A device for holding an animal's head

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a device for holding an animal's head. The device comprises a bracket configured for attachment proximal to a head receiving portion of an animal restraint, a clutch mechanism pivotally mounted to the bracket and defining a pivot point for the device, and an arm mounted to the clutch mechanism intermediate first and second arm end portions. A cradle for receiving the animal's head is located at the first end portion of the arm and the second end portion of the arm comprises a handle. The clutch mechanism is configured to rotate freely in a first direction and to rotate in the opposite direction only upon release of a clutch locking mechanism. The device is attached to the animal restraint and, upon a user utilizing the handle to rotate the device, the cradle is caused to cup the underside of the head of a restrained animal and hold the animal's head in a desired location.

Description

[0001]A DEVICE FOR HOLDING AN ANIMAL'S HEAD Technical Field The present technology relates to a device for holding an animal's head. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a device capable of securely holding a ruminant's head in a specific orientation and / or position. Background Many animals, but particularly livestock such as cattle, are often required to undergo health checks, veterinary procedures and other procedures in order to improve or sustain their health and growth. Commonly, because health checks or procedures require some type of brief yet unpleasant interaction, it is common to restrain an animal before undertaking any procedure. In the case of cattle, a crush is a piece of equipment essential to cattle farmers as it constrains the animal to enable routine operations while maintaining animal and handler safety. At its simplest, a crush is a cage or stall which is sized to hold an animal securely. There are various types of crush available, which are commonly termed "vet crush", "vet crush with squeeze", "vetless crush" and "vetless crush with squeeze". The vet crushes include a separate section for veterinary procedures, while the vetless crushes do not. The squeeze is an additional restraining mechanism commonly found in crushes that allows the movement of one or two side panels of the stall towards the animal to make the stall smaller and therefore further restrict the animal's movements. Most crushes include a headbail (sometimes called a head yoke - an opening through which an animal's head protrudes when they are in the crush and which is openable and closeable by a handler who leads the animal into the crush) and access gates to allow the animal to enter and exit the crush. Additional features can be included based on the main operations required (e.g., devices for ear tagging, pregnancy testing, vaccinating and weighing). Most headbails allow width adjustability to fit animals of different sizes by relying on locks that can be operated manually, hydraulically or pneumatically. The process of restraining a cow's head in the crush requires a series of steps, usually beginning with a headbail located at the front end of the crush that works as an initial immobilisation of the animal. Use of a headbail alone is not enough as the animal can still move its head and might need to be further controlled, so a second step of restraining the animal's head is often required. A number of different head restraints can be used to immobilise and control cattle when they are in a crush. However, even the newest and more technologically advanced options usually encourage forced immobilisation rather than working with the animal's instincts. Halters, for example, are widely used and are made of rope or some other strong yet flexible material. Halters are designed to fit the animal's head by having a larger loop that is placed over the ears of the animal, a fixed part which sits over the nose and a smaller loop which goes below the chin. The loops can then be tightened for size adjustability. The halter is attached to a rope, and the free end of the rope is usually attached to the side of the crush. However, even though rope halters are widely used to restrain cattle, they typically do not provide enough control of the animal's head and are likely to cause injuries as the animal may try to force removal of the restraint. Other examples of additional head restraints include head clamps, head tables, head scoops, chin bars, chains, and neck extenders. Each of these types of head restraints have advantages and disadvantages but all of them present some level of safety risk to either the animal, the handler, or both. It is with at least some of these issues in mind that the present invention has been developed. Summary of the Technology In a first aspect, the present invention provides a device for holding an animal's head, the device comprising: a bracket configured for attachment proximal to a head receiving portion of an animal restraint; a clutch mechanism pivotally mounted to the bracket and defining a pivot point for the device, wherein the clutch mechanism is configured to rotate freely in a first direction and to rotate in the opposite direction only upon release of a clutch locking mechanism; and an arm mounted to the clutch mechanism intermediate first and second end portions, wherein a cradle for receiving the animal’s head is located at the first end portion of the arm and the second end portion of the arm comprises a handle, wherein, in use, the device is attached to the animal restraint and, upon a user utilizing the handle to rotate the device, the cradle is caused to cup the underside of the head of a restrained animal and hold the animal’s head in a desired location. In an embodiment, the clutch mechanism comprises a clutch housing that is rotatable with respect to a spindle; one or more bearings located between the spindle and the housing, whereupon relative rotation of the housing about the spindle is prevented when the clutch mechanism is rotated in the second direction due to the one or more bearings becoming jammed in a respective constriction between the spindle and the housing. The spindle may comprise unlocking teeth configured to engage the one or more bearings and prevent them from becoming jammed in the constriction between the spindle and the housing upon actuation of the