Analyte meters, test strip ejectors, and methods of using same

A test strip ejector, comprising:

• a housing body including an internal chamber and a recessed area disposed on a back side of the housing body;
• a display screen disposed on a front side of the housing body;
• a printed circuit board disposed within the internal chamber, the printed circuit board comprising a push-member slot including a cutaway portion extending through a thickness of the printed circuit board;
• an engagement member configured to be contacted by a user, the engagement member located on the back side of the housing body within the recessed area of the housing body, the engagement member comprising:
• a back engagement surface recessed beneath an external surface of the housing body;
• a first curved edge at a first end of the back engagement surface extending along a first portion of a first side of the housing body;
• a second curved edge at a second end of the back engagement surface extending along a second portion of a second side of the housing body;
• and
• a plurality of ribs disposed on the back engagement surface and extending from the first curved edge across the back engagement surface to the second curved edge,
• wherein the plurality of ribs protrude out of the recessed area past the external surface of the housing body;
• a slide member coupled to the engagement member and slidable by a sliding motion of the engagement member;
• a test strip receiver configured to receive a test strip in a test strip port;
• a scanner;
• a first scanner button on the first side of the housing body;
• a second scanner button on the second side of the housing body,
• wherein depressing the first scanner button and the second scanner button simultaneously initiates a scanning function of the scanner;
• and
• a push member extending from the slide member toward the front side of the housing body, through the push-member slot and into the test strip receiver such that an end portion of the push member is positioned to engage with a test strip end of the test strip,
• wherein the sliding motion of the engagement member along the back side of the housing body causes the test strip to be ejected from the test strip port by the end portion of the push member that is in contact with an end of the test strip sliding with the sliding motion of the engagement member.

A method of ejecting a test strip from an analyte meter, comprising:

• providing a housing body and a test strip ejector,
• wherein the housing body comprises a front side, a back side, a first side, a second side, and an end, the housing body further comprising:
• an internal chamber,
• a display screen disposed on the front side of the housing body,
• a printed circuit board disposed within the internal chamber, the printed circuit board comprising a push-member slot including a cutaway portion extending through a thickness of the printed circuit board,
• a recessed area disposed on the back side of the housing body,
• a test strip receiver having a test strip port at the end configured to receive the test strip therein,
• a scanner located at a second end of the housing body opposite the end having the test strip port,
• a first scanner button on the first side, and
• a second scanner button on the second side;
• depressing the first scanner button and the second scanner button simultaneously to initiate a scanning function of the scanner,
• wherein the test strip is configured to eject the test strip from the test strip port of the test strip receiver,
• wherein the test strip ejector comprises:
• a slide member slidable relative to the housing body,
• an engagement member coupled to the slide member and configured to be contacted by a user, the engagement member located on the back side of the housing body opposite the front side containing the display screen, the engagement member comprising:
• a back engagement surface recessed beneath an external surface of the housing body,
• a first curved edge at a first end of the back engagement surface extending along a first portion of the first side,
• a second curved edge at a second end of the back engagement surface extending along a second portion of the second side, and
• a plurality of ribs disposed on the back engagement surface and extending from the first curved edge across the back engagement surface to the second curved edge,
• wherein the plurality of ribs protrude out of the recessed area past the external surface of the housing body, and
• a push member extending from the slide member toward the front side of the housing body through the push-member slot and into the test strip receiver such that an end portion of the push member is positioned to engage with the test strip;
• and
• with a user's digit, causing a sliding motion of the engagement member along the back side to cause the push member to contact the end of the test strip and eject the test strip from the test strip port.