Technical field

The present disclosure relates to a needle for injection of a solid object into an animal body, a dart for cooperation with a needle and a system. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a needle for injection of a solid object into an animal body, a dart for cooperation with a needle and a system as defined in the introductory parts of claim 1, claim 7 and claim 9.

Background art

In some years it has been common to use injection darts. US 2,923,243 for example discloses a projectile or a dart for the delivery of liquid drugs to animals for treatment or paralysis, where the dart is formed by a tubular body with a cannula in a front end and a stabilizer in a rear end for stabilizing flight of the dart. US 9,234,729 B2 discloses an injection dart which employs a flow restrictor which limits and controls the rate of flow of an injection administered by the dart. US 2019/0060570 Al discloses a needle or needle assembly for injection of a liquid into an animal body. The needle is hollow in a first end comprising a connection part for connection of a dart and forming a closed tip or point in an opposite second end. The needle is provided with an opening (discharge port) in a sidewall. DE 1004515 Al discloses a dart system with a needle having a bevelled open and hollow tip forming a cannula and an elongate opening in the sidewall of the needle, extending in a longitudinal direction of the needle to let an injectable fluid be injected into the animal body, when a retaining sleeve is pushed back by the force of the impact and releases the lateral opening.

A problem with the solutions of the prior art is for example that injecting a solid substance via an injection dart gives some drawbacks. First it is very likely that a solid substance, such as a pill or a microchip when injected into an animal body through a cannula will leave the animal body through the same opening again when the dart falls out after injection of the substance. Another drawback can be that the opening of the cannula will be filled and blocked by parts of animal skin or fur preventing the pill or microchip to be injected correctly into the animal body. There is thus a need for improved needles and/or darts to overcome such difficulties. It is an object of the present disclosure to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies and disadvantages in the prior art and solve at least the above mentioned problem. According to a first aspect there is provided a needle for injection of a solid object into an animal body, which needle is hollow in a first end comprising a connection part for connection of a syringe or dart and forming a closed tip or point in an opposite second end, the needle is provided with an opening in a sidewall, where the opening in the sidewall of the needle is an elongate opening extending in a longitudinal direction of the needle.

Hereby it is possible to penetrate the animal skin without blocking the opening of the needle and the closed tip gives a strong construction of the needle even to penetrate heavy skins.

According to some embodiments, where the opening in the sidewall of the needle is placed in a front end of the needle.

Hereby is achieved that it is possible to place a subject, such as a pill or a microchip in an animal body in a depth determined by the placement of the opening in the sidewall of the needle and to be able to place the subject in a sufficient depth under the skin, which can be subcutaneously or intramuscular.

According to some embodiments, where the closed front end provides an inclining portion extending from an inner side of the needle to an outer opposite side in a front end of the needle.

Hereby is achieved that the subject easily can be pushed out of the needle and delivered into the animal body in a way different from a delivering axially directly through a cannula.

This feature makes it possible that the pill or microchip is pushed out and delivered into the animal body in a combined axial and radial movement. Hereby the solid object in shape of a pill or a microchip will be forced out of the elongate opening of the needle and are placed between tissue and outer side wall of the needle. When the needle falls off the animal the solid object will be placed in the tissue where the needle was placed after penetrating the skin of the animal. Experiments have shown that using this needle, the pill or microchip has a greater tendency to stay where it has been injected into the animal body giving a greater assurance that the solid object is delivered correctly and stays in place when injected. According to some embodiments, the point is formed having a first conical portion and a second conical portion, the first and second portions having different tapering.

According to some embodiments, the first conical portion has an angle which angle is larger than an angle of the second conical portion.

Hereby is achieved a strong point of the needle and at the same time a better penetration of the skin of an animal, even thick-skinned animals.

According to some embodiments, where the second conical portion of the point has a longer extent than the first conical portion of the point, seen in a longitudinal direction of the needle.

