TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of animal husbandry. More particularly, this invention relates to a device for use in the processing of livestock.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

"Bangtailing" is a colloquial term referring to the process of removing excess hair from the tails of livestock, such as cattle and horses. Only the excess hair from the tail brush is removed and not the live or bony portion of the tail. Bangtailing is a common practice used to indicate that a particular animal has been through a counting or treatment procedure, such as castration or spraying. It is also performed on certain breeds of cattle and horse to tidy up the tail and improve aesthetic appeal prior to the animal being put on show. To "bang" the tail of cattle, the animal to be treated is restrained, usually within a cattle crush or similar cage. The animal may then be examined and perhaps subjected to one or more veterinary procedures. To provide a simple visual indication that this particular animal has received such attention, and thus to avoid doubling up of treatments or wasted time on the farmer's part, a worker will remove a portion from the end of its tail. This typically involves grabbing the end portion and possibly wrapping it around the operator's hand before placing the area to be cut over the blade of a knife, held in the operator's other hand, and pulling the blade up and towards their body to thereby remove the excess hair. A similar action may be performed using clippers or like industrial scissors.

It will be appreciated that there are a number of safety concerns associated with this action for both the operator and the animal. When using a knife there is an inherent risk of slice or stab wounds when the operator is required to pull, with considerable force, the blade towards themselves to cut the tail. By necessity, the cut will be made close to the operator's gripping hand and so the blade is placed in close proximity to the hand. The firm grip required on the animal's tail may also increase the risk of the operator's hand or arm being pulled into the crush should the animal pull its tail unexpectedly thereby increasing the risk of injury by sandwiching the arm or hand between the animal and the crush structure. These risks are also present when clippers are employed. In an industrial or working agricultural setting the bangtailing process must be repeated many times per day, greatly increasing the likelihood of injury.

As mentioned, the animal may also be placed at some risk of wounding due to the use of sharp movable stabbing points such as the point of a knife blade or the ends of the clipper blades. This may lead to infection and further problems with the animal.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to overcome or alleviate one or more of the above disadvantages or provide the consumer with an improved device for removing excess tail hair from livestock.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one form, although it need not be the only or indeed the broadest form, the invention resides in a livestock tail hair removal device comprising:

(a) a body comprising a front plate and a back plate;

(b) an open ended slot formed within the front and back plates; and

(c) at least one cutting blade located between the front and back plates and extending into the slot.

Preferably, the slot expands on approaching the open end. Suitably, the slot is substantially V-shaped.

Preferably, the slot is defined by one substantially vertical side wall and one inclined side wall.

Suitably, the two side walls converge on moving away from the open end of the slot to form a closed end of the slot.

The open ended slot passes through the body of the device.

In a preferred embodiment, two cutting blades are located between the front and back plates and extend into the slot.

Preferably, one cutting blade extends from the substantially vertical side wall and the other from the inclined side wall, into the slot. It will be appreciated that this results in one substantially vertical cutting blade extending from the substantially vertical side wall of the slot and one inclined cutting blade extending from the inclined side wall of the slot.

On moving away from the open end of the slot the cutting blades may become closer together.

Adjacent the closed end of the slot the cutting blades are preferably immediately adjacent and/or overlap one another.

Suitably, the front and back plates are held together by one or more releasable fasteners. Preferably, the front and back plates are held together by at least one releasable fastener located either side of the slot.

More preferably, the front and back plates are held together by a first pair of releasable fasteners located either side of the slot adjacent the open end of the slot and a second pair of releasable fasteners located either side of the slot adjacent the closed end of the slot.

Suitably, each of the first pair of releasable fasteners passes through a body of the corresponding cutting blade.

Each of the second pair of releasable fasteners may abut against an edge of the corresponding cutting blade to restrict movement of the cutting blade away from the slot. The cutting blades are contained within the body of the device.

In one embodiment, the livestock tail hair removal device is, in use, a hand held device and further comprises a handle and a connecting region connecting the body to the handle.

