U.S. patent application number 09/917118 was filed with the patent office on 2002-03-07 for adjustable endcap for lancing device.
Invention is credited to Purcell, D. Glenn.
Application Number | 20020029059 09/917118 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22860998 |
Filed Date | 2002-03-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020029059 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Purcell, D. Glenn |
March 7, 2002 |
Adjustable endcap for lancing device
Abstract
An adjustable endcap for a lancing device includes a basecap and
a twistcap. The basecap includes a post with detents thereon. At
least one finger is provided on the basecap adjacent the post. The
twistcap includes at least one helical track on its outer surface
into which the finger extends when the twistcap is mounted on the
post. The twistcap also includes a plurality of grooves on an inner
surface for engagement with the detents. As the twistcap is rotated
on the post, the interaction of the finger and track causes the
twistcap to move toward and away from the basecap and to adjust the
penetration depth of a lance reciprocally mounted in the lancing
device.
Inventors: |
Purcell, D. Glenn;
(Edwardsburg, MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Jerome L. Jeffers, Esq.
Bayer Corporation
P. O. Box 40
Elkhart
IN
46515-0040
US
|
Family ID: |
22860998 |
Appl. No.: |
09/917118 |
Filed: |
July 30, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60229383 |
Sep 1, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
606/182 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 5/150183 20130101;
A61B 5/15113 20130101; A61B 5/1519 20130101; A61B 5/150259
20130101; A61B 5/150824 20130101; A61B 5/150022 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
606/182 |
International
Class: |
A61B 017/32 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An adjustable endcap for a lancing device, comprising: a
basecap, and a twistcap, said basecap including a post member and
at least one finger on said basecap adjacent said post member, said
twistcap adapted to fit over said post member, said twistcap
including at least one generally helical track on an outer surface
thereof, said finger extending into said track when said twistcap
is on said post member.
2. The adjustable endcap claimed in claim 1 comprising at least one
cantilevered detent on said post member, and at least one detent
receiving surface on an interior surface of said twistcap.
3. The adjustable endcap claimed in claim 1 wherein said basecap is
configured to fit on a lancing device.
4. The adjustable endcap claimed in claim 1 wherein said post
member is cylindrical.
5. The adjustable endcap claimed in claim 1 wherein said basecap
further comprises a second finger adjacent said post and said
twistcap further comprises a second generally helical track on an
outer surface thereof, said second finger extending into said
second track when said twistcap is on said post member.
6. An adjustable endcap for a lancing device, comprising: a basecap
configured to be mounted on a lancing device, said basecap
including a cylindrical post member with a first cantilevered
detent thereon, said basecap further including a first finger
adjacent to and extending radially toward said cylindrical post
member; and a twistcap configured to fit on said cylindrical post
member, a first generally helical track on an outer surface of said
twistcap oriented to be aligned with said first finger when said
twistcap is on said cylindrical post member, a plurality of detent
receiving surfaces on an interior surface of said twistcap.
7. The adjustable endcap for a lancing device claimed in claim 6
wherein said basecap further includes a second cantilevered detent
on said cylindrical post member.
8. The adjustable endcap for a lancing device claimed in claim 6
wherein said basecap further includes a second finger adjacent to
and extending radially toward said cylindrical post member.
9. The adjustable endcap for a lancing device claimed in claim 6
wherein the twistcap further includes a second generally helical
track on said outer surface of said twistcap.
10. An endcap for adjusting the penetration depth of a lance of a
lancing device, comprising: a basecap including a cylindrical
mounting post, first and second cantilevered detents on
diametrically opposed sides of said mounting post, first and second
fingers on said basecap adjacent to and on opposite sides of said
mounting post; and a twistcap rotatably mounted on said mounting
post, a plurality of detent receiving grooves on an interior
surface of said twistcap, and first and second generally helical
tracks formed on an outer surface of said twistcap aligned with
said first and second fingers, respectively.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to blood monitoring
devices, and, more particularly, to an adjustable endcap for
lancing devices used to lance a finger or other areas of the body
to harvest blood for monitoring.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] It is often necessary to quickly obtain a sample of blood
and perform an analysis of the blood sample. One example of a need
for painlessly obtaining a sample of blood is in connection with a
blood glucose monitoring system where a user must frequently use
the system to monitor the user's blood glucose level.
[0003] Those who have irregular blood glucose concentration levels
are medically required to regularly self-monitor their blood
glucose concentration level. An irregular blood glucose level can
be brought on by a variety of reasons including illness such as
diabetes. The purpose of monitoring the blood glucose concentration
level is to determine the blood glucose concentration level and
then to take corrective action, based upon whether the level is too
high or too low, to bring the level back within a normal range. The
failure to take corrective action can have serious implications.
When blood glucose levels drop too low--a condition known as
hypoglycemia--a person can become nervous, shaky, and confused.
