Identification label for marking and identifying

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an identification tag for marking and identifying, comprising: a housing having a central opening; a male punch having a disc-shaped punch body and a stem extending distally from the disc-shaped punch body, the stem having a head at a distal end configured for irreversible insertion into the central opening, where a mounting opening is formed through the punch body, where a mounting channel extends distally from the mounting opening and coaxially along the stem; the vaccination identification button is provided with a disc-shaped visual recognition body and a mounting rod extending from the disc-shaped visual recognition body to the far side, the mounting rod is configured to be irreversibly inserted into the mounting channel, and the identification label is provided with two different colors so as to provide visual recognition for animals inoculated to prevent diseases.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the Chinese invention patent application "Vaccination identification buttons and related kits and methods for electronic identification button labels to identify cattle vaccinated against brucellosis" with an application date of December 15, 2020, a priority date of December 19, 2019 and application number 202080088089.5. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to an identification label for marking and identification. Background Art

[0003] Electronic identification (EID) button tags are known in the prior art for placement on the ears of cattle. The EID button tags are configured to electronically store details associated with the cattle (e.g., an identification number or an identification alphanumeric string). The stored details can be wirelessly retrieved by an associated reader using wireless technology such as radio frequency identification (RFID). Examples of EID button tags can be found in U.S. Patent Nos. 7,726,055 and 7,854,079, which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Cattle are also marked with orange metal ear tags to indicate that the cattle have been vaccinated against brucellosis. These metal tags are plate-shaped and are supplied separately from any EID button tags. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides an identification label for marking and identifying, comprising: a shell having a central opening; a male punch having a disc-shaped punch body and a rod extending distally from the disc-shaped punch body, the rod having a head at its end, the head being configured for irreversible insertion into the central opening, wherein a mounting opening is formed through the punch body, wherein a mounting channel extends distally from the mounting opening and coaxially along the rod; a vaccination identification button having a disc-shaped visual identification body and a mounting rod extending distally from the disc-shaped visual identification body, wherein the mounting rod is configured for irreversible insertion into the mounting channel, and wherein the identification label has two different colors thereon to provide visual identification for animals being vaccinated to prevent disease.

[0006] In one aspect, there is provided herein an EID button tag for marking and identifying cattle vaccinated against brucellosis, the EID button tag comprising: a housing having a central opening; a transponder located in the housing; a male punch having a disc-shaped punch body and a rod extending distally from the disc-shaped punch body, the rod having a head at its distal end configured for irreversible insertion into the central opening, wherein a mounting opening is formed through the punch body, wherein a mounting channel extends distally from the mounting opening and coaxially along the rod; and a vaccination identification button having a disc-shaped visual identification body and a mounting rod extending distally from the disc-shaped visual identification body, wherein the mounting rod is configured for irreversible insertion into the mounting channel. The punch body is primarily colored with a first color, and the visual identification body is primarily colored with a second color, wherein the first color is different from the second color, whereby the visual identification body provides visual identification to the head of the cattle vaccinated against brucellosis. Advantageously, the EID button tag is fully capable of functioning as an EID device and provides a visual indication of vaccination against brucellosis, thereby eliminating the need to tag cattle with multiple tags.

[0007] In another aspect, a kit is provided herein, comprising an EID button label as described in the preceding paragraph, and a tubular applicator having a first open end having an inner diameter formed to closely receive the visual identification body, the mounting rod extending outward from the visual identification body, and a reduced diameter portion adjacent to the first open end to limit insertion of the visual identification body into the tubular applicator.

[0008] In another aspect, a kit is provided herein for updating an electronic identification (EID) button tag tagged to a cattle's head to identify the cattle's head as vaccinated against brucellosis, the EID button tag comprising a mounting opening having a mounting channel extending therefrom, the kit comprising: a vaccination identification button having a disc-shaped visual identification body and a mounting rod extending distally from the body, wherein the mounting rod is configured for irreversible insertion into the mounting channel; and a tubular applicator having a first open end having an inner diameter formed to tightly receive the visual identification body, the mounting rod extending outward from the visual identification body, and a reduced diameter portion adjacent to the first open end to limit insertion of the visual identification body into the tubular applicator.

