GB2120554A - Animal injection or drench gun with marker - Google Patents

Abstract

A dosing/injecting device in the form of a gun has its handle (13) tubular and open at its bottom to accommodate a marker in the form of a crayon (15) or a cartridge having a felt-tip or ball-tip dispenser; or an aerosol cartridge having a spray nozzle dispenser, whereby the device can be used to dose or inject an animal and immediately thereafter mark it such as to identify it as having been treated. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dosing/injecting device for animals This invention relates to a device for use in dosing or injecting animals. Such devices have been known heretofore and are used on large animals, such as cows, or on small animals, such as sheep. Due to differences in treating large and small animals using a dosing/injecting device, i.e.

large animals are treated singly in line whereas small animals, such as sheep, are treated in groups located in pens, problems only arise when group treatment is being used due to possible confusion in deciding which animals have been treated and which animals have not been treated.

This problem has been overcome by identifiably marking treated animals immediately after they have been treated. This requires two separate operations, one to dose inject and one to mark, or alternatively one operator doing both jobs. This requires some considerable dexterity by the operator since the animal has to be held during dosing/injecting treatment and while still being held, releasing or putting aside the device while picking-up a marker and identifiably marking the treated animal. The process is then repeated for each animal in the group.

Such dosing devices as have been heretofore provided comprise a cylindrical casing having opposite end walls and defining therein an elongate chamber in one end wall of which a plunger rod is axiallyjournalled to extend inwardly to terminate in a plunger head. If the casing is of opaque material for example metal, an elongate new glass is incorporated into the wall of the casing. A content scale is delineated on this view glass or transparent casing. At the opposite end wall of the casing a discharge tube extends. The devices are normally fashioned in the form of a gun and a handle is provided at the plunger end of the casing, a link connects through pivotal connections the handle and the plunger rod, and the plunger is actuated by hand flexing movement urging the link towards the handle.

A return coil spring is provided around the plunger rod between the plunger head and the end wall of the casing to bias the plunger head towards said end wall. Hereafter in the specification and claim a device above described will be referred to as a "device of the type stated".

The device may be manually or automatically fiilable.

In accordance with the present invention, a dosing/injecting device of the type stated is provided with means for marking incorporated into or attached to said handle.

Preferably, the handle is tubular with the bottom end open and the means is a marking crayon located in the handle and which can be progressively urged to project downwardly out of said handle.

Alternatively, the handle is tubular with the bottom end open and the means is a replaceable cartridge having a felt tip ball tip dispenser provided, the cartridge being locatable in the handle, the dispenser then being located projecting through the bottom of the handle.

In a further alternative, the handle is tubular with the button end open and the means is a replaceable aerosol cartridge having a spray nozzle discharge, to be located at the bottom of the handle when the cartridge is located in the handle.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a manually-fillable device according to the present invention having a first form of marker means; Figs. 2A and 2B are respectively vertical cross sectional and front views of a detail of an adjustment mechanism used for the device in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3A and 3B are side elevations showing an automatic-fillable device having a nozzle discharge and a needle discharge respectively.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a device having a second form of marker means; and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a device having a third form of marker means.

Referring to the drawings, a device of the type stated has a casing 10, a plunger rod 11, a plunger head 12, a handle 13 and a link 14. The handle 13 is tubular with its bottom end open.

Fig. 1 shows a first form of marker means comprising a marker crayon 1 5 which can be progressively urged to project downwardly out of the handle by use of an adjustment mechanism.

An elongate slot 1 6 is provided lengthwise of the handle 13 and notches 16A are provided along each longitudinal edge of said slot 1 6. The mechanism is a ferrule 22 slidably fitted into the handle and having a stud provided at right angles to its axis. The stud has a dome head 1 7A and a shank 1 7B. A first pin 1 8 diametrically extends through the shank 1 7B immediately below the head 1 7A and on the outside of the ferrule and selectively serves to engage a pair of notches 1 6A.

A second pin 1 9 is provided to diametrically extend through the shank 1 7B near to its other end. A washer 20 abuts against the projecting parts of this pin 1 9 and a coil spring 21 is located around the shank 1 7B between the inside wall of the ferrule 22 and the washer 20. To adjust the marker crayon 1 5 downwardly, the head 1 7A is pulled out against the spring biasing for the pin 18 to disengage the pair of notches 1 6A with which is was engaged, and moved downwardly and head released for the pin 1 8 to engage the next adjacent pair of notches 1 6A towards the open bottom of the handle 13.

Figs. 3A and 3B show the device as in Fig. 1 with the modification that the rod 11 is tubular and connected via hosing 23 to convert the manually-fillable device as per Fig. 1 into an automatically-fillable device. Also, Fig. 3A shows a tubular discharge 24 for dosing an animal through the mouth and Fig. 3B shows a needle discharge 25 for injecting an animal through the skin.

Fig. 4 shows a second form of marker means comprising a replaceable cartridge having a felt tip or ball tip dispenser 26. The cartridge has iocating means in the form of a depressable button 27 to be engaged in a positioning means on the handle 13. The positioning means is a hole 28. The cartridge containing a dye or marking medium.

Fig. 5 shows a third form of marker means comprising a replaceable aerosol cartridge having a spray nozzle dispenser 29. Again, a depressable button 27 and hole 28 are provided for positioning and holding the cartridge in position in the handle, the button simply being depressed and cartridge pulled out when empty and replaced with a full cartridge.

In use, the device for dosing or injecting is used in a conventional manner and after use all the operator does is to rub the bottom of the handle against the animals' skin or wool to mark the animal, thereby saving considerable time for the operator and stress for the animal.

Claims (8)

1. A dosing/injecting device of the type stated having means for marking incorporated into or attached to said handle.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the handle is tubular with its bottom end open.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the means is a marking crayon located in the handle to be progressively urged to project downwardly out of said handle as the outer end of the crayon is used.

4. A device as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the means is a replaceable cartridge having a felt tip or ball tip dispenser provided, the cartridge being locatable in the handle for the dispenser to project through the bottom of the handle.

5. A device as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the means is a replaceable aerosol cartridge having a spray nozzle dispenser to be located at the bottom of the handle when the cartridge is located in the handle.

6. A device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1, 2A, 2B, 3A or 3B of the accompanying drawings.

7. A device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.