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Patent ~6692 ~ FOR ~ MATIC LAN~ ARM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
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The present inventlon relates to an improvement of a medlcal instrument known as an automatlc lancet. The automatlc lancet has 9 ~pring lo~ded small needle u~ed to prick the finger to obtain a blood s~mple.
13ACKGROUNp OF THE ;INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,118 to Holman et al. has become a generally accepted medlcal instrument used to prick the finger ~ to obtain a blood s~ple. A housing contains a spring loaded pivoting arm which h~s a cylindrical ho~der at its operating end. The holder hold~ a small needle wh1ch is housed ~n a plsst1c carrier. Pushing a trlgger releases the ~rm holdlng the needle. The needle pricks the finger from which the blood sample i5 taken. Presently the user must grab the exposed sharp needle ~nd its surrounding carrier and pull the used needle out of the holder before inserting a new needle. This procedure pose~ the rlsk of having the medical technici3n accidentally pricking his fingers on the used needle thus introducing the ~0 pat{ent's blood directly into hls own blood stream. This dlrect 1ntroduction of a patient's blood into the medical technicl~n's blood poses serious health hazards to the medical technlcians.
~UMM~X ~E ~ INVENTIQN
It is, therefore, the primary ob~ect of the present invention to provide ~n improve~ent to the ~uto~tic lancet whereby the addltion of a plun~er inside the needle holder ~llows the medlcal technlcian to remove a used needle from the holder by pushing the plunger, thus ~volding any contact with I the used needle.
Another object of the pre~ent invention is that in aombination ~ith a lancet device comprising a hou~ing, an arm mounted in the housing for movement between a retracted position and an operating position, said arm having an end outside said housing, a holder on said end of the arm, said holder having a recess therein which is open at one end for the slidable insertion and removal of a lancet needle assembly, said holder having an end wall with an opening therein at the opposite end of said recess, spring means urging said arm from said retracted position to said operating position and manually releasable latch means for holding said arm in said retracted position against the urging of said spring means, a plunger having a peripheral flange
2~ slidably received in said recess in the holder, said plunger extending from said flange slidably through said opening in said end wall to the outside of said holder for manual actuation and a lancet needle assembly slidably received in said recess in the holder, said lancet needle assembly at one end presenting a needle located beyond said open end of said recess in the holder and at its opposite end positioning said flange on the plunger against 6aid end wall of the holder, said plunger being slidable toward said one end of the recess to push the lancet needle assembly out of said recess in the holder.
Other ob~ect~ of thi~ lnventlon ~ill appear from the followlng descrlptlon and appendled claims, reference belng h~d to the accomp~nylng drawings forming a part of thi~ specification wherein like reference characters deslgnate corresponding parts in the several view~.
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Figure l i~ a left ~ide elevational view partially cut away sh~wlng the worklng part~ of the automatic lancet.
Figure 2 i5 a front elevational view of the automatic lancet showing the lmproved lancet holder havlng a plunger.
Figure ~ is a partial top plan view of the automatic lancet taken along line 3 - 3 of Figure l showlng the pivoting arm.
Figure 4 ls a fragmentary sectional view of the plvotlng ar~ taken along line 4 - 4 of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a partial bottom plan view of the au~omatic lancet t~ken ~long llne 5 - 5 of Figure 4 ~howing the pivotlng arm.
Flgure 6 1~ ~ top per~pectlve vlew of a lancet needle 2(a) shown in dotted llne~ still encased in a protectlve tip.
Flgure 7 i~ a left ~ide elev~tional view of the autom~tic lancet cocked ~nd ready to be actuated.
Figure a is a left side fragmentary ~ectional view of the automatic lancet showin~ the lancet needle in its carrier snugly fit against the plunger.
Figure 9 ls a left side elevational view of the automatic lancet with a fragmentary sect~onal view of the lancet holder during ejection.
10 ¦ Before explaining the disclosed embodiment of the pres~nt lnvention in detail, it is to be understood that the inventlon i5 not limited in its application to the details of the p~rticular arrangement shown, since ~he lnvention ls capable lj of other e~bodlments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of lim$tation.
~AIL~ 5~EIe5LQ~ QE ~ pR~WIN~
Referrlng fir~t to Figure 1, automatic lancet 1 is comprlsed of a hou~ing having parts 2A and 2B. In operation, l detachable finger rest 3 is placed on top of the patient's flnger (not shown). Plvot arm 7 is cocked ~aek to the posit~on shown ln dotted llne~. Trigger 5 i~ pres3ed to release plvot arm 7 forcefully agalnst stopper 8. Pivot arm 7 sl$des ln groove 6. Spring 9 supplies the pivoting force to pivot arm 7 when couplingY lOA and lOB are uncoupled by depresslon of ¦ trlgger 5. The action end of pivot arm 7 is comprlsed of holder 4. The present inventlon i~ comprised solely of plunger 11 lnside holder 4, and the modiflcation of holder 4 to include a hole on top for the plunger 11.
Figure 2 showY the ptvot arm 7 in ~ neutral position midway ~long groove 6. After cocking and upon actuatlon of trigger 5, the base 21 of pivot arm 7 slams lnto stopper 8. Arm 7 then retr~cts sli~htly to the neutr~l po~itlon. Holder 4 ha~
¦ a center groove 20 whlch expands to hold the needle ~see Flgures ¦ 7, 8 and 9). The top 25 of holder 9 ls contoured inward ¦ providing an inside collar in holder 4 (see Figure 4). Plunger 11 has a ~atching flange 22 which prevents plunger 11 from f~lling out of holder 4. Outer flange 23 on plunger 11 prevents ¦ plunger 11 fro~ falllng through holder 4.
¦ Figure 3 shows how outer flange 2~ on plunger 11 rests I ~gainst the top 25 of holder 4.
Figure 4 3hows how holder 4 llnes up ~lth hole 40 in finger rest 3. Flgure 8 Yhows how the lancet needle flts ln ~rm 7. Flange 22 sbuts ~galnst holder top 25 and plun~er 11 ls thereby held slidlngly engaged withln holder 4. Flange 22 slldlngly engages the cyllndrical center 90 of holder 4.
Figure 5 shows the bottom of plunger 11 held inslde ¦ holder 4.
Figure 6 shows needle 61 in dotted lines encased ~n protective tip 62. Protectlve ti~ 62 is twisted off before use.
Ribbed carrier 60 securely holds needle 61.
Flgure 7 show~ needle assembly 60, 61 and 62 nounted ln operatlng posi-tion ln~ide holder 4. Pivot arm 7 ls in the cocked posltlon whereby depre~sin~ trigger 5 would propel needle 61 through hole 40 lnto a patlent's finger (not shown).
Flgure 8 show~ how holder 4 h~3 a hole 80 on top which ~uide~ plun~er ll. Plun~er flange 22 also ~uide~ plunger ll down the cylindrical center 90 of holder 4 when plun~er ll ls depres3ed ln order to e~ect needle assenbly 60 t 61. Ribbed carrler 60 flts securely lnside the cylindrlcal center 90 of holder 4 during operation.
Figure 9 shows a medical technician's finger F
depressing plunger 11 thereby e~ecting needle assembly 60, 61 through hole 40 in finger rest 3. During ejection, pivot arm 7 would normally be in the neutral position after use as shown.
The medlcal technlcian ls protected from acc~dental prickin~
durlng lnsertlon of a new needle assembly 60, 61, 62 because protecti~e tip 62 ls still in place (not shown).