Patent Publication Number: US-2016242884-A1

Title: Medical injector for animals

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE 
     This application claims foreign priority under Paris Convention to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0042138, filed 9 Apr. 2014, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relates to a medical injector for animals. 
     The present invention relates to a structure of a medical injector, specially to a medical injector for animals which is capable of continuously easily and quickly injecting animals such as pigs. 
     Normally, a medical injector is structured only for injecting medical liquid. With medical injectors on the market, injection time for fast moving animals is long, and so it was difficult to inject the exact amount of medical liquid on desired muscle region, and the needle can be easily bended or broken. 
     Accordingly, a medical injector which is capable of quickly injecting the exact amount on the exact region and Korean Laid-open application 2003-0044400 corresponds to the conventional technology. 
     However, the conventional art is different from the present invention which uses restoration power of spring for the injection power because in the conventional art the vaccination amount for several times of injection is provided in a medical liquid cylinder at once, and thereafter medical liquid in the cylinder for one time injection is injected by a hitting. That is, in the conventional art, the origin for power to be used for the injection is the hitting power for animal, and the injection needs a hitting power more than a certain magnitude (If the hitting power is small, the injection amount is reduced, or the injection is impossible), and so it is impossible to adjust injection speed or the injection amount per unit time. 
     In addition, as a conventional art, there are a patent No. 10-0819918 Medical injector for animals and a registration patent No. 10-078476 Medical injector having a marking unit by the applicant. The conventional art has a problem that the operation mechanism and its structure are not compact. 
     Accordingly, people have needed the development of a medical injector of which a needle is not bended or broken for quick animals such as pigs, and which is capable of injecting exactly an exact amount of medical liquid on a desired muscle region by the uniform injection power, which is mechanically adjusted, regardless of the hitting power of users. 
     In addition, in the past, it is necessary to have a helper who holds a spray near an injector for making marks one by one with a prominent color in order to distinguish the animals taken injection and hasn&#39;t taken injection, and so a large manpower was needed for inoculation, and there have been troublesome problems caused by the marking. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a medical injector for animals wherein a size of a liquid chamber can be adjusted, and liquid is injected when a user holds a handle and presses tightly, and the medical liquid is charged automatically when the press operation is removed, and wherein the chamber size adjustment is possible and a consumption piston such as o-ring replacement is possible, and a main body can be used semipermanently. 
     In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a medical injector for animals having a simple injection operation which has a compact structure without problems that a needle is bended or broken in case of fast moving animals such as pigs 
     In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a medical injector for animals having a marking spray unit which is continuously capable of applying the marking liquid (or color disinfectant) on skin of animals by one-hitting and injecting medical liquid into skin. 
     To obtain the above objects, a medical injector for animals comprises a fixed body  100  comprising a main housing  110  which is made of a housing piece  110   a  and another housing piece  110   b  to form a hollow, a working rod  120  placed in the hollow of the main housing  110  and a restoration spring  130  which is in the main housing  110  to offer the restoration power to the working rod  120 ; a pressure unit  200  comprising a pressure part  210  which is inserted slidingly to a rear end of the main housing  110  and is coupled integrally to an end of the working rod  120 ; and a handle  220  which is formed integrally to the pressure part  210 ; a liquid injection unit  300  comprising a liquid cylinder  320  for forming a medical liquid chamber  321 ; a  330  which is connected to the working rod to move integrally with the working rod  120 ; and a needle unit  310  which is coupled to a front side of the medical liquid cylinder  320  to inject medical liquid of the liquid chamber  321  into the body of animals; and a disinfectant spray unit  400  coupled to the fixed body  100  to spray disinfectant or color liquid to skin of animals. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a whole assembly view of a medical injector for animals according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a whole sectional view of the medical injector for animals according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an explosion perspective view of the medical injector for animals according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a disassembly view of the medical injector for animals according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a disassembly perspective view of a disinfectant spray unit of the medical injector for animals according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view of the disinfectant spray unit of the medical injector according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 7 a  and 7 b    are detail views of a medicine chamber size adjustment of the medical injector according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a structural view of a conventional spray type marking liquid vessel. 
         FIG. 9  is a structural view of a liquid injection unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, an animal injector of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with respect to accompanying drawings. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the medical injector of the present invention comprises a fixed body  100 , a pressure unit  200 , a liquid injection unit  300 , and a disinfectant spray unit  400 . 
