WO2009127542A1

WO2009127542A1 - Bandage used with mark for animal marking, and female portion of corresponding mark

Info

Publication number: WO2009127542A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/054035
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Jacques Hilpert; Emmanuel Lemaire
Original assignee: Allflex Europe
Priority date: 2008-04-16
Filing date: 2009-04-03
Publication date: 2009-10-22
Also published as: FR2930114A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a bandage (20) including a pocket used with a mark for animal marking, said mark interlocking or snap-fitting to combine: a male portion (2), including a rod extending from a holder, and a female portion (5), including a cavity for engaging said rod. According to the invention, such a bandage contains a specific substance and has a form adapted to engage said female portion and/or tool for placing said mark such that the same is located between said female portion and an ear (30) of the animal when said mark is placed, and comes into direct contact with said ear when said male portion (2) and said female portion (5) are interlocked.

Description

Dressing for use with a mark for marking an animal, and a female part of a corresponding mark.

1. Field of the invention

The field of the invention is that of the identification and marking of animals.

More specifically, the invention relates to the care provided to an animal, during the installation of a marking device, also called mark, for the identification and marking of farm animals. Such care is particularly intended to avoid infections during the installation of the mark and facilitate the healing of the wound of the animal.

2. Prior Art

The identification of livestock has been made obligatory in many countries to ensure the monitoring of livestock and guarantee the origin of animals intended especially for consumption. This marking concerns cattle as well as sheep, pigs and goats.

Traditionally, a mark includes an identification number on a tag that tracks the animal throughout its life. For example, in accordance with European Directive 1760/2000, all cattle must be identified by an ear tag affixed to each ear, both with the same unique identification code that identifies each animal individually, as well as the farm where he was born. These marks must therefore be tamper-proof in order to ensure the traceability of the animal, ie it must not be possible to remove a mark affixed to a first animal to re-pose it on a second animal. animal. Ear tags made of plastic are currently the most used.

They comprise a loop bearing a label on which are mentioned all the legal data by printing or engraving, by laser marking, or any other means known to those skilled in the art. They are especially designed to be installed irreversibly, using a tamper-resistant fastening system, associating by interlocking or irreversible snap-fastening a male part crossing the ear of the animal and a female part.

In addition to the inviolability requirements, the identification marks must be designed to stay as long as possible on the ear during the life of the animal. It is also desirable to use marks promoting healing and avoiding infections in the wound formed in the ear of the animal, in particular to reduce the risk of suffering from animals and the problems of ovalization of the holes. ears caused when laying curls.

Indeed, the opening in the ear represents a focus of infection in which microorganisms, present for example in the farm where the animal is, can develop and enter the body of the animal.

Thus, it has been proposed in patent document EP 0 212 885 filed in the name of Sterimatic Holdings Limited to add a reservoir comprising a substance, for example sterilizing substance, in the cavity of the female part of the mark intended to receive the part male. According to this approach, a specific clamp comprising two jaws is used, one of them carrying a punch enabling the animal's ear to be pierced.

More specifically, during the laying of the mark, the punch is introduced into the male part, to pierce first the ear of the animal, then the seal of the reservoir located in a cavity of the female part, thus allowing to release the sterilizing substance.

Unfortunately, this technique proves insufficiently effective. Indeed, the male part is introduced into the female part at the same time as the punch penetrates the lid. Therefore, the sterilizing substance is found at least partially blocked in the cavity of the female part, and can not reach the wound to disinfect effectively.

In addition, the introduction of the male part of the mark into the female part can create an overpressure effect in the cavity, causing an uncontrolled spurt of the sterilizing substance out of the reservoir. Therefore, the sterilizing substance expelled from the cavity of the female part does not come into contact with the wound, and does not disinfect it effectively.

