Patent ID: 7758517

Claim:
A biosensor cartridge for housing a plurality of lancet-integrated biosensors, wherein each of said plurality of lancet-integrated biosensors is constituted by integrating a biosensor having a reagent layer for detecting a specific component in a bodily fluid of a subject and an electrode for outputting an electric signal indicating that the reagent layer detects the specific component with a lancet for collecting the bodily fluid of the subject, said biosensor cartridge comprising: a cartridge body having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a plurality of grooves supporting the plurality of lancet-integrated biosensors so that they extend in a direction perpendicular to said lower surface of said cartridge body; wherein said plurality of grooves are formed in said cartridge body so as to be parallel with each other; wherein said plurality of grooves extend from said upper surface toward said lower surface of said cartridge body in a direction perpendicular to said lower surface; wherein said plurality of grooves are spaced at regular intervals such that an insertion slot of a measuring device for performing measurement using a target biosensor of said plurality of lancet-integrated biosensors can have the target biosensor inserted therein without touching any biosensors of said plurality of lancet-integrated biosensors adjacent to the target biosensor and a desired lancet-integrated biosensor can be attached to the insertion slot so as to enable being drawn out from the cartridge body; wherein each of said plurality of lancet-integrated biosensors includes: a narrow rectangular protector for protecting the lancet, the lancet projecting from one of the plurality of lancet-integrated biosensors in an unused state thereof, a rectangular sensor body in which the lancet is movably housed, the rectangular sensor body having a front end that is semi-circular in shape and that is wider than the protector, and a connector provided on the lancet, the connector protruding rearwardly from the sensor body; and wherein each of said plurality of grooves comprises: a narrow first groove provided in said cartridge body, said first groove having a shape that conforms to the shape of the rectangular protector, a second groove that is wider than the first groove, that is provided closer to said upper surface of said cartridge body than the first groove, and that conforms to the shape of a portion of the sensor body, and a third groove that is wider than the second groove, that is provided closer to said upper surface of said cartridge body than the second groove, and that conforms to the shape of an insertion slot part of the measuring device into which the sensor body is to be inserted.