Glucose test arrangement and method

A glucose test arrangement for use in a handheld meter, comprising:

• a supporting member having an application site and one or more spacer elements arranged adjacent to and on opposed sides of the application site;
• a pair of tape spools;
• a transport tape stored on and extending between the pair of tape spools;
• and
• a plurality of flat, spaced apart test pads carried by the transport tape, each test pad being responsive to glucose in a body fluid and each having a top side comprising a receiving area and an opposite bottom side, the transport tape being movable relative to the supporting member,
• the supporting member supporting the transport tape and one of the test pads at the application site for application of a drop of blood from a user's skin onto the receiving area,
• the bottom side of the test pad fully and flatly abutting the supporting member and the receiving area facing away from the supporting member
• each of the one or more spacer elements having a skin-contacting end section which protrudes outwardly from the application site in a direction orthogonal to the application site, the skin-contacting end section extending beyond the top side of the test pad, and
• the one or more spacer elements providing a haptic feedback to the user and preventing direct finger contact with the test pad during sample application.

A tape cassette for glucose tests, the tape cassette comprising:

• a housing containing a transport tape carrying a plurality of spaced apart test pads, the transport tape being guided between two spools in the housing,
• wherein between the spools each test pad is successively provided across a tip of the housing, each said test pad comprising a layered chemistry field responsive to glucose contained in an applied fluid sample by a color change,
• the transport tape being transparent at least at the location of each test pad, and each test pad further comprising a receiving area having a planar top surface for application of the fluid sample;
• said tip comprising a planar supporting member having an optical window therein, wherein the glucose-responsive color change in said test pad is observable through the optical window when the fluid sample is applied from a user's skin to one of the test pads positioned over the optical window for optical scanning of a rear side of the transport tape at the location of said test pad, said rear side fully and flatly abutting the supporting member and being on an opposite side of the transport tape from the plurality of test pads,
• the supporting member having a pair of spacer elements arranged on opposite sides of the transport tape, wherein said transport tape is guided across the supporting member and between the spacer elements,
• said spacer elements comprising a skin-contacting end section which protrudes above the supporting member and extends in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the supporting member and the planar top surface of the receiving area of one of the test pads provided at the application site, and
• wherein said spacer elements are configured to provide a haptic feedback to a user and prevent direct contact of a user's finger with the receiving area of the test pad when applying the fluid sample.