Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US10132791B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-09-22 15:03:35
Document Index: 680343872

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 300', 'art 400', 'art 400', 'art 400', 'art 400', 'Application No. 201480013754', 'Application No. 14779994', 'Application No. 105105859']

US10132791B2 - Bottled glucose sensor with no handling - Google Patents
US10132791B2
US10132791B2 US15/184,391 US201615184391A US10132791B2 US 10132791 B2 US10132791 B2 US 10132791B2 US 201615184391 A US201615184391 A US 201615184391A US 10132791 B2 US10132791 B2 US 10132791B2
US15/184,391
US20160299123A1 (en
2013-03-13 Priority to US13/800,799 priority Critical patent/US9376708B2/en
2016-06-16 Application filed by Ascensia Diagnostics Care Holdings AG filed Critical Ascensia Diagnostics Care Holdings AG
2016-06-16 Priority to US15/184,391 priority patent/US10132791B2/en
2016-10-13 Publication of US20160299123A1 publication Critical patent/US20160299123A1/en
2018-11-20 Publication of US10132791B2 publication Critical patent/US10132791B2/en
A device and system for automatic handling of a sensor strip by a part of a meter that includes a sensor strip having a first section, a second section, and an intermediate section. The sensor strip includes at least a first opening about a first end thereof and a second opening about a second end thereof. A meter part includes a pair of pivoting catches configured to engage and grasp a sensor strip from a container containing a plurality of sensor strips. The sensor strip may thus be removed from a container for testing without need for manual handling of the strip by a user.
This is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/800,799, filed Mar. 13, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,376,708, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
One method of monitoring or testing body fluids is with a portable, hand-held blood testing device. The portable nature of these devices enables the users to conveniently test their blood wherever the user may be. The testing device includes a biosensor to harvest the fluid sample for analysis. One type of biosensor is the electrochemical biosensor. The electrochemical biosensor includes a reagent designed to react with analytes in the fluid sample to create an oxidation current at electrodes disposed within the electrochemical biosensor which is directly promotional to the user's blood glucose concentration or analyte being detected. Such a biosensor is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,120,420; 5,660,791; 5,759,364; and 5,798,031; each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Another type of sensor is an optical biosensor, which incorporates a reagent designed to produce a colorimetric reaction indicative of analytes in a user's blood or fluid sample. The calorimetric reaction is then read by a spectrometer incorporated into the testing device. Such an optical biosensor is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,393, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The body comprises first and second slots defined there within. First and second cam elements are pivotably coupled to the body. A bias element is configured to couple the first and second cam elements to one another such that the first and second cam elements extend away from the body. A release button is coupled to the bias element such that a first movement of the bias element causes the first and second cam elements to be retracted into the first and second slots, respectively. The first and second cam elements are configured, in a first position thereof, to urge the upper arms of the pivoting catches to pivot about the respective pivot points such that the lower arms pivot toward the stationary catches. The steps of the stationary and pivoting catches are configured to cooperatively engage a sensor strip there between.
According to an aspect of the invention, a method for removing a sensor strip from a container comprises inserting a meter portion comprising a pair of pivoting catches into the container containing at least one sensor strip comprising first and second openings and causing the pivoting catches to pivot toward the at least one sensor strip and engaging the further comprises catches via the first and second openings. The method further comprises grasping the sensor strip via the pivoting catches via the first and second openings engaged by the pivoting catches, thereby tensioning the sensor strip about a read-head of the meter portion. According to an aspect of the invention, the method comprises grasping the sensor strip between the pivoting catches and a pair of stationary catches arranged about the meter portion inserted into the container. According to another aspect of the invention, the method comprises engaging the first and second openings of the sensor strip via first and second hooks defined along the pivoting catches.
FIGS. 4A-4E schematically illustrate different relative positions of the components of a meter with a meter part of FIG. 3A, including a release button, according to an embodiment of the invention;
The meter part 300 further comprises a pair of cam elements 350 coupled to one another via a bias element 370. In one embodiment, the bias element 370 may take the form of a flexible leaf of a metal, polyefin or other plastic. The body 320 may include slots 325 configured to receive and accommodate the cam elements 350 there within. The cam elements 350 may have a generally wedge-shaped configuration that includes a first surface 352, a second surface 354 and a third surface 356 (FIG. 3AA). The cam element 350 is configured to pivot about a pivot point 322 into and out of the slot 325. In a first position, the first surface 352 is generally coplanar with an outer surface 324 of the body 320, the second surface 354 is generally perpendicular to the outer surface 324, and the third surface 356 inclines away from outer surface 324. In the second position of the cam element 350, when accommodated within the slot 325, the third surface 356 is generally parallel to the outer surface 324. Movement of the release button 360 away from the read-head 310 pulls the bias element 370. As the bias element 370 is pulled by the release button 360, the cam elements 350 are pulled inward toward and ultimately into the respective slots 325. The bias element 370 is configured to maintain the cam elements 350 in the first position, extending away from the push button 360.
FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate biasing of the read-head 310 of a meter. In this example, read-head 310 may be biased by a spring S1 away from the body 320 of the meter 1000 to leave a gap 1020 between the read-head 310 and the housing 1030. The housing 1030, in turn, is biased away from the body 320 by at least one spring S2. Springs S1 and S2 are configured such that downward movement of the body 320 along the longitudinal axis 380 (FIG. 3A) initially compresses spring S1, closing the gap 1020 between read-head 310 and housing 1030 (FIG. 4C). Further downward movement of the body 320 compresses the springs S2 allowing the body 320 to move towards the housing 1030 (FIG. 4C).
After completing a test, the user may push the release button 360 in a direction away from the read-head 310 as illustrated in FIG. 3F by an arrow A. The release button 360 in turn pulls the bias element 370 in the direction away from the read-head 310 shown by the arrow A, thereby pulling the cam elements 350 inward into the slots 325 in the body 320. The movement of the cam elements 350 into the slots 325 releases the step surfaces 348 of the pivoting catches 340. The release of the step surfaces 346 in turn causes the upper arms 341 of the pivoting catches 340 to pivot about the pivot point 345 such that the upper arms 341 move toward read-head 310 while the lower arms 343 move away from the stationary catches 330. The movement of the lower arms 343 away from the stationary catches 330 releases the sensor strip grasped there between, which may now be discarded.
Referring now to FIG. 5A, alternative embodiments of sensor strips 410, 510, as well as meter part 400 for accommodating sensor strips 410, 510 are illustrated. Each of the left sections 420, 520 of the respective sensor strips 410, 510 and each of the right sections 440, 540 of the respective sensor strips 410, 510 comprises a raised section 150. The sensor strips 410, 510 do not have the slots such as apertures 124, 144 defined in the sensor strip 100 (FIG. 1A). Instead, the sensor strips 410, 510 have openings 415, 515 defined there within as illustrated. More particularly, in the sensor strip 410, a first opening 415 is defined in the left section 420 between the raised section 150 and the intermediate section 430 and a second opening 415 is defined in the right section 440 between the raised section 150 and the intermediate section 430. In the sensor strip 510, on the other hand, a first opening 515 is defined between an edge 519 of the left section 520 and the raised section 150 and a section opening 515 is defined between an edge 517 of the right section 540 and the raised section 150.
Still referring to FIG. 5A, the meter part 400 according to the illustrated embodiment includes a meter body 320, read-head 310 and a housing 405. Meter part 400 includes a set of lower cams 475 and a set of upper cams 470. The housing 405 further includes a set of lower catches 460 and a set of upper catches 450. The housing 405 further comprises a lower bias element 442 coupling the set of lower catches 460 to one another, an upper bias element 480 coupling the set of upper catches 450 to one another, and a third bias element 490 coupling the meter body 400 and the read-head 310. Each of the upper catches 450 comprises an upper arm 454 and a lower arm 456. Likewise, each of the lower catches 460 comprises an upper arm 464 and a lower arm 466. Each of the upper arms 454 of the upper catches 450 comprises a hook 455 and each of the upper arms 464 of the lower catches 460 comprises a hook 465.
In contrast, the lower set of catches 460 in FIG. 5C meet only a solid surface between the raised sections 150 and the intermediate sections 430 and therefore are forced inward towards the meter body 400. If the topmost strip were sensor strip 410, the hooks 465 of the lower catches would engage the openings 415. It should be noted that since the sensor strip 410 beneath the sensor strip 510 does not have corresponding openings 515, the upper catches 450 can only engage the topmost sensor strip 510 in the illustrated embodiment. Further downward movement of the meter body 320 along the direction of the arrow B pushes the upper catches 450 downward ensuring capture of the sensor strip 510 by the hooks 455 as illustrated in FIGS. 5C and 5D. The read-head 310 retracts towards the meter body on first gentle contact with the topmost sensor and further downward movement of the meter body 320 relative to the housing 405 causes the cams 475, 470 of the body to engage the lower arms 466, 456 of the catches 460, 450, respectively, thereby pivoting the catches 450 with the grasped sensor sections 520, 540 toward the meter body 320. A latching mechanism (not shown) similar to the one activated by the release button 360 (FIG. 3A) locks the body 320 and the housing 405 together to maintain attachment of the sensor strip 510 to the read-head. As meter part 400 is removed from the longitudinal body 210, motion of the read-head 320 away from body 320 driven by third bias element 490 tensions the sensor strip 510. With the meter body 320 completely withdrawn from the longitudinal body 210 a user may now deposit a blood sample on the sensor strip 510. With the test complete, releasing the latch (not shown) via a release button (not shown, but similar to release button 360) causes relative movement of the meter body 320 and housing 405, the catches 450 to swing outward and the sensor strip 510 to be released and discarded.
