Multi-lancet cartridge and lancing device

Abstract

A lancing device including a replaceable multi-lancet cartridge. The lancing device includes a drive mechanism, an activation mechanism, and an advancing mechanism. The advancing mechanism includes a linear-pull slide controls an indexing mechanism, a charger mechanism, and a cap-displacement mechanism. The indexing mechanism sequentially advances the lancets to an active position. The charger mechanism charges the drive mechanism and removes the lancet caps. And the cap-displacement mechanism moves the separated caps from the lancing stroke path. The activation mechanism then releases the charged lancet to traverse the lancing stroke path to pierce the subject's skin. Some embodiments include an anti-reverse mechanism to prevent reuse of the lancets, and some include an emergency lancet reuse mechanism that permits emergency reuse of the last lancet. And some embodiments include a movable depth-control wall for providing control and adjustment of the lancing penetration depth.

1 . A lancing device for driving a tip of at least one lancet along a lancing stroke path to an extended position to penetrate skin, the lancing device comprising:
 a housing that receives the lancet therein and that defines a lancing opening through which the tip of the lancet extends in the extended position; and   a penetration-depth control mechanism including a curved depth-control wall that is rotationally movable about a circumference of the housing between the housing and the lancet and defines a series of individual wall sections, wherein the wall sections each have generally the same thickness and each defines one of a plurality of depth-control openings, wherein first and second ones of the wall sections define first and second ones of the depth-control openings, respectively, and the first and second wall sections are inwardly recessed by different distances, wherein the inwardly recessed distance of the second wall section is greater than the inwardly recessed distance of the first wall section so that the lancet tip in the extended position will extend further outward beyond the second inwardly recessed wall section and thereby penetrate deeper into the skin relative to the first inwardly recessed wall section.   
     
     
         2 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the housing has a circumferential sidewall that defines the lancing opening and the depth-control wall has a curvature that generally conforms to a curvature of the housing sidewall. 
     
     
         3 . The lancing device of  claim 2 , wherein the penetration-depth control mechanism further comprises a circumferential ring that includes the curved depth-control wall. 
     
     
         4 . The lancing device of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the wall sections is outwardly curved with a curvature that generally conforms to the curvature of the housing. 
     
     
         5 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second wall sections have different curvatures that define the different inwardly recessed distances. 
     
     
         6 . The lancing device of  claim 5 , wherein the first inwardly recessed wall section has a larger curvature than the second inwardly recessed wall section. 
     
     
         7 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , wherein the penetration-depth control mechanism further comprises a series of anti-deflection support ribs extending inwardly from the depth-control wall, wherein the anti-deflection support ribs abut a contact surface within the housing of the lancing device so that the wall does not deflect inwardly during use. 
     
     
         8 . The lancing device of  claim 7 , wherein the support ribs are positioned at ends of the wall sections. 
     
     
         9 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , further comprising an actuator operably coupled to the wall and movable between a series of discrete actuator positions to move the wall between a series of discrete wall positions with each actuator position placing a different one of the depth-control openings in alignment with the lancing opening of the housing to produce a different lancing stroke penetration depth. 
     
     
         10 . The lancing device of  claim 1 , further comprising a cartridge that houses the at least one lancet and that is received within the lancing device housing. 
     
     
         11 . A lancing device for use with a multi-lancet cartridge comprising a plurality of lancets for lancing skin, each of the lancets having a puncturing tip, the lancing device comprising:
 a housing that receives the multi-lancet cartridge therein and that defines a lancing opening through which the tips of the lancets extend in an extended position;   an advancing mechanism adapted to sequentially advance the lancets of the multi-lancet cartridge into an active position;   a drive mechanism adapted to propel an active-positioned one of the lancets along a lancing stroke path to the extended position to penetrate the skin; and   a penetration-depth control mechanism including a curved depth-control wall that is rotationally movable about a circumference of the housing between the housing and the multi-lancet cartridge and defines a series of individual wall sections, wherein the wall sections each have generally the same thickness and each define one of a plurality of depth-control openings, wherein first and second ones of the wall sections define first and second ones of the depth-control openings, respectively, and the first and second wall sections are inwardly recessed by different distances, wherein the inwardly recessed distance of the second wall section is greater than the inwardly recessed distance of the first wall section so that the lancet tip in the extended position will extend further outward beyond the second inwardly recessed wall section and thereby penetrate deeper into the skin relative to the first inwardly recessed wall section.   
     
     
         12 . The lancing device of  claim 11 , wherein the housing has a circumferential sidewall that defines the lancing opening and the depth-control wall has a curvature that generally conforms to a curvature of the housing sidewall. 
     
     
         13 . The lancing device of  claim 12 , wherein the penetration-depth control mechanism further comprises a circumferential ring that includes the curved depth-control wall. 
     
     
         14 . The lancing device of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the wall sections is outwardly curved with a curvature that generally conforms to the curvature of the housing. 
     
     
         15 . The lancing device of  claim 11 , wherein the first and second inwardly recessed wall sections have different curvatures that define the different inwardly recessed distances. 
     
     
         16 . The lancing device of  claim 15 , wherein the first inwardly recessed wall section has a larger curvature than the second inwardly recessed wall section so that the second inwardly recessed wall section allows for a deeper penetration depth than the first inwardly recessed wall section. 
     
     
         17 . The lancing device of  claim 11 , wherein the penetration-depth control mechanism further comprises a series of anti-deflection support ribs extending inwardly from the depth-control wall, wherein the anti-deflection support ribs abut other structures of the lancing device so that the depth-control wall does not deflect inwardly during use. 
     
     
         18 . The lancing device of  claim 17 , wherein the support ribs are positioned at ends of the wall sections. 
     
     
         19 . The lancing device of  claim 17 , wherein the support ribs abut against the cartridge so that the depth-control wall does not deflect inwardly during use. 
     
     
         20 . The lancing device of  claim 11 , further comprising an actuator operably coupled to the wall and movable between a series of discrete actuator positions to move the wall between a series of discrete wall positions with each actuator position placing a different one of the depth-control openings in alignment with the lancing opening of the housing to produce a different lancing stroke penetration depth. 
     
     
         21 . The lancing device of  claim 11 , wherein the housing has a circumferential sidewall that defines the lancing opening and the depth-control wall is positioned within housing and adjacent the circumferential sidewall.