Patent ID: 7914547

Claim:
A lancing device, comprising: a housing having a user-engaging end that defines a piercing aperture therethrough; a lancet having a needle terminating in a sharp tip, a body from which the needle extends and a sleeve directly coupled to the body and moveable relative to the needle when the lancet is in the housing, wherein the sleeve is in a locked position encasing the sharp tip of the needle when the lancet is external to the housing; and a user-controlled actuator operative to hold the sleeve stationary, independently of the needle, when the lancet is disposed within the housing, in at least a forward position in which the sleeve obstructs a portion of the piercing aperture before, during and after the sharp tip projects from within the housing to external the housing and a rearward position in which the sleeve is a spaced distance from the piercing aperture before, during and after the sharp tip projects from within the housing to external the housing.