clutch locking mechanism. The clutch locking mechanism may comprise an unlocking plate which, when actuated, causes the unlocking teeth to engage the one or more bearings. The unlocking plate may be actuated by a user moving a release bar which is pivotally attached at one end to the arm and, at an opposite end, to the unlocking plate. In an embodiment, the arm is mounted to the clutch housing and the spindle is mounted to the bracket. In an embodiment, the device further comprises a stock mounted on the arm and configured to be locatable over the animal's head to further hold the animal. The stock may be slidably mounted on the arm and movable towards the first end portion of the arm. The device may further comprise a stock locking mechanism arranged to hold the stock in one or more predetermined positions on the arm. In an embodiment, the bracket comprises first and second bracket clamps that cooperate to attach the device to the animal restraint. The first and second bracket portions may be slidable with respect to each other to attach to the animal restraint. In an embodiment, the cradle further comprises a rope arranged to hold the muzzle of an animal. In an embodiment, the cradle may further include wings to restrict the line of sight of the animal as it is held. In an embodiment, the device is attachable to a cattle crush. In a second aspect, there is provided a cattle crush including a device in accordance with the first aspect of the invention. Also disclosed herein is a device for holding an animal's head, comprising a clutch mechanism that defines a pivot point for the device, a first arm extending from one end of the clutch mechanism and being connected to a cradle, a second arm extending from the other end of the clutch mechanism and providing a handle, wherein, in use, the device is attached to a stand at the pivot point and is arranged to, upon a user utilising the handle to rotate the device about the pivot point, cause the cup to cradle the head of the animal to hold the animal's head in a desired location. The clutch mechanism may further include a locking mechanism to allow the cradle to remain in a locked position. Also disclosed herein is a clutch mechanism arranged to allow for rotation about an axis, the clutch comprising a locking mechanism arranged to lock the clutch in one or more predetermined positions. Brief Description of the Drawings Further features of the present invention are more fully described in the following description of several non-limiting embodiments thereof. This description is included solely for the purposes of exemplifying the present invention. It should not be understood as a restriction on the broad summary, disclosure or description of the invention as set out above. The description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a front perspective view of a device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is of a diagram illustrating a back perspective view of the device of Figure 1; Figures 3a-c are diagrams of a clutch mechanism utilised in a device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and Figures 4a-c are diagrams illustrating use of the device of Figure 1. Detailed Description of Embodiments In the following detailed description of Figures 1 to 4a-c, like numerals across Figures 1 to 4a-c refer to like features and / or integers. Referring to Figures 1 through 4a-c, there are shown various diagrams illustrating a device for holding an animal's head. In the embodiment described herein, the invention relates to a device capable of holding a ruminant's head in a specific orientation and / or position but it will be understood that the size of the device may be altered to suit other types of animals. Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the device 100 has a central pivot or rotation point at a clutch mechanism 102. The clutch mechanism 102 is configured to rotate or pivot freely in a first direction (clockwise in Figures 1, 3 and 4) but to only rotate in the opposite (anti- clockwise) direction only upon release of a clutch locking mechanism (described below). The clutch mechanism 102 is attached to a bracket in the form of an assembly of a front bracket 114, and rearwardly facing left and right brackets 128 and 130. The device 100 is attachable to a crush (or other base) in the manner described below with left bracket 128 and right bracket 130, which are in turn attached to front bracket 114. Attached to the clutch 102 is an arm 104, the arm having a cradle 106 located at a first end portion of the arm 104 and a handle 120 located at an opposite end portion of the arm 104. A sliding head yoke or stock 105 is mounted to the arm 104 and configured to be locatable over the animal’s head to further hold the animal. The stock 105 is slidably mounted on the arm on the arm 104 and movable towards the first end portion of the arm. The stock may be attached to a sliding mechanism 126. Arm 104 is attached to the clutch 102 such that the arm rotates with the clutch around the pivot point or axis. The arm extends outwardly from the clutch and a first end of the arm is attached a cradle 106 which is held by a number of spacers (one of which is indicated by numeral 112 in Figure 1). The cradle 106 is shaped to receive the head (chin and jaw) of a ruminant, such as a cow. The cradle may include one or more wings to restrict the line of sight of the animal as its head is held by the cradle, operating in a manner akin to "blinders" which are commonly used for horses. The left and right side walls of the cradle may be symmetrical or asymmetrical. The side walls may be asymmetrical. The side walls may be shaped to receive the cow’s head, gently guiding the animal into position. The cradle 106 also includes a rope 108 to assist in holding the muzzle of the ruminant in place. The rope is secured by cleat 110 to the cradle 106. The arm 104 also extends in the direction opposite the cradle 106 and incorporates a sliding mechanism 126 along which a stock 105 can slide toward or away from the cradle 106. In use, once the ruminant's head is cupped by the cradle 106, a handler can move the stock 105 across the arm until it locks into place over the ruminant's head (as shown in Figure 4c), to further limit the movement of the animal's head. The sliding mechanism 126 is locked using a stock locking mechanism (not