Diagnostic tape unit and a process for its production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10413223-B2
Application number	US-40839609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2009
Priority date	Mar 20, 2008
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A diagnostic tape unit and a process for producing it are provided, in which disposable, test units are applied to a rollable transport tape which is wound onto an unwinding spool and is connected to a take-up spool such that the test units can be successively made available to a user by winding on the transport tape. One or both of the leading end and trailing end of the transport tape is connected to their corresponding spools by means of an auxiliary tape.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for assembling a diagnostic tape unit comprising a plurality of disposable test units provided on a rollable tape such that the test units can be successively made available to a user by winding of the rollable tape, the method comprising the steps of:
integrally connecting a take-up spool and an unwinding spool of the diagnostic tape unit by an auxiliary tape, wherein no disposable test units are on the auxiliary tape, which is structured only for a tape connection of the rollable tape to the take-up and unwinding spools;
severing the auxiliary tape to form a leader tape extending from the take-up spool and a trailer tape extending from the unwinding spool;
connecting a leading end of a transport tape of the rollable tape including the plurality of disposable test units to the take-up spool using the leader tape extending from the take-up spool, wherein the leader tape and the transport tape are separate from one another before connecting the leading end of the transport tape to the take-up spool and are joined to one another to connect the leading end of the transport tape to the take-up spool;
connecting a trailing end of the transport tape to the unwinding spool using the trailer tape extending from the unwinding spool so that the disposable test units of the rollable tape are provided on the transport tape and no disposable test units are on the trailer tape, wherein the trailer tape and the transport tape are separate from one another before connecting the trailing end of the transport tape to the unwinding spool and are joined to one another to connect the trailing end of the transport tape to the unwinding spool; and
winding the transport tape onto the unwinding spool.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting of the ends to the corresponding tapes for splicing in the transport tape comprises butt-joining the respective end to the respective tape by means of a piece of adhesive tape.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting of the ends to the corresponding tapes for splicing in the transport tape comprises joining the respective end to the respective tape in an overlapping manner.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein joining in an overlapping manner comprises gluing the respective end to the respective tape together at an overlapping region by a layer of hot-melt adhesive provided on the auxiliary tape.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising connecting the trailer tape and the leader tape to a respective one of the unwinding spool and take-up spool by means of a material or frictional tape connection in a manner such that the trailer tape and the leader tape do not self-detach from the respective unwinding spool and take-up spool when the transport tape unit unwinds.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the connecting of the trailer tape and the leader tape to the respective unwinding spool and take-up spool is by means of a material tape connection comprising welding or gluing.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the material tape connection comprising gluing by means of a hot-melt adhesive.

8. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising coating a section of at least one of the trailer tape and leader tape and the respective spool with a hot-melt adhesive, and joining the section of the trailer tape and leader tape and the respective spool in a planar fashion by applying pressure and heat by means of a welding die.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising applying the hot-melt adhesive in a wet form and drying the adhesive so that a portion of solids remains as the adhesive layer.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the adhesive layer comprises a layer thickness of between about 10 μm and about 50 μm.

11. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the trailer tape and leader tape are connected to the corresponding spool over a wrap region of less than 180°.

12. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the connecting of the trailer tape and the leader tape to the respective unwinding spool and take-up spool is by means of a frictional tape connection comprising a clamp connection between the trailer tape and the leader tape and the corresponding spool.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the tape end section is clamped in a clamping gap provided in the corresponding spool.

14. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising coating the auxiliary tape with a hot-melt adhesive over its entire length by means of a coextrusion process.

15. A method for assembling a diagnostic tape unit comprising a plurality of disposable test units provided on a rollable tape such that the test units can be successively made available to a user by winding of the rollable tape, the method comprising the steps of:
integrally connecting a take-up spool and an unwinding spool of the diagnostic tape unit by an auxiliary tape, wherein no disposable test units are on the auxiliary tape, which is structured only for a tape connection of the rollable tape to the take-up and unwinding spools, and wherein the auxiliary tape has a hot-melt adhesive layer for integrally connecting the auxiliary tape to at least one of the take-up spool, the unwinding spool and a transport tape;
severing the auxiliary tape to form a leader tape extending from the take-up spool and a trailer tape extending from the unwinding spool;
connecting a leading end of the transport tape of the rollable tape including the plurality of disposable test units to the take-up spool using the leader tape extending from the take-up spool, wherein the leader tape and the transport tape are separate from one another before connecting the leading end of the transport tape to the take-up spool and are joined to one another to connect the leading end of the transport tape to the take-up spool;
connecting a trailing end of the transport tape to the unwinding spool using the trailer tape extending from the unwinding spool so that the disposable test units of the rollable tape are provided on the transport tape and no disposable test units are on the trailer tape, wherein the trailer tape and the transport tape are separate from one another before connecting the trailing end of the transport tape to the unwinding spool and are joined to one another to connect the trailing end of the transport tape to the unwinding spool; and
winding the transport tape onto the unwinding spool.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the connecting of the ends to the corresponding tapes for splicing in the transport tape comprises butt-joining the respective end to the respective tape by means of a piece of adhesive tape.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the connecting of the ends to the corresponding tapes for splicing in the transport tape comprises joining the respective end to the respective tape in an overlapping manner by gluing the respective end to the respective tape together at an overlapping region by the hot-melt adhesive layer provided on the auxiliary tape.

18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the hot-melt adhesive layer of the auxiliary tape has a layer thickness of between about 10 μm and about 50 μm.

19. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the leader tape is connected via the hot-melt adhesive layer to the take-up spool over a wrap region of less than 180°.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the wrap region is less than 90°.

21. The method according to claim 15 ,

Assignees

• Ditscher Wolfgang
• Joest Karlheinz
• Daumbach Ria
• Kasejew Alexander
• Aigl Daniel
• Roche Diabetes Care Inc

Inventors

• Ditscher Wolfgang
• Joest Karlheinz
• Daumbach Ria
• Kasejew Alexander
• Aigl Daniel

Classifications

• A61B5/151

  Devices} specially adapted for taking samples of capillary blood, e.g. by lancets {, needles or blades · CPC title

• A61B5/150358

  Strips for collecting blood, e.g. absorbent · CPC title

• A61B5/150282

  for piercing elements, e.g. blade, lancet, canula, needle · CPC title

• A61B5/150274

  Manufacture or production processes or steps for blood sampling devices · CPC title

• A61B5/150022

  for capillary blood or interstitial fluid · CPC title