The intermediate section 130 lays flat across the read-head 310 to maintain uniformity and consistency of gap 532 which is made possible when the score and bend-lines 132, 134 (FIG. 7A) accurately align with the read-head corners 311 a, 311 b (FIG. 3A). Exemplary embodiments to mitigate a possible misalignment of the bend areas 132, 134 are illustrated in FIGS. 7B-7D. In FIG. 7B, score lines 632, 634 run across the short axis of the sensor strip 100. In FIG. 7C, multiple score lines 732, 734 run across the short axis of the sensor strip 100 and in FIG. 7D the lines 832, 834 are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sensor strip 100. In both these cases, the pattern of lines 732, 734, 832, and 834 are generally centered about the nominal bend position 132, 134 with the intent of weakening the strip material, allowing the sensor strip 100 to conform to the meter corners 311 a, 311 b.
Additional electrodes 762 may be included that allow measurement of electrical parameters such as current, resistance, capacitance to other electrodes. Such measurements may be useful for determining interfering species concentrations. The placement of the additional electrodes 762 with respect to the working electrode 742 and the counter electrode 752 may provide additional information related to the time at which sample solution was applied, whether sufficient sample solution was applied, sample flowrate, which may be related to the hematocrit. All this information may be useful in improving accuracy of the analyte concentration measurement. The surfaces of working and counter electrodes 742, 752 are configured to rapidly transfer electrons to and from the mediator, non-limiting examples being carbon, ferrocene and its derivatives, and the noble metals, gold, platinum and palladium. These electrodes may be defined on a substrate such as polyester or polycarbonate by an addition method such as screen printing or a subtraction method such as selective removal of a conductive noble metal coating.
1. A method for retrieving a sensor strip from a container using a meter, the method comprising:
inserting a meter portion comprising a pair of pivoting catches into the container containing at least one sensor strip comprising first and second openings;
causing the pair of pivoting catches to pivot toward the at least one sensor strip and to respectively engage the first and second openings; and
grasping the at least one sensor strip via the pair of pivoting catches at the first and second openings, wherein a read-head of the meter portion is tensioned about the at least one sensor strip.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the grasping the at least one sensor strip comprises grasping the at least one sensor strip between the pair of pivoting catches and a respective pair of stationary catches arranged about the meter portion.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing the pair of pivoting catches to pivot comprises engaging the first and second openings of the at least one sensor strip via respective first and second hooks defined respectively along the pair of pivoting catches.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the meter portion from the container along with the grasped sensor strip, wherein the sensor strip is available to receive a sample after the removing.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the pair of pivoting catches comprises an upper arm, a lower arm, and a pivot point there between.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the grasping the at least one sensor strip comprises grasping the at least one sensor strip at the first and second openings respectively with the lower arms of the pair of pivoting catches.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the grasping the at least one sensor strip comprises locking the upper arms of the pair of pivoting catches respectively against a pair of cam elements.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the pair of cam elements are coupled to one another via a bias element.
9. The method of claim 7, further comprising releasing the at least one sensor strip via a release button that causes the pair of cam elements to move into respective slots of the meter portion, releasing the upper arms of the pair of pivoting catches.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the grasping the at least one sensor strip comprises pushing the read-head toward the at least one sensor strip via a spring that tensions the sensor strip about the read-head.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising bending upward a left section and a right section relative to an intermediate section of the at least one sensor strip prior to the inserting the meter portion.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the at least one sensor strip with a raised section prior to the inserting the meter portion.
US15/184,391 2013-03-13 2016-06-16 Bottled glucose sensor with no handling Active 2033-10-28 US10132791B2 (en)
US13/800,799 US9376708B2 (en) 2013-03-13 2013-03-13 Bottled glucose sensor with no handling
US15/184,391 US10132791B2 (en) 2013-03-13 2016-06-16 Bottled glucose sensor with no handling
US16/177,425 US20190072537A1 (en) 2013-03-13 2018-10-31 Bottled glucose sensor with no handling
US13/800,799 Division US9376708B2 (en) 2013-03-13 2013-03-13 Bottled glucose sensor with no handling
US16/177,425 Division US20190072537A1 (en) 2013-03-13 2018-10-31 Bottled glucose sensor with no handling
US20160299123A1 US20160299123A1 (en) 2016-10-13
US10132791B2 true US10132791B2 (en) 2018-11-20
US13/800,799 Active 2033-05-27 US9376708B2 (en) 2013-03-13 2013-03-13 Bottled glucose sensor with no handling
US15/184,391 Active 2033-10-28 US10132791B2 (en) 2013-03-13 2016-06-16 Bottled glucose sensor with no handling
US16/177,425 Pending US20190072537A1 (en) 2013-03-13 2018-10-31 Bottled glucose sensor with no handling
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