shown) that holds the stock in a fixed location relative to the cradle. When the handler wishes to release the stock, the handler squeezes the trigger 124 which disengages the stock locking mechanism and allows the stock to be slid away from the animal's head. At the second end of the arm 104 (opposite the end which is attached to the cradle 106) there is also provided a handle 120 to allow the handler to easily rotate the device around the clutch pivot point 102. In the embodiment shown, the arm 104, handle 120 and stock 105 portions are formed out of a hollow metal tube and are terminated with appropriate rounded flexible stops 122, 131 and 136 to decrease the possibility of injury. However, it will be understood that the arm, handle and stock portions may be formed in any number of manners utilising any one of a number of materials (or combination of materials). The clutch mechanism 102 is shown in more detail in Figures 3a-c. The clutch mechanism is a modified one-way roller clutch, that can rotate freely (and relatively frictionlessly) in one direction but locks when rotated in the opposite direction. The clutch mechanism according to the depicted embodiment of the invention comprises a housing 142 (attached to the arm 104) which is rotatable about a spindle 154 (attached to the front bracket 114). The housing 142 houses a centrally located spindle 154 that includes a number of unlocking teeth 144 about its periphery (three teeth 144, in this particular embodiment). The clutch mechanism also includes a number of cylindrical bearings 150, which are located between the spindle 154 and housing 142, and which are retained in this position by guide pins 146, spring spacers 148 and compression springs 152. A relative clockwise movement of the housing 142 with respect to the spindle 154 (i.e. corresponding to an clockwise movement of arm 104) results in the bearings 150 freely rotating between the inner wall of the housing and the spindle. The arm 104 thus rotates freely in this direction. However, a relative anti- clockwise movement of the housing 142 with respect to the spindle 154 results in the bearings 150 being forced into the relatively narrow constriction between the inner wall of the housing and the spindle, whereupon they become jammed and thus prevent the spindle (and arm 104) from rotating in this direction. Unlike ratchet systems where the arm can only lock between teeth in the gear within 5 to 10 degrees of range, the clutch mechanism 102 according to embodiments of the invention has free motion of the upward movement of the arm 104 meaning that the arm can stop at any point. The clutch mechanism of the present invention also operates silently, or at least without the loud clicking noises associated with the use of ratchets, and which can alarm animals such as cattle. Clutch 102 can be unlocked (i.e. allowed to rotate in an anticlockwise manner) by operation of release lever 118. One end of release lever 118 is attached to arm 104 at hinge point 140 and the other end to unlocking plate 156 which is, in turn, attached to spindle 154. When a user squeezes the release bar 118 towards arm 104 (as shown in Figure 3b), the unlocking plate 156 causes the spindle 154 to rotate slightly anti-clockwise within the housing 142, whereupon the unlocking teeth 144 make contact with the bearings 150 and move them away from the constriction between the inner wall of the housing 142 and the spindle 154. The bearings 150 cannot escape as they are held in place by the combined action of the guide pins 146 and compression springs 152, but they cannot become jammed whilst the unlocking plate 156 / unlocking teeth 144 / bearings 150 is / are in this position, and the arm 104 can therefore freely move in an anticlockwise direction. The clutch in the embodiment is designed in a modular fashion to allow it to be disconnected from the arm, serviced and if necessary reversed so that the arm can be mounted on the other side of the crush. The clutch includes a mechanism with friction bearings which lock when the arm is pushed downwards by the cow. The autolocking mechanism of the clutch mechanism may assist the operator in rotating the arm slowly in response to the behaviour of the cow without fear of the cradle being forced down by the cow. The clutch mechanism has an incorporated unlocking feature to disengage the locking system entirely to enable the arm to rotate away from the cow’s head quickly. The clutch will remain locked until it is unlocked by the operator by pushing the release bar 118 towards the arm. In Figure 3c, the arm 104 with attached clutch mechanism 102 is shown in a substantially vertical position. Release bar 118 has been released and unlocking plate 156 is in a locked condition, preventing housing 142 from rotating about the spindle 154 in an anti-clockwise direction. Unlocking teeth 144 are not engaged with bearings 150. The clutch mechanism according to embodiments of the invention does not require lubrication and relies on friction to operate, meaning that maintenance should be easier, and the clutch mechanism should perform reliably in all weather conditions. The device 100 is arranged to be fitted to a crush 158, as shown generally in Figures 4a-c. In use, mounting the device 100 as close as possible to the door of the crush may prevent the cow from slipping ‘behind’ the cradle and may reduce the mechanical advantage the cow may exert upon the cradle when forcing their head downwards. A bracket module mounted to the door of the crush which is separate from the arm may assist in avoiding contact of the arm with the door of the crush enabling the device to be used on most crush systems without modification of the arm. In Figure 4a, the device 100 is shown in an open position, where the cradle 106 and the stock 105 are located away from the ruminant’s head 160. A user (not shown) can use handle 120 to rotate the device 100 in a clockwise manner about the pivot point 101. The device is installed such that the device can rotate around the clutch 102 i.e., the device pivots at the clutch (pivot point 101), which causes the cradle 106 to swing upwards from a low position to catch and lift the head of the ruminant 160 and engage the chin / jaw of the ruminant (Figure 4b), to prevent the ruminant from pushing their head and neck down. When the cradle 106 is in position, the clutch mechanism 