[0009] In yet another aspect, a method for marking cattle to identify the cattle as vaccinated against brucellosis is provided herein, each cattle being marked with an EID button tag, the method comprising: providing a vaccination identification button having a disc-shaped visual identification body; marking the head of a cattle vaccinated against brucellosis; and securing the vaccination identification body to the EID button tag on the head of the identified cattle so that it is visually perceptible from a position along the head of the identified cattle, wherein the EID button tag is primarily colored with a first color and the visual identification body is primarily colored with a second color, wherein the first color is different from the second color.

[0010] These and other features of the present invention will be better understood through a study of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 and Figure 2 An EID button tag formed according to the present invention is shown;

[0012] Figure 3 showing a vaccination identification button formed in accordance with the present invention; and,

[0013] Figures 4 to 8 An applicator useful with the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The present invention relates to vaccination identification buttons that can be used with EID button tags to identify cattle vaccinated against brucellosis. Embodiments of EID button tags that can be used with the present invention are described herein. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention can be used with any EID button tag that conforms to the disclosure herein. The present invention can be provided in this manner as a new EID button tag ready for marking; as a kit with an applicator for installation on a new EID button tag or updating an already installed EID button tag; as a kit with an applicator for installation on a new EID button tag or updating an already installed EID button tag;

[0015] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the EID button tag is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. The EID button tag 10 generally includes a housing 12, a transponder 14 located in the housing 12, and a male punch 16. A vaccination identification button 18 is provided for mounting to the EID button tag 10. As described below, the vaccination identification button 18 can be mounted to the male punch 16 to provide a visual indication that the head of the cattle has been vaccinated against brucellosis.

[0016] The housing 12 is a disc-shaped body having a central opening 20 therethrough. The housing 12 includes at least one interior hollow chamber 22. Preferably, the housing 12 includes at least one removable portion or section to allow access to the hollow chamber 22.

[0017] The transponder 14 may be of any known type to store wirelessly retrievable information. The transponder 14 may have a receiver and / or a transmitter to facilitate the reception or transmission of wireless signals. The transponder 14 may also include an associated non-transitory memory (e.g., EEPROM) that may be readable / writable to electronically store the details of the associated cow's head. Any wireless technology such as RFID, Bluetooth, cellular, etc. may be used to access the stored information of the transponder 14.

[0018] The transponder 14 is located within the housing 12 (e.g., within the hollow chamber 22), preferably with a power source (such as a battery). The housing 12 is preferably liquid-tight to minimize the ingress of moisture into the housing 12. Any sealing means may be provided at any interface between components or portions of the housing 12 to prevent the ingress of moisture.

[0019] The male punch 16 includes a disc-shaped punch body 24 and a rod 26 extending distally from the disc-shaped punch body. The rod 26 includes a head 28 at its end 30, which is configured to be irreversibly inserted into the central opening 20 of the housing 12. The housing 12 may include ribs or other inwardly protruding elements around the central opening 20, which can be bypassed by the head 28 during insertion, but limit reverse movement due to interference. In addition, or alternatively, the central opening 20 can be defined by a frustoconical wall 31 that converges distally to a reduced diameter end 33. The head 28 can be inserted through the central opening 20, and the reduced diameter distal end 33 of the central opening 20 is used to limit reverse movement. As shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the head 28 may have a tapered shape, terminating at the proximal end in an annular shoulder 32. The interengagement of the shoulder 32 against the ribs or protruding elements around the central opening 20 and / or against the reduced diameter distal end 33 of the central opening 20 may serve to limit reverse movement of the rod 26 relative to the housing 12.

[0020] like Figure 2 As shown, preferably, a gap is defined between the punch body 24 and the housing 12, and the rod 26 is irreversibly inserted into the central opening 20. The gap is used to receive the ear of the head of the cattle. In order to install the EID button tag 10 on the head of the cattle, a hole is punched through the ear of the animal. With the head 28 guided, the rod 26 is inserted through the perforation and into the central opening 20 of the housing 12. The mutual engagement of the rod 26 and the housing 12 holds the EID button tag 10 on the animal's ear while the punch body 24 and the housing 12 are located on opposite sides of the animal's ear.

