Patent Publication Number: US-11376193-B2

Title: Syringe holder assembly

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application claims priority benefit with regard to all common subject matter, of earlier-filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/869,108, filed on Jul. 1, 2019, and entitled “SYRINGE HOLDER ASSEMBLY” and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Cattle and other animals are often injected with vaccines, de-worming medicines, antibiotics, steroids, ointments, and other solutions. These solutions are typically injected with syringes supported in hand-held and hand-operated syringe guns (the syringes and guns are collectively referred to herein as “syringes”). Often, syringes are used to inject solutions in multiple animals as the animals walk through a chute, pen, or other confided space, so they are ideally placed nearby for quick and easy access. Some users carry the syringes in a belt or article of clothing, but this is dangerous. Others simply place the syringes on a nearby shelf, fencepost or even on the ground, but this risks contamination and damage and requires the user to retrieve the syringe each time it is used to inject an animal. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present invention solve the above-described problems and other problems by providing a syringe holder assembly that safely and conveniently supports a syringe when it is not being used so as to keep the syringe clean and ready to use with little wasted motion. 
     An embodiment of the syringe holder is configured for holding a syringe having a barrel and a handle and broadly comprises a syringe holder and a harness. The syringe holder comprises a base configured to be mounted to a ferromagnetic structure; an arm pivotably connected to the base; and a holster connected to the arm. The harness is configured to be secured to the syringe and comprises a main strap configured to encircle the barrel of the syringe to retain the harness on the syringe; and a magnet configured to magnetically attach the harness to the holster. In some embodiments, the magnet may be attached directly to the syringe. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a side of the syringe holder assembly shown attached to a metal rail of a chute, pen, or other structure. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a rear of the syringe holder assembly. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the harness of the syringe holder assembly attached to a syringe. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the harness of the syringe holder assembly removed from the syringe. 
     
    
    
     The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description of the invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. 
     In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments but is not necessarily included. Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein. 
     With reference to the drawing figures, a syringe holder assembly  10  constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The syringe holder assembly  10  broadly comprises a syringe holder  12  and a harness  14 . The syringe holder assembly  10  may be used for retaining a syringe  100  between medication applications. 
     The syringe  100  may be a gun-style hand tool for delivering fluid medication (vaccines, steroids, de-wormers, ointments, antibiotics, and the like) to an animal such as livestock, a large pet, a captive animal, or a wild animal. The syringe  100  may include a barrel  102 , a nozzle  104 , a piston  106 , a knob  108 , a ratcheting mechanism (not shown), a ratchet release  110 , a dosage selector  112 , and a handle  114 . 
     The barrel  102  extends forward from the handle  114  and may be a hollow cylindrical tube for holding the medication. The barrel  102  may include visual markings for indicating an amount of medication therein. 
     The nozzle  104  is positioned near a front of the barrel  102  for dispensing medication. The nozzle  104  may also receive a needle for injecting medication into the animal. 
     The piston  106  is positioned in the barrel  102  for displacing the medication from the barrel  102 . The piston includes ratchet teeth  116  for engaging and being advanced by the ratchet mechanism. 
     The knob  106  is attached to an aft end of the piston  104  for allowing the user to draw the piston  106  aftward and fill the barrel  102  with medication. The knob  106  may be a T-handle, a round ball, or the like. 
     The ratchet release  110  is a button or lever that disengages the ratchet mechanism from the ratchet teeth  116  of the piston  104 . This allows the piston to be pulled aftward to draw medication into the barrel  102 . 
     The dosage selector  112  is a dial that allows the user to select how much medication is dispensed via one activation of the handle  114 . The dosage selector  112  may include visual markings for indicating the selected dosage. 
     The handle  114  is attached to the barrel  102  and may include a trigger or squeezable sections for advancing the piston a forward in the barrel  102  and displacing a dosage of medication. The handle  114  may have a spring or other biasing mechanism so the handle  114  automatically resets after the piston is advanced. The handle  114  may also engage the piston  104  via a ratcheting mechanism so the piston does not retract after being advanced by the handle  114 . 
