US3626929A - Apparatus for obtaining a percutaneous and digital blood sample - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for automatically obtaining a percutaneous and digital blood sample in conjunction with a blood collector device having a resiliently crushable mouthpiece housing a pair of incisor lancets, the apparatus including a mounting for the collector device, clamping means for holding the tip of a finger on the crushable mouthpiece, a mechanism for striking the collector device in the mounting to drive the lancets into the finger, and means for massaging the finger to cause blood to flow out of the resulting incisions.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventors Manuel Sanz Grand-Laney, Geneva; Georges Revillet, Petit-Lancy, Geneva, both of Switzerland [21] Appl. No. 843,016

[22] Filed July 18, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 14, 1971 [73] Assignee Micromedic Systems, Inc.

Philadelphia, Pa.

[32] Priority July 26, 1968 [3 3] Switzerland [54] APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING A PERCUTANEOUS ANDDIGITAL BLOOD SAMPLE 12 Claims, 16 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.CI 128/2 R,

128/275 [51] Int.Cl A6lb 10/00 [50] Field of Search... 128/253,

329, 333, 314, 315, 253, 2, DIG. 5, 275; 119/1424, 14.25

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,063,737 6/1913 Roth 119/1424 1,066,430 7/1913 .lenkins..... 119/l4.24X 2,399,011 4/1946 Erickson 128/275 3,246,647 4/1966 Taylor et a1 128/253 3,369,708 2/1968 l-Iein 128/253 UX FOREIGN PATENTS 771,890 8/1934 France 128/276 255,085 l/l949 Switzerland 1 19/1424 Primary ExaminerRichard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-- Kyle L. Howell Atlorneys-George W. F. Simmons, Gerry .l. Elman and Arthur R. Eglington ABSTRACT: Apparatus for automatically obtaining a percutaneous and digital blood sample in conjunction with a blood collector device having a resiliently crushable mouthpiece housing a pair of incisor lancets, the apparatus including a mounting for the collector device, clamping means for holding the tip of a finger on the crushable mouthpiece, a mechanism for striking the collector device in the mounting to drive the lancets into the finger, and means for massaging the finger to cause blood to flow out of the resulting incisions.

PATENTEU BEBMBYI 31525929 sum 1 0F 7 PATENIEMEBMM 31626929 SHEET0F 7 llll F IG.

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APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING A PERCUTANEOUS AND DIGITAL BLOOD SAMPLE This invention relates to apparatus for obtaining a percutaneous and digital blood sample.

A percutaneous and digital blood sample can be obtained as follows: once the finger has been disinfected, its skin is pricked by means of a stylet to a depth of about 2 to 3 mm.; this causes a first drop of blood to appear that contains a relatively substantial quantity of liquid originating from the subcutaneous cells and which is eliminated by swabbing it with, for example, cotton wool. The pricked finger is then massaged towards the incision to urge further drops of blood to appear and these further drops are collected in a test tube or a capillary, or are sucked into a tube open at both ends.

The different stages of taking a blood sample are generally carried out by specialist personnel although some of these stages, in particular the preliminary preparation of the finger to be pricked, could quite readily be carried out by the subject himself.

An object of the invention is to automate the various operations that are involved in the taking of a percutaneous and digital blood sample in such a way that the subject from whom the sample is to be taken can himself take this sample, practically without the intervention of trained personnel.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for obtaining a percutaneous and digital blood sample in conjunction with a blood collector device which comprises a tube in the month of which is fitted a resilient funnel member fitted with at least one incisor lancet directed towards the open end of the funnel member, said apparatus comprising a mounting formed with a through passage in which said tube can be removably inserted up to said funnel member to support the blood collector device, said through passage having a length less than the length of said tube whereby the inner end of the tube will project out of the rear end of said through passage when said funnel member comes into contact with the mounting adjacent the front end of said through passage; a striker mechanism having a releasable striking member facing the rear end of said through passage and adapted to strike, when released, the inner end portion of the tube, when the latter is inserted in said through passage, thereby to tend to propel said tube out of said through passage so that when a portion of the finger from which a blood sample is to be taken is placed on the funnel member at the open end thereof, said resilient funnel member is caused to deform to allow said lancet to be driven into the finger to effect a percutaneous incision therein; a clamping finger holder; and means for periodically varying the clamping action of said holder whereby at least part of the tissues of a finger in said holder may alternately be constricted and released.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings:

FIG. I is a perspective transparent view showing the main component parts of one construction form of apparatus according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 to 9 are sections taken across the middle of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, showing the various positions occupied by the component parts of this apparatus in the course of a blood sampling operation;

FIG. I is a diagram of the electric control circuit of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are sectional elevations of a blood collector device that can be used with the FIG. 1 apparatus, and

FIGS. 13 to 16 show, in sectional elevation, various stages in the operation of a modified detail of the FIG. 1 constructional form of apparatus.

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 comprises a casing 1 having abase 2, formed by a rectangular plate, and a coveringbody 3 removably mounted on thebase 2. Thebase 2 and thebody 3 are preferably made of a synthetic plastics material.