102 prevents the ruminant from pushing it downwards without the user squeezing the release bar 118. Once the ruminant's head is secured by the cradle (Figure 4c), the user unlocks the stock locking mechanism by squeezing the trigger 124 which allows the sliding mechanism 126 to be slidable on the arm 104. The stock 105 is slid across the slider and engages along the top of the ruminant's head and / or neck, to prevent the ruminant from lifting their head out of the cradle. The user then relocks the stock locking mechanism which prevents the stock 105 from moving away from the animal. Lastly, if further head restraint is desired, the rope 108 can be secured across the muzzle of the ruminant, to further limit head movement. In the embodiment described, the device is manufactured from a combination of aluminium and steel components, to provide a suitable combination of strength, weight, durability in outdoor conditions and cost to manufacture. However, it will be understood that any suitable materials may be utilised in the device. Such variations are within the purview of a person skilled in the art. Advantages It is not uncommon for crushes to injure or cause physical pain to animals, even when operated correctly. Moreover, placing an animal in a crush can be a psychological stressor, even where no injury or physical pain occurs. While handling practices are not intentionally cruel, and most handlers are careful to ensure their actions do not generate harm to the animals they handle, it is common for sub-optimal handling practices to stress both the animal and the handler, increasing the risk of injury. Moreover, the risk of an accident and the fact that a bovine may easily overpower a handler can affect the handler's ability to make rational decisions in certain situations. So, handling devices and techniques that are inherently "low stress" improve the welfare of both the animal and the handler and decrease the risk of accidents. Importantly, devices and techniques that benefit from (or work with) a bovine's natural instincts, such as its flight zone and point of balance, encourage 'good movement', which occurs when the animal moves swiftly after a handler's command. Low-stress handling techniques that encourage good movement include applying swift but appropriate pressure and release techniques and preventing unnecessary distractions, which is achieved in part by depriving bovines of certain sensory perceptions, such as by blocking peripheral vision. Pressure and release are also important when restraining cattle. That is because bovines have an innate tendency to move away from pressure, so pressure applied with the specific aim of controlling the animal's movement while letting the animal think that it was not forced to undertake such a movement is important. Moreover, the swift and painless release of the animal is just as important as the initial application of pressure, or the fear response of the animal can be increased. In other words, timing is fundamental to teaching the animals to make the desired association. Apart from the obvious and immediate undesirable effects that poor handling causes, the stress of poor handling can also result in longer term behavioural and physiological reactions that can negatively affect product quality and production rates. In summary, devices used to restrain an animal temporarily should operate swiftly, minimise the potential for harm to both the animal and the handler, use the psychology of the animal (rather than work against it) to restrain the animal, and operate in a manner that ensures the animal's first experience is low-stress and associated with a positive memory later. The embodiments and broader invention described herein is simple to operate and allows the handler to easily operate the device swiftly, due to the use of a clutch that allows any handler, irrespective of personal strength, to easily rotate the device. As a corollary, as the clutch makes the device easy to operate (and effectively silent) without the need for any powered assistance (i.e., the device is easily manually operated), there is no loud electric or pneumatic system that makes noise and therefore adds to the stress of the animal. Moreover, the cradle approaches the head of the animal from below, so the animal does not see the cradle in their peripheral vision and therefore no immediate fear response is generated when the device is first engaged. In addition, when the animal feels pressure applied to their chin as the cradle contacts their chin, they naturally move their head up and thus work with the device, rather than against the device. In the embodiment, the cradle is shaped to firstly hold the animal's chin gently but firmly, to ensure the animal is comfortable while simultaneously limiting head movement, and secondly, the use of high sides on the cradle also operate in a manner analogous to "blinders" so that the animal cannot see anything to either side while in the restraint, preventing unnecessary distractions. Both securing and releasing the animal from the cradle is very fast and painless, ensuring the animal does not have a "bad experience" when first restrained in the device. In addition, the low profile and relative light weight of the device allows the device to be easily transported and fitted to a crush, and the device operates without the need for any power source. Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the explicit exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments described herein are susceptible to obvious variations and modifications other than those specifically described, and it is intended that the broadest claims cover all such variations and modifications. Those skilled in the art will also understand that the inventive concept that underpins the broadest claims may include any number of the steps, features, and concepts referred to or indicated in the specification, either individually or collectively, and any and all combinations of any two or more of the steps or features may constitute an invention. Where definitions for selected terms used herein are explicitly provided within the detailed description of the invention, it is intended that such definitions apply to the claimed invention. However, if not explicitly defined, all scientific and technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs.

