Lancet cartridges and lancing devices

1. A lancet cartridge comprising:

(i) a U-shaped support comprising,

a pair of anchor portions,

a base portion, and

a pair of deformable leg portions connecting the anchor portions to the base portion, wherein the pair of deformable leg portions change shape from an initial shape to an extended shape in response to an external applied force and recover to a retracted shape upon removal of the force, wherein the deformable leg portions extend from and retract toward their respective anchor portion, and

(ii) a lancet,

the lancet having a tip end, an opposing base end, and an axis extending between the tip end and the base end, wherein a portion of the lancet is disposed between the pair of deformable leg portions of the U-shaped support,

wherein:

the lancet is movable between a starting position, an extended puncturing position, and an ending position along the axis of the lancet in a path defined by the U-shaped support;

when the lancet is in the starting position, the tip end of the lancet is disposed at least partially through the base portion of the U-shaped support, and the U-shaped support is in the initial shape;

when the lancet is in the extended puncturing position, the tip end of the lancet is extended through the base of the U-shaped support, and the U-shaped support is in the extended shape; and

when the U-shaped support recovers to its retracted shape upon removal of the force, the lancet is retracted to the end position by the recovery of the U-shaped support.

2. The lancet cartridge of claim 1 further comprising:

a cartridge axis;

a plurality of U-shaped supports disposed about the cartridge axis in a generally circular array; and

a plurality of lancets, wherein each lancet is associated with an individual U-shaped support.

3. The lancet cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the deformable leg portions of each of the U-shaped supports and the axes of the associated lancets extend radially from the cartridge axis.

4. The lancet cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the deformable leg portions of each of the U-shaped supports and the axes of the associated lancets are arranged about and parallel to the cartridge axis.

5. The lancet cartridge of claim 2 , further comprising a housing comprising a plurality of anchor protrusions that engage the anchor portions of each of the U-shaped supports to provide anchor points for the extension and retraction of the deformable leg portions of the U-shaped supports.

6. The lancet cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising a sterility plug, wherein the tip end of the lancet is disposed through the base portion of the U-shaped support and into the sterility plug when the lancet is in the starting position.

7. The lancet cartridge of claim 6 , wherein the tip end of the lancet is disposed through the base portion of the U-shaped support and into the sterility plug when the lancet is in the end position.

8. The lancet cartridge of claim 6 , further comprising a housing comprising a pair of anchor protrusions that engage the anchor portions of the U-shaped support to provide anchor points for the extension and retraction of the deformable leg portions of the U-shaped support.

9. A lancet cartridge having a cartridge axis, the cartridge comprising:

(i) a plurality of U-shaped supports disposed about the cartridge axis in a generally circular array, each U-shaped support comprising:

a pair of anchor portions,

a base portion, and

a pair of deformable leg portions connecting the anchor portions to the base portion, the pair of deformable leg portions change shape from an initial shape to an extended shape in response to an applied force from a lancet driver and recover to a retracted shape upon removal of the force, wherein the deformable leg portions extend from and retract toward their respective anchor portion, and

(ii) a plurality of lancets,

each lancet associated with a different U-shaped support, and

each lancet having a tip end, an opposing base end, and an axis extending between the tip end and the base end, wherein a portion of the lancet is disposed between the pair of deformable leg portions of the associated U-shaped support,

wherein:

each lancet is movable between a starting position, an extended puncturing position, and an ending position along the axis of the lancet in a path defined by the U-shaped support;

when a selected lancet is in the starting position, the associated U-shaped support is in the initial shape;

when the selected lancet is in the starting position the tip end of the lancet is disposed at least partially through the base portion of the associated U-shaped support, and the associated U-shaped support is in the initial shape;

when the selected lancet is in the extended puncturing position, the tip end of the lancet is extended through the base of the associated U-shaped support, and the associated U-shaped support is in the extended shape; and

when the associated U-shaped support recovers to its retracted shape upon removal of the force, the selected lancet is retracted to the end position by the recovery of the U-shaped support.

10. The lancet cartridge of claim 9 , wherein the deformable leg portions of each of the U-shaped supports and the axes of the associated lancets extend radially from the cartridge axis.

11. The lancet cartridge of claim 9 , wherein the deformable leg portions of each of the U-shaped supports and the axes of the associated lancets are arranged about and parallel to the cartridge axis.

12. The lancet cartridge of claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of sterility plugs, wherein the tip end of each of the lancets is disposed through the base portion of its associated U-shaped support and into one of the plurality of sterility plugs when the lancet is in the starting position.

13. The lancet cartridge of claim 12 , wherein the tip end of the lancet is disposed through the base portion of the U-shaped support and into the associated sterility plug when the lancet is in the end position.

14. The lancet cartridge of claim 9 , further comprising a housing comprising a plurality of anchor protrusions that engage the anchor portions of each of the U-shaped supports to provide anchor points for the extension and retraction of the deformable leg portions of the U-shaped supports.

15. A lancing device comprising a lancet cartridge and a firing mechanism having a firing hammer, wherein the lancet cartridge comprises:

(i) a U-shaped support comprising,

a pair of anchor portions,

a base portion, and

a pair of deformable leg portions connecting the anchor portions to the base portion, wherein the pair of deformable leg portions change shape from an initial shape to an extended shape in response to an external applied force and recover to a retracted shape upon removal of the force, wherein the deformable leg portions extend from and retract toward their respective anchor portion, and

(ii) a lancet,

the lancet having a tip end, an opposing base end, and an axis extending between the tip end and the base end, wherein a portion of the lancet is disposed between the pair of deformable leg portions of the U-shaped support,

wherein:

the firing hammer engages the lancet cartridge and drives a selected lancet from a starting position to an extended puncturing position,

the lancet is movable between a starting position, an extended puncturing position, and an ending position along the axis of the lancet in a path defined by the U-shaped support;

when the lancet is in the starting position, the tip end of the lancet is disposed at least partially through the base portion of the U-shaped support, and the U-shaped support is in the initial shape;

when the lancet is in the extended puncturing position, the tip end of the lancet is extended through the base of the U-shaped support, and the U-shaped support is in the extended shape; and

when the U-shaped support recovers to its retracted shape upon removal of the force, the lancet is retracted to the end position by the recovery of the U-shaped support.

16. The lancing device of claim 15 wherein the lancet cartridge further comprises:

a cartridge axis;

a plurality of U-shaped supports disposed about the cartridge axis in a generally circular array; and

a plurality of lancets, wherein each lancet is associated with an individual U-shaped support.

17. The lancing device of claim 16 , wherein the deformable leg portions of each of the U-shaped supports and the axes of the associated lancets extend radially from the cartridge axis.

18. The lancing device of claim 16 , wherein the deformable leg portions of each of the U-shaped supports and the axes of the associated lancets are arranged about and parallel to the cartridge axis.

19. The lancing device of claim 15 , wherein the lancet cartridge further comprises a sterility plug, wherein the tip end of the lancet is disposed through the base portion of the U-shaped support and into the sterility plug when the lancet is in the starting position.

20. The lacing device of claim 19 , wherein the tip end of the lancet is disposed through the base portion of the U-shaped support and into the sterility plug when the lancet is in the end position.