RU2811726C2 - New fuse for wings designed for capsule with wings and method of its use - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: veterinary medicine.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to a design for delivering a substance to an animal in the form of a capsule and to a method of protecting a capsule with wings. The design includes a capsule with wings. The capsule is designed to deliver the substance to the animal. The wings of the capsule are attached to the capsule and are designed to fold for introduction into the animal's body and open after administration. The design also includes a fender guard. The fuse has a groove configured to receive at least a portion of each of the wings and removably attach the wing capsule to the fuse for the wings. The method involves removably attaching a capsule with wings to a fuse for wings to form a protected capsule with wings. The method also includes inserting a plurality of secure wing capsules into the bag, removing one of the secure wing capsules from the bag, and removing the wing guard from the secure wing capsule.

EFFECT: use of a group of inventions will improve the quality of delivery of the substance to the animal.

18 cl, 15 dwg

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This international application takes precedence over U.S. Patent Application No. 62/886,594, filed Aug. 14, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention generally relates to a device configured to protect a winged capsule from damage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Kexxtone is the name of the controlled release drug monensin (monensin sodium) contained in a plastic capsule equipped with retaining wings. By releasing monensin slowly from an opening at the distal end of the capsule, the capsule remains effective for an average of 95 days after administration to dairy cattle. To administer monensin, the winged capsules are folded along the body of the capsule and then positioned in the administration instrument. An insertion instrument containing a capsule with wings (when folded) is inserted into the animal's mouth, after which the insertion instrument is actuated by pressing a plunger to push the capsule with wings into the animal's throat, the wings being flexible and resilient. open and come into contact with the pharynx to hold the wing capsule in place and prevent the animal from regurgitating the wing capsule.

[0004] The wings are flexible and resilient to allow insertion and self-expansion and to hold the capsule in the correct position without causing tissue damage. The capsule has a rounded top, or dome, with the wings attached to the center of the dome. The rounded shape of the dome along the plane of movement of the wings, or folding plane, facilitates the folding of the wings, and therefore the attachment surface, or junction, is minimized to maximize the bending of the wings while maintaining a small profile suitable for insertion into the pharynx. The junction may contain a small amount of material that forms a neck between the wings and the surface of the canopy.

[0005] Once manufactured, a plurality of winged capsules are placed inside a package, typically a pouch. The placement of winged capsules in a bag is illustrated in FIG. 13. It has been discovered that during the process of packaging the capsule with wings and transporting the bags, the wings can bend near the junction (where the wings are essentially rigid), experiencing stresses in excess of the yield strength of the material, with the result that they can no longer recover their functional configuration. Wings bent beyond the yield strength of the material are shown in FIG. 14 and 15. Curved wings may also collapse and separate from the bolus. Damaged devices should be discarded and ensure that they are disposed of in an appropriate manner based on their contents. An economic solution is required to prevent damage to wing capsules to reduce losses and disposal costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A structure of a wing capsule and a wing guard, a method for protecting a wing capsule, and a wing guard are described herein. The wing guard is suitable for preventing damage to the wing capsule.

[0007] In a first aspect, the invention provides a structure for delivering a substance to an animal. In a first embodiment of the first aspect, the structure comprises a capsule with wings, including a capsule and wings, wherein the capsule is configured to deliver a substance to an animal, wherein the wings are attached to the capsule and are foldable for administration to the animal and unfolded after administration; and a fuse for the wings, including a groove configured to receive at least a portion of each of the wings and removably attach the capsule with the wings to the fuse for the wings.

[0008] In variations of the first embodiment, the fender guard may include a top wall, a side wall extending from the top wall, and a wing retainer extending from the side wall to form a groove with the top wall.

[0009] The wing holder can be sized and shaped to form a nest for the wings.

[0010] The wing retainer may include an opposite side wall located opposite the side wall and extending from the top wall, and an opposite wing retainer extending from the opposite side wall to form an opposing groove, wherein the groove and the opposing groove form a channel.

[0011] The groove and the counter groove may be parallel to each other along the longitudinal axis of the wing guard.

[0012] The fender guard may include a dome cavity in the sidewall and wing retainer, wherein the dome cavity has a length along the longitudinal direction greater than the diameter of the neck.

