Injector

Abstract

An injector having a two stage injection comprising: an outer housing having a first end and a second end; and a plunger assembly for being received within the outer housing and comprising a barrel having a needle disposed at an end thereof and a plunger for dispensing a fluid through the needle; in use the plunger assembly being moveable within the outer housing between a retracted position wherein the needle is at least partially housed within the outer housing and an engaged position wherein the needle projects outwardly of a needle opening located at the first end of the outer housing and whereby a rotary inhibiting mechanism interacts with the plunger assembly to inhibit movement of the plunger within the barrel until the plunger assembly has reached the engaged position.

Claims

1-43. (canceled)

44. An injector having a two-stage injection mechanism, the injector comprising: an outer housing having a first end and a second end; and a plunger assembly for being received within the outer housing and comprising a barrel having a needle disposed at an end thereof and a plunger for dispensing a fluid through the needle; in use the plunger assembly being moveable within the outer housing between a retracted position wherein the needle is at least partially housed within the outer housing and an engaged position wherein the needle projects outwardly of a needle opening located at the first end of the outer housing and whereby a rotary inhibiting mechanism interacts with the plunger assembly to inhibit movement of the plunger within the barrel until the plunger assembly has reached the engaged position.

45. An injector in accordance with claim 44, wherein the plunger assembly is moveable toward the engaged position responsive to a force being applied to a second end of the plunger assembly.

46. An injector in accordance with claim 45, wherein the applied force is aligned with the direction of movement of the plunger assembly within the outer housing.

47. An injector in accordance with claim 46, wherein, once the plunger assembly reaches the engaged position, continued application of the force causes the non-inhibited plunger to move within the barrel for expelling stored contents through the needle.

48. An injector in accordance with claim 47, wherein the rotary inhibiting mechanism comprises a generally cylindrical hollow rotor body concentrically located within the outer housing and wherein at least a portion of the plunger assembly is located within the rotor body.

49. An injector in accordance with claim 48, wherein, once located within the rotor body, both the plunger assembly and rotor body are correspondingly movable within the outer housing between the retracted and engaged position, preferably the rotor body and plunger assembly are biased toward the retracted position by way of a return spring located within the outer housing.

50. An injector in accordance with claim 49, wherein the return spring surrounds and is co-axially aligned with the rotor body and wherein a portion of at least one of the rotor body and plunger assembly bears on a non-seated end of the spring.

51. An injector in accordance with claim 49, wherein the rotary inhibiting mechanism further comprises at least one guide slot defined in a circumferential wall of the rotor body for receiving a corresponding guide projection extending from the plunger assembly.

52. An injector in accordance with claim 51, wherein the barrel of the plunger assembly comprises a forward portion comprising a fluid storing chamber and an intermediate portion comprising a plunger which locates within the chamber, preferably the intermediate portion further comprises an outer wall which surrounds and receives the forward portion as the plunger is depressed.

53. An injector in accordance with claim 52, wherein the projections are lugs which extend outwardly from the outer wall of the intermediate portion.

54. An injector in accordance with claim 52, wherein each guide slot comprises a seating portion which is in perpendicular alignment to the movement of the plunger assembly within the outer housing and which in turn extends into a longitudinally aligned stroke portion.

55. An injector in accordance with claim 54, wherein the outer housing further comprises one or more helical cams disposed on an internal wall, the cam(s) facing correspondingly located bearing portions disposed on a free end of the rotor body and wherein when the rotor body is moved toward the engaged position the helical cams contact the corresponding bearing portions thereby causing the rotor body to rotate within the outer housing.

56. An injector in accordance with claim 55, wherein, when in the retracted position, the rotor body is aligned within the outer housing such that each lug seats on a seating portion of the respective guide slot thereby inhibiting movement of the plunger.

57. An injector in accordance with claim 56, wherein, as the rotor body is moved toward the engaging portion the rotor rotates causing the longitudinal stroke portions to be aligned with the respective lugs, such that once in the engaged position the lugs are free to travel along the stroke portions thereby permitting movement of the plunger for expelling the fluid.

58. An injector in accordance with claim 57, wherein the outer housing further comprises at least one longitudinally extending guide slot disposed in the circumferential wall configured to receive an end portion of a corresponding lug and wherein each end portion is held within and travels along the slot as the plunger assembly is operated thereby preventing rotational movement of the plunger assembly within the outer housing.