     The syringe holder  12  retains the syringe  100  when not in use and broadly includes a base  16 , an arm  18 , and a holster  20 . The syringe holder  12  may support the syringe  100  at one of a plurality of positions, angles, and orientations and may be mounted to any ferromagnetic structure such as a corral panel, a gate, a fence, a barn or barn door, a cage, a vehicle, a tractor, a trailer, or any other suitable structure. 
     The base  16  supports the weight of the arm  18 , the holster  20 , and the syringe  100  and includes a frame  22  and a number of magnets  24 . The base  16  may be a single structure with the magnets  24  embedded in the frame  22  or may be assembled via conventional tools as described below. 
     The frame  22  is configured to be mounted onto a ferromagnetic structure via the magnets  24  and includes magnet mounting holes  26  and a pivot hole  28 . The frame  22  may also have features for attaching the base  16  to non-ferromagnetic structures via bolts, nails, rope, twine, cable, and the like. 
     The magnets  24  secure the frame  22  to a ferromagnetic structure and are attached to the frame  22  via studs inserted into the magnet mounting holes  26 . Alternatively, the magnets  24  may be embedded in the frame  22 . The magnets  24  may be adjustable for optimizing their attraction to the ferromagnetic structure. 
     The magnet mounting holes  26  extend horizontally through a vertical portion of the frame  22  for receiving the studs of the magnets  24  therethrough. The magnet mounting holes  26  may be slots for adjusting the magnets  24 . In one embodiment the magnet mounting holes  26  are in vertical alignment with each other. 
     The pivot hole  28  extends vertically through a horizontal portion of the frame  22  for receiving an adjuster of the arm  18  therethrough. The pivot hole  28  may be a slot for sliding the arm  18  relative to the base  16 . 
     The arm  18  is pivotably connected to the base  16  and includes a first arm section  30 , a second arm section  32 , and a number of adjusters  34 A, B. The arm  18  allows the holster  20  to be set at one of several positions, angles, and orientations. 
     The first arm section  30  is a horizontally extending member including a first pivot hole  36  and a second pivot hole  38 . The first arm section  30  may be a bar, a tube, a rod, or the like. 
     The first pivot hole  36  is positioned at a first end of the first arm section  30  and is aligned with the pivot hole  28  of the frame  22  for receiving the first adjuster  34 A therethrough. Thus, the first arm section  30  is pivotably connected to the frame  22  via the first pivot hole  36 . The first pivot hole  36  may be a slot for sliding the first arm section  30  relative to the frame  22 . 
     The second pivot hole  38  is positioned at a second end of the first arm section  30  and is aligned with a pivot hole of the second arm section  32 . The second pivot hole  38  may be a slot for sliding the second arm section  32  relative to the first arm section  30 . 
     The second arm section  32  is a vertically extending member pivotably connected to the first arm section  30  and includes a lower horizontally extending tab  40 . The second arm section  32  may be a bar, a tube, a rod, or the like. 
     The lower horizontally extending tab  40  abuts the first arm section  30  and includes a pivot hole  42 . The lower horizontally extending tab  40  allows the second arm section  32  to essentially rotate about its longitudinal axis (or an offset axis) for realigning the holster  20 . 
     The pivot hole  42  aligns with the second pivot hole  38  for receiving the second adjuster  34 B therethrough. The pivot hole  42  may be a slot for sliding the second arm section  32  relative to the first arm section  30 . 
     The adjusters  34 A, B pivotably connect the frame  22 , the first arm section  30 , and the second arm section  32  together. Specifically, the first adjuster  34 A pivotably connects the first arm section  30  to the frame  22  to create a “shoulder joint” and the second adjuster  34 B pivotably connects the second arm section  32  to the first arm section  30  to create a rotating “elbow” joint. The adjusters  34 A, B may be knobs, pins, bolts, clamps, or the like. 
     The holster  20  supports the syringe  100  and may be saddle, a sheath, a plate, a bar, or any other suitable shape. In one embodiment, the holster  20  is a bar having an inverted V shape. The holster  20  may be ferromagnetic or may have magnets  44  attached thereto. In one embodiment, the holster  20  includes left and right magnet targets and a cover. 
