US3757781A

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Publication number: US3757781A
Application number: US00181533A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Smart
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-09-17
Filing date: 1971-09-17
Publication date: 1973-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 1990-09-11

Abstract

An elongated hollow sleeve having a split sleeve member constructed of resilient material telescoped over one end thereof and including a plunger insertable in the other end of the sleeve. The other end of the sleeve and the plunger include coacting portions for support of the tool in one hand and manipulation of the plunger for projecting the latter through the sleeve and into the sleeve member whereby a tablet or capsule frictionally supported within the split sleeve member may be ejected therefrom by the plunger when the tool has been positioned with the split sleeve member disposed in the back of the mouth of an animal to which a medicant is to be administered. In addition, the tool further includes a squeeze bulb removably engageable with the end of the sleeve remote from the sleeve member after removal of the plunger in order that the tool may also be used in the manner of an eye dropper for administering liquid medicants.

Description

United States Patent 1 1 Smart [451 Sept. 11, 1973 1 1 TOOL FOR ADMINISTERING PILLS TO ANIMALS [76] lnventor: Ray F. Smart, PO. Box 686, Boerne,

[51] Int. Cl. A6ld 7/00, A61m 31/00 [58] Field of Search 128/264, 217, 231, 128/261, 260, 265, 263, 221, 271,127,130; 221/268 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,650,593 9/1953 Weil et a1. i 128/264 2,098,106 11/1937 Pieck 128/231 2,120,367 6/1938 Lewis.... 128/261 2,513,014 6/1950 Fields... 128/217 1,936,437 11/1933 Peters 128/264 2,180,063 11/1939 McKinley 128/231 1,538,679 5/1925 Blinn 128/264 1,789,766 1/1931 Muir 128/217 3,506,008 4/1970 Huck 128/261 3,392,725 7/1968 Behney 128/261 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 522,404 4/1931 Germany 128/217 509,423 6/1955 ltaly 128/265 Germany 128/264 France 128/264 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner.l. C. McGowan AttorneyClarence A. OBrien and Harvey B.

Jacobson 1 1 ABSTRACT An elongated hollow sleeve having a split sleeve member constructed of resilient material telescoped over one end thereof and including a plunger insertable in the other end of the sleeve. The other end of the sleeve and the plunger include coacting portions for support of the tool in one hand and manipulation of the plunger for projecting the latter through the sleeve and into the sleeve member whereby a tablet or capsule frictionally supported within the split sleeve member may be ejected therefrom by the plunger when the tool has been positioned with the split sleeve member disposed in the back of the mouth of an animal to which a medicant is to be administered. ln addition, the tool further includes a squeeze bulb removably engageable with the 1 end of the sleeve remote from the sleeve member after 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures TOOL FOR ADMINISTERING PILLS T ANIMALS The tool of the instant invention has been primarily designed for administering liquid as well as tablet and capsule medicants to felines. It is very difficult to administer oral medicants to cats. In most cases when capsule or tablet medicants are to be administered the tablet or capsule must be placed in the back of the cat's mouth with the fingers. This of course presents one or more of the fingers of the person administering the medicants in full exposure to the fangs of the cat which can result in those fingers being bitten. In addition, placement of the hands of the person administering medicants to felines closely adjacent to the head of the feline also presents the hand in eacy reach of the front claws of the feline.

It is accordingly the main object of this invention to provide a tool for administering medicants to felines with the tool constructed and operational in a manner whereby the person administering the medicants may maintain their hands out of reach of the fangs or front claws of the felines.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tool whereby capsule and tablet medicants may be more efficiently placed in the back of the mouth of a cat so as to ensure that the cat will not repeatedly spit out the medicant being administered.

Another object of the present invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object,is to provide an elongated medicant administering tool including a soft tip for insertion into the back of the mouth of the feline having medicants administered thereto whereby there will be little chance of injury to the feline.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a tool in accordance with the preceding objects that may be readily dismantled for cleaning and sterilizing.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a tool including structural and operational features enabling the tools to be utilized by untrained personnel as well as professionals.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a medicant administering tool specifically designed for use in conjunction with felines and which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device thatwill be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tool in its form for administering capsule and tablet medicants;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing-through the longitudinal center line of the tool;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view comprising an enlargement of the left hand portion of FIG. 2 and with a tablet supported within the split sleeve portion of the tool and the plunger of the tool disposed immediately adjacent to the tablet for expelling the latter from the split sleeve tool portion;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a squeeze bulb attachment for the tool for adapting the latter to administer 2 liquid medicants upon removal of the plunger and the split sleeve portion of the tool;

And FIG. 5 is a side elevatiorial view of the tool with the squeeze bulb attachment applied thereto, portions of the main sleeve body of the tool being broken away and illustrated in vertical section.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings thenumeral 10 generally designates the animal pill adrninistering tool of the instant invention. Thetool 10 includes an elongatedtubular body 12 including first andsecond ends 14 and I6 and provided with alongitudinal bore 18. Thebore 18 extends through thebody 12 and is of substantially constant diameter, except in thefirst end 14 of thebody 12 wherein the bore is slightly tapered as at 20.

