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US 4,943,294 AGranted
Power-driven applicator for tagging livestock
AssigneeY-Tex Corporation
InventorRonald K. Knapp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tagging device, such as for ears of livestock, driven by a pressurized fluid source is disclosed. The manually controlled pneumatic applicator described utilizes pressurized air for activation to pierce the ear and set the tag as well as retract the piercing element. The applicator is particularly adapted for use with either one-piece or multiple-piece tags.
Claims22
A hand-portable livestock tagging device operable by a pressurized pneumatic fluid source comprising:
- a casing holdable by one hand and having support means for positioning an object on livestock to be tagged;
- a valve means located in said casing for controlling the direction of flow of pressurized pneumatic fluid;
- manually actuable means mounted in said casing and connected to said valve means for controlling the position of said valve means;
- a piston cylinder located within said casing;
- a double-acting piston carried within said piston cylinder and driven fully and rapidly by the pressurized pneumatic fluid in a first direction and in a second opposite direction in accordance with the position of said valve means;
- means for directing the pressurized fluid from said pneumatic fluid source to said valve means and from said valve means to said piston cylinder;
- piercing means connected to and moving with said piston for penetrating the object to be tagged when driven by said piston in said first direction and for retracting from the object when driven by the piston in said second direction;
- and
- means for attaching a tag having an anchor portion to said piercing means such that the anchor portion of the tag will be forced through the object to be tagged by said piercing means when the piercing means is driven fully and rapidly in said first direction.
6 more elements
A livestock tagging device for use in one-piece tagging operations and operable by a pressurized pneumatic fluid source, comprising:
- a housing adapted to be hand held;
- a bi-directional four-way valve located in said housing for controlling the direction of flow of pressurized pneumatic fluid;
- manually operable trigger means mounted to said housing for directly controlling said four-way valve;
- a piston assembly having a piston cylinder located in said housing, a piston and a piston rod connected thereto carried within the piston cylinder, said piston being fully and rapidly driven in a first direction by the application of pressurized pneumatic fluid to one end of said cylinder and in a second opposite direction by the application of pressurized pneumatic fluid to the other end of said cylinder;
- means for directing the pressurized fluid from said fluid source to said valve and from said valve to said one end of said piston cylinder and from said valve to said other end of said piston cylinder;
- a knife blade means interconnected to an end of said piston rod for penetrating an object on livestock to be tagged;
- means for attaching a tag to said knife blade means, said tag including an anchor portion which is forced by said blade means through the object to be tagged;
- and
- a jaw connected to said housing and positionable relative to the object to be tagged during operation of the tagging device;
- wherein actuation of said trigger means operates said valve such that said piston is driven in said first direction to drive said knife blade means and then apply said tag, and further wherein releasing of said trigger means operates said valve such that said piston is driven in said second direction to retract said knife blade means.
7 more elements
A livestock tagging device for applying a two-piece tagging system comprised of a male tag component and a female tag component and operable by a pressurized pneumatic fluid source, comprising:
- a housing adapted to be hand held;
- a bi-directional four-way valve located in said housing for controlling the direction of flow of pressurized pneumatic fluid;
- trigger means mounted to said housing for controlling said four-way valve;
- a piston assembly having a piston cylinder located in said housing, a piston and a piston rod connected thereto carried within the piston cylinder, said piston being fully and rapidly driven in a first direction by the application of pressurized pneumatic fluid to one end of said cylinder and in a second opposite direction by the application of pressurized pneumatic fluid to the other end of said cylinder;
- means for directing the pressurized fluid from said fluid source to said valve and from said valve to said one end of said piston cylinder and from said valve to said other end of said piston cylinder;
- applicator means affixed to an end of said piston rod for supporting the male tag component adapted to penetrate an object on livestock to be tagged;
- and
- a jaw connected to said housing and positionable relative to an object on livestock to be tagged and including means for supporting the female tag component;
- wherein actuation of said trigger means operates said valve such that said piston is driven in said first direction to drive said applicator means so that the male tag component penetrates to object to be tagged and is joined to the female tag component, and further wherein releasing of said trigger means operates said valve such that said piston is driven in said second direction to retract said applicator means.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.