Drug pellet implanter
First Claim
1. An implanter for inserting pellets of a drug below the skin a live animal comprising a housing, a hollow needle having a sharpened end which protrudes from the housing and which can be inserted into the flesh of an animal so that the sharpened end is below the skin, a thrust pin which is movable in a forward direction into the rear of the hollow needle to force pellets therethrough and an actuator adapted to be gripped and moved by an operator to produce a forward movement of the pin, a flexuose link between the actuator and the thrust pin which reverses the direction of movement of the actuator so that rearward movement of the latter produces a forward movement of the pin, the flexuose link being tensioned by movement of the actuator to transmit thrust to the pin wherein the flexuose link has a first end which is anchored to the housing and a second end which acts on the thrust pin, and a first abutment is provided on the actuator and a second abutment is provided in the housing around which the flexuose link passes to achieve the reversal of the thrust.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implanter by which pelleted drugs can be inserted or implanted under the skin of an animal typically to promote fattening of beef cattle and the like. The device includes a thurst pin which can be pushed through a tube containing the pellets to eject them into and through a hollow needle at the front of the device. A mechanism acts on the pin to push it in the forward direction and a return spring acts to return it to its rest position.
The mechanism includes a trigger lever as part of a handle assembly and movement is transmitted to the pin through a flexible link such as a cord or wire or belt or chain. The latter passes around abutments so as to reverse the direction of movement so that the pin is effectively pulled in the forward direction, the link being attached to a shuttle to which the rear of the pin is attached. A velocity ratio of for example 1:2 is employed so that the pin travels (in the case of that velocity ratio) twice the distance that the trigger lever travels thus enabling the device to be held and operated in one hand.
The tubes may be inserted one at a time in one embodiment. In other embodiments the tube-receiving region of the device is adapted to accept an array of tubes joined together to form a magazine typically in the form of a flat pack in which they are side by side or in the form of a cylinder.
119 Citations
12 Claims
- 1. An implanter for inserting pellets of a drug below the skin a live animal comprising a housing, a hollow needle having a sharpened end which protrudes from the housing and which can be inserted into the flesh of an animal so that the sharpened end is below the skin, a thrust pin which is movable in a forward direction into the rear of the hollow needle to force pellets therethrough and an actuator adapted to be gripped and moved by an operator to produce a forward movement of the pin, a flexuose link between the actuator and the thrust pin which reverses the direction of movement of the actuator so that rearward movement of the latter produces a forward movement of the pin, the flexuose link being tensioned by movement of the actuator to transmit thrust to the pin wherein the flexuose link has a first end which is anchored to the housing and a second end which acts on the thrust pin, and a first abutment is provided on the actuator and a second abutment is provided in the housing around which the flexuose link passes to achieve the reversal of the thrust.
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12. An implanter for inserting pellets of a drug below the skin of a live animal comprising a housing, a hollow needle having a sharpened end which proturdes from the housing and which can be inserted into the flesh of an animal so that the sharpened end is below the skin, a thrust pin which is movable in a forward direction into the rear of the hollow needle to force pellets therethrough and an actuator adapted to be gripped and moved by an operator to produce forward movement of the pin, a flexuose link between the actuator and the thrust pin which reverses the direction of movement of the actuator so that rearward movement of the latter produces a forward movement of the pin, the flexuose link being tensioned by movement of the actuator to transmit thrust to the pin wherein the flexuose link has a first end which is attached to the actuator and a second end which is attached to a point on the housing, and a first abutment is provided on the thrust pin and a second abutment is provided in the housing around which the flexuose link passes, the position of the said point being in advance of the foremost position of said first abutment when the thrust pin has been moved to its most forward position.
Specification