Thesecond end 16 of thebody 12 includes a circumferentially extending and slightly radially outwardly projecting retainingflange 22 and also a considerably diametrically enlargedportion 24 spaced slightly toward thefirst end 14 from theretaining flange 22. The diametrically enlargedportion 24 includes a wide and relatively deep circumferentially extendingsemicircular groove 26.

Anelongated plunger 28 is reciprocal through thebore 18 and includes a diametrically enlargedhead 30 on its end projecting outwardly of thesecond end 16 of thebody 12. Thehead 30 is circular in cross sectional shape and the end of theplunger 28 remote from thehead 30 includes a diametrically reducedterminal end 32 for reciprocation through the tapered end of thebore 18 formed in the first end of thebody 12.

A resilient and slightly radiallyexpandable sleeve 34 is provided and has afirst end 36 thereof telescoped over and frictionally retained on theend 14 of thebody 12. The second orother end 38 of thesleeve 34 is provided with circumferentialiy spaced and longitudinally extendingtapered slots 40 which render thesecond end 38 of thesleeve 34 more readily expandable than theend 36 of thesleeve 34. Theslots 40 taper in width inwardly of the terminal end of thesecond end 38 of thesleeve 34 and it may be seen from FIG. 3 of the drawings that a pill orcapsule 42 may be frictionally seated between theresilient fingers 44 defined betweenadjacent slots 40.

In operation, with the pill orcapsule 42 frictionally retained between thefingers 44 and theplunger 28 withdrawn to the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings, a person wishing to administer the pill or capsule to an animal such as a feline may project thefirst end 14 of thebody 12 into the mouth of the animal with the resilient slotted end of thesleeve 34 disposed in the back of the animals mouth.

In manipulating thetool 10, the first and second fingers of the hand holding the tool are seated in diametrically opposite portions of thegroove 26 in order to firmly support thetool 10 from the hand. Then, firm pressure is applied to thehead 30 to advance theplunger 28 to the left as viewed in FIG. 2 of the drawings whereby the diametrically reducedterminal end 32 of theplunger 28 will forcibly eject the pill or capsule from the slotted end of thesleeve 34.

By this manner of administering a pill or capsule to a feline, the hand holding thetool 10 is positioned outwardly of the front of the mouth of the feline and out of reach of the claws carried by the front legs of the feline. Therefore, there is little likelihood of the person administering the pill orcapsule 42 being bitten or scratched by the feline.

With attention now invited more specifically to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings, there may be seen a resilient squeeze bulb referred to in general by thereference numeral 50. Thesqueeze bulb 50 is closed at oneend 52 and open at itsother end 54. In addition, the other end of thesqueeze bulb 50 is provided with a radially outwardly projecting and circumferentially extending reinforcingrib 56 whereby theopen end 54 of thesqueeze bulb 50 may be slightly expanded over theend 16 of thebody 12 with theflange 56 disposed inwardly of theretaining flange 22. In this manner, even though thefirst end 52 of thesqueeze bulb 50 is squeezed, thebulb 50 will be frictionally retained on theend 16 of thebody 12 in fluid tight engagement therewith.

Thebody 12 is constructed of transparent material such as plastic and has longitudinally spacedindicia 58 thereon adjacent thefirst end 14. Accordingly, by removal of theplunger 28 and the application of thesqueeze bulb 50 on theend 16 of thebody 12, the tool may be utilized in the manner of an eye dropper whereby measured portions of liquid medicants may be administered to felines.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A straight elongated tubular body having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, an elongated resilient and slightly radially expandable sleeve, a first end portion of said sleeve being slightly expanded and removably telescoped over one end of said body, the other end portion of said sleeve having circumferentially spaced endwise outwardly opening longitudinally extending radial slots formed therein and projecting endwise outwardly from said one end of said tubular body, a straight elongated plunger having a diametrically enlarged head on one end, the other end of said plunger being removably slidingly telescoped into said bore from said other end of said body and projectable through said bore from said one end of said body into the interior of said other end portion of said sleeve, the length of said plunger, from said other end thereof to said diametrically enlarged portion thereof being generally equal to the length of said body plus the length of the endwise outwardly projecting other end portion of said sleeve, the other end of said body being provided with a radially outwardly projecting circumferentially extending enlargement spaced from the corresponding terminal end of said body and provided with a circumferential groove generally semicircular in cross-sectional shape, the radius of curvature of said groove being such to enable the adjacent sides of the first and second fingers of the user of the tool to be seatingly received in diametrically opposite portions of the groove, the end portion of said bore opening through said one end of said body tapering at least slightly toward its open end, the end of said elongated plunger disposed in said one end of said body being diametrically reduced throughout a longitudinal extent of said plunger greater than the longitudinal extent of the tapering portion of said bore and reciprocal through said tapered portion.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said body is constructed of transparent material and said one end of said body includes longitudinally spaced indicia.