GB2055670A - Ear tags and apparatus for ear tagging - Google Patents

Abstract

An ear tag has a substantially planar shank (1) with an elongate axis and an upstanding male member (2) at one end receivable through an aperture (4) at the other end when the shank is caused to bend. The ear tag is provided with means to encourage hinging about at least one hinging region and with means formed as part of the shank which act to favour arching of the shank to thereby reduce the arcuate locus of the male member relative to the aperture when the male member is being moved towards and into the aperture. Preferably the hinging region includes a plurality of regions of reduced shank section the, e.g. interrupted grooving passing through one side of the planar shank, the interrupted sections being the means which act to favour arching. The applicator gun envisages the cartridge loading of staggernested ear tags thereinto for sequential application to animals' ears. The gun comprises a magazine (11), a spring (13) acting on a member (12) to bias the tags in the magazine towards the discharge region thereof, loading means (21) operative to remove a tag from the magazine, receiving means (21, 23) for receiving an ear tag removed from the magazine and presenting it in folded condition with the upstanding male member disposed towards the aperture, and actuating means (21) to pass the male member through the aperture to locate the tag on the animal's ear. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Ear tags, methods of ear tagging and apparatus for ear tagging The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to ear tags, methods of ear tagging using such ear tags, apparatus for ear tagging with ear tags of the kind having a flexible and/or hinged shank and having an aperture at or towards one end and an upstanding male member retainable through said aperture at or towards the other end, methods of use involving such apparatus, ear tags specifically arranged for such apparatus or in cartridge forms for magazine loading thereof or the like.

There are many forms of ear tag available in New Zealand and examples of these include those disclosed in New Zealand Patent Specification Nos. 119226, 127407, 128110, 136494, 137790/137791, 145800, 155099, 156240, 162641, 168382, 176913, 177112, 177302and 179199the full disclosure of which is herein incorporated by way of reference. All of these ear tags however have certain disadvantages. These disadvantages can either be in their poor marking characteristics even when correctly applied or their difficulty in applicaton. As far as application of ear tags is concerned it is desirable that only one component be used so as to not only minimise expense of manufacture but also to minimise the need to keep two different components collated for use together.Of the kind of ear tag currently available one kind of ear tag has significant advantages, that is an ear tag of a kind which is usually formed from a flexible plastics material by injection moulding and has a flexible and/or hinged shank having an aperture at or towards one end and an upstanding male member retainable through said aperture at or towards the other end. Such ear tags can be readily fitted to an applicator and this normally takes the form of a pincer like apparatus which includes means for locating the tag therein in a folded or partially hinged condition whereby it is possible to dispose an animals ear between the aperture and the upstanding male member to thereby enable the operation of the pincers to force the male member through the animals ear to be retained within the aperture at the other side of the animals ear.For the purpose of locating such an ear tag in a pincer like arrangement it is normal for the upstanding male member to have a blind bore leading from that side of the shank (which is normally substantially planar), from which the male member does not upstand and this blind bore is normally received on some form of boss or the like indexing member of the pincers. In even more complicated versions of that basic ear tag a composite form can be made which uses for example a rigid plastic PVC male member which is located in a flexible, for example, polyurethane plastics material shank thus providing the composite tag with the required strength of ear penetrating member but the required flexibility to minimise snagging of the tag in use.

Whatever form of tag of this kind or for that matter any kind that is used there is still the difficulty that either a hole must be punched in an animals ear and the tag engaged therethrough or with tags of the kind previously set forth it is necessary to individually load into a pincer like or the equivalent applicator the particular tag between tagging applications to sheep by way of example. This gives rise to certain difficulties of which the lack of hygiene is of considerable importance as ear rot resulting from unhygenic ear tag application can result in an animals ear being readily torn and the tag being lost which not only is undesirable but can lead to some loss of condition in the animal itself.Similar situations of course arise with other animals and in the present application therefore the term "ear tag" should be considered as including an ear tag for any animal but also includes any equivalent tagging type arrangement which is to be used for an alternative purpose even if not an ear of an animal.

