Animal Ear Tag Holder with Tape Guide and Framed Window

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing animal ear tag holders require manual handling and are cumbersome, making it time-consuming to apply tags to animals, especially when the operator needs to manage a large number of tags and the holder is not easily portable or rechargeable.

Innovation Solution

A portable animal ear tag holder with a cartridge belt or tape system where tags are detachably attached, allowing for easy extraction and recharging, using adhesive or mechanical means, and a framed window for guided tag removal with a tool, enabling efficient and quick tagging.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If tags are stored in a traditional holder requiring manual handling, then the holder can stock multiple tags, but the operator must manually take each tag by hand and apply it to the tool, increasing operational time

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of tags stockedVSAvoidtime to apply tags
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Tags are pre-arranged on a tape in the correct sequence and position before use. The tape is pre-loaded into the holder with tags oriented and spaced so that each tag is automatically positioned for tool engagement, eliminating the need for manual handling and preparation during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A tape serves as an intermediary carrier that holds multiple tags in a linear arrangement. The tape is inserted into the holder and feeds tags through a framed window, acting as a mediator between the stored tags and the tool, enabling automatic sequential access without manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Quantity of substance

If a magazine holds several tag parts in rows and columns, then tags can be stocked in quantity, but the magazine becomes large and cumbersome, reducing portability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of tags stockedVSAvoidportability of holder
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of arranging tags in a two-dimensional grid (rows and columns) that increases width and height, the tags are arranged in a one-dimensional linear sequence on a tape. This transforms the storage geometry from a bulky rectangular magazine to a compact linear feed system that fits within a slender holder body.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The tape with tags attached is wound or folded within a compact cylindrical or rectangular holder body, similar to nesting objects. The holder contains the tape in a space-efficient manner, allowing multiple tags to be stored in a small volume without increasing external dimensions significantly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Volume of moving object

If tags are arranged in line in a magazine support, then the magazine can be compact, but the number of tags that can be effectively loaded is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesize of holderVSAvoidnumber of tags loaded
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

A flexible tape serves as the carrier for tags, allowing the tape to be wound, folded, or coiled within the holder body. This flexibility enables the tape to occupy space efficiently while maintaining linear tag arrangement, increasing the number of tags that can be stored in a given volume compared to rigid linear arrangements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The tape is designed to be dynamically feedable, allowing it to be pulled through the holder body as tags are consumed. This dynamic feeding mechanism enables continuous access to tags in sequence, allowing the holder to maintain a compact size while providing access to a larger total number of tags through repeated feeding cycles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Weight of moving object

If the holder is compact and portable, then it can be easily carried by the operator, but recharging the holder with multiple tags becomes time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveportability of holderVSAvoidtime to recharge holder
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Tags are pre-attached to the tape during manufacturing in the correct sequence and orientation before the tape is loaded into the holder. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for manual tag-by-tag insertion during recharging, allowing the operator to simply replace the entire tape or reload a pre-prepared tape into the compact holder.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple tags are combined onto a single tape carrier during manufacturing, creating one integrated loading unit. This merging of multiple tags into a single reloadable tape allows the holder to be recharged by inserting one tape rather than individually inserting multiple tags, significantly reducing recharging time while maintaining holder compactness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP2802205B1Animal ear tag holder
Publication Date: 2016.10.05 DATAMARS
  • EP2802205B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2802205B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2802205B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The invention relates to an animal ear tag holder (1) comprising a casing (2) for stocking a plurality of tags which are detachably fixed onto a tape, a framed window (3) arranged to frame a tag extracted from the casing for detaching from the tape, and a fasten block (4) coupled to the framed window (3) to form a slot (26), intended to receive the tape for a guided extraction from the casing, the framed window further forming a guide (3g) for a tool for detaching and picking the tag from the tape.