Patent ID: 8070766

Claim:
A skin pricking apparatus comprising a casing, a lancet located within the casing, a spring which is compressed in the non-use state of the apparatus coupled between the lancet and the casing for applying in use a force to drive a needle tip of the lancet through an opening in the casing to prick the skin of a user, and a firing mechanism comprising: a finger actuable trigger; a trigger locking mechanism moveable between a first position in which the trigger is locked and a second position in which the trigger is unlocked, the trigger locking mechanism comprising a contact plate through which said opening in the casing is formed, the contact plate having an outer contact surface for engaging an area of a user's skin to be pricked, and the contact plate is coupled to the casing by one or more spring means arranged to bias the contact plate outwardly with respect to the casing; a latch formed on the lancet or on the inside of the casing which engages a catch formed on the other of the lancet or casing to retain the lancet within the casing with the spring in the compressed state and; a lancet release member depending from the trigger to engage the catch or latch when the trigger locking mechanism is in said second position and said trigger is depressed, to release the lancet, wherein the trigger locking mechanism and the finger actuable trigger together provide a mechanical interlock which can be released by substantially simultaneous external pressure applied by a user to the trigger locking mechanism and the finger actuable trigger, the mechanical interlock comprising a stop member on the finger actuable trigger arranged to engage a surface of the trigger locking mechanism when the trigger locking mechanism is in said first position, and is arranged to engage a release portion of the surface of the trigger locking mechanism when the trigger locking mechanism is in said second position.