[0013] The fender guard may be made of a flexible material that is sufficiently flexible along the transverse direction to allow the top wall to bend to widen the gap between the fender retainer and the opposing fender retainer until the gap exceeds the width of the wings, thereby allowing insertion of the wings through the widened gap into the channel.

[0014] In another variation of the first embodiment, the wing retainer has the same extent as the top wall.

[0015] In yet another variation of the first embodiment, the wing retainer further includes a dome cavity formed by a cutout in the wing retainer.

[0016] In a second embodiment of the first aspect, the structure comprises a capsule with wings including a capsule and wings, wherein the capsule is configured to deliver a substance to an animal, wherein the wings are attached to the capsule and are foldable for administration to the animal and unfolded after administration; and a fuse for wings, including a groove configured to receive at least a portion of each of the wings and removably attach a capsule with wings to the fuse for wings, wherein the fuse for wings further includes a lower wall extending from the side wall opposite the top wall to form a groove between them.

[0017] In a second aspect, a method for protecting a capsule with wings is presented. In the first embodiment of the second aspect, the method comprises creating a structure containing: a capsule with wings, including a capsule and wings, wherein the wings are connected to the capsule and are foldable for insertion into the animal's body and opened after insertion, as well as a fuse for the wings including a groove configured to receive at least a portion of each of the wings and removably attach the wing capsule to the wing fuse. The method further comprises removably attaching the wing capsule to the wing guard to form a secure wing capsule; introducing a plurality of secure capsules with wings into the package; removing one of the protected capsules with wings from the package; and removing the fuse for the wings from the protected wing capsule.

[0018] In a third aspect, a wing guard is provided for protecting a wing capsule including a capsule and folding wings attached to the capsule. In some embodiments, the fender guard comprises: a top wall; a side wall extending from the top wall; and also a groove, sized and shaped to receive at least a portion of each of the wings and removably attach the capsule with the wings to the fuse for the wings, wherein the groove is formed partially by the upper wall and the side wall.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] The following detailed description of various embodiments will become more clear when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific structures and means of the embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled embodiment of the structure comprising a wing capsule and a wing fuse;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a side view of an embodiment of a capsule with wings;

[0022] FIG. 3-6 are perspective, transverse side, longitudinal side, and longitudinal sectional views of an embodiment of a fender guard;

[0023] FIG. 4A is a transverse side view of another embodiment of a fender guard;

[0024] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the structure of FIG. 1, where the fuse for the wings is installed on the capsule with the wings;

[0025] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the assembled structure comprising a wing capsule and a wing fuse;

[0026] FIG. 9-12 are perspective, transverse side, longitudinal and cross-sectional views of another embodiment of a fender guard;

[0027] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the step of packaging a plurality of winged capsules without wing guards;

[0028] FIG. 14 and 15 are perspective views illustrating where the material reaches its yield point on the wings.

[0029] In the drawings, corresponding reference marks indicate corresponding parts, functions and features in all views. Although the drawings show embodiments of various elements and components in accordance with the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some elements may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention. However, the invention is not limited to the specific structures and means of the embodiments shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] To facilitate an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, which are described below. The embodiments disclosed below are not exhaustive and are not intended to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed in the following detailed description. On the contrary, embodiments are selected and described so that others skilled in the art can use their ideas. It should be understood that no limitation on the scope of the invention is intended herein. The invention includes any changes and additional modifications to the illustrated devices and described methods, as well as additional applications of the principles embodied in the invention according to the claims.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled embodiment of the structure (or secure capsule with wings) 10 containing the wing capsule 12 and the wing guard 20. FIG. 2 is a side view of an embodiment of the winged capsule shown in FIG. 1. The winged capsule 12 includes a capsule 14 having a dome 15 and containing wings 16, a substance 17 in the capsule 14, and a junction 18, possibly a neck, connecting the wings 16 to the capsule 14. The stabilizing surface 19 (described below) is designated dotted line on the dome 15. It should be understood that the stabilization surface 19 (illustrated by the line, but enclosing the surface(s) of the wing fuse in contact with the capsule, as described below (the area of which contains line 19)) does not form part of the prior art design and is shown only to clarify the use of a new and non-obvious fender fuse presented in this description. The substance may contain monensin or other drugs, vitamins, or any other substance suitable for delivery over extended periods of time.

[0032] FIG. 3-6 are perspective, transverse side, longitudinal side, and longitudinal sectional views of an embodiment of the fender guard 20. The wing guard 20 includes a top wall 22, a side wall 24 extending therefrom towards the capsule 14 (downward in FIG. 1), a wing retainer 26 extending inwardly from the side wall 24, an opposite side wall 28 extending from the top wall 22 in the direction of the capsule 14 (downwards), as well as an opposing wing retainer 30 extending inwardly from the side wall 28. The gap 34 is defined as the shortest distance between the wing retainer 26 and the opposing wing retainer 30. The top wall 22, the side wall 24 and the wing retainer 26 form a groove 27. The top wall 22, the opposite side wall 28 and the opposite wing retainer 30 form a groove 31. The grooves 27 and 31 (best seen in FIG. 4) form a channel 32 between them. . The grooves 27 and 31, as well as the channel 32, are configured to receive a section of the wings 16.

[0033] Optionally, a transverse groove formed across the wing retainer 26, the opposing wing retainer 30, the side wall 24, and the opposing side wall 28 defines a dome cavity 36. In one embodiment, longitudinal ribs are additionally provided on the upper surface of the upper wall to provide additional longitudinal rigidity to the fender guard. The longitudinal ribs may extend from one end to the other, or extend only partially from the center of the fender protector 20 to an intermediate point along each wing, extending beyond the yield regions (described below). The addition of longitudinal ribs can allow the thickness of the top wall to be reduced while increasing longitudinal stiffness and decreasing lateral stiffness.

[0034] In the various embodiments presented above and below in this description, the dome cavity 36 is absent. In one embodiment, longitudinal ribs are added to the top surface of the top wall.

[0035] In additional various embodiments presented above and below herein, a dome cavity 36 is created, but the side walls are only partially cut out so that a portion of each side wall (connected to the top wall) is retained, which increases the rigidity of the top wall , leaving the possibility of installation on the wings without touching the capsule. In one embodiment, longitudinal ribs are added to the top surface of the top wall.

[0036] The fender retainers provided herein can have any combination of shape and material that allows the fender retainer to be mounted on the fenders, the fender retainer to be retained, and the fender retainer to be removed. The fender guard material may contain polymers. Examples of polymers include polypropylene and nylon. Stiffening elements may be added to form a composition of stiffening elements and polymers. Examples of stiffening elements include glass beads and fibers. Examples of fibers include glass and carbon fibers. In the present embodiment, the wing retainers 26 and 30 are depicted as teeth, the thickness of which increases as they extend inward (towards the channel 32). The combination of the flexibility of the material and the tooth shape allows the wing guard 20 to flex slightly to receive the wings and also allows the wings to be removed. The thickness of the tooth may be increased, thereby reducing the gap 34 to increase the force required for installation and removal. The thickness of the top wall 22 may also be increased or decreased to affect the bending of the fender protector 20.

[0037] FIG. 4A illustrates a variation of the present embodiment, namely the wing guard 20A, in which the wing retainers 26A and 30A are in the form of arcuate projections protruding from the walls 24, 28. The arcuate projections and teeth create a gap greater than the width of the wings at the most distal (relative to the top wall ) edge of the fender retainer, and a gap that is less than the width of the fenders along their height, which may be collectively called the “wing receptacle” 29. The fender receptacle 29 assists in the initiation of installation and guides the fender into the groove 32 when force is applied to overcome insertion resistance , created by the wing holders. Thus, the fender guard can comprise a fender socket of various shapes. The wing socket may extend along the length of the wing guard or along portions thereof.

[0038] After assembly, if a force is applied to one (first) wing, the combination of the opposite (second) wing and the wing protector creates a reaction force to protect the first wing. In some embodiments, the corners of the wing retainer 26 and the opposing wing retainer 30 (on each side of the transverse groove) provide four points of contact for the stabilizing surface 19 of the canopy 15. These four points of contact reduce the risk of damage by providing lateral support from the canopy 15 and also by using each the wing and the corresponding portion of the wing guard 20 supporting the opposite wing serve to maintain the wings 16 and capsule 14 in the correct position relative to each other, preventing or limiting twisting of the joint 18 or bending of one or both wings 16 near the point of contact of the wings with the joint.

[0039] In one variation of the present embodiment, the wing fuses 20, 20A (and the wing fuse 38 described below) comprise a solid polymer material.