There is therefore a need to provide new forms of ear tags which will do away with some of the above mentioned disadvantages and which also have application in semi-automatic applicator apparatus. With such semiautomatic apparatus it is envisaged that it should be possible to provide cartridge quantities of aligned ear tags for insertion into appropriate apparatus so that no handling of the tags per se is necessary while on actual site between the tagging of animals. Other advantages of course arise and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide any some or all of an ear tag, a method of ear tagging, apparatus for ear tagging using a tag substantially the kind previously set forth, or methods of tagging using such apparatus with such ear tags which will go at least some way to meet the above desiderata or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly in one aspect the present invention consists in an ear tag applicator gun for ear tags of a kind having a flexible and/or hinged shank with an aperture at or towards one end thereof and an upstanding male member retainable through said aperture at or towards the other end of, said gun comprising means defining a magazine capable of receiving or at least holding a plurality of such ear tags in a substantially stagger stack formation substantially as hereinafter defined, means to bias the plurality of ear tags disposed in use within said magazine means towards the discharge region thereof so as to enable the progressive substantially reproduci ble sequential presentation of each ear tag at that discharge region as each preceding tag is removed from the magazine at that region, loading means operative to remove one ear tag at a time from said magazine at the discharge region thereof, receiving means when empty of any ear tag capable of receiving an ear tag removed from said magazine by said loading means and presenting the same in a substantially stable folded condition with the upstanding male member disposed towards said aperture whereby if desired in animal's ear can be interposed between said male member and aperture of said tag and actuating means operable to pass said male member of any such ear tag in said receiving means through the said aperture of the tag to locate the tag on an animals ear if interposed appropriately between said male member and aperture, the construction and arrangement being such that said loading means can be operated to present an ear tag in said receiving means where it is held ready for said actuating means to be operated to tag an animal, and when said male member is passed through the aperture the tag can be removed by a relative movement between said animal and the gun, and the gun can be prepared for a subsequent tagging by operating the loading means to again present an ear tag ready for tagging of a subsequent animal.

As herein throughout used including the appended claims the term "stagger stack formation" means any arrangement where the tags each have their male member substantially aligned parallel to the other male members of the formation but with the male member of the first tag to be dispensed of any two within the formation arranged so it can be moved clear of the other in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of its shank and in a direction from the apertured end to the male membered end. The term does not require two tags to be perfectly staggered or aligned or indeed strictly parallel.

Preferably an applicator gun wherein said loading means and said actuating means are provided sequentially by the actuation of a single mechanism by an operator with a first movement providing the tag movement and presentation attributable to the loading means and subsequent movement providing the actuation attributable to said actuating means.

Preferably an applicator gun wherein said loading means moves a said ear tag from said discharge region of said magazine by acting upon the apertured end of the shank thereof.

Preferably an applicator gun wherein said magazine is capable of receiving a cartridge or assembly of ear tags for dispensing therefrom.

Preferably said loading means operative to remove one ear tag at a time from said magazine is a slidable member capable of acting endwise on the apertured end of the tag at said discharge region and sliding the same between an abutment face which provides a reaction against said bias and slides the same free of said means for guiding said male member so that the same can be moved in the same operation under said loading means to said receiving means.Preferably said receiving means includes an abutment for receiving the male membered end of said tag and for constraining the same under the action of said loading means from moving clear of said gun, and said receiving means is such and bears such a relation to said loading means that said loading means causes at least one hinging of said shank of the ear tag so that when said loading means has completely discharged said tag from the magazine the same has acted to move the apertured end of the ear tag to its condition ready to receive said male member under the action of said actuating means.

It will be appreciated that magazines of any size and shape could be fitted at various positions e.g. on side of applicator with position of cocking gear placed to suit. A cutting devise could also be fitted to cocking action to separate tags that are moulded in "picket fence" style (say batches of 10). These systems could still retain basic cartridge system.

Preferably said actuating means includes means defining a portion of the abutment of said receiving means which portion is a member capable of being moved to provide a thrust which acts substantially along the line of said upstanding male member.

Preferably said actuating means is operable by the squeezing together of two members, preferably, substantially as hereinafter described.

In a further aspect the present invention consists in, in combination an ear tag applicator gun as previously set forth when in combination with at least one ear tag capable of being applied to an animal's ear by said gun.

In a further aspect the present invention consists in a method of ear tagging which involves operatively using apparatus in accordance with the present invention and preferably that is achieved as substantially hereinafter described.

In a further aspect the present invention consists in an ear tag comprising means defining a flexible and resilient shank which is substantially planar in nature, means defining an aperture at or toward one end of said shank, means defining an upstanding male member at or towards the other end of said shank having regard to the plane of said shank, said male member being receivable and retainable through said aperture, means to encourage the hinging about at least one hinging region between said male member and said aperture so as to encourage the disposition of said male member towards said aperture and means formed as part of the shank which act or acts to favour the arching of the shank to thereby reduce the arcuate locus of said male member relative to said aperture when said male member is being moved towards and into said aperture.

Preferably said ear tag is formed in a plastics material and said ear tag is either (a) formed as a unitary member of a flexible plastics material or (b) is a composite member formed from a flexible plastics material shank and a rigid plastics material or metal male member. Preferably in the composite form said male member is a rigid plastic PVC member and by way of example the shank is a flexible polyurethane plastics material.

Preferably said tag is substantially rectangular and planar save for the upstanding member and preferably each corner of the substantially rectangular form has been bevelled in order to minimise the snagging of a fitted ear tag on, for example, a tree or fence. In use preferably said male member includes a pointed portion which includes an abutment shoulder facing towards the shank which is capable of retaining the tag in its fitted condition through said aperture. Preferably said upstanding male member is generally conical in section and preferably for both the pointed portion and for the main rising portion thereof.

Preferably said hinging region includes a plurality of regions of reduced section having regard to the general section of the shank between said aperture and said male member.

Preferably said reduced sections take the form of interrupted grooving passing through on one side (preferably the male membered side of said planar shank), said interrupted sections being said means formed as part of the shank which acts to reduce the arcuate locus of said male member when said male member is being moved towards and through said aperture by tending to arch the shank at least just as said male member is to be driven in use through an animals ear. Preferably there are two grooves and preferably there is a single preferably central interruption for each. Preferably the said interruption to the grooves is not such that the same has a greater thickness than the general thickness of the planar shank. In some forms of the present invention however substantially as hereinafter described by way of illustration any such interruptions can be of increased section.

In other forms of the present invention an equivalent to interrupted grooving can be employed, for example, dimpling or the like in such a way that while there is a region substantially mid-way between said aperture and said male member where under endwise pressure the shank will fold in the correct way preferably the weakening and the provision of said means formed as part of the shank is such that no clearly defined hinged line as such is defined but rather a generalised hinging region results which will tend to provide an arch shape in the shank as said male member is being pressed by any fitting apparatus pincer or otherwise through said aperture.

Preferably an annular or some equivalent means is provided disposed about said aperture on that side thereof which will lay against an animals ear so as to be capable of receiving or being filled with some antiseptic or disinfectant paste or the like material. In some forms of the present invention a foam plastics material or the like could be disposed about said aperture and have impregnated therein an appropriate material.

In a further aspect the present invention consists in in combination or as a cartridge or assembly aligned ear tags of the kind previously set forth wherein all of their male members are substantially parallel and in the same direction and the shanks are all substantially straight and substantially parallel. Preferably said male members are received in a channel member which preferably has a constricted entrance to the channel and from which they are slidably removable. Preferably said channel is impregnated with some disinfectant or antiseptic material, for example, a paste.

Preferably said channel member is of an extruded plastics material or is, for example, formed from cardboard or the like. In some forms of the present invention said channel member can form part of an ear tag applicator gun in accordance with the present invention.

In a further aspect the present invention may broadly be said to consist in, as a cartridge for loading in an applicator gun substantially of the kind hereinbefore defined, a plurality of tags as previously set forth with their male members received in a channel member from whence they can be slidably moved by action on the apertured end of the end most of said tags.

Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred ear tag in accordance with the present invention showing the upstanding male member towards one end thereof and showing substantially between the aperture and the male member two weakening grooves which include interruptions centrally thereof, Figure 2 is a plan view from that side of the substantially planar shank from which the male member projects showing an annular groove disposed about said aperture and showing the nature of the grooving and the central interruption thereof, Figure 3 is a section along line AA which shows the nature of the aperture and the annular groove thereabout, Figure 4 shows an enlarged view for region BB in the same general direction as shown in Fig. 1, Figure 5 shows an alternative form of interruption to that shown in Fig. 4 viz: a portion of the moulded shank which projects to a greater thickness than the general planar thickness of the shank, Figure 6 shows an alternative to a grooved form namely dimpling with depressions at or about the region substantially mid-way between said aperture and said male member, the exact nature of the dimpling and the arrays thereof merely being given by way of example, Figure 7 shows the arching type arrangement which is possible with the construction as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 whereby it can be seen that when under a pincing action acting on regions of the tag outside of the arch but generally about said aperture and said male member a positive-thrust results with an aperture aligned male member, Figures 8a to Sc show the non-alignment of a diagrammatically drawn male member of a diagrammatic ear tag which occurs if distinct hinging lines along two grooves about midway between the male member and aperture occurs, it being made plane when there is a thrust in the general direction denoted by the arrow that thrust does not act along the direction of alignment between the male member and the hole, thus giving rise to increased chances of botched tagging, Figure 9 is a similar arrangement of that to Figs. 8 to 8c but showing the even greater difficulties that occur when there is a single hinging line mid-way along the shank, Figure 10 shows diagrammatically a cartridge or aligned ear tags preferably of the kind substantially as previously set forth with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 where the same have their male members directed substantially in a parallel manner in the same directed receiving within a channel member which preferably has a constricted entrance so as to firmly locate the same, and showing in relation thereto the reactive abutment which acts against the bias which acts throughout the operation of a top feed type ear tag applicator gun constantly in the direction denoted by the arrow, the figure also showing spaced to the left in the drawing an appropriate abutment face which forms an important part of said receiving means, Figure 11 shows how the ear tag which is at the discharge region of the magazine can be moved by the action, for example, of a bolt like or other sliding member which acts endwise on the ear tag so as to slide the same free of the channel member and to direct the male membered end thereof towards the abutment face, Figure 12 shows a further stage of the discharge of an ear tag with the force still being applied to the end of the shank of the ear tag but with the ear tag starting to bow about its weakened mid-section owing to the abutment of the male membered end, Figure 3 shows how with the bolt or the like member (not shown) which gave rise to the discharging of the ear tag, has moved the apertured end thereof down to be held substantially in a stable manner by portions of the receiving means (not shown), the dotted outlined ear tag showing the position to be assumed by the next ear tag within said cartridge, the ear tags of course being slid along relative to the channel under the action of the bias but preferably with that movement not occuring until such time as the sliding bolt or the like (not shown) is moved for a reload of the receiving means, Figure 14 is a similar view to that of Fig.

