Plier for the marking of animals with tags.

p0001The present invention relates to an improved clamp animal marking tags or loops implanted in a cartilaginous region of their body, especially applicable to implantation of said tags on the ears of those animals.

p0002We know that for many years already, the cattle herd, sheep, pig, among others, are identified by means of rigid loops consist of two elements, one male and one female, assembled after piercing the cartilage of ear by means of a clamp provided for this purpose. The clips for the implementation of such labels can be of simple construction because of the rigidity of the labels they allow to implement and bear the distinguishing mark to the animal; they generally do not require a guide for their proper placement. However, if this type of rigid loops generally made of metal or rigid plastic material such as, for example, of "Rilsan" or "Nylon" (registered trademark), has the advantage of being laid quickly, it is originally a high proportion of losses since it can evaluate to a value between 20% and 40% annually, depending on the species and / or farming method.

p0003In recent years flexible loops made of elastomer and in one piece have appeared on the market. These soft curls made a marked improvement over rigid loops, since their jobs has reduced the proportion of annual losses at values ​​between 5% and 15% and, in addition, a smaller number of split ears. Although the surface of such loops is relatively large and allows to place characters from thirty to forty millimeters in height, allowing an appreciation of remote identification of the animal signs, their resistance is satisfactory given out that due to their flexibility they are less vulnerable to various irregularities which they are likely to hold, for example in buildings or fences.

p0004However, such labels present, regarding their pose, serious disadvantages due to the fact that until now we did posed by means of a trocar which, besides the fact that he might injure the operator the time of installation, due to the animal's reactions, cut through the cartilage of the animal on a length of 12 to 18 mm, the corresponding slot widening rapidly as and measuring the growth of said animal. As a result, this type of labels made in one piece causes a greater proportion of losses in young animals than in adult animals, the development of the ear is completed. However, it is clear that the interest of tagging is to achieve distinguish and identify animals from an early age; Does it also sought a palliative to the aforementioned drawbacks. Thus flexible tags polyurethane made in two parts assembled together by means of a shaft of reduced diameter to about four millimeters through the animal's cartilage and whose laying is performed by means of a clamp , have appeared on the market, such as for example the french label subject of patent application No. 76 27520 of 13 September 1976 to the Deman dant. To enable the achievement of this result and correct installation, it has been necessary to build clamps with a number of features; thus we have been led to conceive pliers whose jaws remain parallel to each other in the closing and in the clamping position; in this type of pliers, one of the jaws must be fitted with a rigid guide which is placed in the axis position held by one of the two parts of the label and is therefore called male part, this rigidity being made necessary because, without it, the flexible material to repel and do traverse or cartilage or the female part to lock it. This axis of the male part along 25 to 30 mm is designed to be fitted to the guide carried by the jaws of the clamp. The start of the breakthrough is achieved, according to the case, either by a metal needle integral with the rigid guide or by a conical needle made of a rigid material such as metal, a hard polyurethane, polyamide or hard . The establishment of such clamps flexible labels currently known, have the major drawback the difficulty of release from one side of the ear tag once asked. Often, due to the animal's reactions, the operator is not the time to reopen early enough the clip, which then led the animal, while it escapes from his hand, enlarges the slot performed in the ear of said animal under the effect of the traction of the animal instinctively seeking freedom, exercised this traction. As a result, the brand's durability is compromised or long term.

p0005A relatively recent times, has emerged on the market more sophisticated grippers with an automatic trigger means accompanied by a limited distance of a jaw of the clamp end of the race, which simplifies relatively laying. Néanmpoins the angle of the opening of the guide rod in such pliers, proves quite inadequate to release in due time by the male tie the label. In addition, on such clamps, the guide rod must be changed frequently because it is never found in the ideal position which would free effortless label once asked.

p0006The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a clamp animal marking tag implanted in a cartilaginous area of ​​the body, allowing the release of the two elements of the label from the first reaction of the animal and the fact of this reaction, in which the guide pin of the male part of the label instead of herself following the opening angle desired to vent the axis of the male part when the label asked.