Thebody 3 is formed in its front wall with a circular opening 3a (FIG. 2) through which projects a pushbutton 4; in its rear wall with arectangular cutout 3b which extends over the entire height of the rear wall to accommodate a block secured to thebase 2; and in its top wall with a pair of rectilinearparallel slots 30 which extend from the upper edge of thecutout 3b toward the front, with a first, circular, opening 3d located in front of theslots 30, a second, rectangular,window 32 through which projects ablock 6, and with another pair of rectilinearparallel slots 3f which are located between the opening 3e and the front wall and which are in alignment with theslots 3c.

Block 5 has pivotally mounted on the upper portion thereof, at 7, ashackle 8 having a hollow portion 8a of U cross section in which is secured, as by adhesive, a pad of synthetic sponge 9. In the region ofpivot 7, theshackle 8 is formed with a pair ofparallel lugs 8b coplanar with the limbs of portion 8a and connected to one another by a pin (FIG. 1 One of thelugs 8b has secured to the outside thereof astud 8d adapted to actuate aswitch 10, mounted on thebase 2 besideblock 5, when theshackle 8 reaches a predetermined angular position upon being swung clockwise aboutpivot 7, as will be explained in greater detail further on.

The spacing betweenlugs 8b is equal to that between theslots 30 and their thickness is slightly less than the width of these slots so that they may move freely therethrough when theshackle 8 is swung backwards and forwards as for example between the positions shown in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 4.

On thepivot 7 is mounted a spring 11 having a downwardly projecting arm on which thepin 80 can come to hear whenever theshackle 8 is moved clockwise into the position shown in FIG. 3 and beyond (FIGS. 4 to 6).

At the end remote from thepivot 7, theshackle 8 is extended by a pair ofparallel arms 8e coplanar with the limbs of the central portion 8a and having a slightly arcuate outline centered onpivot 7. The distance between the center line of eacharm 8e and the axis ofpivot 7 is substantially equal to the distance between this axis and the middle of each slot 3}. Moreover, the spacing between thearms 8e is equal to that between theslots 3f whereas their width and their thickness are slightly less than the length and the width of these slots so that when theshackle 8 is swung clockwise or forward, for example to the position shown in FIG. 4, itsarms 8e may pass freely into theslots 3f, over their entire length if need be. The outer edges of thearms 8e are moreover each formed with a series ofsaw teeth 8f.

In front of theblock 5 is provided amounting 12 having a transverse portion at the top thereof and a pair of legs which are secured to thebase 2 and which are formed with a pair of upwardly extending slots wherein are slidably mounted the end portions of apin 13 subjected to the action of a pair of tension springs 14 on the outside of the mounting l2 and secured at their top ends to a pair of studs 12b.

The transverse portion of themounting 12, which lies beneath the opening 3d in the casing body, is formed with several passages, i.e., a first passage, 120, which extends generally upwardly though the middle of the transverse portion and which lies opposite the opening 3d, a second passage, 12d, which extends horizontally through part of the transverse portion between thepassage 12c and the front face of the mounting l2; and third and fourth passages, l2e (FIG. 1) and 12f (FIG. 2), which extend horizontally and coaxially from thepassage 12c to the opposite side faces of the mounting l2, passages l2e and 12f lying at a level slightly higher thanpassage 12d and at right angles to the latter.

Passage 120 is adapted slidably to receive a tube forming part of ablood collector device 15 which will be described in greater detail later with reference to FIG. 11; the length ofpassage 12c is less than that of the tube. Passage 12d has slidably mounted therein an actuating element for controlling aswitch 16 which is mounted on the front face of themounting 12 and the utility of which will become apparent later. Passage l2e serves to house a photoelectric cell C (FIG. 10) andpassage 12f serves to house an electric bulb A (FIG. 10) for illuminating the cell C.

Between the legs of themounting 12 there is pivotally mounted alever 17 on apin 18 whose end portions extend into the legs. Thelever 17 is made of a material having a relatively high specific weight, e.g., brass or copper, and rests on the slidingpin 13. At its free end, thelever 17 is formed with an upwardly turned portion 170 in the tip of which is formed agroove 17b parallel to its pivotal axis The width of thelever 17 is less than the spacing between thelugs 8b ofshackle 8 to allow relative movement between these parts.

It should be noted that the position of themounting 12 on thebase 2 is so chosen that the mean vertical plane of the mounting, along which the cross sections of FIGS. 2 to 9 have been made, is also the mean plane of theshackle 8. Further, the length of the springs 14, the length oflever 17 and the position of thepivotal pin 18 are such that when theshackle 8 is swung clockwise or forwards in the direction of arrow F (FIG. 2), thepin 8c, in the course of its circular motion, comes into engagement with thelever 17, in particular with its upwardly turned portion 170 (FIG. 2), and the circular path traveled by the tip of this portion 17a, whenlever 17 is moved anticlockwise by thepin 80 in the direction of arrow F against the action of springs 14, moves away from that travelled by thepin 80 before the latter comes into contact with the block and in particular reaches the bottom of a notch 5a formed in this block (FIG. 3).

Thus, if theshackle 8 is swung in the direction F (FIG. 2), the springs 14 are caused to tension as soon as thepin 8c comes into contact withlever 17 and this tensioning action will continue until the circular paths travelled by thepin 8c and by the tip of lever portion 170 cease to intersect one another, i.e., shortly after thepin 8c has entered into theretaining groove 17b formed along the tip of lever portion 17a.

