AU2014200696B2 - A multipart animal ear tag - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract The present invention is in the field of animal identification tags. More particularly, the invention relates to An animal identification ear tag including a panel and an attachment device configured to attach the panel to an animal's ear, wherein the panel is formed from at least two layers of material and includes a plurality of 10 chambers defined by the at least two layers of material and bordering seams that fuse the at least two layers of material together. N.l Figure 2

Description

The present invention is in the field of animal identification tags. More particularly, the invention relates to An animal identification ear tag including a panel and an attachment device configured to attach the panel to an animal's ear, wherein the panel is formed from at least two layers of material and includes a plurality of 10 chambers defined by the at least two layers of material and bordering seams that fuse the at least two layers of material together.

2014200696 10 Feb 2014

Figure 2

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A MULTIPART ANIMAL EAR TAG

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of animal identification tags. More particularly, the invention relates to animal ear tags and reflective animal ear tags.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Animal identification is an important part of modern farming as it allows better management of livestock. A common method for identifying animals is an ear tag. Typically, existing ear tags are made of plastic and include identification in the form of a printed number, barcode or embedded electronic device. Ear tags may be formed with a male component that is configured to penetrate the animal’s ear and be held securely in place by a corresponding female component.

In some circumstances it may be desirable to have a panel included in the ear tag. Typically panels are formed together with either the male component or female component. This may make manufacturing the panel overly complex and can make replacement expensive.

It may also be desirable to improve the visibility of tagged animals by attaching a reflective element to the animal. However, a common problem with such reflective elements is that they may be damaged or worn away by normal activity of the animal. Reflective elements may be added to ear tags; however such reflective elements may make the ear tag unduly complex and expensive to manufacture.

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It is an object of the invention to provide an improved animal ear tag or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one exemplary embodiment there is provided an animal identification ear tag including a panel and an attachment device configured to attach the panel to an animal’s ear, wherein the panel is formed from at least two layers of material and includes a plurality of chambers defined by the at least two layers of material and bordering seams that fuse the at least two layers of material together, and wherein the panel is formed from a mosaic of the plurality of chambers, with adjacent chambers sharing part of their bordering seams wherein the panel is configured to have reflective properties.

According to another exemplary embodiment there is provided a reflective animal ear tag comprising a male element configured to pass through an animal’s ear, a female element configured to receive the male element to secure the ear tag to the animal’s ear, an identification element, and a reflective panel including an aperture enabling the reflective panel to hang from the male element or female element wherein the reflective panel hangs freely from the male element or female element.

According to a further exemplary embodiment, there is provided a reflective animal ear tag comprising a pin configured to pass through an animal’s ear, a securing element configured to secure the ear tag to the animal’s ear, an identification element, and a reflective panel including an aperture enabling the reflective panel to hang from the pin or the securing element wherein the reflective panel hangs freely from the pin or female element.

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According to yet another embodiment there is provided a reflective animal ear tag comprising a pin configured to pass through an animal’s ear, a securing element configured to secure the ear tag to the animal’s ear, and a reflective panel adapted to attach to the pin or the securing element wherein the reflective panel hangs freely from the pin or securing element.

It is acknowledged that the terms “comprise”, “comprises” and “comprising” may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, these terms are intended to have an inclusive meaning - i.e. they will be taken to mean an inclusion of the listed components which the use directly references, and possibly also of other non-specified components or elements.

Reference to any prior art in this specification does not constitute an admission that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3 shows a front view of an animal identification ear tag;

shows an exploded view of the animal identification ear tag of Figure 1;

shows a cross-section of an animal identification ear tag;

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Figure 4a shows an exploded view of an animal identification ear tag;

Figure 4b shows a side-view of an attachment device of the animal identification ear tag of Figure 4a;

Figure 4c shows a complete view of the animal identification ear tag of Figure 4a;

Figure 5 shows a front view of a panel; and

Figures 6a-7 shows cross-sections through line A-A of the panel of Figure 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows an animal identification ear tag 1. The ear tag includes a panel 2 and an attachment device 3. The attachment device is configured to attach the panel to an animal’s ear 4. Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the same ear tag 1. The ear tag includes a pin or male element 5, a securing element (being a female element) 6, an identification element 7 and a panel 2.

The male element 5 is configured to pass through an animal’s ear 4 and couple with the female element 6, thus securing the ear tag to the animal’s ear. In one embodiment, the male element may be configured with a shoulder 8 that engages with a locking flange 9 on the female element so that the male element can establish a snap fit with the female element.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many possible mechanisms that enable the male element and female element to couple together and the invention is not limited in this respect. The female element and male element may be made of moulded plastic or some other material.