p0007The clamp of animal marking tag implanted in a cartilaginous region of their body, according to the invention, of the type with jaws constantly maintained parallel to each other and provided for fitting formed flexible tags at the time of setting instead of two portions, one of said plug, the other said female and secured via a conical auxiliary piece hard independent. It is essentially characterized, firstly, in that the reception of the male part of the jaws of the label comprises: a flyweight rigid door-support rod of the male part of the tag, articulated about a axis parallel to the axis of articulation of said jaw on the corresponding branch of the clamp, the axis of articulation of said jaws being provided near its free end while the stiff wire forming rod is arranged eccentrically in said rear axis, the rotation of said weight having a magnitude of 90 ° between two extreme positions, the fallback position occupied during application of the label being one in which it is placed in a reception housing formed by a recess provided in said jaw, the reception plate of the outer face of the label range by said weight being then coplanar to the inner face of the jaw and the deployment position and releasing the raised label and, on the other hand, in that the second jaw comprises a receiving recess of the female part open-label on the free end of the jaw and a receiving channel of the auxiliary conical piece of implementation and joining together of the two parts label, said channel being coaxial with the rigid rod carried by the first jaw when the weight is in the fallback position.

p0008Advantageously, the reception channel of the auxiliary conical piece, provided on the second jaw is provided internally with a thick washer whose inner section has a shape making it elastic and such as to enable the passage of a conical piece auxiliary to the outside without allowing the back.

p0009According to a first embodiment, the auxiliary wedge pieces receiving channel projecting outwardly of the corresponding jaw and its end is provided with a receiving member and adaptation of a removable collection container of said conical parts.

p0010According to a second embodiment of the tapered work recovery device, the outer side face of the second jaw comprises a slide groove in which is slidable a movable housing for recovering auxiliary conical parts open on the side in contact with said side face and being be moved by sliding in relation to the receiving channel of the end of said conical parts.

p0011In order to increase the safety of the clamp. The bottom of the receiving recess of the weight of articulated rigid rod holder of the first jaw has a retainer of said weight to fallback position resistance to tearing limited to a predetermined value. In a first embodiment, the retaining member of the articulated riser rigid rod holder is made of a spring-type says "snap rings".

p0012In a second embodiment, the retaining member of the counterweight in the fallback position is constituted by a permanent magnet locking.

p0013The features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:<ul><li>FIG 1 shows a general view of the clamp according to the invention;</li><li>2 shows a view of the jaw hinged weight carrier provided with the guide rod carries male part of the tag of the header extension position;</li><li>Figure 3 shows a view of the jaw weight carrier articulated to fallback position of the weight;</li><li>4 shows a view of the jaw weight carrier in an intermediate position between the two extreme positions;</li><li>5 shows a view of the second jaw of the piece according to the invention; and</li><li>6 shows a cross-sectional view of the receiving channel of the auxiliary cone implementation.</li></ul>

p0014In these figures, the same references represent the same elements.

p0015With reference to the various figures, a pair of jaws held constantly parallel to each other, comprises two parts 1 and 2 articulated around a common axis of rotation 3 and whose side ends of each are terminated by a jaw the , lb, each of said two jaws being articulated in rotation about an axis 3a, 3b fixed relative to the corresponding leg and parallel to the common axis of rotation in classes 1 and 2. a known type of device also allows leverage the movement of bringing the two branches when it is transmitted to the two corresponding bits to reconcile. Moreover, this device, in known manner, is such that the clamping movement exerted on the arms of the clamp has the effect of bringing the two jaws from each other so that they remain constantly parallel to each other.

p0016The marking clip according to the invention is, like clamp which have just been mentioned characteristics, a clamp comprising jaws and 2a maintained constantly parallel to each other and articulated respectively about the axes 3a and 3b. As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the jaws of which can be made removable and can consequently be easily replaced in case of need, comprises a feeder 4 articulated in rotation on the axis 5, parallel to both to the hinge axis 3a of the jaw 1 and to the hinge pin 3 of the arms 1 and 2 of the clamp. The feeder 4 comprises a rigid rectilinear rod 6 having an axis perpendicular to the plane of its surface 7 placed in the folded position shown more particularly in Figure 3, the inner side of the clamp. A recess 8, almost rectangular contour, is formed in the body of the jaw for receiving the piston in its folded position, in which the surface 7 is located in the same plane as the rest of the inner face of the jaws. The axis of rotation 5 is arranged on the side of the free end of the jaw whereas the longitudinal axis of the rigid rod 6, orthogonal to the axis 5, is located eccentrically relative to the latter so that in the folded position of the weight, it is further from the free end of said jaw axis 5. Furthermore, the rear surface 9, that is to say opposite to the free end face, shaped so that, on the one hand, at the level of the surface 7 it is supported on the upper edge of the cavity and, on the other hand, none of its points can have during its rotation around the axis 5 a contact with the facing vis-a-vis said cavity, liable to hinder the rotation.

