Patent ID: 9743678
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: A22B

Claim:
1. A pneumatic animal stunner for stunning an animal comprising: a housing having a front end; an inner chamber in the housing having a forward end and a rearward end; a piston slideable within the inner chamber; a stunning rod within the housing and capable of being driven by the piston forward and rearward towards and away from the front end of the housing; a first pressure chamber adjacent the inner chamber, the first pressure chamber being in communication with the rearward end of the inner chamber, the first pressure chamber supplying a pressurized fluid rearward of the piston; a second pressure chamber adjacent the inner chamber, the second pressure chamber being in communication with the forward end of the inner chamber, the second pressure chamber supplying a pressurized fluid forward of the piston, the second pressure chamber being smaller than the first pressure chamber; and a valve system to alternately control flow of the pressurized fluid from the first pressure chamber to the rearward end of the inner chamber to move the piston and drive the stunning rod forward to stun an animal, and from the second pressure chamber to the forward end of the inner chamber to move the piston and drive the stunning rod rearward and retract the stunning rod.