Patent ID: 8307531

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a dry test strip for determining a characteristic of a bodily fluid, said method comprising: providing a dry test strip holder having a sensor port, said sensor port having a maximum dimension; providing a sheet or ribbon of test strip material; drawing said sheet or ribbon of test strip material through a reagent bath; cutting a test element from said test strip material, said test element having a maximum dimension that is 50% or less larger than said sensor port maximum dimension; applying said test element to said dry test strip holder in a location covering said sensor port; and engaging a cap with a test element well to hold said test strip element in the location, wherein said test element well is part of the dry test strip, wherein said cutting comprises: providing a die and a punch; locating said sheet or ribbon between said die and said punch; and driving said punch against said sheet or ribbon and into said die; and wherein said providing comprises providing said die having a channel through it, and said applying comprises: locating said die above said strip holder with said channel above said sensor port; and using said punch to push said cut test element through and out of said die channel.