Suitably, the connecting region or the handle has a protrusion extending therefrom.

The protrusion may extend from the connecting region or handle to be located above the open end of the slot.

Preferably, the handle, the connecting region and the back plate are integrally formed. In an alternative embodiment, the livestock tail hair removal device is, in use, a fixed device and further comprises a mounting plate.

The mounting plate may be substantially at a right angle to the back plate.

Suitably, the mounting plate and back plate are integrally formed. Preferably, the fixed device further comprises a pivotable gate adapted to sit above the open end of the slot and limit entry thereto.

Suitably, the gate is pivotable around a pivot point attaching a first end of the gate to the back plate.

A second end of the gate may be provided with a cut away region to receive a portion of the back and front plates adjacent the open end of the slot.

In a further form, the invention resides in a method of removing tail hair from livestock including the steps of:

(a) providing a livestock tail hair removal device comprising:

(·) a body comprising a front plate and a back plate; (ii) an open ended slot formed within the front and back plates; and

(iii) at least one cutting blade located between the front and back plates and extending into the slot;

(b) locating the tail hair of the livestock within the slot; and

(c) drawing the tail hair along the cutting blade,

to thereby remove the tail hair from the livestock.

The method is performed using a livestock hair removal device having the features as hereinbefore described.

When the method is performed using the hand held device, the method further includes the step of pulling the device towards the operator's body when drawing the tail hair along the cutting blade.

When the method is performed using the fixed device, the device is provided mounted to a structure.

Preferably, the structure is a structure for restraining livestock such as a stock or cattle crush.

The method may further include the step of raising a gate located above the open end of the slot to allow a portion of the tail held between the operator's hands to pass into the slot.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, preferred embodiments will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts and wherein:

FIG 1 is a perspective view of a hand held embodiment of a livestock tail hair removal device;

FIG 2 is a perspective view of a fixed embodiment of a livestock tail hair removal device; and

FIG 3 is an exploded view of the components of the livestock tail hair removal device shown in FIG 2.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In this patent specification, adjectives such as first and second, left and right, front and back, top and bottom, etc., are used solely to define one element or method step from another element or method step without necessarily requiring a specific relative position or sequence that is described by the adjectives. Words such as "comprises", "comprising", "includes" or "including" are not used to define an exclusive set of elements or method steps. Rather, such words merely define a minimum set of elements or method steps included in a particular embodiment of the present invention.

Although the following discussion focuses on embodiments of the inventive device used to remove the excess tail hair from cattle, it will be understood that it is not so limited. The present invention may be applied mutatis mutandis to any animal presenting tail hair which can be removed, at least in part. Accordingly, the term "livestock" as used herein may refer to animals kept for agricultural and domestic purposes including but not limited to animals such as horses, mares, mules, jacks, jennies, colts, cows, calves, yearlings, bulls, oxen, sheep, goats and lambs.

FIG 1 is a perspective view of a hand held embodiment of a livestock tail hair removal device 100. Device 100 comprises a contoured handle 105 designed to allow for comfortable and secure gripping by a user. The handle 105 ends in a connecting region 110 and a protrusion 115 is seen to extend outwardly from the region where the two meet and so could be described as being associated with either.

The handle 105 and the connecting region 110 are integral with a body 120 of the device 100 which comprises a front plate 125 and a back plate 130. In the embodiment shown, the handle 105, the connecting region 110 and the back plate 130 are all integrally formed, i.e. they are cut from a single piece of material, although this need not necessarily be the case. Alternatively, the handle 105, the connecting region 1 10 and the back plate 130 may be moulded or extruded. The relevant material may be any material presenting sufficient mechanical strength although polymers such as polyethylene are preferred as they are lightweight yet strong.