[0040] In some embodiments, the wing guard 20 is removably attached to the wings 16 by installing the wing guard 20 on the wings on top, allowing the wing retainers to slide past the edges of the wings. The wing protector 20 may bend slightly when pressed onto the wings, and then may recover to its unbent shape to remain mounted on the wings. Before operation, fuse 20 for the wings is removed in the opposite direction.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the structure of FIG. 1, which shows a secure wing capsule 10 assembled as described above by installing a wing fuse 20 on the wing capsule 12 on top (the wing side of the wing capsule 12).

[0042] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the structure, designated 10', of a protected wing capsule comprising a wing capsule 12 and a wing guard 40, shown in an assembled state. The fender fuse 40 differs from the fender fuse 20 in that it has a side wall on only one side of the top wall 22. FIG. 9-12 are perspective, side transverse, side longitudinal, and longitudinal sectional views of the fender guard 40 for the wings. The fender protector 40 includes a top wall 22, a side wall 44 extending therefrom toward the capsule 14 (downward), and a bottom wall 46 extending inwardly from the side wall 44. Top wall 22, side wall 44, and bottom wall 46 form a groove 47 configured to receive a portion of the wings 16. The dome cavity 36 facilitates the removable connection of the capsule 12 with the wings by introducing, in a transverse direction, the wings 16 into the groove 47, while the dome 15 is associated with the dome cavity 36. Wing retainer 45 is shown. The wing retainer may be of any shape suitable to facilitate insertion and removal of wings, as described above with reference to FIG. 4 and 4A. The wing retainer 45 cooperates with the bottom wall 46 to form the wing housing 49. In one variation of the present embodiment, an opposing wing retainer 45 is added to the bottom wall.

[0043] The wing retainers presented herein are not required to have matching lengths. One fender retainer may be one length and the opposite fender retainer may be a different length. The wing retainers can be created in a variety of sections. The plurality of portions may overlap, partially overlap, or not overlap (eg, the upper portion is offset from the lower portion). The sections can be staggered and their lengths can be adjusted to provide the required resistance to wing insertion.

[0044] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the step of packaging a plurality of winged capsules 12 without wing guards. As shown, the bag or package 50 is filled by a person. When the package is full or during transport, pressure may be applied to the wings causing twisting, which may destroy the wings and/or the joint. The fender protectors 20, 40 are configured to limit or eliminate damage resulting from such bending. In one embodiment, the edges of the wing retainer 46 defining the canopy cavity 36 contact the stabilizing surface 19 to provide additional support.

[0045] In FIG. 14 and 15 show the wings bent near the junction. FIG. 14 illustrates the yield region 60 at the top of the wing resulting from downward bending of the wing. FIG. 15 illustrates the yield region 62 at the bottom of the wing resulting from upward bending of the wing. As used herein, “up” refers to a direction away from the capsule and “down” refers to a direction toward the capsule, in both cases parallel to the longitudinal axis of the capsule. In both views, it appears that both wings are bent in the same direction, which could be a consequence of the capsule being removed or pushed through. A fender guard attached to both wings would prevent such bending, thereby preventing damage.

[0046] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “comprising,” “having,” and the like. mean “includes”, “including”, etc., implying an open set. The listing of components, structures, steps, and the like specifically listed following the term indicating an open set does not in any way limit such claim to the components, structures, steps, or the like that are specifically listed. The terms “consisting of” or “consists of” imply a closed set.

[0047] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, etc. in the description and claims, if any, are used to distinguish between like elements and not necessarily to describe a particular sequential or chronological order. It should be understood that any terms used in this manner are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments presented herein, for example, are capable of operating with sequences other than those illustrated or described herein. Likewise, if a method is presented herein as comprising a number of steps, the order of such steps according to the present description is not necessarily the only order in which such steps may be performed, and some of the steps may possibly be omitted and/or some other steps not presented herein may possibly be added to this method.

[0048] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, terms are used in the singular form for simplicity, but may have a plural form.

[0049] The phrases “in one embodiment” or “in one aspect” as used herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or aspect.

[0050] Although the present invention has been described as having the structures illustrated by the embodiments and examples provided, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of the invention. This application is therefore intended to cover any changes, applications or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Moreover, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present invention as are consistent with generally accepted practice in the art to which this invention relates.

