Animal identification device for oral administration

• US 5,937,789 A
• Filed: 01/05/1998
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SEPR Australia Pty Limited (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain S.A.), Societe Europeenne des Produits Refractaires (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain S.A.)
• Original Assignee: SEPR Australia Pty Limited (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain S.A.), Societe Europeenne des Produits Refractaires (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain S.A.)
• Inventors: Platt, James Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): PRICE JR, RICHARD THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US08/981,886
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 119/908, 119/174, 119/215, 128/899, 128/631, 128/903, 128/718
• US Class Current: 119/174
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/007 Boluses
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal

Abstract

An animal identification device for oral administration and which resides in an animals stomach. The device has a substantially solid body which has a density of at least about 3 gcm^-3. The body comprises a substantially inert plastic material and filler which has a specific gravity of at least about 4.6. An electronic identification device is encapsulated in the body. A process for manufacturing the animal identification device, and a method identifying at least one animal by orally administrating the device is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A substantially solid animal identification device for oral administration and which in use resides in the animal'"'"'s stomach, the device comprising a plastics material and a particulate filler having a desired density, and electronic identifying means encapsulated within the device.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the filler is selected from the group comprising zircon sand, baddeleyite, baryte and fused zirconia.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the filler comprises zircon sand.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the filler has a particle size of about 40 to about 500 μ

m.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the filler comprises a mix of a first filler having a particle size of about 40-160 micron and a second filler having a particle size of about 200 to about 300 micron.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the filler comprises about 5-40% of the first filler and about 60-95% of the second filler.

7. The device of claim 4 wherein the filler has a specific gravity of more than about 4.6 gcm³¹ 3.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the device comprises about 40 to about 10% by weight of the plastics material.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the plastics material comprises an epoxy resin.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the device has a density of at least about 3 gcm³¹ 3.

11. The device or claim 1 wherein the identifying means is a passive transponder.

12. A method of identifying at least one animal, the method comprising orally administering the device of claim 1 into the animal'"'"'s stomach and detecting the identification means.

13. A process for manufacturing an animal identification device for oral administration, the process including;

providing an electronic identifying means,

mixing a plastics material with a filler having a desired density,

forming a substantially solid body from the plastics material and filler with the identifying means encapsulated therein.

14. A substantially solid animal identification device having a specific gravity of at least 3 gcm³¹ 3, comprising 40-10% by weight of an epoxy material and 90-60% by weight of particulate filler, which filler has a specific gravity of at least 4.6 gcm³¹ 3 and a particle size of between 40 to about 500 μ

m.