Narrow-profile lancing device

Abstract

A lancing device having a substantially narrow profile housing, optionally configured for attachment in place of a battery cover of a blood-glucose testing meter. A miniature lancet has an oversized sterility cap with a T-shaped end for ease of handling and loading into a lancing device. A flattened portion of the sterility cap is angularly offset, for example generally perpendicular to, a flattened portion of the lancet body, such that twisting the sterility cap into alignment with the lancet body serves to detach the sterility cap from the lancet body.

1 . A lancing device comprising: 
 a lancet carrier translationally mounted within a housing and movable along a path of travel between a retracted position and an extended position;    at least one drive spring engaged between the lancet carrier and the housing;    a charging mechanism for moving the lancet carrier into the retracted position and energizing the at least one drive spring; and    a release mechanism for holding the lancet carrier in the retracted position until actuated to release the lancet carrier to move along the path of travel under the influence of the at least one drive spring toward the extended position;    wherein the lancet carrier, the at least one drive spring, the charging mechanism and the release mechanism are all intersected by a reference plane containing the path of travel.    
     
     
         2 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein each drive spring is positioned within a slot formed in the lancet carrier.  
     
     
         3 . The lancing device of  claim 2 , further comprising a return spring positioned within a slot formed in the lancet carrier.  
     
     
         4 . The lancing device of  claim 3 , wherein the return spring and each drive spring are positioned within separate slots formed in the lancet carrier.  
     
     
         5 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing has an overall thickness of less than 0.25″ (0.6 cm).  
     
     
         6 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing has an overall thickness of less than 0.125″ (0.3 cm).  
     
     
         7 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing has a height to thickness aspect ratio of at least 4:1.  
     
     
         8 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing has a height to thickness aspect ratio of at least 5:1.  
     
     
         9 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing couples to a blood glucose test meter in place of a battery cover component thereof.  
     
     
         10 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a slotted lancet opening having a length dimension considerably greater than a width dimension.  
     
     
         11 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises first and second side walls having internal faces in sliding contact, respectively, with first and second sides of the lancet carrier to provide lateral guidance of the lancet carrier along the path of travel.  
     
     
         12 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , further comprising a lancet releasably engaged between opposed forks of the lancet carrier.  
     
     
         13 . The lancing device of  claim 12 , wherein the housing comprises retaining panels at a proximal end thereof to prevent the forks from spreading apart and releasing the lancet as the lancet carrier moves into the extended position.  
     
     
         14 . The lancing device of  claim 12 , wherein the lancet has a lancet body with a thickness equal to a thickness of the lancet carrier.  
     
     
         15 . The lancing device of  claim 12 , wherein the housing has a lancet-removal opening through a sidewall portion thereof, whereby a lancet removal member inserted through the lancet-removal opening projects between the opposed forks of the lancet carrier and behind the lancet.  
     
     
         16 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing has a detachable endcap for accessing the lancet carrier to install a lancet therein.  
     
     
         17 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing has a hinged cover for accessing the lancet carrier to install a lancet therein.  
     
     
         18 . The lancing device of  claim 17 , wherein the hinged cover has at least one clip for retaining the lancet upon opening the hinged cover.  
     
     
         19 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , further comprising a clip containing a plurality of lancets for sequential loading into the lancet carrier.  
     
     
         20 . A lancing device having an overall thickness of less than 0.25″ (0.6 cm).  
     
     
         21 . The lancing device of  claim 20 , having an overall thickness of less than 0.125″ (0.3 cm).  
     
     
         22 . The lancing device of  claim 20 , having a height to thickness aspect ratio of at least 4:1.  
     
     
         23 . The lancing device of  claim 20 , having a height to thickness aspect ratio of at least 5:1.  
     
     
         24 . The lancing device of  claim 20 , comprising at least one coupling for attachment in place of a battery cover of a blood glucose test meter.  
     
     
         25 . In combination, a blood glucose test meter comprising a battery compartment, and a lancing device for releasable coupling to the blood glucose test meter over the battery compartment.  
     
     
         26 . The combination of  claim 25 , wherein the lancing device releasably couples directly to the blood glucose test meter over the battery compartment.  
     
     
         27 . The combination of  claim 25 , wherein the lancing device is mounted to a mounting clip releasably coupled to the blood glucose test meter over the battery compartment.  
     
     
         28 . A lancing device comprising a housing having a slotted lancet opening with a first opening dimension greater than a second opening dimension thereof, and a lancet releasably engagable with said lancing device; 
 said lancet having a lancet body with a sharp lancet tip projecting therefrom and a cap removably covering the sharp lancet tip;    wherein the lancet body has a first lancet body dimension less than the first opening dimension but greater than the second opening dimension, and has a second lancet body dimension less than the second opening dimension;    whereby the lancet body resists rotation within the slotted lancet opening upon twisting of the cap to detach the cap from the lancet body.    
     
     
         29 . The lancing device of  claim 28 , wherein at least a portion of the cap has a flattened profile initially unaligned with an adjacent flattened profile portion of the lancet body.  
     
     
         30 . The lancing device of  claim 28 , wherein the removable cap has a flared gripping portion.  
     
     
         31 . The lancing device of  claim 28 , wherein the removable cap comprises a release finger portion for insertion into the housing to release the lancet from engagement with the lancing device.  
     
     
         32 . The lancing device of  claim 31 , wherein the release finger portion of the cap comprises an inclined removal surface.  
     
     
         33 . A lancet comprising a lancet body having a sharp lancet tip projecting therefrom, and a protective cap removably covering the sharp lancet tip, said protective cap comprising a release member for releasing the lancet body from engagement with a lancing device.  
     
     
         34 . The lancet of  claim 33 , wherein the protective cap has a generally T-shaped profile.  
     
     
         35 . The lancet of  claim 33 , wherein the release member comprises a release finger projecting axially from a flared end of the protective cap.  
     
     
         36 . The lancet of  claim 33 , wherein the release member comprises an inclined surface projecting laterally from the protective cap.