Patent ID: 8152740

Claim:
A blood withdrawal system for withdrawing blood for diagnostic purposes, the system comprising: a housing wherein a lancet can be moved along a predetermined puncturing path to perform a puncturing motion; a lancet drive comprising a drive spring and a cocking mechanism, wherein the cocking mechanism includes an actuation element which is coupled by an input-side coupling mechanism to the drive spring, said input-side coupling mechanism being adapted to effect a transmission of force from the actuation element to the drive spring, such that the drive spring is tensioned when the actuation element is moved during a cocking phase of the motion of the lancet drive, and the drive spring is adapted to be coupled by an output-side coupling mechanism to a lancet such that said output-side coupling mechanism is adapted to effect a transmission of force from the drive spring to a lancet, such that a lancet can be driven by the relaxing motion of the drive spring and moved along a pre-determined puncturing path to perform a puncturing motion to generate a wound; and a lancet ejection mechanism for removing a used lancet from the housing, wherein the actuation element of the cocking mechanism of the lancet drive serves also as an actuation button for the lancet ejection mechanism, thereby performing the functions of tensioning the drive spring during the cocking phase and actuating the lancet ejection mechanism, wherein the lancet ejection mechanism has an active position in which moving the actuation button causes contact with and movement of a release element to eject a used lancet from the housing, the lancet ejection mechanism further comprising a passive position in which moving the actuation button avoids the contact with and movement of the release element.