[0021] A mounting opening 34 is formed through the punch body 24, and a mounting passage 36 extends distally from the mounting opening 34 and coaxially along the stem 26. The mounting passage 36 may be formed to receive an applicator pin of a manually operated marker such as sold under the name "Universal Total Tagger" by Allflex USA, Inc. of Dallas, Texas.

[0022] The vaccination identification button 18 includes a disc-shaped visual identification body 38 and a mounting rod 40 extending distally from the body. The mounting rod 40 is configured to be inserted into the mounting channel 36, preferably configured to be irreversibly inserted into the mounting channel 36. Figure 2 The vaccination identification button 18 is shown mounted on the punch body 24, with the mounting post 40 received in the mounting channel 36. Removal of the vaccination identification button 18 from the punch body 24 is limited by the irreversible insertion.

[0023] Mounting the vaccination identification button 18 to the punch body 24 provides a visual indication that the cow's head has been vaccinated against brucellosis. Thus, a cow's head marked with an EID button tag 10 can be updated with the vaccination identification button 18 to indicate vaccination against brucellosis, eliminating the need for separate marking.

[0024] In order to enhance the visual perception of the vaccination identification button 18, the punch body 24 can be primarily colored with a first color, and the visual identification body 38 can be primarily colored with a second color that is different from the first color. The first color and / or the second color can be any basic color of the color spectrum, including but not limited to: black, white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple. The first color and / or the second color can also be any color that is a combination of basic colors of the color spectrum, such as brown, tan, gray, silver, etc. In addition, the first color and the second color can be the same basic color, or a combination of basic colors, but with different chromaticities, particularly visually distinguishable chromaticities, such as dark blue versus light blue.

[0025] The second color may be orange, which provides an identifiable color for the visual identification body 38 based on the orange label of the prior art, indicating brucellosis vaccination. The first color may be white or yellow to provide a contrast with the second color orange.

[0026] As used herein, reference to "primary coloration" means that the coloration covers at least a majority of the relevant surface. Other colorations may be present. For example, the visual identification body 38 may be primarily colored orange with a second color, with black text or other indicia also disposed on the visual identification body 38 providing additional information. Similarly, indicia may be provided on the punch body 24 that is a different hue than the first color that is the primary hue.

[0027] Mounting the visual identification body 38 to the punch body 24 allows visual perception by an observer positioned along the head of a cow to determine whether the animal has been vaccinated against brucellosis. Since the outwardly facing surfaces of the punch body 24 and the visual identification body 38 are visible, a forward or rearward facing arrangement on the ear of the animal is permitted.

[0028] refer to Figure 3 , the mounting rod 40 of the vaccination identification button 18 can be provided with at least one protruding rib 42. The at least one protruding rib 42 can extend circumferentially around the mounting rod 40. In addition, the at least one protruding rib 42 can be in the shape of a Belleville-washer, extending from the inner edge 44 that constrains the mounting rod 40 to the outer free edge 46 from the proximal side. A tapered end 48 can be provided at the distal end 50 of the mounting rod 40. A plurality of ribs 42 can be located proximal to the tapered end 48 along the mounting rod 40. The at least one protruding rib 42 and / or the tapered end 48 can be formed with a sufficient diameter to interferingly engage the wall of the mounting channel 36, thereby providing resistance to removal of the vaccination identification button 18 once installed on the male punch 16. The tapered shape of the at least one protruding rib 42 and the tapered end 48 provides additional resistance to reverse movement.

[0029] The housing 12, male punch 16 and vaccination identification button 18 are preferably all formed of a polymer material and are rugged enough to withstand use on cattle in harsh environmental conditions.