The front plate 125 is attached to the back plate 130 by four releasable fasteners 135, which in the embodiment shown are simple screw/bolt and nut combinations. Other releasable fasteners such as lockable pins, clips or bayonet type combinations may be suitable and would be known to a person skilled in the mechanical arts. The front plate may be made from a range of durable materials although hard plastics and, particularly, metals such as steel are preferred.

The body 120, and therefore both the front plate 125 and the back plate 130, of device 100 has a cut out region or slot 140 passing therethrough and having an open end 145 a closed end 150. The slot 140 can be seen to expand or be divergent upon approaching the open end 145 and is substantially V-shaped in appearance. The side walls-defining the slot 140 are formed by a combination of the front 125 and back 130 plates. Although substantially V-shaped it can be seen that the slot 140 is formed from a first side wall 155 which is more or less continuous with the connecting region 110 and is substantially vertical, in the orientation shown, and a second side wall 160 which is inclined in the orientation shown. The first and second side walls, 155 and 160, converge to form the closed end 150 of the slot 140.

A first cutting blade 165 is located between the front 125 and back 130 plates and extends into the slot 140 from the substantially vertical first side wall 155 and its cutting edge is parallel to that wall 155. A second cutting blade 170 is located between the front 125 and back 130 plates and extends into the slot 140 from the inclined second side wall 160 and its cutting edge is parallel to that wall 160. This results in the first 165 and second 170 cutting blades being relatively spaced adjacent the open end 145 of the slot 140 and immediately adjacent, abutting or even overlapping near the closed end 150 of the slot 140. The first 165 and second 170 cutting blades may be chosen from a range of standard cutting blades such as those for use in Stanley knives and other such cutting tools.

The first 165 and second 170 cutting blades may be affixed by the uppermost pair of releasable fasteners 135 shown in FIG 100 actually passing through the body of the blades, 165 and 170. The lowermost pair of releasable fasteners 135, as shown in FIG 1 , simply abut an outer edge of the blades, 165 and 170, to restrict their movement. The fixing of the blades will be discussed in further detail in relation to a second embodiment of the device 100 which is shown in FIG 3. Finally, an aperture 175 is provided through the body 120 of the device 100 to enable it to be easily hung on a peg or hook for convenient storage and easy access.

In use, the livestock, such as cattle, would be restrained within a structure such as a stock or cattle crush (not shown in the figures) to allow processing. To indicate that a particular animal has been processed an operator can grab an end of the animal's tail in one hand and the device 100 in the other hand. The tail is then located within the slot 140 by passing it through the open end 145. The device 100 is then located at the appropriate point along the tail where the cut is desired at which point the tail is then drawn down the length of the slot 140 from the open end 145 to the closed end 150 while the operator pulls the device 100 in a direction generally towards their body to thereby generate the cutting force.

Due to the convergent nature of the first 165 and second 70 cutting blades the tail is cut progressively further through its cross section from two sides as it passes down the slot 140 and thus requires relatively less effort to cut than performing the same operation with a knife. The protrusion 115 allows the user to pull and grip firmly on the handle 105 without fear of their hand inadvertently sliding into the slot 140 and thus into contact with the first 165 and second 170 cutting blades. This is an important safety feature which is absent when the operation is performed with a knife or scissors. The design of device 100 is such that the cutting faces of the first 165 and second 170 cutting blades are 'internalised' i.e. there are no sharp points or edges which jut out or extend from the device 100 in the manner of a knife or scissor blades. This design, wherein the first 165 and second 170 cutting blades are contained within the general border or outline of the body 120, greatly reduces the risk of injury to the operator, nearby workers and the animal being processed.

The hand held nature of the device 100 allows it to be used in any setting in addition to the restraining structures mentioned above. For example, an operator may choose to speed up operations by banging the tail of the animal as described using the device 100 when the cattle is in the race or alley leading to or from the processing area. This allows freedom in use akin to the use of knives or clippers but with improved safety features.

FIG 2 is a perspective view of a fixed embodiment of a livestock tail hair removal device 200. There are many points of commonality between device 100, shown in FIG 1 , and device 200 and their mode of operation is essentially the same with the differences being solely due to the either hand held or fixed nature of their usage.