That person's judgment may become impaired and they may eventually
faint. A person can also become very ill if their blood glucose
level becomes too high--a condition known as hyperglycemia. Both
conditions, hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, are potentially
life-threatening emergencies.
[0004] One method of monitoring a person's blood glucose level is
with a portable, hand-held blood glucose testing device. In order
to check the blood glucose level with the testing device, a drop of
blood is obtained from the fingertip using a lancing device. A
typical lancing device contains a needle lancet to puncture the
skin. Some of these lancing devices have no means of adjusting the
depth of penetration of the lancet. These lancing devices cannot
accommodate different skin thicknesses which impacts the amount of
blood that can be drawn. In addition, these devices cannot
accommodate differences in pain tolerances of the person whose
blood is being drawn.
[0005] Although there are adjustable lancing devices, these devices
typically adjust the position of a structural element that engages
a lancet holder thereby limiting the travel of the lancet. These
are cumbersome to adjust and are subject to rapid deterioration.
Other adjustable lancing devices have multiple parts resulting in
high costs, and complicated adjustment procedures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is an endcap for a lancing device that
adjusts the penetration depth of a lancet in a lancing device
allowing the lancing device to be adjusted to accommodate skin
thickness and pain tolerance of the person on whom the lancing
device is used. The endcap contains adjustment structure and is
adapted to fit on an existing lancing device thus reducing the
cost.
[0007] The endcap of the present invention consists of only two
parts, a basecap and a twistcap. Because there are fewer parts than
prior art adjustable lancing devices, the cost is reduced and the
assembly and use of the endcap of the present invention are
simplified. The basecap includes a central post on which the
twistcap is mounted. The lancet of the lancing device when
triggered, extends through the basecap, across the distance between
the basecap and the twistcap, and through and beyond the twistcap.
The end of the twistcap is the portion of the endcap that is
pressed against the skin of the person from whom blood is to be
drawn. The twistcap includes external helical tracks into which
fingers on the basecap extend. To adjust the endcap, a user merely
needs to twist or rotate the twistcap and the interaction of the
fingers and helical tracks moves the twistcap relative to the
basecap. The distance the lancet of the lancing device extends
beyond the basecap is constant. Therefore, by adjusting the
distance between the basecap and twistcap by twisting the basecap,
the distance the lancet extends out of the twistcap and into a
user's finger is adjusted. Consequently, the user of a lancing
device that has an endcap of the present invention can easily
adjust the depth of penetration of the lancet merely by rotating or
twisting the endcap. There are stops that can be felt and heard by
a user as the twistcap is rotated. These stops correspond to
different penetration depths and are provided by detents on the
central post of the basecap and detent slots on the inside of the
twistcap.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Other objects and advantages of the invention will become
apparent upon reading the following detailed description in
conjunction with the drawings in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a prior art lancing device;
[0010] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the lancing device
of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the endcap for the lancing
device of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the endcap illustrated in
FIG. 3 with the twistcap removed;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a front plan view of the endcap illustrated in
FIG. 4;
[0014] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the twistcap;
and
[0015] FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the twistcap
illustrated in FIG. 6
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Many children and adults must draw their blood several times
a day to perform an analysis of the blood sample drawn. Skin
thickness and tolerance to pain differs among these people and a
device for lancing a person's skin to draw blood preferably
includes a mechanism that allows adjustment of the depth of
penetration of the lance. An example of a known lancing device 100
is shown in FIG. 1. The known lancing device 100 is disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,738 and is incorporated herein in its entirety
by reference. The known lancing device 100 includes a main housing
portion 112, a housing portion 114 movable relative to the main
housing portion 112 and an endcap support 116. An end cap 118 may
be attached onto the endcap support 116 by a pair of latching or
support arms 120 which are part of the endcap support 116.
[0017] A lancing mechanism including a lance is mounted inside the
main housing portion 112. The lance is driven through an opening in
the endcap 118 by a driving mechanism that is cocked by pulling the
housing portion 114 away from main housing portion 112. The driving
mechanism is fired by pushing a button 122. The known lancing
device 100 is provided with a number of different sized endcaps 118
to vary the penetration depth of the lance.
[0018] The lancing device 10 of the present invention is shown in
FIGS. 2-7. The lancing device 10 is the same as the known lancing
device 100 in that it includes a main housing portion 12, a housing
portion 14 that is movable relative to the main housing portion, an
endcap support 16 and a button 22 for firing a driving mechanism
and lancing mechanism housed in the main housing portion 12. The
lancing device 10 differs, however, from the known lancing device
100 in that it does not require a number of different sized endcaps
to vary the penetration depth of a lance. Instead, the lancing
device 10 includes an adjustable endcap 18 that can be adjusted
quickly and easily for multiple lance penetration depths.