If the swinging motion of theshackle 8 is continued in the direction of arrow F, thepin 80 moves out of the groove 17c and altogether disengages thelever 17 so that the latter, through being released, finds itself suddenly subjected to the sole action of the tensioned springs 14 which cause it to swing abruptly in a direction opposite to that of F i.e., towards thepassage 12c in themounting 12 thereby to strike the base of the blood collecting tube of device (FIG. 4). The effect of this striking action will be described further on.

The illustrated apparatus comprises, as already stated, ablock 6 which projects through an opening 3e formed in the top wall of thecasing body 3. Thisblock 6 is formed in its upper surface with a V-shaped recess 6a and is fixed to alever 19 mounted on an eccentric (not shown) driven by the output shaft 20 a powered by an electric motor M via a speed reducing gear of which one wheel can be seen at 20 in the drawings. Thelever 19 is formed with anabutment 19a adapted to engage one end of alever 21 carrying thearmature 22 of a relay having a winding 23 and amagnetic circuit 24. Thelever 21 is pivotally mounted at 21a on afurther lever 25 which is in turn pivotally mounted at 25a on ablock 26 secured to aplatform 27 which also supports the motor M and which in turn rests on thebase 2 of the apparatus via asocle 28. Through the top end oflever 25 extends astem 29 in which is formed anotch 29a extending along its entire length thereby to fonn a sufficiently sharp catch to engage with theteeth 8f along the front edges of thearms 8e ofshackle 8 when the latter has been swung down (FIGS. 4 to 6).

Aspring 30 which is secured at one end to theblock 26 and which bears near its opposite end on thestem 29 serves to keep the latter in a position of engagement. Themagnetic circuit 24 and its winding 23 are mounted in the opening of a supportingframe 31 to one side of which are provided a pair of projecting lugs 31a by means of which theframe 31 can be mounted onlever 25, the lugs being secured to the opposite faces oflever 25.

Theblock 26 is formed with a horizontal passage 26a through which extends aslidable pin 26b whose ends contact thelever 25 and the pushbutton 4 respectively. Thus, by pressing on the button 4 in the direction of arrow F,, thelever 25 can be made to rotate in the direction of arrow F about its pivotal axis 25a and against the action of thespring 30.

As forlever 21, it can occupy either of two positions depending on whether or not the relay winding 23 is energized. In the position which corresponds to the unenergized state of the winding 23 and which is that shown for instance in FIGS., 1 and 2,lever 21 comes to bear under the action of its own weight on a pin 21b secured to the casing of motor M, so that theprojection 19a onlever 19 cannot come into contact withlever 21, whatever may be the position occupied bylever 19 in the course of its eccentric motion. But upon energization of the winding 23, a the field that is set up by themagnetic core 24 causes thearmature 22 to be attracted thereby causinglever 21 to be rocked about itspivotal axis 21a into a raised position (FIGS. 6 and 7) in which its tip comes to lie in the path of travel of theprojection 19a. Upon this projection coming into engagement with lever 21 (FIG. 7), the latter is tipped up thereby causing the whole unit that is made up of thelever 21, theframe 31 that carries the winding 23 and itscore 24, thelever 25 and the notchedstem 29, to be rocked about pin 25a in the direction of arrow F, Thus if theshackle 8 happens to be at that time in its lowered position with itsteeth 8f in meshing engagement with the notchedstem 29, then the latter will be made to disengage from these teeth thus causing theshackle 8 to be subjected to the sole action of its spring 11 and hence to be swung upwards in a direction opposite to arrow F (FIG. 2).

A similar result can be achieved by pressing on the pushbutton 4 in the direction of arrow F since in so doingpin 26b is caused to slide from right to left in the passage 26a torock lever 25 in the direction of arrow F, this being the direction required to disengage the notchedstem 29 from theteeth 8f.

The motor M, the lamp A and the winding 23 are supplied with electric current by means of a circuit which is diagrammatically illustrated by FIG. 10. In this FIG. are also to be found theswitches 10 and 16, here referenced 10* and 16*, the photoelectric cell C, themagnetic core 24 of winding 23, and the pushbutton 4, here referenced 4*. The positional relationship ofelements 4, 10, 23 and 24 does not in this Figure correspond in any way to reality but their functional representation is however correct. Thus, uponlever 21 being attracted by the winding 23, theshackle 8 is released from thestem 29 and swings upwards under the action of the spring 11 causing thestud 8d to open theswitch 10.

The same result can be achieved, as already stated, by actuating the pushbutton 4, and this explains why there is shown a pushbutton 4* acting directly on the movable contact of aswitch 10*.

Moreover, because theshackle 8 is the member that governs the closure of theswitch 10, its function has here been symbolized by anarrow 8*.

As shown in FIG. 10, the 'electric circuit of the apparatus, which is supplied with current by a source S consisting of a series of cells housed in a casing S (FIG. 1) secured to thebase plate 2, comprises an amplifier which includes a pair of NPN- type transistors, T and T,, a pair of PNP-type transistors, T, and T and a resistor R this amplifier being controlled by the photoelectric cell C and serving to ensure energization of the winding 23 upon receipt of a suitable signal from the cell C.

It should here be pointed out that the cell C and the source of illumination A serve to determine when the transparent or translucent tubular body of thecollector device 15 has been filled with a sufiicient quantity of blood, the cell producing signals which are different when receiving a light beam of full intensity from source A or a light beam of lesser intensity, as when the blood that has collected in the tube has reached the level of the light beam issuing from source A. It should however be noted that the supply of current to the light source A, which takes place through a resistor R,, only occurs when theswitches 10 and 16 are closed, i.e., only when theshackle 8 has been swung into its lowered position (FIG. 4) and when ablood collector device 15 has been inserted into thepassage 12c of the mounting 12. The same applies to the motor M which can only be supplied with current when these switches have been closed.

Thus, upon the blood being collected in the tube ofdevice 15 reaching the level of the light beam projected by the source A towards the photoelectric cell C, the switch will be made to open the motor M will hence be made to stop.

The amplifier, consisting of transistors T to T and of resistor R and the resistor R, are housed in a casing B mounted on theplatform 27.

Before describing the operation of the illustrated apparatus, a few particulars will be given about a preferred form of blood collector device that can be used in conjunction with the apparatus for taking and collecting a blood sample (FIG. 1 1).

This device comprises atubular body 32 of transparent or translucent material, for example polyethylene, in the mouth of which is engaged aplug 33 constituting the lower, discharge, part of afunnel member 34 having acuplike portion 35 of resilient plastics material. Thecup 35 rests on the rim of the mouth of thetubular body 32 by means of anannulus 350 provided at the base of thecup 35. The wall of thecup 35 and theplug 33 are formed with an L-shapedgroove 36 forming a passageway which allows the air contained in thetubular body 32 to escape as the latter is being filled with liquid, in particular blood.

At the lower end ofplug 33 there projects acapillary cannula 37 extending nearly to the bottom of thebody 32, coaxial with said body and forming an extension of an axial passage in theplug 33. Theplug 33 and thecannula 37 form an integral unit made of synthetic resin.

At the bottom of thecup 35 is provided anannular groove 35b in which is held the peripheral part of acircular metal plate 38, for example of stainless steel, which is provided with twotriangular lancets 38a and 38b extending perpendicularly to theplate 38, on opposite sides of aslot 39 in said plate.

Above theplate 38 in thecup 35 is arranged anannular pad 40 of absorbent material, e.g. blotting paper, impaled on and held in position by thelancets 38a and 38b. As shown, theslot 39 and the opening in thepad 40 lie opposite one another and are in alignment with the central passage inplug 33.

The part of thelancets 38a and 38b that projects above thepad 40 has a length of at least 2 to 3 mm.; these lancets may extend further but not beyond the level of the upper rim ofcup 35.

It is theselancets 38a and 38b which are intended to form the cutaneous incisions that have to be made for taking a blood sample, as will now be seen.

The apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9 operates as follows:

When theshackle 8 is in its raised position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a blood collector device is inserted through theopening 3d in thecasing body 3, and into thepassage 12c of mounting 12 until the funnel member of thedevice 15 comes to rest on the mounting 12 at which point the lower end portion of its tubular body will project into the space lying between the legs ofthe mounting 12, as shown in FIG. 3.

Once the subjects finger from which a blood sample is to be taken has been duly cleaned and disinfected with dilute alcohol, at least over the fleshy part of the top joint (underneath the nail), the subject lays his hand on the apparatus casing l and places the tip of his disinfected finger on the mouth of the cup formed by the funnel member ofdevice 15, and places the middle joint and the adjoining part of the top joint of this finger in the V-shapedrecess 60 that is provided in theblock 6.

The shackle is then moved in the direction of arrow F to bring it into the position shown in FIG. 4. Once the shackle has travelled through a certain angular distance, thepin 80 comes into engagement with the top surface of the lever portion 170 to depress thelever 17 and hence to tension the springs 14. When thepin 8c reaches thegroove 17b along the tip of the lever portion 170 the arms 8a of the shackle start to extend through theslots 3f in thecasing body 3 without however yet being in a position where theteeth 8f can begin to come into meshing engagement with the notched stem 29 (FIG. 3). It is in this position of theshackle 8 that thepin 8c begins to bear on the spring 11.

With theshackle 8 being moved further down, thepin 8c moves out of thegroove 17b and slips off the cockedlever 17 thereby triggering oi? the latter to strike, under the action of the springs 14, the base of thetubular body 32 of the blood collector device 15 (FIG. 4). Thedevice 15 cannot, as a unit, rise beyond the point where the subject's finger is resting on the top of itsfunnel member 34, but because the walls of thecup 35 are collapsible, in view of the fact that thefunnel member 34 is made of resilient material, and because thetubular body 32 is slidingly mounted in thepassage 12c of mounting 12, thetubular body 32 can nonetheless be made to move upwards under the percussive action of thestriking lever 17 to drive thelancets 38a and 38b into the flesh of the finger (FIG. 12) to a depth corresponding to the length of the projecting portions of the lancets, thereby making the desired incisions in the epidermis and the dermis.

Oncelever 17 has imparted all its kinetic energy to the blood collector device, it ceases to exert any force on the latter and drops back on to the slidingpin 13. Thus, once the desired incisions have been made, thetubular body 32 will be forced back to its initial position under the action of the defonned elastic walls of thecup 35 tending to resume their normal uncollapsed position (FIG. 11), and thelancets 38a and 38b will be withdrawn from the incisions they have made although remaining in close proximity to the latter.

