Method and system for monitoring the dispensing of drugs or nutrients to animals

A metering pump constructed and arranged to dispense premeasured doses of a first Liquid B from a first source into a receptacle simultaneously with a quantity of Liquid A from another source, which comprises in combination:

• a hollow housing enclosing a larger sleeve at one end and a smaller sleeve at the other end, separated internally by a partial abutting wall;
• said hollow housing being connected through an axially-disposed intake conduit at its right-hand end to a valve for supplying Liquid A under pressure into said larger sleeve, and said hollow housing being connected through an axially-disposed exhaust opening to the atmosphere at its left-hand end;
• an intake conduit for Liquid B interposed through the wall of said housing into said smaller sleeve near said abutting wall;
• an outlet conduit for Liquid B interposed through the wall of said housing into said smaller sleeve at a position substantially spaced-apart to the left in an axial direction from said intake conduit;
• a first and a second Liquid A outlet branch interposed at positions spaced-apart in an axial direction along said larger sleeve, said first position substantially centered in said larger sleeve, and said second position adjacent said abutting wall, said branches leading into a common outlet for Liquid A into said receptacle;
• a bypass conduit connected between said larger and smaller sleeves, said bypass conduit having one leg substantially diametrically aligned with said first Liquid A outlet branch in said larger sleeve, and its other leg substantially diametrically aligned with the outlet conduit for Liquid B in said smaller sleeve;
• a pair of pistons A and B, each of T-shaped section, combined in oppositely-directed telescoping relation in said housing, piston A having a larger head which fits in slidable engagement into said larger sleeve, and piston B having a smaller head which fits in slidable engagement into said smaller sleeve, piston A having at its outer end an axially-centered well, and an inwardly-directed hollow stem coaxial therewith, which fits in slidable relation into said smaller sleeve, and axially-accommodates in slidably relation the inwardly-directed stem of piston B;
• the stem of piston A being of such a length that when its head is closed in flush relation against said partial abutting wall, the end of its hollow stem extends up to, but does not close either the output conduit for Liquid B, or one leg of said bypass conduit into said smaller sleeve;
• the stem of piston B being of such a length when in telescopically constricted position with piston A that it extends through the length of piston A, including its well and terminates adjacent its outer face in an O-ring fitting which exceeds the diameter of said smaller sleeve and operates to stop the motion of piston B in a left-hand direction;
• a first spring-bias interposed between the outer face of the head of piston B and the left-hand end of said smaller sleeve;
• and a second spring-bias interposed between the inner annular face of the head of piston B and the end of the stem of piston A forming between them an annular dispensing cavity of controllable dimension in an axial direction, wherein:
• when said valve for Liquid A is closed:
• piston A is in its initial rest position against the end wall of the larger sleeve, and the head of piston B is slidably retracted from the end of piston A in a left-hand direction, against the tension of said second spring-bias, maximizing the size of said dispensing cavity, thereby causing a measured dose to be drawn into said dispensing cavity through the intake conduit of Liquid B;
• when said valve for Liquid A is open, supplying Liquid A under pressure:
• piston A is forced to the left, closing the intake conduit of Liquid B and simultaneously forcing Liquid A from said larger sleeve into said receptacle through said second outlet for Liquid A, and ultimately, forcing piston B to the left to open the outlet conduit for Liquid B for expelling a measured dose from said dispensing cavity, after which piston B is forced further to the left to open the bypass conduits between the larger and smaller sleeves admitting Liquid A under pressure to flush out remaining portions of Liquid B from said dispensing cavity, and piston A subsequently opens said first outlet branch for Liquid A to exhaust additional amounts of said Liquid A from the larger sleeve into said fountain;
• and
• when the valve for Liquid A is again closed:
• pistons A and B are moved substantially in unison to the right, impelled by the compressive force of said first spring-bias, thereby closing the output conduit for Liquid B, and the legs of said bypass conduit, opening said second outlet branch for exhausting Liquid A from said larger sleeve into said receptacle, for expelling any air or Liquid A from said meter housing, and again opening the intake conduit for receiving Liquid B into said dispensing cavity.

The method of utilizing one or more central control stations to monitor a plurality of portable stations which comprises the steps of:

• at said central station:
• generating and transmitting an interrogating signal for reception by a portable station immediately adjacent to said central station, and receiving and responding to energy absorbed by said portable station from said interrogating signal in accordance with a first preselected set code;
• upon receipt of a response from said portable station impressed with said first preselected set code, to energize relay means:
• (a) for enabling a preset electromechanical interaction to take place between said portable station and said central control station, and
• (b) for modulating said interrogating signal with a recoding signal, and directing said interrogating signal modulated with said recoding signal to said portable station;
• and
• at said portable station:
• tuning means in said portable station to receive the interrogating signal from said central station, and to absorb energy from said interrogating signal for impressing a response on said central station transceiving means;
• decoding said interrogating signal when modulated with a recoding signal;
• utilizing the output of a computerized memory circuit under control of said decoding means for varying the tuning of said portable transponding means to selectively absorb energy from said interrogating signal to impress on the response of said central station transceiving means a signal coded in accordance with one or more preselected set codes including said first preselected set code;
• and receiving and demodulating the recoding signal transmitted by said interrogating signal for changing the setting of said memory circuit from one said preselected set code to another preselected set code.

Apparatus for automatically administering a dose of drug or medicine to an animal or human patient in admixture with said patient's drinking water and for preventing said patient from receiving a subsequent dose of said drug or medicine until the expiration of a predetermined period of time following the administration of said first dose, comprising:

• (a) a source of water from which the said patient may drink water at will in accordance with the patient's needs;
• (b) a dispenser for introducing into the water a drug or medicine which will be drunk along with the water by the patient when the patient drinks said water;
• (c) a first control circuit for operating said dispenser to dispense the drug or medicine therefrom into said drinking water;
• (d) a second control circuit carried by said patient which when brought in proximity with said first control circuit will absorb energy from the first control circuit and thereby cause the first control circuit to operate the said dispenser and introduce into said water a predetermined dose of said drug or medicine;
• (e) and means in said second control circuit for preventing said first control circuit from operating the dispenser again when the second control circuit is again brought into proximity with the first control circuit until the expiration of a predetermined period of time.