Thus, the introduction of the male part of the mark in the female part opposes an effective and complete diffusion of the substance. There is therefore a need for a new technique to reduce the risk of infections in the wound formed during the pose of the brand, or at least improve the implementation and effectiveness of care corresponding compared to known techniques. 3. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The invention proposes a new solution, which does not have these drawbacks of the prior art, in the form of an animal dressing on which a mark comprising a male part provided with a rod extending from a support, and a female portion comprising a cavity for cooperating with said rod by interlocking or latching. According to the invention, the dressing has a shape adapted to be positioned relative to the female part of the mark so that said specific substance can be released before interlocking or latching between the male and female parts of the mark.

Thus, the invention proposes a new solution to ensure, during the application of the mark, the application of the substance directly on the skin of the animal. Indeed, when the male part (or a punch introduced into the male part) through the skin of the animal to be housed in the female part, the dressing is compressed between the skin of the animal and the base of the female part (that is to say outside the cavity), and releases the specific substance. The substance is applied directly to the wound created by the stem

(or a tip at the end of the stem), and in the vicinity of it, limiting losses of substance.

Such a mark is more particularly intended to be affixed to an ear of an animal, but other locations on the body of an animal, such as a wing for a bird, are also contemplated. More specifically, because of the location of the dressing between the ear of the animal (or at another location, for example the wing) and the female part during the establishment of the mark, the specific substance may be released before nesting or snapping between the male and female parts, which allows optimized diffusion of the substance.

The proposed technique is particularly advantageous for use with a mark whose female part has one or more slots on the cap of the head (also called receiving button), putting the cavity in direct relationship with the outside. The additional presence of an aerated head, improving the circulation of air, promotes healing of the wound.

On the other hand, the techniques of the prior art, as described in the aforementioned patent EP 0 212 885 for example, are not compatible with this type of mark. Indeed, the specific substance held in a reservoir in the cavity of the female part flows through the airflow slots during the nesting or snapping of the male and female parts, and therefore does not come into contact with the wound of the animal.

According to a first embodiment, such a dressing comprises a sealed bag carrying the specific substance, intended to be pierced during the establishment of the mark, during and / or prior to the interlocking of the male and female parts.

Thus, during the laying of the mark, the male part (or a punch introduced into the male part) first pierces the ear of the animal, then the pocket containing the specific substance, before coming to lodge in the cavity of the female part. The specific substance, for example in liquid form, thus comes into direct contact with the wound formed in the ear of the animal, or on the skin of the animal if the mark is affixed to another location on the body of the animal. animal, and can spread effectively and completely, since it does not remain blocked inside the female part. According to a second embodiment, such a dressing comprises a removable guard to be removed prior to the introduction of the mark. Such protection makes it possible in particular to prevent the drying of the specific substance, pending the establishment of the mark on the animal.

For example, according to this embodiment, a dressing is in the form of a patch containing a specific substance, for example in the form of a gel or cream, protected by a removable protection, such as an adhesive.

When the mark is applied, after removal of the protection, the male part first pierces the skin of the animal (for example its ear or its wing), and then compresses the dressing comprising the specific substance between the skin. of the animal and the base of the female part, before coming to lodge in the cavity of the female part.

The application of the dressing against the wound of the animal during the nesting or snapping of the male and female parts releases the specific substance of the dressing. Such a dressing has the particular advantage of a small footprint (and therefore easy storage), and good conservation.

In particular, a dressing according to the first or second embodiment may be secured to the female part, in particular to close the inlet orifice of the cavity of the female part. It is thus possible to manufacture female parts carrying such a dressing, or to fix this dressing on the female part before the laying of the mark, for example by means of a double-sided adhesive, or by gluing.

Thus, during the introduction of the mark, the dressing is pierced before snapping or interlocking of the male and female parts, which improves the diffusion of the specific substance.

According to another variant, such a dressing is adapted to cooperate with a tool for setting up the mark, such as a clamp.

Thus, rather than fixing the dressing to the female part, outside the cavity, it is possible to fix the dressing to a clamp, before setting up the mark. Specifically, the brand placement tools generally include two jaws, one of which can carry the female part and the other the male part of a brand. The female part is conventionally held on one of the jaws by means of a pedal, taking for example the shape of a fork.

According to this variant, it is possible to fix the dressing to the pedal of the tool, for example by gluing the dressing on the pedal or by threading it on the pedal. Such a dressing may indeed comprise at least one housing defining guiding / holding means adapted to cooperate with the pedal of said tool.

It is then possible to leave the bandage between the female part of the mark and the ear of the animal, so that it gradually releases the specific substance. It is also possible to remove the dressing after placement of the mark, which optimizes the circulation of air at the wound, thus promoting its healing.

It is thus easy to replace the dressing between each animal to be marked.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the specific substance belongs to the group comprising: an antiseptic substance; - a disinfectant and healing substance; a drug ; a vaccine.

In particular, the specific substance may be an antiseptic substance, allowing at least part of the microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, etc.) to be destroyed, which may cause infections at the opening made during the laying of the mark. This substance may especially be in the form of a gel, a cream, or a liquid.

It can also be a drug or a vaccine to treat or treat the animal (or a combination of these products), this substance can pass into the blood at the level of the wound or be absorbed by the skin of the animal.

Thus, by reducing the risks of infection and abscess formation, the risk of suffering for the animals is reduced at the same time and the health condition in the breeding is improved. Another aspect of the invention relates to a female part of a mark for the marking of an interlocking animal: a male part comprising a rod (shank) extending from a support (wafer), and the female part comprising a cavity intended to cooperate with said rod (to facilitate the introduction of the male part).

According to the invention, the female part comprises a dressing containing a specific substance and having a shape adapted to cooperate with said female part as described above, so as to be located between said female part and an ear of the animal, when said mark is put in place, and come into direct contact with the ear during the nesting of said male and female parts.

This female part, comprising a dressing closing off at least part of the cavity, may of course include the various characteristics relating to the dressing according to the invention. In particular, a female part according to the invention remains compatible with conventional laying tools, such as the "Total Tagger" (registered trademark) plier, which allows branding with or without a dressing.

In addition, such a mark can be affixed to each ear of the animal. 4. List of Figures Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a particular embodiment, given as a simple illustrative and non-limiting example, and the accompanying drawings, among which: Figure 1 illustrates in a simplified manner the general structure of a known type of marking device; Figure 2 provides a sectional view of a mark affixed to the ear of an animal, used with a dressing according to the invention; FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate two embodiments of a dressing according to the invention; - Figure 4 shows an example of a female part of a mark according to a particular aspect of the invention; FIG. 5 illustrates a marking installation tool comprising a female part according to FIG. 4; Figure 6 provides an example of a dressing according to a variant of the invention; FIG. 7 illustrates a tool for fitting a mark comprising a dressing according to FIG. 6.

5. Description of an embodiment of the invention

We will hereinafter describe an ear tag, intended to be affixed to the ear of an animal, for example of the bovine, ovine, porcine, goat, horse, camelid, volatile, or any other animal species. Of course, other locations on the body of the animal could also be considered, for example on the wing for a bird.

An example of a known general structure marking device of the known type is first presented, as illustrated in a simplified manner in FIG.

1. Such a device 1 associates by interlocking or latching a male part 2 comprising a rod 3 (also called drum) and a female part 5 comprising a receiving button 6. The male 2 and female 5 parts are nested with the aid of a clip which allows to push the rod 3 into the receiving button 6 by perforating the skin of the animal, for example the ear. More specifically, the rod 3 of the male part 2 extends from a support 10 (or plate) intended to bear on one side of the ear of the animal, perpendicularly (or substantially perpendicularly) to this support . This rod 3 is terminated by a tip 4 for piercing the ear of the animal. On the side of the female part 5, the receiving button 6 has an orifice 7 and a cavity 8 for the introduction of the tip 4 of the rod 3. The base of the female part can bear on the other side of the ear.