While the striking action is taking place, theshackle 8 will have reached the position shown in FIG. 4. In this position the pad 9 has come to bear on the top of the first and second finger joints, the notchedstem 29 has come into engagement with theteeth 8f provided along theshackle arms 8e and thestud 8d has caused theswitch 10 to close so that the control circuit for the apparatus may supply electric current to the motor M, the lamp A and the cell C.

In this position of theshackle 8 also the finger finds itself tightly held between theblock 6, along the bottom, the padlined shackle portion 8a, along the top, and the limbs of theshackle portion 80, along the sides, the grip exerted on the finger being variable, in particular in the plane of FIG. 4. The variable gripping action exerted by the finger-holding arrangement is due to the fact that theblock 6 is movably mounted and is eccentrically driven by the motor M in the direction of arrow f (FIG. 4) since in the course of this eccentric motion, theblock 6 is made to move to and from in relation to the incised tip of the finger and is also made to move upwards as it moves towards the incised finger tip and to move downwards as it moves away from the incised finger tip.

The finger thus finds itself being periodically subjected to a kind of massaging action from back to front by compression of the part of the finger that lies on theblock 6, and this massaging action causes the blood flowing to this part of the finger to be urged towards the incisions so as to issue therefrom in the form of drops which are collected in the cup of the funnel member ofdevice 15.

It is to be noted that the first few drops of blood thus collected in the cup contain a high proportion of physiological liquid which originates from the subcutaneous cells lying near the incisions and which is clearly undesirable in the blood sample. That is why there is provided at the bottom of thefunnel member cup 35 anabsorbent pad 40 which will soak up these few drops of impure blood and it is only when thepad 40 has been sufiiciently impregnated with a mixture of physiological liquid and blood, that the clean blood then issuing from the finger will begin to flow into thetubular body 32. In this connection it is to be noted that the lancets considerably facilitate this flow because, although removed from the epidermis, they remain directly opposite the incisions they have made and are at a sufficiently short distance from them to enable the drops of blood issuing from the incisions to fall on and be ruptured by the tips of the lancets, whereupon they will flow rapidly over the surface of the latter into the outlet opening of thefunnel member 34. The lancets thus play the part of effective collectors preventing the formation of a thick blood dispersion in thecup 35.

When the level of the blood that has accumulated in the tubular body of thecollector device 15 has reached a sufficiently high level to interrupt or interfere with the light beam directed to the cell C, the latter causes the relay winding 23 to be energized, as already described, thereby to move thelever 21 to its raised position (FIG. 6) and hence to release theshackle 8 from engagement by the notchedstem 29 whereby theshackle 8 may move to the position shown in FIG. 7. The switch is, as a result, opened so that the motor M and the lamp A cease to be supplied with electric current. The massaging action of the finger then stops and since the latter is no longer gripped in the holding means formed by theshackle 8 and theblock 6, the subject can remove his hand from the apparatus.

As can be seen from FIGS. 3 to 7, the blood collector device is so positioned in the apparatusthat it would be particularly difi'rcult for it be extracted from the latter by hand, once full. That is why the extraction operation is here done, at least partially, in a mechanical manner. This is achieved by lifting theshackle 8 into the position shown in FIG. 8 since, in doing so, thepin 8c comes to bear on the underface of the lever portion 170 and progressively comes to liftlever 17 which in turn gradually lifts the blood collector device out of thecasing body 3, until such time as thelever 17 abuts against the underside of the transverse portion of the mounting 12.

It will be observed that the underface of lever portion 17a has a rounded outline, that the center of curvature of this rounded outline comes to coincide substantially with thepivotal axis 7 of theshackle 8 when theshackle 8 reaches the FIG. 8 position, and that radius of this rounded outline is slightly greater than the distance between thepivotal axis 7 and the oppositely facing surface of thepin 80. Consequently, when thelever 17 is in the F l0. 8 position, there is nothing to prevent theshackle 8 from being swung back further to the position shown in FIG, 9, this being the same position as the starting position shown in FIG. 2, and once thepin 8c has been raised to a level higher than the tip of lever portion 170, thelever 17 will drop back on to the slidingpin 13, and the apparatus is then ready for a fresh blood sampling operation.

FIGS. 13 to 16 illustrate a modified constructional form of finger holder. This holder, which also serves to maintain a finger by its tip on a blood collector device and to massage the finger whereby blood is made to flow towards the incisions made in the finger tip, comprises astirruplike member 41 whose limbs extend through slots (not shown) into the casing 42 of the apparatus where they are pivotally mounted on apin 43 eccentrically driven by theoutput shaft 44 of a motor (not shown), and further comprises a swell 45 which is provided on the top surface of the casing 42 between the limbs of thestir ruplike member 41 and on which the subject from whom a blood sample has to be taken is meant to put one of his fingers. Underneath the top ofmember 41 there is provided apad 46 of synthetic sponge via whichmember 41 comes to bear on the finger.

The manner in which the finger is massaged as illustrated by FIGS. 13 to 16 wherein the stirruplike member 4] is shown occupying four different positions as a result of theshaft 44 having been rotated each time through 90 in relation to the previous position.

The illustrated apparatus has of course only been given by way of example and a number of other constructional forms could be envisaged. For instance, instead of being portable, 'as described, and being run off batteries, the apparatus could be designed to be normally static and be adapted to be supplied with electricity off the mains.