59. An injector in accordance with claim 58, further comprising a rotatable collar located at the second end of the outer housing and having locating channels disposed in an inner circumferential wall thereof and wherein the collar is rotatable between an open position whereby the locating channels are each axially aligned with and extend into respective guide slots in the outer housing for receiving a corresponding lug during insertion of the plunger mechanism into the outer housing and a closed position whereby the respective slots are no longer aligned, thereby preventing the plunger assembly from being removed from the outer housing.

60. An injector in accordance with claim 52, the plunger assembly further comprising a fluid storage receptacle in fluid communication with the internal chamber of the barrel, preferably the fluid storage receptacle comprising a bottle coupled to the second end of the barrel.

61. An injector in accordance with claim 44, for use in delivering an anaesthetic to a body part of an animal that is to be castrated.

62. An apparatus for removal of an animal body part, the apparatus comprising: a ligature applicator, the ligature applicator being configured to move a ligature between a first, extended state in which the ligature can be passed over the animal body part to a selected application position, and a second, retracted state in which the ligature applies a compressive force at the application position to restrict blood flow in the animal body part; and an injector being configured to store and deliver a fluid anesthetic substance to the animal body part through a needle, comprising: an outer housing having a first end and a second end; and a plunger assembly for being received within the outer housing and comprising a barrel having the needle disposed at an end thereof and a plunger for dispensing the substance through the needle, in use the plunger assembly being moveable within the outer housing between a retracted position wherein the needle is at least partially housed within the outer housing and an engaged position wherein the needle projects outwardly of a needle opening located at the first end of the outer housing and whereby a rotary inhibiting mechanism interacts with the plunger assembly to inhibit movement of the plunger within the barrel until the plunger assembly has reached the engaged position.

63. An injector having a two-stage injection comprising: a plunger assembly being moveable between a retracted position wherein a needle is at least partially housed within an outer housing and an engaged position wherein the needle projects outwardly of a needle opening located in the housing and whereby a rotary inhibiting mechanism interacts with the plunger assembly to inhibit movement of the plunger until the plunger assembly has reached the engaged position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

[0046] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0047] FIGS. 1a and 1b show exploded perspective and side views respectively of an injector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 injector in an assembled state;

[0049] FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the assembled injector;

[0050] FIG. 4a shows an end, side and sectional view of the injector rotor sans the plunger mechanism;

[0051] FIG. 4b shows an end, side and sectional view of the rotor with plunger mechanism;

[0052] FIG. 5 shows various stages for locking the plunger assembly into the outer housing, in accordance with an embodiment;

[0053] FIGS. 6a to 6c illustrate operation of the rotary inhibiting mechanism;

[0054] FIGS. 7a and 7b are partial views of the plunger assembly in an assembly and in-use position, respectively;

[0055] FIGS. 8a to 8d are side views of the injector in various stages of assembly;

[0056] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a castration apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;

[0057] FIG. 10 shows the ligature applicator of the castration apparatus of FIG. 9 in use; and

[0058] FIG. 11 shows the injector of the castration apparatus of FIG. 9 in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0059] Embodiments of the invention will hereafter be described in the context of an injector having a two stage injection mechanism for delivery of an anaesthetic into an animal's tissue as during a castration procedure. It will be understood, however, that embodiments are not so limited and the injector could be used for delivery of any desired fluid, or combination of fluids, into any human or animal tissue for any desired purpose.

[0060] FIGS. 1a & 1b show exploded views of an injector 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The injector 10 comprises an outer housing 12 having a first end 11 and second end 13. A plunger assembly 14 comprises a barrel 16 having a needle 18 disposed at a first end 20 thereof. The needle 18 is connected to the barrel 16 by way of a needle hub 17. According to the illustrated embodiment, the needle takes the form of a hypodermic needle. A fluid reservoir 22 in the form of a plastic bottle storing multiple doses of the anaesthetic is connected to a second end 24 of the barrel 16, by way of a lockable collar 26. It will be understood that in an alternative embodiment to that shown in FIG. 1, the bottle may be omitted and instead the plunger assembly 14 fluidly coupled to a draw off tube for receiving the fluid contents.