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The female element 6 and male element 5 are shown in Figure 2 as two distinct objects; however it is also consistent with the invention for the male element and female element to be connected in some way. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the male element 10 and female element 11 may be incorporated into the ends of a single moulded piece 12 that can fold around the outside of the animal’s ear 4 to bring the male element and female element into a coupling position.

Figure 2 shows an identification element 7. This identification element may be an identification panel 13 connected to the male element 5. The identification panel may alternatively be connected to the female element. The identification panel provides a space for identification markings. Such markings may be applied with printed ink, laser or any other suitable means. The markings may be text, numbers or barcodes, bearing information relevant to the animal.

In another embodiment, the identification element may be an electronic identification system such as RFID. The RFID system may be UHF or low frequency technology. The components for the electronic identification may be incorporated into some part of the ear tag and may not be outwardly visible. For example, an RFID circuit and antenna may be housed inside an identification panel 13 such as the one shown in Figure 2. In another example, an RFID circuit and antenna 14 may be housed inside the male element 10, as shown in Figure 3. In a further embodiment, the RFID circuit and antennae may also be embedded within the panel 2.Those skilled in the art will appreciate how electronic identification systems may be adapted for animal identification purposes, and the invention is not limited in this respect.

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Returning to Figure 1, there is also shown a panel 2 (that is distinct from the identification panel 13). The panel may be any suitable shape including trapezoidal, circular or triangular. In preferred embodiments, the panel is reflective. The panel may be reflective from a front surface 15 or a back surface (not shown) or both. The panel may be made from a reflective material, or the panel may have a reflective element attached to it. In one embodiment, the panel is made from a flexible material such as plastic or vinyl. The reflective material or reflective element may be retroreflective. The panel may include printed information media (including an identification marking). The printed media may be printed by way of inkjet printing, laser printing, hot foil printing or any other suitable printing method.

Referring to Figure 2, the panel 2 includes an aperture 16 such that the panel may be hung from the male element 5. In Figure 2, the male element is shown to pass through the panel then the animal’s ear 4, and then secure with the female element 6. It may also be possible to have a different ordering, for example the male element may pass through the animal’s ear and then the panel, and then secure with the female element.

Where the male element includes a shoulder 8, the aperture should be sufficiently large that the shoulder can pass through the aperture. The panel’s aperture may be such that it is able to swing freely on the male element. This may improve the durability of the panel since it can swing free (for example, when the animal rubs against a fence or the like). In another embodiment, the panel’s aperture may be such that is not able to swing freely on the male element. For example, the male element and aperture may have corresponding polygonal cross-sections that fix the panel and male element in relation to each other. In another embodiment, the female element or male element may include a further protrusion upon which the panel may be hung. Such a protrusion may allow the panel to

2014200696 11 Apr 2018 be removed or attached to the male element or female element, without having to remove the male element from the animal’s ear.

Figure 4a shows an exploded view of another embodiment of an animal identification ear tag 27. The ear tag includes a panel 28 and an attachment device 29. The attachment device is configured to attach the panel to an animal’s ear 30. The attachment device includes a pin 31 and, a securing element (being a bending element) 32, and may also include an identification element 33. The panel and identification element may have some of the same features as the panel and identification element that were described above in respect of the ear tag of Figures 1-3.

The pin 31 is configured to be able to pass through an aperture in the panel 35 and an animal’s ear 30. Figure 4b shows how the bending element 32 is disposed at a point along the length of the pin. The bending element enables the pin to bend from a bent position (as shown by the solid line) to a straight position (as shown by the dotted line). When the pin is in the straight position it can be inserted into and pass through the animal’s ear (and panel). Once through the animal’s ear, the returns to the bent position, with the bend ensuring the pin is secured to the animal’s ear. The pin may also include a securing flange 34 that sits behind the animal’s ear (as shown in Figure 4c), further securing the ear tag to the animal’s ear.

Where the pin is made of a moulded plastic, the bending element may rely on the flexibility of the plastic used for the male element. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that bending element should be such that the pin can be put in both the straight and bent positions, whilst being sturdy enough to retain the ear tag behind the animal’s ear. The bending element may also be a more flexible part placed along the length of the pin or the bending element may be a suitable hinge mechanism.

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Though the embodiments described above show the panel hanging from the attachment device (for example, from the male element), the panel may also be attached to the attachment device in some other means. For example, it may be possible to affix the panel to the female element using any suitable means such as adhesive or a clip.

