Patent ID: 8507289

Claim:
A method for reading information on a test strip, the method comprising the steps of: providing a test strip configured to receive a biological fluid sample and having a substrate with a top surface, a conductive layer formed on at least a portion of the substrate top surface and forming at least one electrode conductively coupled to a contact pad, and at least two separate and distinct contact pad positions defined upon the substrate top surface; providing a test meter for measuring a concentration of an analyte of interest in the biological fluid sample on the test strip, the test meter having at least three connector contacts; inserting the test strip into the test meter such that each one of the at least three connector contacts separately and distinctly contacts a respective one, and only one, of the contact pad and the at least two contact pad positions; after the test strip is fully inserted into the meter, detecting with the test meter one or both of (i) the presence or absence of conductivity between the contact pad and each of the at least two contact pad positions, and (ii) the presence or absence of conductivity between each of the at least two contact pad positions and each of the other contact pad positions; and assigning within the test meter a first binary bit to each detected presence of conductivity and a second binary bit to each detected absence of conductivity; wherein the compilation of binary bits comprises a plurality of unique words encoded on the test strip.