomically pleasing. In one embodiment, the device has a width of about 56 mm, a length of about 105 mm and a thickness of about 15 mm. Additionally, some embodiments of the present invention may be used with non-electrical force generators or drive mechanism. For example, the punch device and methods for releasing the penetrating members from sterile enclosures could be adapted for use with spring based launchers. The gripper using a frictional coupling may also be adapted for use with other drive technologies.
Still further optional features may be included with the present invention. For example, with any of the above embodiments, the location of the penetrating member drive device may be varied, relative to the penetrating members or the cartridge. With any of the above embodiments, the penetrating member tips may be uncovered during actuation (i.e. penetrating members do not pierce the penetrating member enclosure or protective foil during launch). The penetrating members may be a bare penetrating member during launch. The same driver may be used for advancing and retraction of the penetrating member. Different sensors detecting different ranges of glucose concentration, different analytes, or the like may be combined for use with each penetrating member. Non-potentiometric measurement techniques may also be used for analyte detection. For example, direct electron transfer of glucose oxidase molecules adsorbed onto carbon nanotube powder microelectrode may be used to measure glucose levels. In all methods, nanoscopic wire growth can be carried out via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In all of the embodiments of the invention, preferred nanoscopic wires may be nanotubes. Any method useful for depositing a glucose oxidase or other analyte detection material on a nanowire or nanotube may be used with the present invention. This application cross-references commonly assigned copending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 10/323,622 filed Dec. 18, 2002; commonly assigned copending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 10/323,624 filed Dec. 18, 2002; and commonly assigned copending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 10/324,053 filed Dec. 18, 2002. All applications listed above are fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Expected variations or differences in the results are contemplated in accordance with the objects and practices of the present invention. It is intended, therefore, that the invention be defined by the scope of the claims which follow and that such claims be interpreted as broadly as is reasonable.
This application is a continuation-in-part, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to commonly assigned, copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/127,395 filed Apr. 19, 2002. This application is also a continuation-in-part, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C §120 to commonly assigned, copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/237,261 filed Sep. 5, 2002. The present application also claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C § 119(e) to commonly assigned, now abandoned U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/393,706 filed Jul. 1, 2002; commonly assigned, copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/393,707 filed Jul. 1, 2002; commonly assigned, copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/422,988 filed Nov. 1, 2002; commonly assigned, copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/424,429 filed Nov. 6, 2002; and commonly assigned, copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/428,084 filed Nov. 20, 2002. All applications listed above are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
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| 20040256228 | Huang | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040256248 | Burke | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040256685 | Chou | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040258564 | Charlton | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040260204 | Boecker | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040260324 | Fukuzawa | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040260325 | Kuhr | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040260326 | Lipoma | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040260511 | Burke | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040267105 | Monfre | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040267160 | Perez | Dec 2004 | A9 |