[0019] The endcap 18 is a two piece assembly consisting of a
basecap 24 and a twistcap 26. The twistcap 26 includes a top or
face 28 that is placed on the skin of the person whose blood is to
be drawn. There is an opening 30 in the top 28 through which a
lance is driven when the button 22 is depressed. By varying the
position of the top 28 relative to the basecap 24, the distance the
lance extends out of the twistcap 26 and thus the penetration depth
of the lance can be adjusted.
[0020] To provide the lancing device 10 with quick adjustment of
the penetration depth, the basecap 24 may be snapped onto a pair of
support arms (not shown) similar to the support arms 120 on the
known lancing device 110. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the
basecap 24 includes a body 32 with a pair of shoulders 34 and 36.
The shoulders 34 and 36 are hollow and fit over the support arms on
the lancing device 10. Indicia 38 is provided on the top of the
body 32 to indicate the different penetration depths of the lance.
The basecap 24 further includes a column or post 40 located between
and spaced from the shoulders 34 and 36. The post 40 includes a top
42 with a central opening 44 through which the lance extends. The
post 40 also includes first 46 and second 48 cantilevered detents.
A pair of protrusions or fingers 47 and 49 are formed on the inside
surfaces of the shoulders 34 and 36 and extend toward the post
40.
[0021] The twistcap 26 fits over and onto the column or post 40. As
best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 6 and 7, the twistcap 26 includes
several ribs 50 that provide a gripping surface allowing a user to
grip and rotate the twistcap 26 relative to the post 40 and the
basecap 24. The twistcap 26 also includes an indicator line 52 that
points to a different portion of the indicia 38 as the twistcap 26
is rotated thereby indicating the depth of penetration of the lance
at that position of the twistcap 26.
[0022] A first helical groove 54 and a second helical groove 56 are
formed in the lower outside surface of the twistcap 26. The grooves
54 and 56 are located on the twistcap 26 and aligned with a
protrusion or finger 47 and 49 extending into a respective groove
54 and 56 when the twistcap 26 is placed on and over the post
40.
[0023] As best illustrated in FIG. 7, several slots 58, 60, 62, 64
and 66 are formed in the inner peripheral surface 68 of the
twistcap 26. When the twistcap 26 is placed on the column or post
40 and rotated, the detents 46 and 48 snap into the slots 58, 60,
62, 64 and 66 to indicate to the user a specific penetration depth
of the lance. In the illustrated embodiment, the indicia 38
includes a first symbol 38a in the form of a large drop and a
second symbol 38b in the form of a smaller drop. Between the first
symbol 38a and the second symbol 38b are five dot indicia 38c.
These dot indicia 38c correspond to specific penetration depths
varying from shallow (those dot indicia 38c closest to the small
drop indicia 38b) to deeper (those dot indicia 38c closest to the
large drop indicia 38a). A person can select the depth of
penetration by twisting the twistcap to align the indicator line 52
with the dot indicia 38c that corresponds with the preferred depth
of penetration.
[0024] In addition to this visual selection of the lance
penetration depth, a tactile and audible indication is also
provided by the detents 46 and 48 and the slots 58, 60, 62, 64 and
66. Each slot 58, 60, 62 and 64 corresponds to one of the dot
indicia 38c. As a user rotates the twistcap 26 one of the detents
46 and 48 is moved out of one of the slots 58, 60, 62, 64 and 66
and the user feels a slight resistance to the rotating action.
Further rotation moves the slot 58, 60, 62, 64 and 66 past the
detent and the smooth inner peripheral surface 68 of the twistcap
26 passes over the detent. As the next slot 58, 60, 62, 64 or 66
passes over the detent, the detent snaps into the slot producing an
audible clicking sound and the user feels a resistance to rotation.
In this way the user knows when a specific penetration depth has
been reached. As can be understood, adjustment of the penetration
depth is easy and multiple penetration depths are possible without
need to add or remove parts to the lancing device 10 or to vary the
pressure by which the lancing device 10 is pressed against a user's
skin.
[0025] The penetration depth of the lance is shallower the greater
the distance between the face 28 of the twistcap 26 and the top 42
of the column or post 40. This distance is adjusted by the
interaction of the protrusions or fingers 47 and 49 in the first
and second grooves 54 and 56. As the twistcap 26 is rotated, the
first and second grooves 54 and 56 are moved relative to the
protrusions or fingers 47 and 49. Because the first and second
grooves 54 and 56 are helical, the movement of the grooves 54 and
56 relative to the protrusions 47 and 49 causes the twistcap 26 to
move longitudinally relative to the column or post 40 thereby
decreasing or increasing the distance between the face 28 of the
twistcap 28 and the top 42 of the column or post 40. Because the
lance extends beyond the top 42 a fixed distance, as the distance
between the top 42 and the top 28 is increased, the distance the
lance extends beyond the top 28 is decreased, and as the distance
between the top 42 and top 28 is decreased, the distance the lance
extends beyond the top 28 and thus, the penetration depth, is
increased.
[0026] While the present invention has been described with
reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in
the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof
is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the
claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *