GB2321382A

GB2321382A - Branding tool with interchangeable heads for debudding and tail cutting

Info

Publication number: GB2321382A
Application number: GB9701726A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Brennan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-01-28
Filing date: 1997-01-28
Publication date: 1998-07-29
Also published as: GB9701726D0

Abstract

A branding tool, usable as a horn debudder and tail cutter has an electrically heated shank 2 into which may be fitted a branding head 6/7 a debudder 12/13, or a cutter 14/15. The tool may mounted into a hand clamp (16 figure 4) for use as a cutter.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATED BRANDING INSTRUMENTS With the ever increasing bureaucratic organisation of the farming industry it has become important to tag and brand animals so as to be able to trace certification or ownership and this is now accomplished by a host of devices ranging from heated irons, cryogenically cooled irons, laser focused gagets, high frequency heaters and the like, but there is still a need for a robust, hand held, simple device for branding animals and which can be attached to a tractor's battery and used insitu in the field or outbuildings of a livestock farm. The prior art is littered with descriptions of many types of device specifically designed to destroy hair, skin and keratin materials such as hoof and horn but the simpler ones tend to either have plug-in letters or numerals which are shaped heater elements which will plug into and make electrical contact with the branding head. In one instance the elements foul-up with pyrolysis debris when the device is repeatedly used and this leads to corrosion and hot spots in the brand letters or else, in a second instance, the plug-in heater element had its terminal members fouled with the volatile residues which results in higher contact resistance and there are lower heating amperage to the brand numbers or letters. More complicated devices are available such as that or AU 9219456 where the letters or numerals are formed on a rotating drum which is the branding cartridge whereas GB 2,190,576 teaches of a device where the branding elements are detachably mounted to the end of the branding gun which employs a high current relay and relay activator so that rapid heating is obtained at low voltage and high current. What is required for the smaller farm unit is a simple device which can be used from the electrical power source of a farm tractor and which can have interchangeable letters and numerals which fit into a heated platten and where the platten can also accomdate other devices, for use on the farm, such as dehorning or debudding cups or crucibles or detailing blades. Therefore, according to the present invention there is provided a heated branding instrument comprising a heated branding head which has a top portion in the form of a platten into which can slide with good thermal contact, and one orientation only, a series of units in the form of metal letters or numerals or other items to be heated such as dehorning cups, debudders or detailers some of which are hand held and others employed in a trigger holder and which derive their heat energy from the feed of a tractor's, or other, battery into a robust resistive heater which is sealed from the oxidative effect of the atmosphere and the sulphurous volatiles of the branding process.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing inwhich: Figure 1 shows a front sectional elevation of the hand held branding heater.

Figure 2 shows a selection of typical heated tools such as platten with slide-in letters, debudding cup and heated detailing blade.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a trigger holder for the use of the instrument as a de tailer.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the trigger holder already loaded with the instrument containing its plug-in detailing blade.

Referring to the drawings the branding instrument comprises a heated tool cup 1, with resistive element 2, which is held by an insulating handle 3 which also acts as a conduct for the flexible cable 4 and where the tool cup 1 can accomodate in a near interference fit a series of tools such as a brander 5 with its thermal contact stem 6 and top platten 7 which can accomodate numerals or letters 8 in a one only orientation because of the L-shape 9 of the slide-in letters and where fixation and good thermal contact is obtained by the use of lock-in end stoppers 10 which are fixed by the use of grub-screwed blocks 11 with allen key heads; or a debudder cup 12 with thermal contact stem 13 or a detailer blade 14 which can either slide into its own thermal contact holder 15 or into the channels of the platten 7 and from thence to be used in the trigger holder 16 of Figure 3 in the manner depicted in Figure 4. In practice it has been found that the branding instrument, as described, functions well in an open field in cold weather at an element power level of 60 to 100 watts but those skilled in the art will realise that other embodiments are possible, such as the incorporation of control thermostats in the heater circuit but such adjuncts do no detract from the innovative use of slide-in tools into a heated cup so as to perform the heated tool operations as required on a livestock farm.

Claims

1. This heated brander is a modification on the tradition fire heated brander of the past.

2. It has two types of power source, this means that it can be used on the farm or on the hill.

3. It is easily loaded with any combination of letters or digits.

4. It is versatile so it can also be used with another application as a horn debudder or tail cutter.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows (1).A heated branding instrument conprises a heated branding head which has a top portion in the form of a platten into which slide,with good thermal contact, and one orientation only,a series of units in the form of metal letters or numerals or other items to be heated such as de-horning cups,de-budders or de-tailers,some of which are hand held and others employed in a trigger holder and which derive their heat energy from the feed of a tractor's,or other,battery into a robust resistive heater which is sealed from the oxidative effect of the atmosphere and the sulphurous volatiles of the branding process.

(2)A heated branding instrument as in Claim 1 wherein the letters or numerals,which are to be heat seared as a brand,have Tsshaped bases so as to fit into the channels of the platten in one orientation only.

(3)A heated branding instrument as in any of the above Claims wherein the tools which effect the branding operation are accommodated in the tool cup of the device in a near interference fit for the purpose of good thermal contact.

(4)A heated branding instrument as in Claim 1 wherein the operation of detailing is more easily accomplished by using the device in a trigger holder for faster and more humane de-tailing.

(5)t heated branding instrument substantially as described herein with reference to ?ig'jre 5 1 to 4 of the accorpanying drawings.