1 3 in all respects save for the fact that upon operation of said actuation means, means forming part of said abutment or preferably capable of by-passing the means defining said abutment are capable of acting on the arched ear tag so as to drive the male member through any ear disposed between the male member and the aperture to be received and retained through said aperture, Figure 15 shows the next stage with the male member received within the aperture, and through animals ear (not shown), Figure 16 showing how upon release of the actuation means the means which provide the required pincer movement returns back from whence it came and it is possible for the ear tag which has been fitted onto an animals ear to be readily removed from said receiving means, the position of the ear tag shown in dotted outline still being assumed in the preferred form of the present invention by a portion of the sliding bolt until such time as the same is withdrawn to allow the shuffling of the ear tags so that upon the return of the bolt, i.e. the loading means, the sequence just described commencing with Fig. 10 recommences, Figure 17 shows a side elevation view of aligned ear tags with their male members received in a substantially parallel commonly directed manner within a channel member, the figure also showing spaced from, for clarity purposes, a partially removed ear tag which is shown as commencing to bend in one direction prior to an abutment occuring which would cause the same to bow in the manner previously defined, the particular ear tag however being shown to show the general disposition that the male members assume within the channel member, Figure 18 is a view of the section of the channel as shown in Fig. 1 7 and showing in dotted outline how a male member of each of the tags disposed thereof can be slidable together with the shank of the tag therealong but cannot be removed otherwise therefrom the constricted opening thus making it possible to inpregnate tips of the male members with an appropriate disinfectant or antiseptic paste, Figure 19 shows how it would be possible by way of example to wrap, encase or otherwise hygenically contain a cartridge quantity of the kind as shown in Fig. 1 7 which could be simply opened for loading of an applicator gun in accordance with the present invention prior to the commencement of a tagging programme, Figure 20 shows in section looking substantially in a direction parallel to the shank of tags disposed within the magazine of an applicator gun having a bottom type magazine feed from the apertured end (the ear tags being shown diagrammatically in dotted section) so as to demonstrate how a channel member with a constricted opening can receive a slidable bolt assembly which includes means capable of providing an engagement face capable of acting endwise on only that ear tag which is at the discharge region of the magazine.

Figure 21 is a side elevation view of a preferred form of bottom feed type magazined applicator gun having provision to enable a single mechanism to act in two modes to thereby provide said loading means and also at least in part said actuation means, Figures 22A to 22C show the applicator gun as shown in Fig. 21 showing how by a plurality of pivotal linkages it is possible for a single action to operate both as the loading means and as the actuation means, Figs. 22A to 22C showing in dotted outline the movement of a sliding bolt type arrangement substantially as shown in Figs. 20 and 21, Figure 23 is a view of the internal workings of a bottom load magazine of a kind as used in an applicator gun as shown in Figs. 21 and 22 and showing also in dotted outline how a bolt substantially as shown in Figs. 20 to 22 can act upon each tag sequentially, Fig. 23 also showing how with e.g. a picketed formation or assembly of ear tags some degree of flexibility results in the same moving in an ordered fashion so as to dispose each for appropriate reproducible presentation at the discharge region, and Figure 24 shows an alternative form of gun to that shown, this alternative form using a bolt action which provides said loading means and separate means which provides the actuation, the embodiment as shown in Fig. 24 showing an end load type of magazine which necessitates at least in the form as shown an inclined action loading means so that loading occurs as shown in Figs. 10 to 16.

In the preferred form of the present invention the ear tag is substantially shown in Figs.

1 to 4 and comprises a shank region 1 a male member 2 which is generally of circular cross section but which includes an abutment shoulder 3 which will retain the conically pointed end of the male member within the aperture 4. The actual length between the general surface of the shank 1 and the abutment shoulder 3 is such that there is sufficient movement space to minimise the risk of ear rot which can arise if an ear tag fits too snuggly on an ear.