Figure 5 shows a pane! 2 that may be attached to an animal’s ear. The panel includes an aperture 16 that enables the panel to be attached to an animal’s ear as described above. The panel also includes an arrangement of chambers 17. The chambers are bounded by bordering seams 18. Chambers share a part of their bordering seams with adjacent chambers. The bordering seams at the periphery of the panel define the edge of the panel. As will be explained in more detail below, the panel is formed from two or more layers or material, which are sealed together to create the chambers.

Figure 6a shows a cross-section of the panel 2 of Figure 5 through line AA. The pane! is made of at least two layers of material: a front layer 19 and a back layer 20. The layers of material are joined together at the seams 18, thus defining a pocket 21. For the sake of clarity, the pocket has been shown in Figure 6a to occupy a noticeable amount of space, however it is possible that the front layer 19 and back layer 20 may be in close proximity (as shown in Figure 6b). The layers of material may be made of a flexible material, such as plastic or vinyl. The layers may be the same material or different. Where the material is plastic, the seams may be formed by a suitable heat welding process. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are other methods for fusing materials together that are dependent on the particular materials needing to be fused, and the invention is not limited in this respect.

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Figure 7 shows another embodiment of the panel of Figure 5. In this embodiment, the panel is made of three layers of material: a front layer 22, a back layer 23 and a middle layer 24. In this way, each chamber 17 has two pockets: a front pocket 25 and a back pocket 26. Again, the layers of material may be made of a flexible material, such as plastic or vinyl. The middle layer may improve the rigidity of the panel (for example, by being made of a more rigid plastic than the front layer or back layer).

The panel of Figure 5 may be reflective. The layers of material may have reflective properties. For example, in the panel of Figure 6a, the front layer 19 and/or back layer 20 may be made from a reflective plastic. If the plastic layer is reflective on one side, then this side would be on the outside of the panel. In one embodiment, both the front surface and back surface are made from a reflective plastic. In another example, in the panel of Figure 7, the front layer 22 and back layer 23 are made of a transparent plastic, while the middle layer 24 is made of a plastic that is reflective on both sides. In another embodiment, the layers may be configured to cooperate together so that the front surface or back surface of the panel is reflective.

The panel of Figure 5 may include printed information media (including an identification marking). The printed media may be printed by way of inkjet printing, laser printing, hot foil printing or any other suitable printing method.

As previously mentioned, the reflective properties may include retroreflective properties. Retroreflective surfaces reflect incident light back to the light source regardless of the angle of incidence. This is particularly beneficial in the context of livestock, where retroreflective panels may be easily discerned in low light conditions when illuminated from a light

2014200696 11 Apr 2018 source close to an observer (for example, a flash light or the headlamp of a farm vehicle).

By having multiple chambers/pockets, the panel will continue to be functional even where one of the chambers/pockets has ruptured. If a chamber/pocket is ruptured, this may permit the ingress of water and dust. This may compromise the chamber/pocket, and in particular it may damage the reflectivity. Therefore, multiple chambers/pockets provides redundancy against these types of failures - in particular, ensuring continue reflectivity.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of the embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departure from the spirit or scope of the Applicant’s general inventive concept.

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Claims (13)

1. CLAIMS:

   1. An animal identification ear tag including a panel and an attachment device configured to attach the panel to an animal’s ear, wherein the panel is formed from at least two layers of material and includes a

   5 plurality of chambers defined by the at least two layers of material and bordering seams that fuse the at least two layers of material together, and wherein the panel is formed from a mosaic of the plurality of chambers, with adjacent chambers sharing part of their bordering seams, wherein the panel is configured to have reflective

   10 properties.
2. 2. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panel has a reflective front surface and a reflective back surface.
3. 3. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflective properties are due to at least some of the at least two layers

   15 of materia! having reflective surfaces.
4. 4. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panel is configured to have retroreflective properties.
5. 5. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panel is formed from three or more layers of material.

   20
6. 6. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of the at least two layers of material are made from plastic.
7. 7. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 6, wherein the bordering seams are formed by heat welding the at least two layers of material together.

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8. 8. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panel includes an aperture enabling the panel to be hung from the attachment device.
9. 9. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachment device includes a male element configured to pass through an animal’s ear and a securing element configured to secure the ear tag to the animal’s ear.
10. 10. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 9, wherein the securing element is a bending element disposed at a point along the male element, and which can be bent so as to prevent the male element from coming out of the animal’s ear.
11. 11. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 9, wherein the securing element is a female element configured to receive the male element.
12. 12. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 9, wherein the panel includes an aperture enabling the panel to be hung from the male element of the attachment device.
13. 13. An animal identification ear tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panel is affixed to the attachment device.

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    Figure 1

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    Figure 2

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    Figure 3

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    Figure 4a

    Figure 4b

    Figure 4c

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    Figure 5

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