Also, different constructed forms of blood collector devices can be used in the illustrated form of apparatus and a number of such devices, in addition to that illustrated in FIG. 1 l, have been described and illustrated in our copending Pat. application Ser. No. 843096, filed July 18, 1960, entitled Blood Collector Device.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for obtaining a percutaneous and digital blood sample from a human finger in conjunction with a blood collector device comprising a tube in the mouth of which is fitted a resilient funnel member fitted with at least one incisor lancet directed towards the openend of the funnel member, said apparatus comprising a housing mounting in said housing, said mounting formed with a through passage in which a tube can be removably inserted, said through passage having a predetermined length and a top and bottom opening; a striker mechanism mounted in said housing and having a releasable striking member facing the bottom opening of said through passage, means for releasing said striking member to propel it toward said bottom opening, said striker member adapted to strike, when released, the inner end portion of a tube, in said through passage, thereby to tend to propel a tube out of said through passage; a clamping means mounted onsaid housing and adapted to clamp a finger onsaid housing in line with said top opening of said through passage and means for'periodically varying the clamping action of said clamping means whereby at least part of the tissues of a finger in said holder may alternately be constructed and released.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said clamping means comprises a' supporting block adapted to support a human finger and a movable shackle adapted to be applied on to the part of a finger opposite to that which is meant to lie on said block, a lever, a motor, an eccentric on said motor, said lever drivingly connected at its one end to said motor through the intermediary of said eccentric and connected at its opposite end to said block, wherein said motor is adapted to rotate in a direction such that said block may be caused to move from the back of a finger towards the front thereof while at the same time compressing the tissues of the finger, and wherein the plane in which the eccentric motion of the blockcarrying lever takes place contains the axis of said through passage, the relative positions of said through passage and of said block being such that the bottom opening of said through passage opens in a means plane substantially equidistant from points, along the eccentric path followed by the block, respect'ively corresponding to maximum and minimum compression of the finger tissues when a finger is placed on said apparatus.

3. Apparatus as claimed inclaim 2, wherein said shackle comprises a lever which is mounted for pivotal movement in said housing in the plane of eccentric motion of said blockcarrying lever and at a location opposite to that occupied by said block in relation to said through passage, said shackle being movable between a first extreme position in which it is adapted to be applied to a finger and a second extreme position which is sufficiently far removed from the first to provide free access to said block and to the funnel member of a blood collector device when inserted in said through passage, said apparatus further comprising a means for locking said shackle in said first extreme position and a return member for moving said shackle away from said first position upon being released from the action of said locking means.

4. Apparatus as claimed inclaim 3, including first and second switches and an element on said shackle wherein said motor is supplied with current through at least said first switch adapted to be closed by said element carried by said shackle when said shackle is moved towards said first extreme position, and through at least said second switch controlled by an element adapted to be actuated by a blood collector device when inserted in said through passage to close said second switch.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and further comprising a light source arranged to project a beam of light across said through passage, a photoelectric detector located opposite said source in relation to said through passage to receive said beam after crossing said through passage, a photoelectric detector located opposite said source in relation to said through passage to receive said beam afler crossing said through passage, electronic amplifying means controlled by said detector, a relay having a winding armature and core and controlled by said amplifier to actuate said locking means into releasing said shackle, the arrangement being such that when, during operation, the blood accumulating in a tube reaches a level such that it interferes with the light beam directed towards said detector, said locking means releases said shackle whereby said return member may move said shackle away from said first extreme position to open said first switch and hence stop the motor.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the free end of said shackle is provided with to come into meshing engagement least one arm having a saw-toothed longitudinal edge comprising teeth and said locking means comprises a lever which is mounted for pivotal movement between first and second end positions, a return member, said lever having a stern, said lever adapted to be subjected to the action of said return member tending to hold it in said first position and said stern adapted to come into meshing engagement with said teeth on said arm when said lever is in said first end position and said shackle has been moved to said first extreme position, said second end position being such that said stem cannot come into meshing engagement with said teeth on said arm when said lever is in said first end position and said shackle has been moved to said first extreme position, said second end position being such that said stem cannot come into meshing engagement with said teeth, and wherein the lever of said means carries the winding and the core of said relay and further carries the annature of said relay for pivotal movement between a first angular position remote from said core, which it occupies when said winding is not energized, and a second angular position in contact with said core, which it occupies when said winding has been energized, said apparatus further comprising a cam associated with said block-carrying lever, which is so positioned as to come into contact with one end of the relay armature, when said relay has been energized, and which is adapted to move said armature in a direction such as to cause the lever of said mechanism to be rocked into its second end position.

7. Apparatus as claimed inclaim 6, and further comprising a manually actuatable push button cooperating with the lever of said locking means and adapted, when pressed, to rock said lever into its second end position against the action of the return member associated therewith.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said mounting lies between said block and the pivotal axis of said shackle and is formed with a pair of limbs, and wherein said striking member includes a rocking lever which extends between said limbs, which is pivotally mounted to the side of said mounting furthest from the pivotal axis of said shackle, and which has a projecting free end portion to the side of said mounting nearest the pivotal axis of said shackle, a spring means, said rocking lever freely resting in an inoperative position on a support which is subjected to the action of said spring means tending to return said lever to said inoperative position when it has been moved away therefrom in the direction of the base of said limbs, and wherein the striking lever has a length such that, upon being rocked, the path traveled by the tip of its free end portion may intersect the circular path traveled by an actuating member associated with said shackle when said shackle is about to reach said first extreme position, so that, upon said armature being pivoted from its second extreme position to its first extreme position, said shackle will clock said striking member against the action of said spring means, said cocking action lasting for as long as the respective circular paths traveled by the tip of said free end portion and by said actuating member intersect one another, said striking member being released from the action of said actuating member as soon as these paths cease to intersect one another and then being subjected to the sole action of said spring means which thus propel it towards the bottom opening of said through passage in said mounting.