Once the mark 1 is placed, the tip 4 is housed in the cavity 8, and is held there by a retaining shoulder 9 making the transition between the cavity 8 and the orifice 7. It is therefore no longer possible to remove the mark, or modify it, without breaking it once it has been laid.

Such marks carry wafers or labels marked with a number or logo allowing the identification of the animal. In particular, the button may include a marking surface for the identification of the animal. These marks may also, if necessary, be equipped with electronic identification means, such as a transponder or the like, housed for example inside the button. They are usually made from plastic, but can also be aluminum or steel.

It may be noted that several variants of the structure of this marking device have been proposed. Of course, the invention is not limited to the use of a dressing with a mark having the structure described above, but also applies to these variants.

The general principle of the invention is based on the use of a dressing intended to be used with an ear tag for the marking or identification of an animal. A dressing according to the invention contains a specific substance and has a shape adapted to cooperate with the female part and / or a tool for setting up the mark.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a dressing 20 according to the invention is compressed between the ear 30 of the animal to be marked and the female part 5 during the interlocking or snapping of the male 2 and female 5 parts, so that to be in direct contact with the ear of the animal, and release the specific substance on the skin of the animal.

The dressing 20 containing a specific substance is therefore positioned on the base of the female part 5, and not inside the cavity intended to receive the male part. Thus, during the introduction of the mark, the male part first pierces the ear 30 of the animal, then compress the dressing 20, thus releasing the specific substance directly in contact with the ear, before the snap-on or the interlocking of the male 2 and female 5 parts. The specific substance may be an antiseptic substance, making it possible to disinfect or even sterilize the wound formed by the laying of the mark.

Such a technique can also be used to inject a vaccine or drug to an animal, by impregnating the dressing with such a substance.

Figures 3A and 3B illustrate two embodiments of a dressing according to the invention.

According to a first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3A, the dressing 20 comprises a pocket 21 carrying the specific substance. This pocket 21 is intended to be pierced during the establishment of the mark, prior to the interlocking of the male and female parts. In other words, during the establishment of the mark, the male part first pierces the ear of the animal, then the pocket 21 comprising the specific substance, before coming to lodge in the cavity of the party female. The specific substance, for example in liquid form, therefore comes into direct contact with the wound formed in the ear of the animal when the bag 21 is crossed. According to a second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3B, the dressing

20 includes a removable guard 22 to be removed before the establishment of the mark. This protection makes it possible to protect the specific substance contained in the dressing 20, for example in the form of a gel, a cream or an active product. After removal of the protection 22, when the mark is applied, the dressing 20 is applied against the ear of the animal. More specifically, the male part first pierces the ear of the animal, then compress the dressing comprising the specific substance between the ear of the animal and the female part of the mark, before coming to live in the cavity of the female part. The application of the dressing against the wound of the animal when the parts male and female are nested allows to release the specific substance of the dressing.

A dressing according to the different embodiments envisaged may take different forms. For example, a dressing may take the form of a disc, as illustrated in Figure 4, or any other form. The size of such a dressing 20 can be adapted to the size of the receiving button of the female part 5. Thus, the dressing can be positioned on the base of the female part so as to close the orifice of the cavity. As described above, this disk 20 may be formed of a pocket containing the specific substance, which will be pierced during the establishment of the mark, before the interlocking of the male and female parts. This disc 20 may also take the form of a stamp, the active substance is covered by a protection, which should be removed before the establishment of the mark. Advantageously, this dressing 20 can be secured to the female part

5 before the laying of the mark, for example during the manufacture of the female part 5. It is also possible to fix the dressing 20 on the basis of an existing female part 5, for example by gluing, welding, or other.

Then, to put the mark on the ear of an animal, we use a conventional laying tool, such as a clamp.

Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the female part 5 and the dressing 20 are positioned on a first jaw 51 of the clamp, and the male part 2 on a second jaw 52 of the clamp. The female part 5 and the dressing 20 are held on the first jaw 51 by means of a pedal 53, also called pedal. This pedal 53 retains the female part, while allowing the passage of the male part 2 during the establishment of the mark.

To put the mark, place the ear of the animal between the two jaws 51 and 52. When the two jaws close again, the tip 4 of the male part 2 first pierces the ear of the animal , then the dressing 20, before entering the cavity 8 of the female part 5. Thus, the substance contained in the dressing 20 comes into direct contact with the ear of the animal.

In addition, the rod 3 serves as a guide for guiding the substance through the opening in the ear of the animal. Thus, in the case where this substance is an antiseptic substance, it can disinfect the wound formed by the pose of the mark.

The dressing 20 may also comprise guiding / holding means defining a housing cooperating with a pedal of the clamp, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

More specifically, as indicated above, the pedal 53 allows the passage of the male part 2 during the establishment of the mark. For example, the pedal 53 takes the form of a fork comprising two branches to hold the female part, and a space between the two branches for the passage of the tip 4.

According to this variant, the dressing 20 comprises guiding / holding means 210, which can be slipped on the branches of the pedal 53. The specific substance is then located at the zone 220 of the dressing. Again, this zone 220 may take the form of a pocket containing the specific substance, or a patch bearing the specific substance protected by a removable protection. To put the mark in place, the dressing 20 is first put on the pedal 53, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The female part 5 is then positioned on the first jaw 51 of the clamp, and the male part 2 on the the second jaw 52 of the clamp. The animal's ear is then placed between the two jaws 51 and 52. When the two jaws close again, the tip 4 of the male part 2 first pierces the ear of the animal, then the dressing 20 at the zone 220, corresponding to the space between the branches of the pedal 53, before the snap-fastening or the interlocking of the male 2 and female parts 5. Again, the substance contained in the dressing 20, at the level of the zone 220, comes into direct contact with the ear of the animal. The dressing may also take a U-shape, each branch of the U forming a housing that can cooperate with a leg of the pedal 53. The specific substance may in particular be distributed over the entire U.

Thus, during the establishment of the mark, after removal of the protection, the male part does not pierce the dressing, but compress the dressing between the ear of the animal and the female part. This variant makes it possible to remove the dressing after the establishment of the mark, which makes it possible to optimize the circulation of air at the level of the wound, thus promoting its healing.

It may be noted that according to some embodiments envisaged, it is not necessary to remove the dressing. Indeed, it can remove itself after a while.

Thus, it may be considered that the dressing remains in contact for some time with the ear of the animal to deposit the disinfectant / scarring product, or that the dressing is in contact with the ear only the time of the laying of the brand.

Claims

A dressing (20) for an animal to which a mark is to be applied comprising a male part (2) provided with a rod extending from a support, and a female part (5) comprising a cavity intended to cooperate with said rod by interlocking or latching, characterized in that it comprises a pocket carrying a specific substance adapted to be pierced by said rod of said male part, and in that it has a shape adapted to be positioned relative to the female part (5) of the mark so that said specific substance can be released before nesting or latching between the parts maie (2) and female (5) of the mark.

2. Dressing (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a removable cover (22) to be removed before the implementation of said mark.

3. Dressing (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that it is secured to said female part (5).

4. Dressing (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is adapted to cooperate with a tool implementation of said mark.

5. Dressing (20) according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises at least one housing defining guiding / holding means adapted to cooperate with a pedal (53) of said tool.

6. Dressing (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, that said specific substance belongs to the group comprising: - an antiseptic substance; a disinfectant and healing substance; a drug ; a vaccine.

7. Female part (5) of a mark for marking an animal, said mark associating by interlocking or snapping: a male part (2) comprising a rod extending from a support, and said female part (5) comprising a cavity intended to cooperate with said rod; characterized in that said female portion comprises a dressing (20) according to one of claims 1 to 6.