The tag also shows the means provided whereby the arching as shown in Fig. 7 occurs whereby when in an applicator a line of thrust will result which will drive the male member straight through the aperture without the difficulties arising that are shown diagrammatically by Figs. 8 and 9. As can be envisaged if there is a distinct or a finite number of distinct hinging points, notional or otherwise, any action on the distal ends of the hinged shank will results in the male member penetrating an animals ear and continuing to travel substantially in the same direction at the commencement of that penetration but without the advantage of the thrust (which causes further penetration) aligning the same with and forcing the same through the aperture waiting to receive the male member on the other side of the animals ear.It is therefore important for substantially foolproof operation whether it be in the magazine load apparatus of the present invention or any pincer type apparatus that a substantially generalised hinging occurs which results in the bowing type arrangement which is arch like in nature to occur. This can, for example, be achieved by amongst other alternative constructions the constructions as shown in Figs.

5 and 6.

The operation of an applicator gun in accordance with the present invention can be readily discerned from a perusal of Figs. 10 to 16.

Referring however to Fig. 17, it can be seen that the ear tags can have their apertured ends upstanding and their pointed ends received within a channel member which forms part of a cartridge which can, for example, as shown in Fig. 19 be retailed in a sealed form.

With the provision of a cartridge loading of an applicator gun, it becomes clear that there are possibilities of minimising handling which will minimise infection to an animals ear. Such infection can be further minimised by, for example, filling the channel 5 (see Fig. 1 8) or the annular groove or other grooving 6 which is disposed about the aperture 4 with some disinfectant or antiseptic paste or the like. As far as the groove itself is concerned of course the groove could be filled with, for example, a material which is foamed plastics which is impregnated with the disinfectant. Of course it may yet be possible to provide a suitable plastics material which is impregnated with a suitable material for the same purpose. This is especially so if tags are held in formation by picketing.

The operation of a preferred applicator gun in the present invention will be described generally with regard to Fig. 21 to 23.

In the preferred form of the present inven tion the applicator gun is provided with a bottom loading magazine 11. The operation of this magazine can best be seen with reference to Fig. 23 where it can be seen that a spring 1 3 acts upon a member 1 2 adapted to press, frangibly picketed or otherwise assembled ear tags towards the discharge region. As shown in Fig. 23 the top most ear tag within the magazine is aligned ready to be moved by the loading means or part thereof 21 in a manner as previously described. To assist in the loading of a magazine such as that shown a pivoted back member is provided which pivots around e.g. a pivot point 1 4 which allows the opening and closing of the back of the magazine.In Fig. 21 it can be seen that a slot or the like 22 can be provided in the magazine with a catching region at the lower end thereof whereby it is possible with a latch or the like 23 to retain the member 1 2 in the condition as shown in Fig. 21. This thereby allows the easy loading of the magazine when the back of the magazine is open and the actuating arm 1 6 is a condition substantially as shown in Fig. 22C.

The mode of operation of the gun as shown in Figs. 21 to 23 can best be explained by reference to Figs. 22A to 22C which respectively shows the gun with its sliding block 21 in the ear tag closing condition, a slightly withdrawn or slightly advanced condition and a fully withdrawn condition which allows a tag to move up to the discharge region prior to the same being moved by the sliding member 21 from that region to be received by the receiving means. To understand fully the mode of operation it can be seen that there is a pivoted upper member 25 which pivots around a point 20 from the remainder of the gun. Also pivoted from the remainder of the gun are the various linkages which are pivoted by pivots 1 7 and 18. The remainder of the pivots as shown simply between linkages or to the member 21 itself.The upper member 25 includes a slot within which slidably located is a pin or the like member 1 9. The reason for this degree of play becomes evident from a consideration of Figs. 22A to 22C.

As can be seen therefore that when a gun is being reloaded as in Fig. 22C the squeezing of the member 1 6 against the magazine will by virtue of the action of the linkage bring the upper member 25 eventually down and eventually assist in the squeezing of the tag in a manner as previously described. In this respect it can be seen that a cam member 22 disposed within the upper portion 25 acts on the member 23 which assumes the function of the member shown in Figs. 10 to 1 6 against which the male end of the ear tag is abutted during the arching and fitting thereof to an animals ear.