| 20040267229 | Moerman | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040267299 | Kuriger | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040267300 | Mace | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20050000806 | Hsieh | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050000807 | Wang | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050000808 | Cui | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050003470 | Nelson | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050004494 | Perez | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050008537 | Mosolu | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050008851 | Ezoe | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050009191 | Swenson | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050010090 | Acosta | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050010093 | Ford | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050010134 | Douglas | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050010137 | Hodges | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050010198 | Marchitto | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050011759 | Moerman | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050013731 | Burke | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050014997 | Ruchti | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050015020 | Levaughn | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050016844 | Burke | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050019212 | Bhullar | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050019219 | Oshiman | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050019805 | Groll | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050019945 | Groll | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050019953 | Groll | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050021066 | Kuhr | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 29824204 | Oct 2000 | DE |
| 10032042 | Jan 2002 | DE |
| 10057832 | Feb 2002 | DE |
| 10142232 | Mar 2003 | DE |
| 0289 269 | Nov 1988 | EP |
| 0289 269 | Nov 1988 | EP |
| 0320109 | Jun 1989 | EP |
| 0170375 | May 1990 | EP |
| 0136362 | Dec 1990 | EP |
| 0453283 | Oct 1991 | EP |
| 0374355 | Jun 1993 | EP |
| 0351891 | Sep 1993 | EP |
| 0593096 | Apr 1994 | EP |
| 0415388 | May 1995 | EP |
| 0505494 | Jul 1995 | EP |
| 0359831 | Aug 1995 | EP |
| 0471986 | Oct 1995 | EP |
| 0368474 | Dec 1995 | EP |
| 0461601 | Dec 1995 | EP |
| 0429076 | Jan 1996 | EP |
| 0552223 | Jul 1996 | EP |
| 0735363 | Oct 1996 | EP |
| 0505504 | Mar 1997 | EP |
| 0593096 | Mar 1997 | EP |
| 0406304 | Aug 1997 | EP |
| 0537761 | Aug 1997 | EP |
| 0795601 | Sep 1997 | EP |
| 0795601 | Sep 1997 | EP |
| 0562370 | Nov 1997 | EP |
| 0415393 | Dec 1997 | EP |
| 0560336 | May 1998 | EP |
| 0878 708 | Nov 1998 | EP |
| 0505475 | Mar 1999 | EP |
| 0901018 | Mar 1999 | EP |
| 0470649 | Jun 1999 | EP |
| 0847447 | Nov 1999 | EP |
| 0964059 | Dec 1999 | EP |
| 0969097 | Jan 2000 | EP |
| 1021950 | Jul 2000 | EP |
| 0894869 | Feb 2001 | EP |
| 1074832 | Feb 2001 | EP |
| 1093854 | Apr 2001 | EP |
| 1114995 | Jul 2001 | EP |
| 0736607 | Aug 2001 | EP |
| 0969097 | Aug 2001 | EP |
| 0730037 | Dec 2001 | EP |
| 0636879 | Jan 2002 | EP |
| 0851224 | Mar 2002 | EP |
| 0856586 | May 2002 | EP |
| 0817809 | Jul 2002 | EP |
| 0872728 | Jul 2002 | EP |
| 0795748 | Aug 2002 | EP |
| 0685737 | Sep 2002 | EP |
| 1114995 | Oct 2003 | EP |
| 0880692 | Jan 2004 | EP |
| 1246688 | May 2004 | EP |
| 2168815 | Jun 1986 | GB |
| 2-326247 | Nov 1990 | JP |
| 9-276235 | Oct 1997 | JP |
| 10-296325 | Oct 1998 | JP |
| WO 8001389 | Jul 1980 | WO |
| WO 8504089 | Sep 1985 | WO |
| WO 8607632 | Dec 1986 | WO |
| WO 9109139 | Jun 1991 | WO |
| WO 9302720 | Feb 1993 | WO |
| WO 9306979 | Apr 1993 | WO |
| WO 9312726 | Jul 1993 | WO |
| WO 9325898 | Dec 1993 | WO |
| WO 9427140 | Nov 1994 | WO |
