Sensor release for a sensor dispensing instrument

A sensor dispensing instrument adapted to perform a test by using a fluid testing sensor, said fluid testing sensor being supplied by a disposable sensor pack inserted into said sensor dispensing instrument, said sensor pack having a plurality of sensor cavities covered by a protective covering, said fluid testing sensor being enclosed in one of said sensor cavities prior to the performance of said test, said sensor dispensing instrument comprising:

• an outer housing having a front end and a rear end, said outer housing further comprising an upper case and a lower case, said upper case and said lower case being pivotally connected together near the rear end of the outer housing in a clam-like fashion to permit the outer housing to be opened to permit the insertion of the sensor pack;
• a latch disposed near the front end of the outer housing and adapted to connect the upper case to the lower case so as to close said outer housing after the insertion of said sensor pack;
• a sensor slot disposed at the front end of the outer housing, said sensor slot being adapted to receive said fluid testing sensor, said fluid testing sensor projecting outwardly through said sensor slot during the performance of said test;
• an indexing disk for supporting and rotating said sensor pack, said indexing disk being rotatably mounted within said outer housing and comprising a plurality of curvilinearly extending grooves and a plurality of radially extending grooves, each radially extending groove being disposed between an adjacent pair of curvilinearly extending grooves;
• a disk drive pusher generally disposed within said outer housing for rotating the indexing disk and ejecting the fluid testing sensor from said sensor pack, said disk drive pusher being laterally movable and comprising an indexing disk drive arm for rotating said indexing disk, said indexing disk drive arm being adapted to engage one of the curvilinearly extending grooves and the radially extending grooves, said disk drive pusher further comprising a knife blade assembly for ejecting the fluid testing sensor from the sensor pack, said knife blade assembly having a knife blade adapted to puncture said protective covering and engage the fluid testing sensor so as to eject said fluid testing sensor from said sensor cavity and through said sensor slot;
• a puller handle generally disposed at the rear end the outer housing for moving said dish drive pusher, said puller handle being affixed to a rear end of the disk drive pusher, said puller handle being moveable between a testing position adjacent to the rear end of the outer housing and an extended position spaced outwardly from the rear end of the outer housing, wherein said puller handle is moved from the testing position to the extended position to rotate said indexing disk, and wherein said puller handle is moved from the extended position to the testing position to puncture the foil covering and eject said fluid testing sensor from said sensor cavity and through said sensor slot;
• an electronics assembly for performing the test and displaying test results, said electronics assembly comprising a circuit board, electrical components mounted on the circuit board for conducting electronic functions in response to electrical signals, a plurality of buttons mounted on the circuit board for supplying electrical signals to the electrical components, a liquid crystal display mounted on the printed circuit board for displaying said test results;
• a sensor actuator disposed within said outer housing adjacent to said sensor slot for connecting the fluid testing sensor to the electronics assembly, said sensor actuator adapted to engage and hold said fluid testing sensor in said sensor slot when said puller handle is in the testing position, said sensor actuator having metal contacts adapted to connect to contacts on the fluid testing sensor when said fluid sensor testing sensor is disposed in said sensor slot and when said puller handle is in the testing position so as to transmit electrical signals between said fluid testing sensor and the printed circuit board of said electronics assembly;
• and
• a sensor release generally disposed on a surface of the outer housing, said sensor release being movable to disengage said sensor actuator from the fluid testing sensor disposed in the sensor slot and permit said fluid testing sensor to be discharged from said sensor slot and removed from the instrument, said sensor being adapted to move the puller handle from the testing components,
• wherein the puller handle, the sensor release and sensor actuator are distinct and separate components.

A method of operating a sensor dispensing instrument adapted to handle a sensor pack containing a plurality of sensors, each of said plurality of sensors being disposed in a sensor cavity on said sensor pack and enclosed by a protective covering, and said sensor dispensing instrument further adapted to perform a test using one of said plurality of sensors, said sensor dispensing instrument comprising an outer housing having a sensor slot disposed therein through which one of said sensors is disposed to conduct the test, said sensor dispensing instrument further comprising a mechanism having an indexing disk for supporting and rotating said sensor pack, an indexing support for rotating said indexing disk, an ejecting mechanism to eject one of said sensors from said sensor cavity and through said sensor slot, a puller handle and a sensor release, said puller handle being moveable between a testing position adjacent to a rear end of the outer housing, an extended position spaced outwardly from the rear end of the outer housing, and a stand-by position located between the testing position and the extended position, said method comprises the acts of:

• a) grasping said puller handle when said puller handle is in the stand-by position;
• b) pulling said puller handle from the stand-by position to the extended position so as to move said indexing support;
• c) pushing said puller handle from the extended position to the testing position so as to move said disk indexing support and cause said ejecting mechanism to eject one of said sensors from said sensor cavity and through said sensor slot;
• d) performing the test by using the sensor disposed in said sensor slot;
• and
• e) activating said sensor release to engage said indexing support and move the puller handle from the testing position to the stand-by position so as to cause the sensor to be released from the sensor slot, the puller handle and the sensor release being distinct and separate components.