In this respect it can be seen that a spring or the like means 24 is appropriate so as to ensure the contact between the member 23 and the cam 22 which moves throughout with the member 25. By an appropriate adjustment and tuning of dimension and linkage lengths and positions it can be seen therefore that a single action i.e. that of squeezing the member 1 6 against the magazine will first act as the loading means and then as the actuation means. In this respect the member 23 acts at least in part as a receiving means and in this respect to some degree the member 21 acts partially as the receiving means prior to its assumming an active role as a part of the actuation means.

Another form of gun in accordance with the present invention which uses two separate types of movement may now be described with reference to Fig. 24.

As can be seen from Fig. 24 there is an abutment face A which is defined to the left of the ear tags in Figs. 10 through to 16, this abutment being made up in part by means which form part of the housing of the applicator but also by a hinged portion pivoted for example at 7 so as to be able to move in the manner shown in Figs. 14 to 16. That region of the gun shown generally by letter B is the guide for the sliding bolt like arrangement which in the preferred form of the present invention is the loading means or a portion thereof. The actual bolt disposed within the guide has substantially in a manner similar to a rifle a lever arm C which allows the bolt to be moved from the condition shown in Fig.

21 to be withdrawn to thereby allow the biasing means, for example, a spring or the like arrangement shown generally by letter E to bias the aligned ear tags within the cartridge region (shown generally by letter D) to be biased to come against the abutment face so that upon the return of the bolt downwards the required movement of the ear tag which has newly assumed the discharging region occurs with the bolt providing the force (shown generally by the arrow) which acts endwise on the shank of the ear tag in Figs.

11 and 12 but which continues down to move the apertured end to the condition within the receiving means (not shown) as shown in Fig. 13. In Fig. 21 however that portion of the receiving means which receives the apertured end is designated generally by Fig. E. Also shown in Fig. 21 is a static hand grip or arm member G and a pivoted member F which forms part of the actuating means which through a series of pivotal connections is capable when squeezed against the hand grip G of causing the movement of the abutment member which is pivoted about pivot point 7. Not shown in Fig. 21 is detail of how a cartridge can be loaded. A cartridge can of course be loaded by a removal of the biasing spring or the alternative, or some withdrawal of the spring to a point whereupon the magazine is opened, e.g. by hinging.A person skilled in the art will appreciate the many different ways this can be achieved.

Persons skilled in the art also having regard to Fig. 1 3 will appreciate how the bolt 8 can have a portion thereof 9 which provides the actual discharging force endwise on any tag within the discharged region. The housng for the bolt 8 includes at a region 10 means defining the abutment surface which is seen throughout Figs. 10 to 16.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate the many different types of construction that apparatus as shown in Fig. 1 can assume. It is desired however that cartridge quantities of for example 25 tags at a time can be included in the actual apparatus.

From the use of the apparatus of the present invention it can be seen that there are several distinctive advantages. These are 1. the ear tag male member penetrate from the front of the ear i.e. from the fleshy side through to the woolly side, thus minimising wool caused infection of the ear 2. it is possible to have provision for further minimising disease by impregnating the point and/or about the aperture with an antiseptic or the like paste 3. it is possible to provide a repeating action in the actual stock yard 4. the tag arching characteristics ensure a positive action with a minimum of failures 5. the "cartridge" loading facility minimises fiddly work during the course of actual ear tagging and further minimise the infection risk 6. the apparatus of the present invention can have provision for either handiness of a user simply by providing provision for reversing the lever on the bolt.

From the foregoing then it can be seen that the present invention provides innovations which should find ready acceptance in the particular art. Other embodiments are possible, e.g. means to cut a tag as it is applied to form a swivel tag.

