Device to administer a solid animal medicine to an animal

Abstract

A device to administer multiple capsules or pills or a combination of capsules or pills into the mouth of an animal. The device is gravity fed and is composed of seven parts. The parts are: (i) a molded tee handle, (ii) a molded trigger pin (tee handle), (iii) a spring pin (trigger release pin) which is part of the molded trigger; (iv) a torsion spring; (v) a tube which can be 6 inches long with an outer diameter such as inch with varying inner diameters resulting from different interior thicknesses of the barrel; (vi) a inch ID#4 pan head screw; and (vii) a inch diameter disc.

Claims

1. A device to administer a solid animal medicine to an animal, comprising: a) a handle having a hand grip section and a transverse section, the transverse section of the handle including an elongated opening having a given diameter extending from a distal end to a proximal end, the elongated opening of the transverse section of the handle retaining a first dispensing tube having a distal end aligned with the distal end of the elongated opening in the transverse section, the dispensing tube extending past the proximal end of the elongated opening in the transverse section and extending for a distance of at least several inches to a proximal end of the dispensing tube, the dispensing tube having an exterior wall with an exterior surface having a diameter which enables the dispensing tube to be press fit retained within the elongated opening of the transverse section of the handle, the dispensing tube having an interior hollow chamber surrounded by the dispensing tube exterior wall, the interior hollow chamber having a given interior diameter, the dispensing tube including a transverse opening located at a given distance from the proximal end of the transverse section of the handle, the transverse opening extending from the exterior surface of the exterior wall into the interior hollow chamber of the dispensing tube; b) a trigger mechanism rotatably affixed to a proximal opening in the transverse section of the handle, the trigger mechanism including a first section aligned with the dispensing tube and a blocking member which extends through the transverse opening in the dispensing tube and into the hollow interior chamber of the dispensing tube, the blocking member extending from an interior surface of the hollow chamber at the transverse opening to adjacent an interior surface of the hollow chamber at a location at an opposite end of the interior diameter of the dispensing tube, the trigger mechanism being affixed to exterior walls of a proximal opening of the hand grip section of the handle with a rotation member supported by a head of the trigger mechanism, the head of the trigger mechanism extending to a trigger section of the trigger mechanism; c) the hand grip section of the handle having an interior chamber into in which the solid animal medicine selected from the group consisting of pills and capsules are configured to be stored with a closing door removably affixed to a bottom wall of the hand grip section; d) a spring member embedded into the trigger mechanism and partially retained in a slot on an interior surface of a hand grip section and partially retained in a first section of the trigger mechanism; and e) the distal end of the dispensing tube being closed by a closing member rotatably affixed to a rear wall at the distal end of the transverse section of the handle, wherein the solid animal medicine can be inserted into the distal end of the interior chamber of dispensing tube when the closing member is in an open condition, wherein the closing member is configured to be rotated to a closed position after the solid animal medicine has been inserted into the interior chamber of the dispensing tube, wherein the solid animal medicine can travel within the interior chamber of the dispensing tube until further travel is stopped by the blocking member; whereby the device is configured such that the proximal end of the dispensing tube is configured to be inserted into a restrained animal's mouth to a location adjacent an animal's throat and the hand grip section of the handle is configured to be gripped by a user's hand so that at least one finger of the user's hand can apply a squeezing force on the trigger section of the trigger mechanism to move the trigger section toward the interior face of the hand grip section to overcome the force of the spring member to thereby cause the blocking member to rotate out of the interior chamber of the dispensing tube to cause the solid animal medicine to travel to a proximal end of the dispensing tube and out of the proximal end of the interior chamber of the dispensing tube and down the animal's throat and wherein when the squeezing force from the at least one finger is removed, the spring is configured to cause the blocking member to rotate back into the hollow chamber of the dispensing tube.

2. The device to administer a solid animal medicine to an animal in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: the blocking member having an arcuate shape.

3. The device to administer a solid animal medicine to an animal in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: the blocking member being formed at an angle relative to the interior surface of the dispensing tube.

4. The device to administer a solid animal medicine to an animal in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a) a multiplicity of different dispensing tubes; b) wherein the first dispensing tube is replaceable with any of the multiplicity of different dispensing tubes and each of the multiplicity of different dispensing tubes have a same outer diameter such that the multiplicity of different dispensing tubes are configured to be press fit into the elongated opening in the transverse section of the handle; c) wherein each of the multiplicity of different dispensing tubes have a different diameter of a respective interior chamber; and d) wherein a transverse opening in each of the multiplicity of different dispensing tubes is configured to be in the same location relative to the proximal end of the transverse section of the handle section when press fit into the elongated opening in the transverse section of the handle section.

5. The device to administer a solid animal medicine to an animal in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: the spring member being a torsion spring with a coil embedded within the trigger mechanism having a first flat section retained on the interior surface of the hand grip section and a second flat section retained in the first section of the trigger mechanism.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Referring particularly to the drawings for the purpose of illustration only and not limitation, there is illustrated:

(2) FIG. 1 is a left side perspective view of the present invention solid medicine animal administrator;

(3) FIG. 2 is a left side elevational view of the present invention solid medicine animal administrator;

(4) FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the present invention solid medicine animal administrator with the swing disc opened to insert solid animal medicine selected from the group consisting of pills and/or capsules into the administration cylinder;

(6) FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the present invention solid medicine animal administrator with the solid animal medicine administration member separated from the handle to better illustrate the trigger mechanism and blocking pin;

(7) FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the present invention solid animal medicinal administrator with a member having a larger interior opening;

(8) FIG. 6A is a side perspective view of the torsion spring;

(9) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative member with a medium size interior opening;

(10) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the member with a small size interior opening; and

(11) FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the present invention solid animal medicine administrator illustrating a closing member rotated away from the bottom to expose a pill and capsule retaining chamber within the handle.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

(12) Although specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and merely illustrative of but a small number of the many possible specific embodiments which can represent applications of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the present invention as further defined in the appended claims.