Hereby is also achieved a strong point of the needle and at the same time a better penetration of an animal skin, compared to a needle with a single conical portion forming the point. It is hereby avoided to have a long thin point, which is easy to break or bend giving poor penetration and possibility of faulty delivery if the solid object to be injected.

According to a second aspect there is provided a dart for cooperation with a needle, where the dart comprises a dart body, an air chamber, a non-return air valve, an air injection opening, a piston for pressing an injectable solid object or substance out of the dart and/or needle, an enclosing part for connection of an injection needle according to any one or more of the first aspects, where the dart further comprising a plunger, which plunger is configured to be moved in a forward direction of the dart for pressing the solid object out of the opening in the needle.

Hereby is achieved an improved dart for cooperation with a needle as disclosed above giving a more secure delivering of an object, such as a pill, a microchip, or similar solid objects.

According to some embodiments, the plunger comprises a plunger body with a plunger rod, the plunger rod having a smaller diameter compared to the plunger body.

Hereby is achieved a delivery system for delivering the solid object into an animal body. The plunger body can be pushed forward within the dart body towards the needle by pressure from released charged air within the dart body, pressing the piston and thereby the plunger body towards the needle, where the plunger rod is dimensioned according to the hollow part of the needle in such a way that the plunger rod can move in an axial or longitudinal direction within the needle and push the solid object out of the opening in the needle. Pushing out the solid object can thereby be performed by physical contact between the plunger rod and the solid object.

According to a third aspect there is provided a system comprising an injection needle according to any one or more of the first aspects and a dart according to any one or more of the second aspects for cooperation with the needle, where the needle is provided with a retaining sleeve for retaining the solid object, to be injected, within the needle.

Hereby is achieved that the solid object to be injected is retained within the needle during flight or during handling of the dart from a place where the dart is loaded and until the needle penetrates the skin of an animal.

According to some embodiments, where the retaining sleeve is made of a resilient material capable of releasing the dart with the needle from an animal body after injection of the solid object by expansion along the needle after being compressed during impact with the animal body.

Hereby is achieved that when the needle after penetration of the skin and entering the animal body, the retaining sleeve is pressed together and acts like a spring trying to withdraw the dart with the needle from the animal body, where a combination of movement and the retaining sleeve pressing in one direction towards the connection between the dart and the needle and in the opposite direction against the skin of the animal, thereby easing the needle out of the animal body after injection of the solid object.

Effects and features of the second and third aspects are to a large extent analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect are largely compatible with the second and third aspects.

The present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description given below. The detailed description and specific examples disclose preferred embodiments of the disclosure by way of illustration only. Those skilled in the art understand from guidance in the detailed description that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the disclosure.

Hence, it is to be understood that the herein disclosed disclosure is not limited to the particular component parts of the device described or steps of the methods described since such device and method may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claim, the articles "a", "an", "the", and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements unless the context explicitly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a unit" or "the unit" may include several devices, and the like. Furthermore, the words "comprising", "including", "containing" and similar wordings does not exclude other elements or steps.

Terminology -- The term "animal" is to be interpreted as any animal.

The term "solid" when mentioning a pill is to be interpreted as being solid when injected.

The pill can be dissolved once it has been injected into the animal body.

Brief descriptions of the drawings

The above objects, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following illustrative and nonlimiting detailed description of example embodiments of the present disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a needle for injection of a solid object into an animal body;

Figure 2 shows the needle of figure 1 seen from a side;

Figure 3 shows the needle of figure 1 seen from a hollow end;

Figure 4shows the needle of figure 1 seen from above;

Figure 5 shows a cross section of the needle of figure 4 along line V-V;

Figure 6 shows an enlarged view of the needle of figure 4 marked with a circle VI;

Figure 7 shows a needle according to the above aspects mounted on a dart;

Figure 8 shows a cross section along line X-X of the dart shown in figure 7, where the dart is not yet charged by air;

Figure 9 shows a cross section along line X-X of the dart shown in figure 7, where the dart is charged by air; and

Figure 10 shows a cross section along line X-X of the dart shown in figure 7, where the dart has delivered a solid object to be injected in an animal. Detailed description

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred example embodiments of the disclosure are shown. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in otherforms and should not be construed as limited to the herein disclosed embodiments. The disclosed embodiments are provided to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to the skilled person.

