Patent ID: 7905843

Claim:
A lancet-integrated sensor, comprising: a lancet having a needle with a needle tip at one end of said lancet for lancing skin to collect bodily fluid; and a sensor for analyzing the bodily fluid collected by lancing with said lancet, said sensor comprising a sensor body that has a cavity formed therein that slidably houses a part of said lancet; wherein said lancet has an end part that projects from said sensor body, said end part being located at a second end of said lancet opposite to said needle tip at said one end of said lancet, and said lancet has a connector at said end part projecting outside of said sensor body so that said connector can be grasped by a driving device of an external measuring apparatus; wherein said lancet and said sensor body comprise locking structure that is arranged such that a force applied to said lancet, in a direction that (a) is opposite to a direction in which said needle lances skin and (b) tends to move said lancet into said cavity in said sensor body, will cause said lancet and said sensor body to be locked with each other; wherein said locking structure comprises a convex locking portion on one of said lancet and said sensor body and a concave locking portion on the other of said lancet and said sensor body, whereby said lancet and said sensor body are locked with each other when said convex locking portion is engaged with said concave locking portion; wherein said lancet has two plate-shaped projections that project from two longer sides of said lancet, respectively, in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of said lancet; wherein said concave locking portion comprises a concave portion on upper surfaces of said plate-shaped projections; wherein said cavity of said sensor body comprises two hollows that extend the width of said cavity in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction over part of the longitudinal extent of said cavity, said hollows receiving said two plate-shaped projections therein, respectively; and wherein said hollows have ceiling surfaces and said convex locking portions comprise a convex portion on said ceiling surfaces.