Claims (11)

1. An ear tag applicator gun for ear tags of a kind having a flexible and/or hinged shank with an aperture at or towards one end thereof and an upstanding male member retainable through said aperture at or towards the other end of, said gun comprising means defining a magazine capable of receiving or at least holding a pluraility of such ear tags in a substantially stagger stack formation substantially as hereinbefore defined, means to bias the plurality of ear tags disposed in use within said magazine means towards the discharge region thereof so as to enable the progressive substantially reproducible sequential presen.ation of each ear tag at that discharge region as each preceding tag is removed from the magazine at that region, loading means operative to remove one ear tag at a time from said magazine at the discharge region thereof, receiving means when empty of any ear tag capable of receiving an ear tag removed from said magazine by said loading means and presenting the same in a substantially stable folded condition with the upstanding male member disposed towards said aperture whereby if desired in animal's ear can be interposed between said male member and aperture of said tag and actuating means operable to pass said male member of any such ear tag in said receiving means through the said aperture of the tag to locate the tag on an animals ear if interposed appropriately between said male member and aperture, the construction and arrangement being such that said loading means can be operated to present an ear tag in said receiving means where it is held ready for said actuating means to be operated to tag an animal, and when said male member is passed through the aperture the tag can be removed by a relative movement between said animal and the gun, and the gun can be prepared for a subsequent tagging by operating the loading means to again present an ear tag ready for tagging of a subsequent animal.

2. An applicator gun as claimed in claim 1 wherein said loading means and said actuating means are provided sequentially by the actuation of a single mechanism by an operator with a first movement providing the tag movement and presentation attributable to the loading means and subsequent movement providing the actuation attributable to said actuating means.

3. An applicator gun as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said loading means moves a said ear tag from said discharge region of said magazine by acting upon the apertured end of the shank thereof.

4. An applicator gun as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said magazine is capable of receiving a cartridge or assembly of ear tags for dispensing therefrom.

5. An applicator gun as claimed in any one of the preceding claims substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one, some or all of the accompanying drawings or any part thereof.

6. An ear tag comprising means defining a flexible and resilient shank which is substantially planar in nature, means defining an aperture at or toward one end of said shank, means defining an upstanding male member at or towards the other end of said shank having regard to the plane of said shank, said male member being receivable and retainable through said aperture, means to encourage the hinging about at least one hinging region between said male member and said aperture so as to encourage the disposition of said male member towards said aperture and means formed as part of the shank which act or acts to favour the arching of the shank to thereby reduce the arcuate locus of said male member relative to said aperture when said male member is being moved towards and into said aperture.

7. An ear tag as claimed in claim 6 wherein said hinging region includes a plurality of regions of reduced section having regard to the general section of the shank between said aperture and said male member.

8. An ear tag as claimed in claim 7 wherein said regions of reduced section take the form of interrupted grooving passing through the transverse section of the shank, the interrupted sections of such grooving acting to reduce the arcuate locus of said male member when said male member is being moved toward and into said aperture by tending to arch the shank at least just when the said male member would normally be driven in use through an animals ear.

9. An ear tag as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8 wherein any one, some or all of said shank, means defining an aperture, means defining an upstanding male member, means to encourage the hinging about at least one hinging region and means formed as part of the shank which acts to reduce the arcuate locus of said male member is substantially as herein before described with reference to any one, some or all of the accompanying drawings or part thereof.

1 0. As a cartridge or assembly for loading in an applicator gun as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, a plurality of tags as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9 arranged in a stagger stack formation substantially as hereinbefore described from which the same are sequentially removeable by movement substantially in the plane of the shank thereof in a direction substantially parallel with the direction from the apertured end thereof to the male membered end thereof.

11. A cartridge or assembly as claimed in claim 10 wherein each of the male members of the plurality of tags is received in a channel member.

1 2. A cartridge or assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein said channel member in cludes therein an antiseptic or disinfectant composition.

1 3. A method of ear tagging using tags as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9 or a cartridge or assembly as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 1 2 which involves the operative use substantially as hereinbefore described of an applicator gun as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5.