The first aspect of this disclosure shows a needle 1 for injection of a solid object 19 into an animal body, which needle 1 is hollow in a first end 2 comprising a connection part 3 for connection of a syringe or dart 13 and forming a closed tip or point 4 in an opposite second end 7, the needle 1 is provided with an opening 5 in a sidewall 6, where the opening 5 in the sidewall 6 of the needle 1 is an elongate opening 5 extending in a longitudinal direction of the needle 1.

The connection part 3 comprises a cylindrical or conical bore 30. A connection between the needle 1 and the dart 13 can be a Luertype connection orthe connection can be a cylindrical enclosing part 20 in a front end of the dart 13, which enclosing part 20 encloses an outer perimeter of the connection part 3 of the needle 1. The needle 1 is further provided with a cylindrical bore 31 extending internally in the needle from the connection part 3 to the closed tip or point 4. In an embodiment, the cylindrical or conical bore 30 in the connection part 3 has a larger diameter than the bore 31 of the needle 1.

In an embodiment, the opening 5 in the sidewall 6 of the needle 1 is placed in a front end 7 of the needle 1. Here a distance from the opening 5 to the connection part 3 determines a penetration depth in which the solid object 19 should be delivered into the animal body.

In an embodiment, the closed front end 7 provides an inclining portion 8 extending from an inner side 9 of the needle 1 to an outer opposite side 10 in a front end 7 of the needle 1. The inner side 9 of the needle corresponds to a wall or side of the bore 31 of the needle 1.

In an embodiment, the point 4 is formed having a first conical portion 11 and a second conical portion 12, the first and second portions 11, 12 having different tapering.

In an embodiment, the first conical portion 11 has an angle a which angle a is larger than an angle |3 of the second conical portion 12. In an embodiment, the angle a is in a range from 15 to 45 degrees, preferably 25 to 35 degrees, more preferably 30 degrees, and the angle |3 is in a range from 5 to 25 degrees, preferably 10 to 20 degrees, more preferably 15 degrees. In an embodiment, the second conical portion 12 of the point 4 has a longer extent than the first conical portion 11 of the point 4, seen in a longitudinal direction of the needle 1.

The second aspect of this disclosure shows a dart for cooperation with a needle 1 according to the first aspects, where the dart comprises a dart body 14, an air chamber 15, a non-return air valve 16, an air injection opening 17, a piston 18 for pressing an injectable solid object 19 or substance out of the dart 13 and/or needle 1, an enclosing part 20 for connection of an injection needle 1 according to any one or more of the first aspects, where the dart 13 further comprising a plunger 21, which plunger 21 is configured to be moved in a forward direction of the dart 13 for pressing the solid object 19 out of the opening 5 in the needle 1. In an opposite end of the dart 13 in relation to where the needle 1 is placed, a stabilizer 24 is placed for stabilizing the dart 13 during flight. In an embodiment the stabilizer 24 is placed covering the air injecting opening 17.

The plunger 21 is made of a relatively light material due to the fact, that the dart should not be too heavy. The plunger 21 can be manufactured from a plastic material, carbon fibers or a synthetic material. The plunger 21 can also be manufactured from a light metal or alloy.

In an embodiment, the plunger 21 comprises a plunger body 21 with a plunger rod 22, the plunger rod 22 having a smaller diameter compared to the plunger body 21. The plunger rod 22 is dimensioned according to the hollow part or bore 31 of the needle in such a way that the plunger rod 22 can move in an axial or longitudinal direction within the needle 1. In an alternative embodiment the plunger body 21 and the plunger rod 22 can be made of different materials, as an example the plunger body 21 can be made of a synthetic material and the plunger rod 22 can be made of a metal.

