US 5,951,582 AGranted

Lancet apparatus and methods

AssigneeSpecialized Health Products, Inc.

InventorsDavid L. Thorne, Gale H. Thorne, Charles V. Owen, Michael L. Thorne

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Abstract

A one-time-use, self-powered, restricted entry lancet apparatus which provides a smaller incision in a surface or epidermal layers of a lancing site than in subsurface or dermal layers. Two embodiments of the invention are disclosed. Generally, each embodiment includes a housing, a blade component, a rotary spring and an actuator. The blade generally has a proximal portion and a distal section. The proximal portion is disposed within the housing and is displaced laterally in a first direction during a lancing procedure. During the lancing procedure, the distal section is extended from the housing through an open exit slot and is rotated about an abutment member of the exit slot to be laterally displaced in a direction opposite the first direction. This rotation about the abutment results in an incision pattern which has a smaller cut in the epidermis than in the dermis. Thus, surface trauma is reduced while a broad cut is made in capillary rich regions of the dermal layers.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A one-time-use, self-powered lancet apparatus comprising:

a housing comprising a hollow space for fully containing a lancet blade member, and an open frame forming a slot through which a blade portion of the lancet blade member is extended and retracted;
the lancet blade member which comprises a proximally disposed planar portion having an aperture for communicating with an energy-storing memory element and a distally disposed elongated thin blade section having a sharpened tip and at least one sharpened edge;
the energy storing memory element comprising a latching member by which the element is retained in an energy storing state and a part which is displaced as stored energy is released, said part being disposed to communicate with the aperture;
a lancet actuation mechanism comprising a releasible catch which displaceable within the housing to releasibly restrain the latching memory element and an element is displaced to release the latching member to free the energy storing member to initiate a lancing procedure;
and
said frame comprising a side abutment, said energy storing memory element comprising an energy release vector and said blade section comprising a blade edge such that, when the energy storing memory element is freed and displaces the proximal portion in a given direction, the blade edge communicates with the side abutment to displace the blade section disposed within the frame in an arcuate direction opposite to the given direction such that a resulting lancing incision has a characteristic pattern having a smaller cut at the surface of the incision than in the subsurface thereof.

3 more elements

A method of lancing comprising the steps of:

providing a lancet actuating apparatus comprising:
a housing having a side which is disposed against a site to be lanced during a lancing procedure, said side comprising a blade exit and reentry slot;
a lancet blade component safely disposed within said housing prior to use in the lancing procedure, said component comprising a proximally disposed portion which remains in the housing during the lancing procedure and a blade, having a sharpened tip and at least one cutting edge, at least a segment of said blade exits the housing to perform a lancing procedure and returns to the housing for safe disposal;
an energy storing memory element which, when actuated, communicates with said proximally disposed portion to urge the blade through a predetermined lancing pattern outwardly and then inwardly through the blade exit and reentry slot;
a lancet actuating mechanism comprising a release trigger which activates the energy storing memory element;
placing the apparatus against a site to be lanced;
triggering release of the energy storing memory element which subsequently communicates with the proximally disposed portion to accomplish the following steps:
forcibly steering the proximally disposed portion to guide the blade obliquely outward through the slot;
rotating the blade laterally about an edge of the slot under influence of the memory element and, thereby, displacing the proximally disposed portion in a first direction relative to said slot while at the same time displacing the blade in a direction opposite the first direction such that the sharpened tip and cutting edge produce a smaller incision in a surface of the site being lanced than in a subsurface thereof;
returning the blade into the housing.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/084,112Filed 22 May 1998
Granted: 14 Sep 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

A61B 5/150458
Blade-like piercing elements, e.g. blades, cutters, knives, for cutting the skin: specific blade design, e.g. for improved cutting and penetration…
A61B 5/150022
Source of blood: for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
A61B 5/150465
Blade-like piercing elements, e.g. blades, cutters, knives, for cutting the skin: specific design of proximal end
A61B 5/15113
Piercing being assisted by a triggering mechanism: manually triggered, i.e. the triggering requires a deliberate action by the user such as…