9. Apparatus as claimed inclaim 8, wherein said free end portion has a rounded surface whose center of curvature coincides with the pivotal axis of said shackle when said striking member has been moyed intoan intermediate position lying between said inoperative position and a position ad acent the rear end of said through passage, the radius of said curvature being slightly greater than the distance between the pivotal axis of said shackle and the portion of said actuating member farthest from said axis.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said finger holder comprises a stationary block for supporting the fleshy part of a finger, and a U-shaped shackle having limbs straddling said block on opposite sides thereof and a transverse portion adapted to engage the topside of a finger, said shackle being movable in a plane which is parallel to its limbs and which contains the axis of said through passage, a motor and eccentric and said shackle being drivingly connected to said motor through the intermediary of said eccentric underneath said block whereby it may exert on a finger a pressure during that part of its motion when said eccentric moves away from block and to relax said pressure when said eccentric moves toward said block, the direction of rotation of said motor being such that said shackle is caused to move from the back of a finger towards the front during that part of its motion when it exerts on a finger a compression.

1 1. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said clamping means comprises a finger-supporting block and a movable shackle adapted to be applied onto the part of a finger opposite to that which is meant to lie on said block, a motor mounted in said housing and an eccentric, a lever drivingly connected at its opposite end to said motor through said eccentric, said block being mounted on one end of said lever wherein said motor is adapted to rotate in a direction such that said block is caused to move from the back of a finger clamped in said clamping means towards the front thereof while at the same time compressing the tissues of the finger, and wherein the plane in which the eccentric motion of the block-carrying lever takes place contains the axis of a tube when it is in the said through passage, the relative positions of a tube and of said block when a tube is in said mounting means being such that the rear portion of the tube is adapted to open in a mean plane substantially equidistant from points, along the eccentric path followed by the block, respectively corresponding to maximum and minimum compression of the finger tissues.

12. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said clamping means is associated with said means for releasing said striker member whereby said striker means is released when a finger is clamped in place on said housing.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, Dated December l l',

Inventor) Manuel Sanz and George Revillet It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebv corrected as shown below:

claim 1 (0 1. 8, li e 6) a" should be inserted before "mounting" (col- 8, line 22), "constructed" should be changed to conscricted'Claim 2, (col- 8, line 38) "means" should be changed to "mean"Claim 6, (col- 9, lines 9 8c 10) "to come into meshing engagement" should be replaced by "atClaim 8, (collO, line 1) "clock" should be changed to "cook" Signed and sealed this 15th day of May 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-10 0 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 UvS, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1969 0-366-334

Claims (12)

