Lancet device

Details Lancet device Lancet device

1999-03-18

2000-10-24

Buiz, Michael

Surgery

Instruments

Cutting, puncturing or piercing

606181, 606182, A61B 1732

Patent

active

061360139

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to lancet devices. They are used for pricking the skin to take blood samples.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are two main kinds. One has a reusable firing mechanism in which a disposable lancet is loaded, and after use the lancet has to be unloaded and safely disposed of. The other kind has the lancet as part of a trigger device, the whole of which is thrown away after a single use. These are small and simple, to be economic, but nevertheless they have hitherto generally required several parts, separately moulded or otherwise fabricated, to be assembled together. The less the number of parts and the fewer the assembly operations the better for such throwaway items.


OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is the aim of this invention to reduce this kind of lancet device to the minimum number of parts.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a lancet device in which a multi-part housing, trigger, spring and lancet body are integrally moulded from plastics material in a folded-out configuration, components of the moulding being joined by webs which enable the housing parts, one of which incorporates the trigger, to be hinged and fastened together with the spring and lancet within the housing.
The housing parts are conveniently two elongate channel members joined by a web or webs between longitudinal edges. They then hinge closed when the lancet and spring are folded over into one of the channels.
The spring may be a zig-zag formation, joined at one end by a web hinge to the rear end of a housing part (preferably the one without the trigger) and merging into the lancet body at the other end. Conveniently, the trigger is a tongue deformable inwardly to co-operate with and disengage catch means holding the lancet retracted. The catch means may be a toothed finger and a detent, one of these being on the side of the lancet body and the other inside a housing part, the toothed finger having snap engagement with the detent on completion of lancet retraction. Preferably, the lancet carries the finger while the detent is on the housing.
The lancet body will be moulded around a needle whose tip projects from the forward end of the lancet body. Preferably, a tear-off cap, initially concealing the needle tip, is integrally moulded with the lancet body, part of the cap being accessible outside the forward end of the housing when that is closed around the lancet body and spring. The cap may be elongated and usable, before being removed from the needle tip, to push the lancet body back to temporary retention by catch means releasable by the trigger. This primes the device in the manner of EP-B-0634000.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, one embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lancet device as moulded and before completion, showing the outside of the housing,
FIG. 2 is a side view of the lancet device in that condition,
FIG. 3 is a plan view, similar to FIG. 1, but showing the inside of the housing,
FIG. 4 is a section on the line IV--IV of FIG. 3,
FIG. 5 is a section in the line V--V of FIG. 3, and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the completed lancet device.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The device has a two-part housing 1, a spring 2, a lancet body 3 containing a needle 4, and a needle cap 5 concealing the tip of the needle 4 which projects from the body 3. These components 1, 2, 3 and 5 are integrally moulded, embedding the needle 4.
The housing 1 is in two elongate parts 6 and 7, both generally channel shaped and connected at adjacent longitudinal edges by thin flexible webs 8 which form hinges enabling the parts to be closed together. The part 6 has a trigger 9 in the form of a tongue provided by a U-shaped cut out 10 open in the rearward direction. The plastics material will allow this tongue, when pressed by a pad 11 at its free end, to flex about the transverse line 12. On the insi

REFERENCES:
patent: 3760806 (1973-09-01), Camppbell, Jr.
patent: 4983178 (1991-01-01), Schnell
patent: 5196025 (1993-03-01), Ranalletta et al.
patent: 5397334 (1995-03-01), Schenk et al.

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