HAND-HELD DEVICE FOR MEASURING AN ANALYTE CONCENTRATION IN A SAMPLE OF A BODY LIQUID
A hand-held device for measuring an analyte concentration in a sample of a body liquid includes a display means for displaying measured values; a measured-value storage for storing measured values; a measuring unit for generating measured values through measurements of the analyte concentration; a clock; a control unit for generating measured value datasets, each containing a measured value supplied by the measuring unit as well as the date and hour of the measurement by which the measured value was obtained, and for writing them into the measured-value storage; and operating elements that can be actuated by the user to set the clock, in which case the control unit will generate a time-correction dataset indicating the amount and direction of the setting effected. The control unit writes time-correction datasets into the measured-value storage so that a chronologically ordered sequence is generated containing time-correction datasets and measured value datasets.
1 . Hand-held device for measuring an analyte concentration in a sample of a body liquid comprising:
a display means for displaying measured values;
a measured-value storage for storing measured values;
a measuring unit for generating measured values through measurements of the analyte concentration in samples of a body liquid;
a clock for supplying the date and hour of the day;
a control unit for generating measured value datasets, each containing a measured value supplied by the measuring unit as well as the date and hour of the measurement by which the measured value was obtained, and for writing them into the measured-value storage;
operating elements that can be actuated by the user to set the clock, in which case the control unit will generate a time-correction dataset indicating the amount and direction of the setting effected, wherein
the control unit writes time-correction datasets into the measured-value storage so that a chronologically ordered sequence is generated containing time-correction datasets and measured value datasets.
2 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the measured value datasets and the time-correction datasets have the same length.
3 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the time-correction datasets are identified as time-correction datasets by a marking that begins, related to the beginning of the dataset, in the same position in which a field containing the measured value begins in a measured value dataset.
4 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 3 , wherein the marking of a time-correction dataset has the same length as the field of a measured value dataset that contains the measured value.
5 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 3 , wherein the marking begins by a bit string that represents the character 9.
6 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 3 , wherein the marking is positioned at the beginning of a time-correction dataset.
7 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the measured value datasets contain a time field that indicates the hour of the day when the measurement was taken, the time-correction datasets containing, at the place where the time field is found in the measured value datasets, a time-correction field that indicates the number of minutes by which the hour of the day was changed by a clock setting operation.
8 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the measured value datasets contain a date field that indicates the date on which the measurement was taken, the time-correction datasets containing, at the place where the date field is found in the measured value datasets, a date-correction field that indicates the number of days by which the date was changed by a clock setting operation.
9 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the time-correction dataset contains a flag field that indicates the direction in which the setting was made.
10 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 9 , wherein a flag in the flag field indicates the direction of the setting in minutes, while a further flag indicates the direction of the setting in another time unit.
11 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 10 , wherein the time unit of the flag that indicates the direction of the setting is in days.
12 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the control unit writes a special dataset into the storage when at the time the clock is set no reference time is available that would be altered by the setting operation and when, consequently, neither the amount nor the direction of a setting can be indicated.
13 . The handheld device as defined in claim 12 , wherein a special dataset can be distinguished from a time-correction dataset by a marking.
14 . The handheld device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the marking by which a special dataset can be distinguished from a time-correction dataset is positioned in the flag field.
15 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the device is a glucometer.
16 . The hand-held device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a battery compartment.