     The fixed body  100  comprises a main housing  110  which is made of a housing piece  110   a  and another housing piece  110   b  to form a hollow, a working rod  120  placed in the hollow of the main housing  110  and a restoration spring  130  which is in the main housing  110  to offer the restoration power to the working rod  120 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the pressure unit  200  comprises a pressure part  210  which is inserted slidingly to a rear end of the main housing  110  and is coupled integrally to an end of the working rod  120 ; and a handle  220  which is formed integrally to the pressure part  210 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4  and  FIG. 9 , the liquid injection unit  300  comprises a liquid cylinder  320  for forming a medical liquid chamber  321 ; a  330  which is connected to the working rod to move integrally with the working rod  120 ; and a needle unit  310  which is coupled to a front side of the medical liquid cylinder  320  to inject medical liquid of the liquid chamber  321  into the body of animals. 
     The disinfectant spray unit  400  is coupled to the fixed body  100  to spray disinfectant or color liquid to skin of animals. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4  and  FIG. 7 , in the medical injector of the present invention, the fixed body  100  further comprises a chamber size adjustment unit  150  placed in the main housing  110 . The chamber size adjustment unit  150  comprises an inner spiral ring  151  having a first spiral  151   a  on an outer surface which is inserted slidingly and not-rotatably to the working rod  120 ; and an outer adjustment ring  155  which is coupled with the spiral ring  151  on an inner surface having the second spiral  153  and has a contact projection  154  on an outer surface, the outer adjustment ring  155  being fixed in the main housing  110 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4  and  FIG. 7 , in the medical injector for animals of the present invention, a projection step  120   a  is formed on the working rod  120 , and the step is placed on the front of the inner spiral ring  151  inserted in the working rod. If the outer adjustment ring  155  is rotated in the main housing  110  at a fixed position, the inner spiral ring  151  moves forward to push the projection step  120   a , and so the working rod  120  and the piston  330  moves forward to reduce the liquid chamber  321 , thereby adjusting the size of the liquid chamber  321 . 
     An auxiliary catch unit  155   b  of the outer adjustment ring  155  is not capable of moving forward and backward because it is caught by a catch groove  111  of the main housing  110 , and it is capable of only rotating. An open window  113  is formed on the main housing  110 , and the exterior of the outer adjustment ring  155  is exposed through the open window  113 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , and  FIG. 7 , in the medical injector for animals of the present invention, a side of the liquid cylinder  320  is coupled to a front side of the main housing  110  through the auxiliary cap  350  which is detachable by a screw coupling, and a front side of the working rod  120  is coupled to the auxiliary rod  340 , and a front side of the auxiliary rod  340  is coupled to the piston  330 . A mounting projection  120   b  is formed in front of the working rod  120 . A rear end of the auxiliary rod  340  is a shape of the hollow, and a mounting groove  340   a  is formed correspondingly to the mounting projection  120   b . It is preferable that a corporate body of the auxiliary rod  340  and the piston  330  can be replaced as a new one on its deterioration. It is preferable that both ends of a rotation prevention rod  120   d  which is mounted in front of the working rod  120   
     are supported to the main housing  110 , and so the working rod  120  is not rotated even though the outer adjustment ring  155  is rotated. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , and  FIG. 9 , in the medical injector for animals of the present invention, a medical liquid charging unit  370  is formed communicately at a side of the liquid cylinder  320 , wherein the medical liquid charging unit  370  comprises a supply hose  371  connected to a liquid vessel, a first one way valve  372  for preventing the outflow from the liquid chamber  321  to the supply hose  371 , and a valve spring  373  for supporting the one way valve  372 . 
     The liquid injection unit  300  further comprises a counterflow prevention unit  305  between the liquid cylinder  320  and the needle unit  310 . The counterflow prevention unit  305  comprises a second one way valve  305   a  for preventing inflow from animals to the medical liquid chamber  321 , and a second valve spring  305   b  for supporting the second one way valve  3005   a.    