The device 200 comprises a mounting plate 205 which is provided with mounting apertures 210 to allow attachment of device 200 to a structure such as a stock or cattle crush where livestock tail hair removal is to be carried out. The mounting plate 205 can be affixed to the structure by the passage of fasteners, such as screws, rivets or the like, through the mounting apertures 210 and into the structure. Certain adhesives and other fixing means well known in the art may be suitable.

The mounting plate is attached to a body of the device 200 which comprises a back plate 215 and a front plate 220. In the embodiment shown in FIG 2 the back plate 215 is integrally formed with the mounting plate 205 and together they form an angled bracket arrangement. The back plate 215 is approximately at ninety degrees to the mounting plate for ease of use of the device 200.

The back plate 215 and the front plate 220 are fastened together by releasable fasteners 225 (individually labelled as 225A, 225B, 225C and 225D in FIG 2) which may be of the same kind as described in relation to FIG 1. The front plate 220 may be constructed from the same materials as described in relation to FIG 1. However, although polymeric materials such as those discussed in relation to FIG 1 may be suitable for construction of the back plate 215 it is preferred that this be constructed from stronger more durable materials such as steel and other suitable metals or metal alloys.

The back plate 215 and the front plate 220 have an aligned cut out region or slot 230 which has an open end 235 a closed end 240. In exactly the same manner as described for the device 100 shown in FIG 1 , the slot 230 expands upon approaching the open end 235 and is substantially V- shaped in appearance. The side walls defining the slot 230 are formed by a combination of the back 215 and front 220 plates. Although substantially V- shaped it can be seen that the slot 230 is formed from a first side wall 245 which is substantially vertical, in the orientation shown, and a second side wall 250 which is inclined, in the orientation shown. The first and second side walls, 245 and 250, converge to form the closed end 240 of the slot 230.

Thus it will be appreciated that, mounting plate and handle/connecting region aside, the configurations between device 100 and device 200 for the front and back plates, the slot, sidewalls and blades are essentially the same and so all comments in relation to these elements made for one embodiment apply to the other embodiment, mutatis mutandis.

In making reference to the further features of FIG 2 it is useful to, at the same time, consider FIG 3 which is an exploded view of the components of the livestock tail hair removal device 200 shown in FIG 2. A first cutting blade 255 is located between the back 215 and front

220 plates and extends into the slot 230 from the substantially vertical first side wall 245 and its cutting edge is parallel to that wall 245. A second cutting blade 260 is located between the back 215 and front 220 plates and extends into the slot 230 from the inclined second side wall 250 and its cutting edge is parallel to that wall 250. This results in the same arrangement of blades as described for FIG 1 and the cutting blades, 255 and 260, may be of the same type as described in relation to that embodiment.

The device 200 can also be seen to be provided with a flip bar or gate 270 which is pivotably connected to the back plate 215 by a fastener 275. The gate 270 acts as a safeguard to prevent a hand from entering into the slot 230 accidentally and coming into contact with the cutting blades, 255 and 260. Thus, the gate 270 must be lifted before an animal's tail can be cut. It will only require raising by a relatively small distance and so it will fall back into place under its own weight. In FIG 3, the gate 270 is shown to comprise a first end 280 having a first cut away region 285 and a second end 290 having a second cut away region 295. The first cut away region 285 passes right through the body of the gate 270 and allows a portion of the back plate 215, adjacent the mounting plate 205, to be received therein. The second cut away region 295 likewise passes through the body of the gate 270 and allows a different portion of the back plate 215, adjacent an end of the second cutting blade 260 in proximity to the open end 235 of the slot 230, as well as a corresponding portion of the front plate 220 to be received therein to effectively close in the slot 230. The pivotable gate 270 is, in this manner, adapted to sit above the open end of the slot 230 and limit entry thereto. A gate aperture 300 is provided in the first end 280 of the gate 270 to allow for the passage of the fastener 275 therethrough and through aligned back plate aperture 305 to thereby pivotably fasten the gate 270 to the back plate 215.