(13) Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a solid medicine animal administrator 10 of the present invention. The solid medicine animal administrator 10 includes a handle 20 having a hand grip section 30 and a transverse section 40. Further including the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the transverse section 40 has an elongated opening 42 extending from the distal end 44 to the proximal end 46 to receive a dispensing tube 60 having a distal end 62 aligned with the distal end 44 of the opening 42 in the transverse section 40. The dispensing tube 60 extends past the proximal end 46 and transverse section 40 and extends for a distance of at least several inches to its proximal end 66. The dispensing tube 60 includes a transverse opening 68 a given distance L1 from the proximal end 46 of the transverse section 40 of handle 30.

(14) Referring to FIGS. 3, 5, 6 and 6A, a trigger mechanism 70 is rotatably affixed to a proximal opening 61 in transverse section 60. The trigger 70 has a first section 72 aligned with the dispensing tube 60 and a blocking member 74 which extends through transverse opening 58 in dispensing tube 60 and into the hollow interior chamber 68 of dispensing tube 60. In dispensing tube 60, interior chamber 68 has a diameter D1. The blocking member 74 extends at an angle A between sixty (60) degrees to ninety (90) degrees into chamber 68 and extends for most of diameter D1. While the interior chamber is described as cylindrical, it will be appreciated that the interior chamber can have any cross-sectional design. Therefore, the blocking member extends from the transverse opening to the remote portion of the internal cylindrical chamber opposite the transverse opening which can be described as the cross-section where the blocking member is almost adjacent the oppositely disposed interior cross-section wall. This principle also applies to the variations described in the paragraphs below with respect to variations in the dispensing tube also more broadly called the dispensing member. The trigger mechanism 70 is affixed to exterior walls 63 and 65 of proximal opening 61 of handle 60 with a rotation member 54 such as a pin extending through the head 76 of trigger 70 or alternatively, a first outside pin 75 and a second outside pin 77 respectively extending into first open 67 in exterior wall 63 and second opening 69 in exterior wall 65. The head 76 of the trigger mechanism 70 extends to a trigger section 78.

(15) Referring to FIG. 9, the grip section 30 of handle 20 has an interior chamber 36 in which pills and capsules are stored with a closing door 31 rotatably affixed to the bottom wall 33 of grip section 30 by rotating means such as pin 35. The closing door 31 is rotated away from the bottom opening 29 of chamber 36 and after pill 120 and capsule 122 are inserted into chamber 36, the closing door 31 is rotated into a closed position to prevent the pill or capsule from falling out. The closing door can also be a plug-type device which is removed and reinserted after the solid animal medicine is in the chamber.

(16) Dispensing tube 60 has the largest diameter D1 for interior chamber 58. Referring to FIG. 7, a second dispensing tube 160 with a smaller diameter D2 for interior chamber 166 can replace dispensing tube 60. Second dispensing tube 160 has a transverse opening 158 at the same location as transverse opening 58 to receive blocking member 74. Referring to FIG. 8, a third dispensing tube 260 with the smaller diameter D3 for interior chamber 266 can replace dispensing tubes 60 and 160. Third dispensing tube 260 has a transverse opening 258 at the same location as transverse opening 60 to receive blocking member 74. All dispensing tubes 60, 160 and 260 can be the same length and extend into transverse section 30 of handle 20 as previously described.

(17) A spring member such as a torsion spring 90 is illustrated in FIG. 6A and has a coil 92 with a first flat member 94 and a second flat member 96. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the torsion spring 90 has a coil 92 embedded into the trigger 70 as illustrated in FIG. 6 with the first flat member 94 retained in slot 32 on interior face 34 of hand grip section 30 and the second flat member 96 embedded into the first section 72 of trigger mechanism 70.

(18) Referring to FIG. 4, the distal end 62 of the dispensing tube 60 is closed by a closing member which, by way of example, is a rotating disc 100 affixed by a rotation member 110 which is a pin which is affixed to the rear wall 56 at the distal end 44 of the transverse section 40 of handle 20. The closing member can also be a removable closing door. Pill 120 or capsule 122 is inserted into the distal end 62 of interior chamber 58 of dispensing tube 60. The rotating disc 100 is then closed and the pill 120 or capsule 122 falls through interior chamber 58 until it is stopped by the blocking member 74 which stops movement of the pill or capsule. The proximal end 66 of the dispensing tube 60 is inserted into the animal's mouth and then a hand grips the handle 20 so that a finger applies a squeezing force on the trigger section 78 of the trigger mechanism 70 to move the trigger section 78 toward the interior face 34 of hand grip section 30 to overcome the force of torsional spring 90 so that blocking member 74 rotates out of interior chamber 58 and the pill 120 or capsule 122 falls into the animal's mouth. The proximal end 66 is inserted deep enough so that pill or capsule goes into the animal's throat so the animal cannot spit it out. When the squeezing force from a finger is removed, the torsion spring 90 causes the blocking member 74 to rotate back into the hollow chamber 58 of dispensing tube 60.

(19) Of course the present invention is not intended to be restricted to any particular form or arrangement, or any specific embodiment, or any specific use, disclosed herein, since the same may be modified in various particulars or relations without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention hereinabove shown and described of which the apparatus or method shown is intended only for illustration and disclosure of an operative embodiment and not to show all of the various forms or modifications in which this invention might be embodied or operated.