Claims (29)

1. Design (10, 38) for delivering a substance to an animal, containing: a capsule (12) with wings containing a capsule (14) and wings (16), wherein the capsule is configured to deliver the substance (17) to the animal, wherein the wings are attached to the capsule and are foldable for introduction into the animal’s body and opened after introduction; And a fuse (20,40) for the wings, including a groove (27,47), sized and shaped to receive at least a section of each of the wings and removably attach the capsule with the wings to the fuse for the wings. 2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the fender guard (20) comprises a top wall (22), a side wall (24,44) extending from the top wall, and a wing retainer (26) extending from the side wall to together with the upper wall form a groove (27). 3. The design according to claim 2, in which the wing holder is sized and shaped to form a nest for the wings. 4. The structure of claim 2, wherein the wing retainer (20) comprises an opposite side wall (28) located opposite said side wall and extending from the top wall, and an opposite wing retainer (30) extending from the opposite side wall for forming an opposing groove (31), wherein the groove and the opposing groove form a channel (32). 5. The design according to claim 4, in which the groove and the opposite groove are parallel to each other along the longitudinal axis of the fuse for the wings. 6. The structure of claim 4, wherein the capsule with wings includes a neck connecting the capsule to the wings, further including a cavity (36) for the dome formed in the side wall, the wing retainer, the opposite side wall (28) and the opposite wing retainer , wherein the dome cavity has a length along the longitudinal direction of the wing guard that is greater than the width of the neck measured along the longitudinal direction of the wing guard. 7. The structure of claim 6, wherein the fender guard is made of a flexible material that is sufficiently flexible along the transverse direction to allow the top wall to bend to widen the gap (34) between the fender retainer and the opposing fender retainer until the gap exceeds the width of the wings, thereby allowing the wings to be inserted through the widened gap into the channel. 8. The structure according to claim 2, in which the wing holder (46) extends together with the upper wall. 9. The structure according to claim 2, further including a cavity (36) for the dome formed by a cutout in the wing retainer. 10. The structure of claim 2, wherein the fender guard further includes a bottom wall (46) extending from the side wall (44) opposite the top wall to define said groove (47) therebetween. 11. The structure of claim 10, wherein the fender guard further includes a fender retainer (45) extending from the top wall to the bottom wall. 12. The structure according to claim 10, in which the capsule with wings contains a neck connecting the capsule to the wings, further including a cavity (36) for the dome formed by a cutout in the bottom wall. 13. A method for protecting a capsule (12) with wings, including: creating a structure (10.38) according to any one of claims 1-12; removable attachment of a capsule with wings to a fuse for wings to form a protected capsule (10’, 38’) with wings; introducing a plurality of secure capsules with wings into the package; removing one of the protected capsules with wings from the package; and Removing the fuse for the wings from the protected capsule with wings. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the fender guard comprises a fender guard as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 12. 15. Fuse (20,40) for wings for interaction with the capsule (12) with wings according to claim 1, wherein the fuse for wings contains: upper wall (22); side wall (24,44), extending from the top wall; and a groove (27,47) sized and shaped to receive at least a portion of each of the wings and removably attach the capsule with wings to the fuse for the wings, wherein the groove is formed partially by the top wall and the side wall. 16. The fender protector according to claim 15, further comprising a wing retainer (26) extending from the side wall to form a groove (27) together with the top wall, wherein the fender protector optionally includes an opposite side wall (28) located oppositely said side wall and extending from the top wall, and an opposing wing retainer (30) extending from the opposing side wall to form an opposing groove (31), wherein the groove and the opposing groove form a channel (32), optionally the groove and the opposing groove parallel to each other along the longitudinal axis of the fuse for the wings. 17. The fender guard according to claim 15, further comprising a lower wall (46) extending from the side wall (44) opposite the top wall to form a groove (47) therebetween, wherein the fender guard optionally comprises a fender retainer (45), continuing from the upper wall to the lower wall. 18. The fuse for wings according to claim 15, further comprising a lower wall (46) extending from the side wall (44) opposite the upper wall to form a groove (47) between them, and optionally the capsule with wings includes a neck connecting the capsule to the wings , wherein the fuse for the wings additionally contains a cavity (36) for the dome formed by a cutout in the lower wall.