FIG 3, particularly, shows the placement of the cutting blades, 255 and 260, and the manner in which they may be removed and replaced with new ones. The following description applies equally well to the hand held embodiment shown in FIG 1.

To remove a worn set of cutting blades the releasable fasteners 225A- D are loosened and removed to allow the front plate 220 to be lifted away to reveal the first cutting blade 255 and the second cutting blade 260. When the old blades are removed they are replaced with a new first cutting blade 255 which is provided with a first blade aperture 310 which receives a screw or like fastener which is ultimately a component of the releasable fastener 225B. In a similar manner, the replacement second cutting blade 260 is provided with a second blade aperture 315 to receive a screw or bolt which is ultimately one component of the releasable fastener 225A. Thus the first cutting blade 255 and the second cutting blade 260 are held in place at their upper extents, adjacent the open end of the slot 230.

The lower extent of the first cutting blade 255 and the second cutting blade 260 are prevented from moving outwardly, away from the interior of the slot 230, by virtue of their outer, non-cutting edge abutting against the screws, bolts or the like which form part of the releasable fasteners 225D and 225C, respectively. Once the cutting blades, 255 and 260, have been located appropriately then it is simply a matter of locating the front plate 220 over the back plate 216 such that the cutting blades, 255 and 260, are located therebetween and securing the releasable fasteners 225A-D by hand.

In use, the cutting action of the device 200 is similar to that of the device 100 shown in FIG 1 , but the actions to place the animal's tail in the slot 230 for cutting are slightly different. The device 200 may be affixed to a cattle crush such that it projects out at right angles thereto. The operator will grab the tail of the animal within the crush holding the end of the tail with one hand and an area of the tail above the cutting point with the other hand. The portion of the animal's tail between the operator's hands may then be run upwardly along an outer edge 320 of the body of the device 200 until this results in the gate 270 being lifted by the animal's tail to the extent that the tail can enter the slot 230 while being held perpendicular to the cutting edges of the cutting blades, 255 and 260. The area of the tail at which the cut is to be made is then run down the slot 230 from the open end 235 to the closed end 240 and thus along the cutting edges of the cutting blades, 255 and 260, as previously described in relation to FIG 1 to provide a clean and even cut in the tail hair with a minimum of effort on the part of the operator.

The fixed device 200 is particularly useful when located on a structure such as a cattle crush where many animals will need to be processed. An advantage is that the device 200 does not need to be touched at any point by the operator's hands or body and so both hands are free to securely grip the animals tail and effect the cutting action with a minimum of manipulation and therefore operator time and effort.

It will be appreciated that the present invention provides for a livestock tail hair removal device which has an improved safety profile for the operator. Efficient and clean cutting of an animal's tail is achieved by the provision of two blades cutting simultaneously from different regions of the tail. The two blades converge such that deeper cutting is achieved simply by passing the tail down the extent of the blades. The blades are wholly contained within a border of the body of the device with the only opening being the entry point into the slot. In the hand held embodiment this entry point is partly occluded by a protrusion to greatly reduce the risk of accidental entry of an operator's hand into the slot. In the fixed embodiment this entry point is completely occluded, in a vertical position, by the provision of a gate.

The design of the inventive device avoids the use of extending or exposed blades or points near an operator's body to provide a safer mode of operation and reduces the need for physical exertion to achieve the required cut to lessen the risk of repetitive strain injuries.

Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the preferred embodiments of the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. It will therefore be appreciated by those of skill in the art that, in light of the instant disclosure, various modifications and changes can be made in the particular embodiments exemplified without departing from the scope of the present invention. The various features and embodiments of the present invention, referred to in individual sections above apply, as appropriate, to other sections, mutatis mutandis. Consequently, features specified in one section may be combined with features specified in other sections as appropriate.