1. A system for storing and providing lancets for collecting body fluids comprising
i) a plurality of essentially needle-shaped lancets, each lancet having a tip;
ii) a storage area to store the lancets;
iii) a withdrawal area to guide at least the tip of each lancet out of the system during a lancing process;
iv) a transport unit for transporting lancets from the storage area into the withdrawal area,
v) a drive unit including a drive element for moving a lancet in the withdrawal area from a resting position to a lancing position during the lancing process; and
vi) a retraction device located in the withdrawal area for interaction with each lancet when located in the withdrawal area for moving the lancet after completion of the lancing process from the lancing position back into the resting position.
2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lancet includes an end opposite to the tip having an element to be gripped by the retraction device.
3 A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retraction device contains a spring mechanism.
4. A system as claimed in any of claims 1-3, wherein the lancets are stored in a magazine.
5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the magazine contains the retraction device.
6. A process for temporarily driving the tip of an essentially needle-shaped lancet out of a system for storing and providing lancets comprising the steps of:
moving a drive element from its resting position towards its lancing position thereby propelling a lancet from its resting position until it reaches its lancing position and
subsequently returning the lancet to its resting position with the aid of a retraction device.
7. The process as claimed in claim 6, wherein the returning step also moves the drive element towards its resting position.
8. A lancet magazine for storing lancets comprising
a storage area for storing a plurality of essentially needle-shaped lancets; and
a withdrawal area wherein at least a tip of a lancet may be extended out of the magazine during a lancing process; the withdrawal area also including an area for receiving a retraction device for interaction with any lancet located in the withdrawal area to move the lancet from a lancing position back into a resting position after the lancing process has been completed.
9. A lancet magazine as claimed in claim 8, additionally containing a transport unit for transporting the lancets from the storage area into the withdrawal area.
10. A lancet magazine as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein each lancet in the magazine includes an end opposite to the tip having an element that can be gripped by the retraction device.
11. A lancet magazine as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the retraction device contains a spring mechanism.
12. A lancing device suitable for use in a system for storing and providing lancets comprising
i) a storage area to store the lancets;
ii) a withdrawal area to guide at least a tip of each lancet out of the system during the lancing process;
iii) a transport unit to transport lancets from the storage area into the withdrawal area;
iv) a drive unit area having a drive element movable to carry out a lancing process wherein a lancet in the withdrawal area moves from its resting position into a lancing position; and
v) a retraction device for interaction with any lancet located in the withdrawal area to move the lancet after completion of the lancing process from its lancing position back into its resting position.
13. A lancet for use in a system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 comprising a lancet needle and a lancet body partially surrounding the lancet needle.
14. A system according to claim 3 wherein the spring mechanism comprises a leaf spring.
15. A system according to claim 3 wherein the spring mechanism comprises a spiral spring.
16. A lancet magazine according to claim 11 wherein the spring mechanism comprises a leaf spring.
17. A lancet magazine according to claim 11 wherein the spring mechanism comprises a spiral spring.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A heat sink assembly, comprising:
a fin module, composed of a plurality of fins, having a flat side formed with a trough and two recesses;
a plurality of heat pipes, each having an evaporation section, wherein the evaporation sections are parallelly accommodated in the trough and in contact with each other; and
a pair of side plates, separately fixed in the recesses and located higher than the flat side, wherein the evaporation sections are formed with a flat surface coplanar with outer surfaces of the side plates.
2. The heat sink assembly of claim 1, wherein the trough comprises at least two sub-troughs, a separation section is formed between any two adjacent sub-troughs, a top surface of a free end of the separation section is located in a level lower than that of the flat side, and the separation sections are lower than the flat side in level to form a height difference.
3. The heat sink assembly of claim 1, wherein the coefficient of thermal conductivity of the side plates are higher than that of the fins.
4. The heat sink assembly of claim 1, wherein the side plates are made of copper.
5. The heat sink assembly of claim 1, wherein the fin module is formed with through holes, and each of the heat pipes comprises a condensation section extending from the evaporation section and penetrating one of the through holes.
6. The heat sink assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the fins is formed with a bent flange at the trough respectively and the evaporation sections are soldered to the bent flanges.
7. The heat sink assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the fins is formed with a bent flange at the recess respectively, and the side plates are soldered to the bent flanges.
8. A heat sink assembly, comprising:
a fin module, composed of a plurality of fins, having a flat side formed with a trough; and
a plurality of heat pipes, each having an evaporation section, wherein the evaporation sections are parallelly accommodated in the trough and in contact with each other, and the evaporation sections are formed with a flat surface higher than the flat side in level.
9. The heat sink assembly of claim 8, wherein the trough comprises at least two sub-troughs, a separation section is formed between any two adjacent sub-troughs, a top surface of a free end of the separation section is located in a level lower than that of the flat side, and the separation sections are lower than the flat side in level to form a height difference.
10. The heat sink assembly of claim 8, wherein the fin module is formed with through holes, and each of the heat pipes comprises a condensation section extending from the evaporation section and penetrating one of the through holes.
11. The heat sink assembly of claim 8, wherein the fins are formed with bent flanges at the trough, and the evaporation sections are soldered to the bent flanges.