Means for Sampling Animal Blood

• US 20100094170A1
• Filed: 10/15/2007
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Noble House Hotels & Resorts Limited
• Original Assignee: Noble House Hotels & Resorts Limited
• Inventors: Calnan, Rita M., Norrell, Stephanie, Berrell, Ian Patrick, Wilson, Craig Douglas, Burke, Craig Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,622,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/573
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/002 Pliers specially adapted for fixing ear-tags to ears
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/003 with means for taking tissue samples, e.g. for DNA analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150358 Strips for collecting blood, e.g. absorbent optical reagent test strips G01N21/8483; chemical reagent test strips G01N33/4875, G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150427 Specific tip design, e.g. for improved penetration characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150458 Specific blade design, e.g. for improved cutting and penetration characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150503 Single-ended needles hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396, needle sets for catheters A61M25/06, needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150786 Optical identification systems, e.g. bar codes, colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150969 Low-profile devices which resemble patches or plasters, e.g. also allowing collection of blood samples for testing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150977 Arrays of piercing elements for simultaneous piercing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15105 Purely manual piercing, i.e. the user pierces the skin without the assistance of any driving means or driving devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15188 Constructional features of reusable driving devices

Abstract

A device (1410) for collecting a blood sample from an animal on sampling media placed (1456) next to the animal'"'"'s flesh, the device comprising holding means () for holding the sampling media (1456) for placement on the flesh of an animal; spike means (1418) operable to first pass through the sampling media (1456) and to then penetrate into the flesh of the animal to create a puncture site to allow blood emerging from the site to be collected by the sampling media (1456) during and/or after penetration of the flesh, and retaining means (1427) for temporarily retaining the device (1410) on the animal whilst blood is collected on the sampling media and for allowing the device (1410) to be removed from the animal substantially intact for subsequent removal of the sampling media (1456) with the blood from the device.

Claims

1. A device for collecting a blood sample from an animal on sampling media placed next to the animal'"'"'s flesh, the device comprising:

holding means for holding the sampling media for placement on the flesh of an animal;

spike means operable to first pass through the sampling media and to then penetrate into the flesh of the animal to create a puncture site to allow blood emerging from the site to be collected by the sampling media during and/or after penetration of the flesh, and

retaining means for temporarily retaining the device on the animal whilst blood is collected on the sampling media and for allowing the device to be removed from the animal substantially intact for subsequent removal of the sampling media with the blood from the device.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein at least a part of the retaining means engages in the flesh of the animal and/or sandwiches the flesh between the sampling media and at least part of the retaining means.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein at least a part of the retaining means is adapted to be driven into and/or through the animal'"'"'s flesh.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein at least a part of the retaining means passes through the flesh of the animal and engages a rear face of the flesh to temporarily retain the device on the animal.

5. The device of claim 1 including a press pad located, in use, to sandwich the flesh between the sampling media and the press pad as the spike means are driven into the flesh.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the press pad includes an aperture or recess into which at least a part of the retaining means may pass when the spike means are driven into the animal'"'"'s flesh.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein, in use, at least a part of the retaining means passes through the animal'"'"'s flesh and releaseably engages the press pad.

8. The device of claim 5 wherein the press pad includes at least one recess, bore or aperture for mounting on the lower jaw of an ear tagging gun or of a pair of ear tagging pliers.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the retaining means includes a pin having a shank and an engagement portion larger than the shank.

10. The device of claim 7 wherein the retaining means includes a pin having a shank and an engagement portion larger than the shank and the aperture or recess has a section of smaller size than the engagement portion, whereby, once the engagement portion has passed the section, it is releaseably retained by the press pad.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the aperture or recess is an elongate slot, whereby the pin may be disengaged from the press pad by relative moment of the pin along the slot.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the slot has an end section and adapted to receive the engagement portion, a necked region smaller than the shank located between the end section and the other end and a divergent section that increases in width from the necked region to the other end.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the said spike means is movable between a first position in which at least said spike means are located to one side of the sampling media and a second position in which at least the said spike means extend through the sampling media into the animal'"'"'s flesh, the device including guard means for preventing or limiting access to the spike means when in the first position.

18. The device of claim 1 including biasing means that biases the said spike means toward a retracted position.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein, whilst temporarily retained on the animal, the biasing means biases the sampling media against the surface of the flesh.

20. The device of claim 1 wherein the spike means are withdrawn from the site and back through the sampling media during or after collection of the blood.

21. The device of claim 1 any one of the previous claims including a platen assembly said platen assembly including a platen, said spike means and at least part of said retaining means.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the platen is generally planar and has a first surface, a retainer pin having a head at its free end extending generally from the center of the first surface and said spike means includes blades extending from said first surface on at least opposed sides of the retainer pin.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein the platen assembly includes a recess on a second surface for receiving a press pin of an ear tagging gun or of a pair of ear tagging pliers.

24. The device of claim 1 including a recess and said sampling media is movable between an operative position, in which it is located out of the recess and under the spike means and a storage position, in which is located in the recess remote from the spike means.

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

29. (canceled)