Patent ID: 7279130

Claim:
A sensor dispensing instrument adapted to handle a sensor pack containing a plurality of sensors, each of said plurality of sensors being disposed in a sensor cavity on said sensor pack and enclosed by a protective covering, said sensor dispensing instrument further adapted to perform a test using one of said plurality of sensors, said sensor dispensing instrument comprising: an outer housing having a front end and a rear end, said outer housing further comprising a sensor slot through which one of said sensors is disposed to conduct the test, said sensor slot being disposed at the front end of the outer housing; a mechanical mechanism generally disposed within the outer housing, said mechanical mechanism including an indexing disk for supporting and rotating said sensor pack, an indexing disk drive arm for rotating said indexing disk, and a knife blade assembly for puncturing said covering and ejecting one of said sensors from said sensor cavity and through said sensor slot; and a puller handle for moving said indexing disk drive arm and said knife blade assembly, said puller handle being adapted to be grasped between a thumb and a finger of a user hand, said puller handle being adapted to move between a testing position adjacent to the rear end of the outer housing and an extended position spaced outwardly from the rear end of the outer housing in a direction away from the outer housing.