[0061] FIG. 2 shows the injector 10 in an assembled and ready for use state. The barrel 16 of the plunger assembly 14 is received within the housing 12 with the needle 18 substantially shrouded by a needle shroud 19 disposed at the first end 11 of the housing 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the needle shroud 19 is integrally formed with the housing 12. In use, the needle 18 is operable to project outwardly through a needle opening 21 in the needle shroud 19 for engaging the animal tissue. It will be understood that in an alternative embodiment, the injector 10 may be configured such that, in the ready for use state, the needle 18 is entirely shrouded by the needle shroud 19.

[0062] With additional reference to the sectional view of FIG. 3, the plunger assembly 14 additionally comprises a plunger 28 which is located within a chamber 30 of the barrel 16. When actuated, the plunger 28 causes fluid stored in the chamber 30 to be dispensed through the needle 18. According to the illustrated embodiment, forward movement (i.e. actuation) of the plunger 28 causes a forward portion 32 of the barrel 16 to retract into an intermediate portion 34 of the barrel 16. One or more projections (not shown) on an inner wall of the intermediate portion 34 are located within corresponding longitudinal guide channels 36 for preventing rotation of the forward portion 32 as it is retracts into the intermediate portion 34.

[0063] Also evident from FIG. 3 is a fluid channel 31 which extends through the plunger 28 and is in fluid communication with the bottle 22. A check valve 33 is located in the fluid channel 31 for permitting a one way flow of fluid from the bottle 22 into the internal chamber 30. The valve 33 may be any suitable one way valve, though according to the illustrated embodiment takes the form of a one way wire sprung check valve 35. A non-return valve 35 is located in the needle hub 17. The non-return valve 35 may be any suitable valve, including a duckbill valve, umbrella valve, radial valve or spring loaded valve.

[0064] In the assembled and ready for use state, the plunger assembly 14 is moveable between a retracted and engaged position within the housing 12. As previously stated, in the retracted position the needle 18 is partially housed within the needle shroud 19. As the plunger assembly 14 moves toward the engaged position, the needle 18 projects outwardly through the opening 21 for insertion into the animal's tissue. As will be described in more detail in subsequent paragraphs, a rotary inhibiting mechanism interacts with the plunger assembly 14 for inhibiting movement of the plunger 28 until the plunger assembly 14 has reached the engaged position (i.e. such that fluid stored within the barrel 16 can only be delivered into the tissue after the needle 18 is correctly positioned, to ensure that the full dose is delivered at the correct depth/location).

[0065] According to the illustrated embodiment, the plunger assembly 14 is moveable from the retracted to engaged position by pushing on a free end of the barrel 16, thus allowing for one handed operation. Once the plunger assembly 14 reaches the engaged position the rotary inhibiting member releases or unlocks the plunger. Continued application of the pushing force causes the plunger 28 to be actuated for expelling fluid stored within the chamber 30 through the needle 18 and into the tissue. It will be understood that the force required to actuate the injector 10 is advantageously aligned with the direction of movement of the plunger assembly 14.

[0066] The rotary inhibiting mechanism will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4a and 4b. In general terms, the mechanism comprises a rotor 40 having a generally cylindrical and hollow body which is concentrically located within the housing 12. The rotor is shown in isolation in FIG. 4a. In the assembled state, the rotor 40 is operable to receive the barrel 16 of the plunger assembly 14. Once received, both the rotor 40 and plunger assembly 14 are correspondingly movable between the retracted and engaged positions (where FIG. 4b shows the rotor and plunger mechanism in the engaged position).

[0067] Both the rotor 40 and plunger assembly 14 are biased toward the retracted position by way of a return spring 46, as shown in FIG. 3. The return spring 46 surrounds and is co-axially aligned with the rotor 40. The mechanism further includes at least one projection 48 located on the plunger assembly 14 which engages a non-seated end of the return spring 46. According to the illustrated embodiment, three projections in the form of lugs 48 extend outwardly from the intermediate portion 34 of the barrel 16 for engaging the return spring 46.

[0068] The barrel 16 is retained within the injector housing by way of a rotatable collar 37 located at the second end 13 of the housing 12. The rotatable collar 37 includes lug locating channels 38 defined in an inner circumferential wall. This is best shown in FIG. 1a. The locating channels 38 meet and extend into longitudinally aligned guide slots 39 in the outer housing 12 for receiving end portions of the corresponding lugs 48. The collar 37 additionally incorporates a number of lugs 41 (3 in this case) on the inner surface, which are provided to correctly restrict the rotor's range angular position/movement during the different stages (assembly/in use).