Claims

Claims 1. A device for holding an animal’s head, the device comprising: a bracket configured for attachment proximal to a head receiving portion of an animal restraint; a clutch mechanism pivotally mounted to the bracket and defining a pivot point for the device, wherein the clutch mechanism is configured to rotate freely in a first direction and to rotate in the opposite direction only upon release of a clutch locking mechanism; and an arm mounted to the clutch mechanism intermediate first and second arm end portions, wherein a cradle for receiving the animal’s head is located at the first end portion of the arm and the second end portion of the arm comprises a handle, wherein, in use, the device is attached to the animal restraint and, upon a user utilizing the handle to rotate the device, the cradle is caused to cup the underside of the head of a restrained animal and hold the animal’s head in a desired location.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the clutch mechanism comprises: a clutch housing that is rotatable with respect to a spindle; one or more bearings located between the spindle and the housing, whereupon relative rotation of the housing about the spindle is prevented when the clutch mechanism is rotated in the second direction due to the one or more bearings becoming jammed in a respective constriction between the spindle and the housing.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the spindle comprises unlocking teeth configured to engage the one or more bearings and prevent them from becoming jammed in the constriction between the spindle and the housing upon actuation of the clutch locking mechanism.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the clutch locking mechanism comprises an unlocking plate which, when actuated, causes the unlocking teeth to engage the one or more bearings.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the unlocking plate is actuated by a user moving a release bar which is pivotally attached at one end to the arm and, at anopposite end, to the unlocking plate.

6. The device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the arm is mounted to the clutch housing and the spindle is mounted to the bracket.

7. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a stock mounted on the arm and configured to be locatable over the animal's head to further hold the animal.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the stock is slidably mounted on the arm and movable towards the first end portion of the arm.

10. The device according to claim 7 or claim 8, further comprising a stock locking mechanism arranged to hold the stock in one or more predetermined positions.

11. The device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the bracket comprises first and second bracket clamps that cooperate to attach the device to the animal restraint.

12. The device according to claim 11 wherein the first and second bracket clamps are slidable with respect to each other to attach the device to the animal restraint.

14. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cradle further comprises a rope arranged to hold the muzzle of an animal.

15. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device is attachable to a cattle crush.

16. A cattle crush comprising a device in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

Images