Rapid charging and power management of a battery-powered fluid analyte meter

A blood-glucose meter including a circuit configured with a rechargeable battery to provide power to a sensing element for determining a blood-glucose concentration of a fluid sample, the blood-glucose meter comprising:

• a housing defining a port sized to receive at least a portion of a test sensor, the rechargeable battery and the circuit being at least partially disposed within the housing;
• a processor powered by the circuit and disposed within the housing, the processor configured to operate the meter in an active mode and a sleep mode;
• a fuel gauge powered by the circuit, the fuel gauge disposed within the housing and configured to track state of battery charge data received from the battery during the active mode of operation of the meter;
• an interface configured to transfer state of battery charge data from the fuel gauge to the processor;
• and
• a switch for controlling current flow to the fuel gauge, the switch configured to be open and closed by the processor, the processor signaling the switch to an open position to disconnect the fuel gauge from the circuit if the meter enters into the sleep mode and the processor signaling the switch to a closed position if the meter enters into the active mode.