| WO 9429703 | Dec 1994 | WO |
| WO 9429704 | Dec 1994 | WO |
| WO 9429731 | Dec 1994 | WO |
| WO 9500662 | Jan 1995 | WO |
| WO 9510223 | Apr 1995 | WO |
| WO 9510223 | Apr 1995 | WO |
| WO 9522597 | Aug 1995 | WO |
| WO 9630431 | Oct 1996 | WO |
| WO 9702359 | Jan 1997 | WO |
| WO 9702487 | Jan 1997 | WO |
| WO 9718464 | May 1997 | WO |
| WO 9730344 | Aug 1997 | WO |
| WO 9742882 | Nov 1997 | WO |
| WO 9742888 | Nov 1997 | WO |
| WO 9745720 | Dec 1997 | WO |
| WO 9803431 | Jan 1998 | WO |
| WO 9819159 | May 1998 | WO |
| WO 9820332 | May 1998 | WO |
| WO 9820348 | May 1998 | WO |
| WO 9824366 | Jun 1998 | WO |
| WO 9824366 | Jun 1998 | WO |
| WO 9835225 | Aug 1998 | WO |
| WO 9903584 | Jan 1999 | WO |
| WO 9905966 | Feb 1999 | WO |
| WO 9913100 | Mar 1999 | WO |
| WO 9919507 | Apr 1999 | WO |
| WO 9919717 | Apr 1999 | WO |
| WO 9927852 | Jun 1999 | WO |
| WO 9962576 | Dec 1999 | WO |
| WO 9964580 | Dec 1999 | WO |
| WO 0009184 | Feb 2000 | WO |
| WO 0030186 | May 2000 | WO |
| WO 0039914 | Jul 2000 | WO |
| WO 0044084 | Jul 2000 | WO |
| WO 0044084 | Jul 2000 | WO |
| WO 0050771 | Aug 2000 | WO |
| WO 0060340 | Oct 2000 | WO |
| WO 0064022 | Oct 2000 | WO |
| WO 0067245 | Nov 2000 | WO |
| WO 0067268 | Nov 2000 | WO |
| WO 0100090 | Jan 2001 | WO |
| WO 0100090 | Jan 2001 | WO |
| WO 0175433 | Mar 2001 | WO |
| WO 0123885 | Apr 2001 | WO |
| WO 0123885 | Apr 2001 | WO |
| WO 0125775 | Apr 2001 | WO |
| WO 0126813 | Apr 2001 | WO |
| WO 0126813 | Apr 2001 | WO |
| WO 0133216 | May 2001 | WO |
| WO 0134029 | May 2001 | WO |
| WO 0136955 | May 2001 | WO |
| WO 0140788 | Jul 2001 | WO |
| WO 0157510 | Aug 2001 | WO |
| WO 0157510 | Aug 2001 | WO |
| WO 0164105 | Sep 2001 | WO |
| WO 0166010 | Sep 2001 | WO |
| WO 0166010 | Sep 2001 | WO |
| WO 0172225 | Oct 2001 | WO |
| WO 0173124 | Oct 2001 | WO |
| WO 0173124 | Oct 2001 | WO |
| WO 0173395 | Oct 2001 | WO |
| WO 0189691 | Nov 2001 | WO |
| WO 0189691 | Nov 2001 | WO |
| WO 0200101 | Jan 2002 | WO |
| WO 0202796 | Jan 2002 | WO |
| WO 0208750 | Jan 2002 | WO |
| WO 0208753 | Jan 2002 | WO |
| WO 0208753 | Jan 2002 | WO |
| WO 0208950 | Jan 2002 | WO |
| WO 0218940 | Mar 2002 | WO |
| WO 0218940 | Mar 2002 | WO |
| WO 0232559 | Apr 2002 | WO |
| WO 0241779 | May 2002 | WO |
| WO 0244948 | Jun 2002 | WO |
| WO 02056769 | Jul 2002 | WO |
| WO 02059734 | Aug 2002 | WO |
| WO 02069791 | Sep 2002 | WO |
| WO 02077638 | Oct 2002 | WO |
| WO 02077638 | Oct 2002 | WO |
| WO 02100251 | Dec 2002 | WO |
| WO 02100252 | Dec 2002 | WO |
| WO 02100253 | Dec 2002 | WO |
| WO 02100254 | Dec 2002 | WO |
| WO 02100460 | Dec 2002 | WO |
| WO 02100461 | Dec 2002 | WO |
| WO 02101343 | Dec 2002 | WO |
| WO 02101359 | Dec 2002 | WO |
| WO 03000321 | Jan 2003 | WO |
| WO 03023389 | Mar 2003 | WO |
| WO 03023389 | Mar 2003 | WO |
| WO 03042691 | May 2003 | WO |
| WO 03045557 | Jun 2003 | WO |
| WO 03045557 | Jun 2003 | WO |
| WO 03046542 | Jun 2003 | WO |
| WO 03046542 | Jun 2003 | WO |
| WO 03049609 | Jun 2003 | WO |
| WO 03050534 | Jun 2003 | WO |
| WO 03066128 | Aug 2003 | WO |
| WO 03066128 | Aug 2003 | WO |
| WO 03070099 | Aug 2003 | WO |
| WO 03071940 | Sep 2003 | WO |
| WO 2004008130 | Jan 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004026130 | Apr 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004041082 | May 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004054455 | Jul 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004060174 | Jul 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004060446 | Jul 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004091693 | Oct 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004107964 | Dec 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004107975 | Dec 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004112602 | Dec 2004 | WO |
| WO 2005001418 | Jan 2005 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20040049220 A1 | Mar 2004 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60428084 | Nov 2002 | US | |
| 60424429 | Nov 2002 | US | |
| 60422988 | Nov 2002 | US | |
| 60393706 | Jul 2002 | US | |
| 60393707 | Jul 2002 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10127395 | Apr 2002 | US |
| Child | 10323623 | US | |
| Parent | 10237261 | Sep 2002 | US |
| Child | 10127395 | US |