p0017As shown in Figure 5, the jaws 2a, opposite to the jaw 1 and which may, as it, be removable, comprises a recess 10, open on its free end face, whose width is equal to the basic diameter of the auxiliary conical tip of implementation of the label and the bottom is semi-circular shape and a diameter of said width. The base 10a of the recess 10, in its portion positioned at the bottom, forms the beginning of a cylindrical channel 11 whose inner diameter is equal to the diameter of the base of an auxiliary conical tip 12 of establishment of the label. This cylindrical channel, which is coaxial with the rigid rod 6 when the piston is in the fallback position and whose part between the base 10a of the recess and the outer face of the jaws 2a is cut in the mass of said jaws may be extended outwardly by a cylindrical tube lla of the same inner diameter and attached to said jaw by any appropriate known means, for example by welding. The entry of channel 11, that is to say at its end extending from the base 10a of the recess 10, cst internally coated with a washer or sleeve 13 of low height made from a flexible material and elastic such as, for example, polyurethane, the inner section has a shape allowing it to expand under the effect of a pressure exerted from the inside and to resume its original shape after removal of this pressure; the shape of this section may be, for example, that shown in Figure G, by way of non limiting example, that is to say, closed by a succession of streaks.

p0018The end of the channel lla may include at its end any appropriate member for the establishment of a container such as that shown at 14 in Figure 1 and which allows the recovery of the conical tips stored in the channel as and different set up of labels, such member being constituted by a single screw device. This conical tips recovery device which can advantageously be made of a transparent material may also be constituted by a parallelepiped-shaped housing a limited surface, for example, by a larger and a smaller side has a contour orifice at least equal to that of the channel 1 and which can be brought opposite the latter, said face having for this purpose on the longitudinal sides a slide engageable with grooves provided for this purpose on the outer face of the jaws 2a, for the establishment said housing on the jaw.

p0019It may be desirable that rotation of the piston 4 about its axis 5 may not be made too easily and do so only when the assembly formed by the plunger 4 and the rigid rod 6 is subjected to a torque reaching a predetermined value. To obtain this result, one may, for example, have at the bottom of the recess, a permanent magnet cooperating directly with the weight if it is made of a magnetic metal or indirectly by means of a magnetic metal plate attached on its face opposite the face 7 and made of a magnetic metal. It is still possible to obtain this result, to provide the base of the recess 8 of a spring for example of "Retaining Rings" placed in a small hole in it and cooperating with the corresponding rod placed on the face of the piston opposite its face 7.

p0020The marking clip described above then operates as follows. Said male portion of the flexible label set up on the ear of an animal is placed on the first jaw, his face to appear after laying the side from outside, placed against the face 7 of the piston in the folded position and the rod to develop in the female part being pushed onto the rigid rod 7, while the receiving member 15 of the female part 16 is arranged in the bottom of the recess 10 facing of channel 11, the face 17 of said female part arranged on the same side as the slightly truncated shape member 15 receiving and which should be directed outwards once made and thus bears the mark being applied against the inner side of the jaws 2a. These implementations are executed, a conical tip 12 is inserted into the receiving member 15, its point being turned towards the cylindrical channel 11 and the ear of the animal placed between the two jaws. The closing of the jaws obtained by approximation of the arms 1 and 2 of the clamp has the effect of bringing the end of the rigid rod and the axis of the male tag bears against the base of the conical tip and then push thereof through the receiving member 15 of the female part of the tag by dilating the radially during its passage, then the eject into the channel 11. This tapered tip then pushes the previously thrust conical tip in channel 11 and held in the sleeve 13 to that during the next operation of marking it is his turn pushed back further, the shape of the internal section of the sleeve 13 also makes it impossible to return back a conical tip has penetrated into the channel 11 beyond said sleeve.

p0021Periodically, the container or housing 14 is removed from its holder, for later retrieval and reuse of conical tips.

p0022In that the rigid rod receiving the axis connecting the two parts of the label is eccentric relative to the axis of rotation of the piston, prevents the animal releases the label before its two parts are perfectly fitted into the other, as long as the operator presses on the two legs of the clip it is impossible to rotate the lingo. When the operator releases the pressure on the branches of the clamp once finished, the two jaws move away from each other while remaining parallel, and the animal reacts by trying to evade in operation, the traction that his ear exerted on the rigid rod still coated with the axis of connection of the two parts of the label rotates the piston around its axis of rotation causing said feeder in the position shown in 2, after passing through 'the intermediate position as shown in Figure 4, so that the animal releases the tag from the clamp by its own force by sliding outwards and out of the rigid rod the axis joining the two portions of the label, and this, without resulting in tearing of the ear of the animal, the clamp then remains in the hands of the operator instead of being carried by the animal's ear as the event happens sometimes with the tagging pliers already known.

p0023It is understood that the invention has been described and shown by way of preferred example and that we can bring to its components of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of the said invention as above after claimed.