Injector

Abstract: Injector for inserting objects such as transponders (4) into a living being. The injector is provided with positioning means for fixing the position of the insertion needle (9) relative to the living being. These positioning means comprise a pin (5) designed to rest with the shank thereof against a part of the living being, such as the head (1). The position of the insertion needle (9) can thereby be determined irrespective of differences occurring from one animal to another.

Description: The present invention relates to an injector, as defined in the precharacterizing part of claim 1. Such an injector is known from EP-A-0 364 044. It is important to place objects which are inserted with such injectors, such as transponders, in an accurately defined position. Preference is given to placing the transponders at an accurately defined distance and position behind the skin. Since the heads of, for example, pigs have a different curvature depending on the age and breed, it is necessary in the case of the device according to NL-A-9,000,948 to use different fittings, otherwise it cannot be ensured that the transponder is positioned accurately in the desired place. Besides, it is possible with the fitting according to the Dutch Patent Application to make a slight shift over the head part in question, so that the needle is inserted in slightly different positions relative to the adjacent skin, something which is undesirable. Costs and other inconveniences are also involved in the production and storage of different shapes of fittings. The object of the present invention is to avoid these disadvantages. This object is achieved in the case of an injector of the type described above in that the pin-shaped member has at the other side a free end, and at the moment of insertion of the needle into the living being the free end extends substantially further away from the injector than the end of said needle, and in that said pin-shaped member is designed near the free end to abut against the body. According to the invention, the fitting is no longer used now - but the pin-shaped member itself, and in particular the shank part thereof - as a stop against the head of the animal. The distance between the shank of the pin-shaped member serving as a stop and the hollow needle determines the distance of the object relative to the skin of the body. This distance is essentially constant and does not depend on the age and breed of the animal, i.e. the geometric characteristics of the head. The pin-shaped member according to the invention can be placed in the space bounded between the head and the starting part of the ear of an animal. Particularly accurate and unequivocal positioning is achieved in this way. This positioning is improved further by providing the pin-shaped member with stops at the connection with the injector. This also fixes the height position of the injector relative to the head of the animal. This height position is determined by spacer means between the stop means and the injector. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the pin-shaped member is provided near the stop means with a recess which in the application position of the injector is directed towards the body. This means that skin folds which occur during insertion of the needle can be accommodated in the recess, which prevents the pin-shaped member from moving away from the head due to the occurrence of such skin folds and the object to be inserted being placed incorrectly. Folds can also occur through gripping of the ear of the animal. In order to limit the quantity of hair cut through in placing of the needle, and thus to limit the risk of penetration of cut-off hair into the opening in the body of the animal, when a needle with bevelled end is used the tip thereof is preferably lying as close as possible to the pin-shaped member or is as far removed from it as possible. This latter design also has the advantage that engagement of the needle with the head can be made optimum. This effectively prevents the needle and the pin-shaped member from moving towards each other. According to the invention, the injector is provided with the features of the characterizing part of claim 1. In order to be able to remove the needle easily from the animal and to ensure that the object to be inserted does not move out with it, the means for conveying objects through the needle are coupled to the pin-shaped member, i.e. the means for conveying objects through the needle, as it were, press the hollow needle out of the living being after the object to be placed is inserted at the correct position. This means that such a coupling does not take place until the moment at which the object is essentially in place in the body. During the return movement of the needle the pin-shaped member remains in a fixed position relative to the living being. Holding the pin-shaped member in a fixed position relative to the living being at different stages of the insertion and removal of the hollow needle ensures that no friction or other hindrance occurs through puckering of the skin and the like, so that operation of the injector is made easier. In all these embodiments it is possible for a blade to be placed on the free end of the pin-shaped member, which blade is designed to lie flat against the body of the living being. Such a blade must be distinguished from the fitting according to Dutch Application 9,000,948, because such a blade fixes only the direction of rotation of the injector relative to the living being, while the other position of the injector relative to the living being is determined by the shank part of the pin-shaped member and the stop means, if present. The invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to an example of an embodiment shown in the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows schematically in rear view a living being with an injector according to the invention placed in the insertion position; Fig. 2 shows the injector according to the invention in the released position; Fig. 3 shows the injector according to Fig. 2 in the position shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows the position of the injector during displacement of the transponder; and Fig. 5 shows the injector at the end of the outward movement of the hollow needle. In Fig. 1 the head of a pig is shown schematically in rear view in its entirety by 1. Said head is provided with an ear 2. The injector 3 according to the invention, only partially shown, is placed in the space formed where the ear is joined to the head. With such an injector 3, objects such as transponders 4 are placed under the skin of an animal. Such transponders can be used, inter alia, for registration purposes. Fig. 2 shows the injector according to the invention in its entirety. It can be seen that it comprises a pin 5 bounded at one end by a stop 6, which stop is in turn connected by means of a spacer 7 to the injector housing 24. Spacer 7 is made slidable relative to the injector housing 24 and is driven to the outside position by means of spring 8. A hollow needle 9 is also present for the accommodation of transponders 4. Said transponders 4 are accommodated in a cartridge 10, which is moved by any kind of generally known means through the injector housing 24. The transponders 4 are driven by means of a push rod 11 out of the cartridge 10 into the hollow needle 9 to the position for placing in the living being. It is, of course, possible to place the transponders 4 in the hollow needle 9 in another way. The only essential factor is that push rod 11 should place transponders 4 in the correct position in the living being. Push rod 11 is operated by means of grip 12 and levers 13 and 14. Squeezing grip 12 causes push rod 11 to move to the left in Fig. 2. Lever 14 is also connected to a pressure block 15. Fig. 3 shows the position of the injector when it is being introduced into the living being, as shown in Fig. 1. Starting from the Fig. 1 position, in which stop 6 is placed against the connecting part between the head and the ear and pin 5 abuts against the part of the head near the ear, needle 9 is pressed inwards. This pressing inwards is produced by exerting a force on the injector housing 24. Since tip 16 of the needle is remote from pin 5, a good grip of the tip on the head of the animal is achieved, without any risk of slipping off. Such a placing of the needle also ensures that fewer hairs are cut off a pig than would occur with placing in another position. The amount of contamination introduced into the opening for the object is further limited in this way. When the needle 9 moves in the head of the animal, injector housing 24 moves along with it, but pin 5 with stop 6 remain in the same position against the animal, due to the fact that spacer 7 is displaceable relative to the injector housing 24. In order to prevent skin folds, which can occur during the insertion of the needle, from pressing pin 5 away, pin 5 is provided with a recessed part 17. Fig. 4 shows the position when the first part of the movement path of grip 12 has been completed. It can be seen clearly that pin 11 has moved the transponder 4 out of the cartridge into the hollow needle. As in Fig. 3, pin 5 is still in contact with the space between the head and the point where the ear joins the head. On further movement of grip 12, pressure block 14, as shown in Fig. 5, will act upon spacer 7, and the movement of push rod 11 and spacer 7 and thus pin 5 will be directed synchronously outwards. This results in injector 3 being moved outwards relative to the head of the living being and needle 9 being drawn back, while pin 5 remains in place. The outward movement of push rod 11 ensures that transponder 4 no longer moves back, but is held in the correct position under the skin of the animal. It is possible if desired to fit a blade or vane at the free end of pin 5, in order to limit rotation of injector 3 relative to the living being. Such a rotation is also largely limited by the stop 6. It is essential for the position of the injector relative to the living being to be determined by the lateral resting of the pin against the head of the animal, and not by any fitting resting flat on the skin. The injector can be designed in all manners known in the state of the art.