1. An apparatus for obtaining a percutaneous and digital blood sample from a human finger in conjunction with a blood collector device comprising a tube in the mouth of which is fitted a resilient funnel member fitted with at least one incisor lancet directed towards the open end of the funnel member, said apparatus comprising a housing, a mounting in said housing, said mounting formed with a through passage in which a tube can be removably inserted, said through passage having a predetermined length and a top and bottom opening; a striker mechanism mounted in said housing and having a releasable striking member facing the bottom opening of said through passage, means for releasing said striking member to propel it toward said bottom opening, said striker member adapted to strike, when released, the inner end portion of a tube, in said through passage, thereby to tend to propel a tube out of said through passage; a clamping means mounted on said housing and adapted to clamp a finger on said housing in line with said top opening of said through passage and means for periodically varying the clamping action of said clamping means whereby at least part of the tissues of a finger in said holder may alternately be constructed and released.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said clamping means comprises a supporting block adapted to support a human finger and a movable shackle adapted to be applied on to the part of a finger opposite to that which is meant to lie on said block, a lever, a motor, an eccentric on said motor, said lever drivingly connected at its one end to said motor through the intermediary of said eccentric and connected at its opposite end to said block, wherein said motor is adapted to rotate in a direction such that said block may be caused to move from the back of a finger towards the front thereof while at the same time compressing the tissues of the finger, and wherein the plane in which the eccentric motion of the block-carrying lever takes place contains the axis of said through passage, the relative positions of said through passage and of said block being such that the bottom opening of said through passage opens in a mean plane substantially equidistant from points, along the eccentric path followed by the block, respectively corresponding to maximum and minimum compression of the finger tissues when a finger is placed on said apparatus.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said shackle comprises a lever which is mounted for pivotal movement in said housing in the plane of eccentric motion of said block-carrying lever and at a location opposite to that occupied by said block in relation to said through passage, said shackle being movable between a first extreme position in which it is adapted to be applied to a finger and a second extreme position which is sufficiently far removed from the first to provide free access to said block and to the funnel member of a blood collector device when inserted in said through passage, said apparatus further comprising a means for locking said shackle in said first extreme position and a return member for moving said shackle away from said first position upon being released from the action of said locking means.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, including first and second switches and an element on said shackle wherein said motor is supplied with current through at least said first switch adapted to be closed by said element carried by said shackle when said shackle is moved towards said first extreme position, and through at least said second switch controlled by an element adapted to be actuated by a blood collector device when inserted in said through passage to close said second switch.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and further comprising a light source arranged to project a beam of light across said through passage, a photoelectric detector located opposite said source in relation to said through passage to receive said beaM after crossing said through passage, a photoelectric detector located opposite said source in relation to said through passage to receive said beam after crossing said through passage, electronic amplifying means controlled by said detector, a relay having a winding armature and core and controlled by said amplifier to actuate said locking means into releasing said shackle, the arrangement being such that when, during operation, the blood accumulating in a tube reaches a level such that it interferes with the light beam directed towards said detector, said locking means releases said shackle whereby said return member may move said shackle away from said first extreme position to open said first switch and hence stop the motor.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the free end of said shackle is provided with at least one arm having a saw-toothed longitudinal edge comprising teeth and said locking means comprises a lever which is mounted for pivotal movement between first and second end positions, a return member, said lever having a stem, said lever adapted to be subjected to the action of said return member tending to hold it in said first position and said stem adapted to come into meshing engagement with said teeth on said arm when said lever is in said first end position and said shackle has been moved to said first extreme position, said second end position being such that said stem cannot come into meshing engagement with said teeth on said arm when said lever is in said first end position and said shackle has been moved to said first extreme position, said second end position being such that said stem cannot come into meshing engagement with said teeth, and wherein the lever of said means carries the winding and the core of said relay and further carries the armature of said relay for pivotal movement between a first angular position remote from said core, which it occupies when said winding is not energized, and a second angular position in contact with said core, which it occupies when said winding has been energized, said apparatus further comprising a cam associated with said block-carrying lever, which is so positioned as to come into contact with one end of the relay armature, when said relay has been energized, and which is adapted to move said armature in a direction such as to cause the lever of said mechanism to be rocked into its second end position.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, and further comprising a manually actuatable push button cooperating with the lever of said locking means and adapted, when pressed, to rock said lever into its second end position against the action of the return member associated therewith.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said mounting lies between said block and the pivotal axis of said shackle and is formed with a pair of limbs, and wherein said striking member includes a rocking lever which extends between said limbs, which is pivotally mounted to the side of said mounting furthest from the pivotal axis of said shackle, and which has a projecting free end portion to the side of said mounting nearest the pivotal axis of said shackle, a spring means, said rocking lever freely resting in an inoperative position on a support which is subjected to the action of said spring means tending to return said lever to said inoperative position when it has been moved away therefrom in the direction of the base of said limbs, and wherein the striking lever has a length such that, upon being rocked, the path traveled by the tip of its free end portion may intersect the circular path traveled by an actuating member associated with said shackle when said shackle is about to reach said first extreme position, so that, upon said armature being pivoted from its second extreme position to its first extreme position, said shackle will cock said striking member against the action of said spring means, said cocking action lasting for as long as the respective circular paths traveled by the tip of said free end portiOn and by said actuating member intersect one another, said striking member being released from the action of said actuating member as soon as these paths cease to intersect one another and then being subjected to the sole action of said spring means which thus propel it towards the bottom opening of said through passage in said mounting.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said free end portion has a rounded surface whose center of curvature coincides with the pivotal axis of said shackle when said striking member has been moved into an intermediate position lying between said inoperative position and a position adjacent the rear end of said through passage, the radius of said curvature being slightly greater than the distance between the pivotal axis of said shackle and the portion of said actuating member farthest from said axis.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said finger holder comprises a stationary block for supporting the fleshy part of a finger, and a U-shaped shackle having limbs straddling said block on opposite sides thereof and a transverse portion adapted to engage the topside of a finger, said shackle being movable in a plane which is parallel to its limbs and which contains the axis of said through passage, a motor and eccentric and said shackle being drivingly connected to said motor through the intermediary of said eccentric underneath said block whereby it may exert on a finger a pressure during that part of its motion when said eccentric moves away from block and to relax said pressure when said eccentric moves towards said block, the direction of rotation of said motor being such that said shackle is caused to move from the back of a finger towards the front during that part of its motion when it exerts on a finger a compression.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said clamping means comprises a finger-supporting block and a movable shackle adapted to be applied onto the part of a finger opposite to that which is meant to lie on said block, a motor mounted in said housing and an eccentric, a lever drivingly connected at its opposite end to said motor through said eccentric, said block being mounted on one end of said lever wherein said motor is adapted to rotate in a direction such that said block is caused to move from the back of a finger clamped in said clamping means towards the front thereof while at the same time compressing the tissues of the finger, and wherein the plane in which the eccentric motion of the block-carrying lever takes place contains the axis of a tube when it is in the said through passage, the relative positions of a tube and of said block when a tube is in said mounting means being such that the rear portion of the tube is adapted to open in a mean plane substantially equidistant from points, along the eccentric path followed by the block, respectively corresponding to maximum and minimum compression of the finger tissues.

12. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said clamping means is associated with said means for releasing said striker member whereby said striker means is released when a finger is clamped in place on said housing.

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