[0069] At least one guide slot 50 is also defined in a circumferential wall of the rotor 40 for receiving and guiding a corresponding projecting lug 48. Since the presently described embodiment includes three projecting lugs, there are three guide slots 50 provided on the rotor. Each guide slot 50 comprises a seating portion 52 which is in perpendicular alignment with a direction of movement of the plunger assembly 14. The seating portion 52 extends into a stroke portion 54 which is in longitudinal alignment with the direction of movement.

[0070] Once the barrel 16 has been received within the rotor 40 (i.e. such that the lugs have travelled through the locating channels 38 and into respective guide slots 39, 50) the collar 37 is rotated to prevent the plunger assembly from being withdrawn from the housing 12. FIG. 5 depicts the alignment/misalignment of slots/channels in the rotatable collar 37 and the rotor 40 during the various stages of installation. In a first stage (see the left most picture), the lug locating channels and rotor slots 38, 50 are in alignment to receive the lugs 48. In a second stage the collar 37 is partially rotated such that the lug locating channels and rotor slots 38, 50 are no longer aligned preventing the barrel 16 from escaping (see middle picture). In a third stage, the collar 37 is rotated into the locked position with the rotor 40 rotating to the starting position.

[0071] Returning to FIG. 4, the mechanism further comprises one or more helical cams 56 disposed on an internal end wall of the housing 12 toward the first end 11. According to the illustrated embodiment there are three cams 56 located adjacent the needle shroud 19 and concentrically arranged around the internal wall. The cams 56 face correspondingly located bearing portions 58 disposed on end of the rotor 40. As the rotor 40 and plunger assembly 14 move toward the engaged position the helical cams 56 contact the corresponding bearing portions 58, thereby causing the rotor 40 to rotate within the housing 12.

[0072] Operation of the rotary inhibiting mechanism will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6a, 6b and 6c. FIG. 6a shows the rotor 40 and plunger assembly 14 in the retracted position. As shown, the rotor 40 is aligned within the housing such that each projecting lug is seated on a corresponding guide slot seating portion 52, thereby inhibiting forward movement of the plunger 28. As the bottle 22 is pushed forward, the rotor 40 and plunger assembly 14 both move toward the engaging portion and the cams 56 act on the bearing portions 58 causing the rotor to turn. In FIG. 6b the rotor 40 and plunger assembly 14 have reached the engaged state. At this point the rotor 40 has rotated to a point where the lugs 48 are brought into alignment with, and are free to travel down, the corresponding stroke portions 54. This rotational movement essentially unlocks the plunger 28, thereby permitting it to be depressed through continued pushing on the bottle 22 (see FIG. 6c).

[0073] With reference to FIGS. 7a and 7b there are shown, respectively, section views of the plunger assembly 14 in a partially assembled state and fully assembled ready for use state. As is evident from FIG. 7a, in the partially assembled state a piercing portion 60 of the intermediate barrel portion 34 is set back from an opening in the bottle 22 which is sealed by a bung 62. The fluid channel 31 extends through an opening in the piercing portion 60 (which in the illustrated embodiment takes the form of a spike). An air inlet channel 64 also extends through the opening and out a circumferential wall of the intermediate portion 34. An air inlet valve 66 is located in line with the air inlet channel 64. During insertion of the plunger assembly 14 into the housing 12 a pushing force applied to bottle 22 causes the piercing portion to move toward and broach the bung 62 thereby allowing fluid to flow into the fluid channel 31. The bottle 22 is held in the breached position by way of a snap hook fitting 68.

[0074] FIGS. 8a to 8c illustrate steps for assembling the injector 10. FIG. 8a shows the injector is a ready to assembly position. The collar 37 of the housing 12 is in the aligned an unlocked state ready to receive the lugs 48 of the plunger assembly 14. In FIG. 8b, the barrel 16 of the plunger assembly 14 is inserted into the housing 12, with the lugs 48 aligned with the lug locating channels 38 in the collar 37. In FIG. 8c, the bottle 22 is pushed firmly forward, broaching the bottle 22 and pushing the plunger assembly 14 into the ready and retracted position. At this point the plunger lugs engage with the return spring. In FIG. 8c, the collar 37 is moved into the locked in use position, holding the plunger assembly 14 in place and moving the rotor 40 into the working position. The injector 10 is now ready for priming.