The plunger 21 is when the dart 13 impacts the animal body forced by the weight of the plunger 21 and assisted by the compressed air forcing the piston 18 towards the front end of the dart 13 together with the plunger 21, whereby the plunger rod 22 forces the solid object 19 in a forward direction. The solid object 19 is then forced out through the opening 5 in the sidewall 6 of the needle 1 sliding on the inclining portion 8 extending from an inner side 9 of the needle 1 to an outer opposite side 10 in a front end 7 of the needle 1. This is possible because the retaining sleeve 23, during the needle 1 entering the animal body, has been forced in a rearwards direction on the needle 1 leaving the opening 5 in the sidewall 6 of the needle 1 open for delivering the solid object into the animal body. The third aspect of this disclosure shows a system comprising an injection needle according to any one or more of the first aspects and a dart 13 according to any one or more of the second aspects for cooperation with the needle 1, where the needle 1 is provided with a retaining sleeve 23 for retaining the solid object 19, to be injected, within the needle 1.

In an embodiment, the retaining sleeve 23 is made of a resilient material capable of releasing the dart 13 with the needle 1 from an animal body after injection of the solid object 19 by expansion along the needle 1 after being compressed during impact with the animal body. The retaining sleeve 23 has an inner diameter being smaller than an outer diameter of the needle. Hereby is secured that the retaining sleeve will not fall off during handling of the dart 13 from a place where the dart 13 is loaded and until the needle 1 penetrates the skin of an animal and during flight. By changing length of the retaining sleeve 23, the retaining sleeve 23 can be used to determine a penetration depth into the animal body as well as determining easiness of withdrawal of the needle 1 from the animal body. In an embodiment the retaining sleeve 23 is made of silicone and can have different colors. The color can be used to indicate size and/or material thickness or rigidity/flexibility determining the capability of withdrawal of the needle 1 after injection. The retaining sleeve 23 covers the opening 5 in the sidewall 6 of the needle 1 when placed in position on the needle 1.

When preparing a dart 13 with a needle 1, for injecting a solid object 19 into an animal body a needle of appropriate size is selected. Different sizes are used depending on the size and kind of animal and of the thickness of the skin. Another parameter is size of the solid object 19 to be injected. The solid object 19 must fit into the bore 31 of the needle 1, or at least an inner diameter of the bore 31 of the needle 1 must be larger than an outer diameter of the solid object 19.

When the needle 1 is selected it is provided with a retaining sleeve 23 suitable for the task according to the above.

The dart 13 is selected and a test is performed to secure that for example the dart 13 is not charged with air in the air chamber 15. The test is performed by pressing a venting pin (not shown) into the air injection opening 17 in order to release the non-return air valve 16 and thereby release an air pressure if present.

Then the dart can be charged with air, for example by a medical syringe, charging the air chamber 15 of the dart 13, selecting a suitable air charging pressure from a table adapted for the dart. By applying charging pressure to the air chamber 15 the non-return air valve 16 will close the air injection opening 17, preventing charged air from leaving the air chamber 15.

Now the injectable solid object 19 is placed in the needle 1, which has already been prepared with the retaining sleeve 23 and the needle 1 is placed in the front end of the dart 13 by connecting the connecting part 3 of the needle 1 and the enclosing part 31 of the dart. Connection can be performed using a plier, for pressing the needle 1 into firm connection with the dart 13.

Finally, the stabilizer 24 can be mounted in the rear end of the dart 13 and the dart 13 is ready for use.

The person skilled in the art realizes that the present disclosure is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. The person skilled in the art further realizes that modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the dart can be mounted at an end of a rod, a so called jab stick for manually pressing the needle into an animal body in situations where it is possible to reach the animal from a safe position, behind a fence or the like, using the rod. Methods for firing the dart 13, can be using a gun such as an injection rifle, an injection pistol or a blowpipe system. The injection rifle or pistol can be driven by compressed air or gas, for example CO2. Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed disclosure, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.