[0030] To facilitate installation of the vaccination identification button 18 onto the male punch 16, a tubular applicator 52 may be used, such as Figures 4 to 8 The tubular applicator 52 includes a first open end 54 having an inner diameter formed to closely receive the visual identification body 38, and the mounting rod 40 extends outwardly from the visual identification body 38, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 The reduced diameter portion 56 is located near the first open end 54, which is formed to limit the insertion of the visual identification body 38 into the tubular applicator 52. Figure 5 As shown, with the visual identification body 38 received in the first open end 54 , the tubular applicator 52 may be used as a handle for manipulating the vaccination identification button 18 , and in particular, for mounting the vaccination identification button 18 onto the male punch 16 .

[0031] In use, the present invention can be used to mark cattle to identify cattle that have been vaccinated against brucellosis. Each cattle is marked with an EID button tag, which can be formed according to the above-mentioned EID button tag 10, or have a different design. For the head of a cattle that is identified as vaccinated against brucellosis, a vaccination identification button 18 can be fixed to the EID button tag of the head of the identified cattle so as to be visually perceptible from a position along the head of the identified cattle. As described above, the EID button tag can be primarily colored with a first color, and the visual identification body 38 of the vaccination identification button 18 can be primarily colored with a second color different from the first color.

[0032] Alternatively, electronic identification (EID) button tags tagged to the heads of cattle can be used to identify the heads of cattle being vaccinated against various diseases. Non-limiting examples are Akabane disease, Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis 0), African swine fever, Bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis), Bluetongue (serotype 8), Brucellosis (Brucella abortus), Brucellosis (Brucella melitensis), Brucellosis (Brucella suis), Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Chronic wasting disease, Classical swine fever, Coronavirus, Epidemic hemorrhagic disease, Bluetongue (serotypes other than 8), Echinococcosis / Echinococcosis (Echinococcosis granulosis, Echinococcus multilocularis), Paratuberculosis (paratuberculous enteritis) (Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis), Queensland fever (Coxiella burnetii burnetii), tularemia (Francisella tularensis), foot-and-mouth disease, glanders (Burkholderia mallei), heartwater disease (Cowdria ruminantium), Japanese encephalitis, melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei), screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax), cone flies (Chrysomya bezziana), pseudorabies (Oyeziki's disease), rabies, Rift Valley fever, rinderpest, scrapie, sura (Trypanosoma evansi), trichomoniasis (Tritrichomonas foetus), trichinosis (Trichinella spp.), and vesicular stomatitis. Additionally, the EID button can be used as a visual identification for any future emerging viruses / diseases identified by the USDA or other government agencies.

Claims

1. An identification label for marking and identification, comprising: a housing having a central opening; a male punch having a disc-shaped punch body and a shaft extending distally from the disc-shaped punch body, the shaft having a head at a distal end of the shaft, the head being configured for irreversible insertion into the central opening, wherein a mounting opening is formed through the punch body, wherein a mounting channel extends distally from the mounting opening and coaxially along the shaft; A vaccination identification button having a disc-shaped visual identification body and a mounting rod extending distally from the disc-shaped visual identification body, wherein the mounting rod is configured for irreversible insertion into the mounting channel, and The identification tag has two different colors to provide visual identification for animals being vaccinated to prevent disease.

2. The identification tag of claim 1 further comprising a transponder located in the housing.

3. The identification label according to claim 1, wherein: The first color and the second color are different basic colors or a combination thereof.

4. The identification label according to claim 1, wherein: The first color and the second color are different shades of the same basic color or a combination thereof.

5. The identification label according to claim 1, wherein: The second color is orange.

6. The identification label according to claim 1, wherein: The mounting bar includes at least one protruding rib.

7. The identification label according to claim 6, wherein: The at least one protruding rib extends circumferentially around the mounting rod.

8. The identification label according to claim 6, wherein: The at least one protruding rib is in the shape of a Belleville washer extending proximally from an inner edge constraining the mounting rod to an outer free edge.

9. The identification label according to claim 6, wherein: The mounting rod terminates at a distal end in a tapered end portion, and wherein a plurality of protruding ribs are located along the mounting rod proximal to the tapered end portion.

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