     The magnet targets  44 A,B are positioned on opposite sides of the holster  20  and are visual markings that guide the user to align a magnet of the harness  14  to an ideal location on one side of the holster  20  depending on the orientation of the harness  14 , as described below. 
     The cover  46  envelops portions of the holster  20  and may be a soft material for protecting the syringe  100 . The cover  46  may be fabric, rubber, plastic, or the like. 
     The harness  14  wraps around the syringe  100  and includes a magnet casing  48 , a magnet  50 , a main strap  52 , and a handle strap  54 . The harness  14  secures the magnet  50  to the syringe  100 . 
     The magnet casing  48  holds the magnet  50  and may be a fabric pouch, a sleeve, a housing, or the like. For example, the magnet casing  48  may be two pieces of fabric sewn together enclosing the magnet  50 . 
     The magnet  50  is positioned in the magnet casing  48  for retaining the syringe  100  on the holster  20 . The magnet  50  may be circular, rectangular, or any other suitable shape. 
     The main strap  52  encircles the barrel  102  for retaining the harness  14  on the syringe  100  and includes first and second sections  56 ,  58 . Each section  56 ,  58  may include complementary securing means such as Velcro®, a pin and belt holes, clips, buckles, magnets, or the like. The main strap  52  may be adjustable for being secured to syringes of different shapes, sizes, and types. 
     The handle strap  54  encircles the handle  114  for retaining the harness  14  on the barrel  102  near the handle  114 . The handle strap  54  may be a smaller strap that secures to the main strap  52  or to the magnet casing  48  via similar securing means as the main strap  52 . The handle strap  54  may be adjustable for being secured to syringes of different shapes, sizes, and types. 
     In another embodiment, one or more magnets may be attached directly to the syringe so the syringe may be supported in the holster without the harness. 
     Use of the syringe holder assembly  10  will now be described. First, the harness  14  may be attached to the syringe  100 . Specifically, the main strap sections  56 ,  58  of the main strap  52  may be wrapped around the barrel  102  of the syringe  100  near the handle  114  and connected to each other with the casing  48  and hence the magnet  50  positioned to a left or right side of the barrel  102 . The handle strap  54  may then be wrapped around the handle  114  and secured to the main strap  52 , the casing  48  or itself. 
     The base  16  of the syringe holder  12  may be mounted to a structure near which animal doctoring will be performed. For example, the base  16  may be mounted to a corral panel or gate via magnets  24 . The magnets  24  may need to be repositioned depending on the structure&#39;s geometry or features. If the structure is not ferromagnetic, the base  16  may be mounted to the structure via bolts, screws, cables, twine, ropes, or the like. 
     The arm  18  may then be adjusted so the holster  20  is in an easily reachable position and convenient orientation. To that end, the first and second arm sections  30 ,  32  may be pivoted relative to each other and relative to the base  16  via the adjusters  34 . The adjusters  34  may then be tightened once the holster  20  is in the desired position and orientation. 
     The syringe  100  may then be positioned on the holster  20  via the magnet  50 . Specifically, the magnet  50  should be aligned with one of the magnet targets  44 A, B. The syringe  100  may be retrieved from the holster  20  for applying medication to an animal by pulling the syringe  100  away from the holster  20 . After use, the syringe may be quickly and easily placed back in the holster so it can stay clean and be quickly accessed again for subsequent use. 
     The above-described syringe holder assembly  10  provides several advantages. For example, the syringe holder  12  can be mounted to virtually any structure, and particularly any ferromagnetic structure such as a corral panel or gate. The holster  20  can be set in virtually any position, angle, and orientation via the arm  18  and adjusters  34 A, B. The holster  20  is two-sided, thus allowing the syringe  100  to be positioned on either side for right-handed and left-handed users. The holster  20  is ferromagnetic, thus allowing syringes with built-in magnets to be attached thereto. The harness  14  is fully adjustable and provides magnetic adaption for syringes that do not have magnets, thus making the syringe holder assembly  10  compatible with virtually any syringe. 
     ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS 
     In this description, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments but is not necessarily included. Thus, the current technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein. 
     Although the present application sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, the legal scope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent and equivalents. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical. Numerous alternative embodiments may be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims. 
     Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein. 
     As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. 
     The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditional means-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for” or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s). 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.