US5871494A — Reproducible lancing for sampling blood

Claim 1

Independent Claim 150 words

A lancing apparatus for obtaining blood for analysis from the skin of a patient with a controlled degree of lancing, comprising: (a) a cartridge which comprises a cartridge case having a lancing opening and a lancet having a tip, the lancet operatively connected to the cartridge case to allow the lancet to protrude through the lancing opening and move the tip towards the skin for lancing to yield blood; and (b) a driver for driving the lancet to move the tip distally to lance the skin, the driver being triggerable by said skin exerting a force against the apparatus when said force exceeds a preset amount of preload force; wherein a spring generates a preload force which needs to be overcome to actuate the driver to drive the lancet towards the skin, the spring resting against an adjuster for adjusting the compression of the spring to vary the preload force.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 150 words

A lancing apparatus for obtaining blood for analysis from the skin of a patient with a controlled degree of lancing, comprising: (a) a cartridge which comprises a cartridge case having a lancing opening and a lancet having a tip, the lancet operatively connected to the cartridge case to allow the lancet to protrude through the lancing opening and move the tip towards the skin for lancing to yield blood; and (b) a driver for driving the lancet to move the tip distally to lance the skin, the driver being triggerable by said skin exerting a force against the apparatus when said force exceeds a preset amount of preload force; wherein a spring generates a preload force which needs to be overcome to actuate the driver to drive the lancet towards the skin, the spring resting against an adjuster for adjusting the compression of the spring to vary the preload force.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 23 words

The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the driver is adjustable to vary the protrusion of the lancet into the skin in lancing.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 28 words

The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the driver has parts with matching screw threads to adjust the protrusion length of the lancet out of the lancing opening.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 28 words

The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the cartridge is detachably held in said apparatus such that the cartridge can be removed after obtaining blood from the skin.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 18 words

The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising, associated with the cartridge case a compartment for receiving blood.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 21 words

The apparatus according to claim 5 comprising, associated with the cartridge case an analytical region for analyzing the property of blood.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 25 words

The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the analytical region is near the lancing opening for fluid communication between the analytical region and the opening.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 25 words

The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the analytical region is located distal to the lancet tip before the lancet is extended through the opening.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 21 words

The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the analytical region encircles the lancing opening on the exterior of the cartridge case.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 15 words

The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising a display for displaying the analysis result.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 50 words

The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the cartridge includes two surfaces on opposite sides to facilitate stacking cartridges together such that one cartridge can be transferred from a stack of cartridges to be associated with the driver while the other cartridges in the stack are retained on the stack.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 26 words

The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the cartridge is bar-shaped having a longitudinal axis parallel to which the lancet can extend to lance the skin.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 44 words

The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising: a housing having the driver for causing the lancet to extend the lancet tip outside the cartridge case, the cartridge being detachably held in said housing such that the cartridge can be removed after obtaining blood.

Claim 15

Independent Claim 79 words

A method for sampling blood from the skin of a patient, comprising: (a) providing an apparatus having a lancet which has a tip shielded in the apparatus; (b) adjusting a preload force in the apparatus which needs to be overcome to drive the lancet towards the skin; and (c) pushing the skin against the apparatus, thereby triggering the apparatus to drive the lancet to extend the lancet tip out of the apparatus when a preset preload force is exceeded.

Claim 16

Independent Claim 79 words

A method for sampling blood from the skin of a patient, comprising: (a) providing an apparatus having a lancet which has a tip shielded in the apparatus; (b) adjusting a preload force in the apparatus which needs to be overcome to drive the lancet towards the skin; and (c) pushing the skin against the apparatus, thereby triggering the apparatus to drive the lancet to extend the lancet tip out of the apparatus when a preset preload force is exceeded.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 23 words

The method according to claim 14 further comprising adjusting the apparatus to vary the depth of protrusion by the lancet into the skin.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 22 words

The method according to claim 14 further comprising extending the lancet through a cartridge which shields the lancet before triggering the apparatus.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 20 words

The method according to claim 16 further comprising receiving blood from lancing in a compartment associated with the cartridge case.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 25 words

The method according to claim 16 further comprising allowing blood from the lanced skin to contact an analytical region associated with the cartridge for analysis.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 147 words

A lancing apparatus for sampling and analyzing blood from the skin of a patient, comprising: (a) a cartridge having (i) a cartridge case having a lancing opening through which a lancet can protrude and having a sample compartment near the lancing opening; (ii) a lancet housed in the cartridge case and operatively connected thereto such that it is drivable to extend through the lancing opening for lancing the skin to yield blood; and (b) a housing having a driver for driving the lancet to extend the lancet through the lancing opening, the cartridge being detachably held in said housing such that the cartridge can be removed after sampling blood, the driver having a cocking position which is triggerable when the skin to be lanced exerts on the driver a force exceeding a preset force to release from the cocking position, thereby urging the lancet toward the skin.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 147 words

A lancing apparatus for sampling and analyzing blood from the skin of a patient, comprising: (a) a cartridge having (i) a cartridge case having a lancing opening through which a lancet can protrude and having a sample compartment near the lancing opening; (ii) a lancet housed in the cartridge case and operatively connected thereto such that it is drivable to extend through the lancing opening for lancing the skin to yield blood; and (b) a housing having a driver for driving the lancet to extend the lancet through the lancing opening, the cartridge being detachably held in said housing such that the cartridge can be removed after sampling blood, the driver having a cocking position which is triggerable when the skin to be lanced exerts on the driver a force exceeding a preset force to release from the cocking position, thereby urging the lancet toward the skin.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 20 words

The apparatus according to claim 19 further comprising an analytical region associated with the cartridge case for analysis of blood.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 128 words

A lancing apparatus for obtaining blood for analysis from the skin of a patient with a controlled degree of lancing, comprising: (a) a cartridge which comprises a cartridge case having a lancing opening and a lancet having a tip, the lancet operatively connected to the cartridge case to allow the lancet to protrude through the lancing opening and move the tip towards the skin for lancing to yield blood; and (b) a driver for driving the lancet to move the tip distally to lance the skin, the driver being triggerable by said skin exerting a force against the apparatus when said force exceeds a preset amount of preload force; wherein the driver has movable parts to adjust the protrusion length of the lancet out of the lancing opening.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 128 words

A lancing apparatus for obtaining blood for analysis from the skin of a patient with a controlled degree of lancing, comprising: (a) a cartridge which comprises a cartridge case having a lancing opening and a lancet having a tip, the lancet operatively connected to the cartridge case to allow the lancet to protrude through the lancing opening and move the tip towards the skin for lancing to yield blood; and (b) a driver for driving the lancet to move the tip distally to lance the skin, the driver being triggerable by said skin exerting a force against the apparatus when said force exceeds a preset amount of preload force; wherein the driver has movable parts to adjust the protrusion length of the lancet out of the lancing opening.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2002-02-15	2002-08-17	2003-02-16	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2006-02-15	2006-08-17	2007-02-16	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2010-02-15	2010-08-17	2011-02-16	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Reproducible lancing for sampling blood

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