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 ,  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , in the medical injector for animals of the present invention, the disinfectant spray unit  400  comprises a support housing  410  for forming a second hollow  411  by auxiliary housing pieces  410   a ,  410   b  fixed to the main housing  110 ; a working pipe  431  having the marking liquid vessel P 1  which is placed in the auxiliary housing  410  slidingly and is withdrawn by a second distance D 2  to press the marking liquid vessel P 1  to project the marking liquid in the marking vessel P 1 ; and a front pressure part  450  which is withdrawn by the first distance D 1  bigger than the withdrawal distance of the working pipe  430  by the hitting on skin of animals, the front pressure part withdrawing the working pipe  430  by the second distance D 2 =( 1/20−½)×D 1  in the beginning of withdrawal; and a second elastic body  470  of which a front side is connected to the front pressure part  450  and of which a rear side is held up to the auxiliary housing  410  to give restoration power to the front pressure part  450 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , in the disinfectant spray unit  400  of the medical injector for animals of the present invention, the front pressure part  450  comprises a hollow pressure pipe  451  into which the working pipe  430  is inserted; a catch wing  453  of which a back side is capable of spreading at both sides of the pressure pipe  451 ; and first and second sills  455   a ,  455   b  which are respectively formed at rear ends of the catch wing  453 . The spray unit further comprises a slope  412  for releasing catch which is projected on an outer surface of the auxiliary housing  410 , and a rear sill  431  of the working pipe  430  is moved forward and backward in a width of a groove  414  formed in the auxiliary housing  410 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , in the disinfectant spray unit  400  of the medical injector for animals of the present invention, when the front pressure part  450  is moved back, the first and the second catch sills  455   a ,  455   b  are caught at a front surface  430   a  of the working pipe  430 , and the working pipe  430  and the front pressure part  450  are moved back by the second distance D 2  smaller than the first distance D 1  which is a withdrawl distance of the front pressure part  450 , the first and the second catch sills  455   a ,  455   b  are moved back along the catch-release slope  412  and spread to the outside thereby releasing the catch at the front surface  430   a  of the working pipe, and thereafter only the front pressure part  450  is moved back to compress the second elastic body  470 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1-3 ,  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , the medical injector for animals of the present invention further comprises an injection frequency counter (not shown) which for sensing one that is selected among the hitting on an animal of the disinfectant spray unit  400 , the pressure on the working rod  120  according to a sliding of the pressure part, the medical liquid injection of the liquid injection unit  300  and the liquid charge frequency to display on a display window. A marking liquid vessel P 1  is inserted to the working pipe  430 , and then is supported by a support cap  480 , and by the withdrawl after advance of the support cap  480 , an arc-shaped projection  481  formed on an outer circumferential of the support cap  480  is inserted in an arc-shaped groove  416  formed at a back side of the auxiliary housing  410 . 
     By a rotation of a support cap  480 , an arc shaped projection  481  formed on an outer circumferential of the support cap  480  escapes from the arc shaped groove  416  formed at a rear side of the auxiliary housing  410 , and so the marking liquid vessel P 1  is capable of being mounted and changed. 
     Regarding  FIG. 10 , an operation of the present invention is described. First, in a hitting step S 10 , the front pressure part  450 , which is slidingly mounted in front of the auxiliary housing  410 , starts to move back by the hitting on skin of an animal. 
     In a pressure spray step S 20 , the front pressure part  450  passes a pressure region L 1  to press a spray unit P 1   a  of the marking liquid vessel P 1  fixed in the auxiliary housing  410 , thereby spraying the marking liquid (disinfectant). 
     In a pressure release step S 30 , the front pressure part  450  passes the pressure region L 1  and moves in an idling progress region L 2  to release the pressure function of the marking liquid vessel P 1  of the front pressure part  450 . 
     In a medical liquid injection and idling-withdrawal S 40 , the front of the needle unit  310 , which is positioned in front of the main housing  110  for supporting the auxiliary housing  410  moves into the skin of an animal, and the piston  330  is pressed to inject medical liquid in the liquid chamber  321  into body of the animal, and the front pressure part  450  continues to move back in the idling-progress region L 2 . 
     In a return step S 50 , when the injection is completed, and the idling-progress region withdrawal of the front pressure part  450  is completed, the second elastic body  470 , which has been compressed by the withdrawal of the front pressure part  450 , is restored and the front pressure part  450  moves forward to an initial position. 
     Finally, in a medical liquid recharge step S 60 , the piston  330  is moved back and the medical liquid is recharged into the medical liquid chamber  321  through the medical liquid charge unit  370   
     While the present invention has been described with respect to the specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. 
     Reference numbers in following claims is only for helping understanding of the invention, and the reference numbers does not affect interpretation of scope of claims, and claim scope should not be interpreted in a narrow sense by the reference numbers.