Dispensing – With recorder – register – indicator – signal or exhibitor – Position or extent of motion indicator
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-20
2003-04-29
Mancene, Gene (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
With recorder, register, indicator, signal or exhibitor
Position or extent of motion indicator
C222S287000, C222S309000, C128S202250
Reexamination Certificate
active
06554161
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to dispensing apparatus.
BACKGROUND ART
Dispensing apparatus of a kind for dispensing a fluid (usually a viscous liquid, whether in the form of a paste or otherwise) is well known for applying therapeutic substances into animals or onto animals. Such dispensing apparatus also have applications elsewhere, e.g.; for dispensing predetermined amounts of a material into, for example, a pot or the like for growing plants.
Dispensing apparatus of the present invention is preferably of a kind adapted for oral drenching or pour-on application of an animal remedy and/or supplement. Examples include parasiticides such as anthelmintics.
Whilst discharging of such fluids has been common from cartridges it is more usual for such liquid or liquid carried materials to be supplied via a conduit from a tank or pouch pack into a dispensing gun type apparatus. In the preferred form of the present invention that is the form of dispensing apparatus to which the present invention is directed. Accordingly, references to an “outlet” should be taken to include within its scope any downstream device to assist (whether with or without the use of additional valving) the application of the fluid to a desired animal location.
There is sometimes a desire to be able to control the level of dose. The present invention relates to such apparatus having a capability of allowing a chosen dose within a range of doses. Devices of this kind have hitherto been known.
One such dose adjustment mechanism involves a rotational adjustor. Such a form of dispensing apparatus is disclosed in New Zealand Patent Specification No. 191016 of N J Phillips Pty. Limited and the full content thereof is hereby here included by way of reference.
Another form of such apparatus is that disclosed in New Zealand Patent Specification No. 222692 of Instrument Supplies Limited. It disclosed the use of a rotatable adjustor which carries a semi-circular wall having at each end of the wall edges that extend mutually parallel from the rotatable knob which provides the wall base. Such a wall between the first and second edges has its free periphery stepped so as to act on a fixed abutment member in the drench gun, the step aligned determining the axial extent of piston movement with the stepped semi-circular wall.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an alternative to such prior art devices.
As used herein “liquid” covers solutions, suspensions, emulsions, suspo-emulsions, gels, etc. capable of being piston expressed from an outlet.
In a first aspect the present invention consists in dispensing apparatus of a kind having a barrel with an inlet and an outlet and an operator actuable piston reciprocally movable in said barrel,
wherein said piston, in use, when moving away from said outlet, allows a liquid to enter space between said piston and said outlet,
and wherein subsequent movement (“discharging movement”) of said piston, in use, towards said outlet causes liquid to exit said outlet,
and wherein the stroke of said discharging movement is controlled by a stop mechanism for the piston, said stop mechanism comprising including spiral staircase means through which liquid can pass and a staircase step abutment member carried by the piston or an assembly which includes the piston can butt at the limit of said discharging movement on a step of said spiral staircase means, said abutment member being rotatable about both the barrel and spiral staircase axes by externally accessible means to determine a stroke limiting choice of step in the staircase to encounter the abutment member and thus the quantity of liquid to be dispensed by a single discharging movement of said piston.
In another aspect the present invention consists in liquid dispensing apparatus having hand actuable means to move a piston against biassing means so as to discharge at least part of the liquid content from a barrel, said barrel having fixed relative thereto a helical abutment structure and wherein said piston forms part of an assembly which allows an uptake of liquid into said barrel during retraction under the action of said biassing means and wherein the limit of the liquid discharging step from that retracted piston condition is determined by the selection of that part of the helical abutment feature to be encountered during the dispensing stroke.
Preferably said helical abutment feature is a staircase. In other forms it can be a continuous surface.
Preferably one or more of the barrel, piston and helical abutment structure is detachable from the other components of the apparatus.
In another aspect the present invention consists in, in a drench gun (whether for pour-on or oral drenching purposes or for any other purpose) of a kind capable of being actuated to cause a piston to reciprocate within a dispensing channel, there being one way valve means to allow an uptake of liquid to be dispensed into the dispensing side of the piston in the barrel, a stroke adjustment mechanism comprising or including
an abutment member carried by the piston assembly capable of being rotated about the piston axis by means of an adjustment accessible to an operator (such adjustment preferably being possible by hand with reference to a scale indicating the quantity to be dispensed) and
a helical abutment feature (stepped or continuous or otherwise) adapted to provide an abutment for said rotatable abutment member thereby to adjust the allowed extent of travel of the piston during a dispensing motion owing to the end of travel occurrence of an abutment between the piston carried abutment feature and the helical abutment feature.
Preferably said helical abutment feature is a moulded element (preferably in the form of a spiral staircase or the like member) that is integral with or which is fixed in a fabricated structure relative to the barrel or that part of the barrel to be a sleeve for the piston.
Preferably said helical abutment feature is or defines a spiral staircase.
Preferably the said piston includes an axial conduit controlled by said one way valve means.
Preferably said piston is biassed to a retracted condition.
Preferably said piston is biassed by means included in the handle structure.
Preferably said handle is squeezed against the bias of said biassing means to cause a liquid dispensing stroke of said piston is capable of being squeezed to confer a withdrawing bias to the assembly.
Preferably said drench gun is disassemblable to enable removal of a barrel, a piston and/or a helical abutment feature.
Preferably said drench gun is capable of reassembly after disassembly with the same or a different barrel, piston and/or helical abutment feature.
In a further aspect the present invention consists in an apparatus for dispensing a selected volume of a liquid, said apparatus comprising or including:
a handle assembly of pivotally interconnected first and second handle components and means to bias such handle components apart about the pivot, one of said components (“the first component”) at a region distal from said pivot having a sleeve form, the axis of which sleeve form is normal to said pivot axis,
a piston assembly linked from the second handle component at or from a region distal thereof from said pivot, such piston assembly extending through said sleeve, said piston assembly connecting said second component to the piston and providing or defining a conduit for the receiving and conveying liquid to be dispensed via a one way valve out of said piston,
a member or assembly (thereafter “abutment defining member”) located on or about said piston assembly and rotatable about the stroke axis thereof by manual actuation externally of said sleeve,
an escarpment member located at least in part in said sleeve and providing an escarpment of steps on each of at least several of which part of said abutment defining member can abut to limit the discharge stroke of said piston assembly upon a manual squeezing of the handle components together about the pivot, and
a barrel member about the piston adjacent to and/or indexed
Cartagena Melvin
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
Mancene Gene
Prima Technologies Limited
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