Patent ID: 8187295

Claim:
A lancing apparatus comprising a lancet holder for retaining a lancet and a lancet moving mechanism for moving the lancet, the lancet including a main body and a needle projecting from the body, the lancet holder being moved in a lancing direction from a standby position to a lancing position together with the lancet in response to movement of the lancet moving mechanism so as to cause the lancet to stick into an object, the lancet being inserted into the lancet holder in a retreating direction opposite to the lancing direction, thus to be retained by the lancet holder, wherein the lancet holder includes a first member and a second member that are movable relative to each other, the second member being in direct contact with the first member and being movable relative to the first member between a fixing position in which the main body of the lancet is fixed to the lancet holder with a first fixing force for limiting axial removal of the lancet from the lancet holder and a non-fixing position in which the main body of the lancet is held by the lancet holder with a second fixing force smaller than the first fixing force for facilitated axial removal of the lancet from the lancet holder, the second member being moved in the lancing direction together with the first member and the lancet in response to the movement of the lancet moving mechanism for causing the lancet to stick into the object when the second member is held in the fixing position for fixing the lancet to the lancet holder.