Claims: Injector (3), comprising a grip (12), a hollow needle (9), means for transporting (11) through said needle and positioning of objects (4) in a body (1), and positioning means for determining the position of the needle relative to said body, said positioning means comprising a pin-shaped member (5), arranged substantially parallel to said needle (9), said pin-shaped member (5) having two ends wherein one end is a free extremity extending substantially further from the injector (3) than the extremity of said needle (9) prior to introduction of said needle (9) into said body (1), characterized in that the pin has a stop (6) at the other end, the stop (6) is connected by means of a spacer (7) to the injector housing (24), the spacer (7) is slideable relative to the injector housing (24) and retracts back into said injector housing (24) until reaching stop (6) while said needle (9) is being introduced into said body (1) and upon the object's (4) introduction into said body (1), the spacer (7) is driven from the injector housing (24) thereby driving said injector (3) from said body (1). Injector according to claim 1, characterized in that the pin-shaped member (5) is provided with a recess near the stop means (6), directed away from said needle (9). Injector according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the end of the needle (9) is bevelled and the tip of the needle (16) is disposed proximate to said pin-shaped member (5). Injector according to one of the claims 1-2, characterized in that the extremity of the needle (9) is bevelled and the tip of the needle (16) is disposed far from the stop (6) when the spacer (7) is in the retracted position. Injector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the free extremity of said pin-shaped member (5), a blade is provided arranged to contact the body (1). Injector according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer (7) is provided with biasing means (8), biasing said pin-shaped member (5) outwardly relative to the injector (3). Injector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for transporting (11) the objects through the needle are coupled with the pin-shaped member (5). Injector according to claim 7, characterized in that said coupling synchronizes the movements of the means for transporting (11) through the needle and the pin-shaped member (5), from the moment of positioning the object (4) in the body (1).

Inventors: BOLSCHER JEROEN, NIEZINK HERMAN, BOLSCHER, JEROEN, NIEZINK, HERMAN
Applicants: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS HOLLAND, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS HOLLAND B.V.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: A61M36
IPC codes: A61D7, A61M36, A61B5, A01K11