[0075] Embodiments of the present invention may also find application for delivering an anaesthetic and/or analgesic as part of a castration procedure, as will now be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11.

[0076] FIG. 9 illustrates an apparatus 60 for removal of an animal body part. The apparatus 60 includes a ligature applicator 62 and an injector 10 as hereinbefore described. The ligature application takes much the same form as the ligature application described in UK Patent Application No. 1420805.2 (to the same applicants), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0077] As described further below, the ligature applicator 62 is configured to move a ligature (not illustrated) between a first, extended state in which the ligature can be passed over the animal body part (not illustrated) to a selected application position, and a second, retracted state in which the ligature applies a compressive force at the application position to restrict blood flow in the animal body part. In a particular embodiment, the applicator 62 delivers the anaesthetic to the cranial side of the body part to ensure that flow to the nerves is not inhibited by the ring.

[0078] The apparatus 60 is configured to operate with a rubber/latex ring. The ligature may be a closed elastic ligature capable of being applied in a stretched condition. In the embodiment illustrated and described here the ligature applicator 60 comprises three pin members 72a, 72b, 72c. The members 72a, 72b, 72c are moveable relative to one another by operation of two handle portions 74a, 74b, as described below. The pin members 72a, 72b, 72c of the ligature applicator 62 are configured to engage with and move the ligature from an initial, retracted state to a first, extended state, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0079] As illustrated, the apparatus 60 is in the form of a hand tool. A body portion 76 detachably receives the injector 10. The injector 10 is located in the body portion 76 such that the needle opening in the injector 10 is in alignment with a portion 78 of the ligature applicator 62 which receives the animal body part. Operation of the injector 10 causes the needle to move from a retracted position whereby the needle is remote from the body part to an engaged position whereby it is engaged with the body part for delivering the anaesthetic and/or analgesic (see FIG. 11). The return spring of the injector is configured to automatically return the plunger assembly 14 of the injector 10 to the first, retracted position after the plunger 16 has been depressed.

[0080] It should be appreciated that the applicator 60 may be configured to deliver other substances to the animal. For example, the substance may be selected from one or more of the group consisting of: anaesthetics, analgesics, medicines, medicinal products, medicinal treatments, vaccines, anthelmintics, nutrients, micronutrients, minerals, vitamins, growth promotants, short acting growth promotants, tracer materials, animal identification materials, prophylactics, therapeutics, additives, insect control substances, wound dressings, bioactives, trace elements and validation markers.

[0081] The apparatus 60 is configured such that the ligature applicator 62 and the injector 10 can apply the ligature and the anaesthetic and/or analgesic substantially simultaneously. This is very convenient for the user, as it reduces the time required to work on the animal.

[0082] Reference herein to anaesthetic is intended to cover any substance with sensation eliminating properties and reference herein to analgesic is intended to cover any substance with pain-reducing or pain-relieving properties.

[0083] As noted above, although the apparatus has been described with particular reference to the castration of lambs it is also applicable to procedures for removal of other body parts. It may for example be used for the castration of other male mammals such as calves and pigs, for tail docking for example of lambs and pigs, among others.

[0084] The injector is also suitable for use with plants, e.g. injecting weeds, trees (e.g. where in the first stage the needle is inserted through the bark of the tree to a desired depth before dispensing a desired substance into the wood in the second stage), etc. The injector may also be used for impregnating plant matter, injecting telephone poles with a substance to stop them from rotting, among other uses. It will be understood that the injector described herein could be used in any application where you; move a fluid dispensing tip from a known first position to a set distance second position before dispensing its contents.

[0085] In addition, although the invention has been described with reference to the present embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that alterations, changes and improvements may be made and equivalents may be substituted for the elements thereof and steps thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, many modifications may be made to adapt the invention to a particular situation without departing from the central scope thereof. Such alterations, changes, modifications and improvements, though not expressly described above, are nevertheless intended and implied to be within the scope and spirit of the invention. The above described embodiments are therefore not to be taken as being limiting in any respects.

[0086] Any reference to prior art contained herein is not to be taken as an admission that the information is common general knowledge of the skilled addressee in Australia or elsewhere.

[0087] In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word comprise or variations such as comprises or comprising is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.