Threaded Dart Retainer for Low-Trauma Animal Injection Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing injection darts cause tissue damage and leave behind foreign objects when removed from animals, and require specialized and expensive weapons for use.
Innovation Solution
A dart design featuring a threaded barb body on the hypodermic needle with a stabilizing member and annular member for improved flight stability, a shock absorber, and a water-soluble barb collar that facilitates easy removal with minimal tissue damage and dissolves over time, allowing reuse without specialized guns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If barbed collars are used to retain the dart on the animal, then the dart can be retained and retrieved for reuse, but tissue damage occurs during removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the retainer from traditional barbed collars to a threaded configuration with specific pitch and angle characteristics. The threads are designed with gradual engagement and controlled removal characteristics that reduce tissue trauma while maintaining retention effectiveness during the injection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer features localized thread design with varying pitch and depth along its length. The anterior portion has different thread characteristics compared to the posterior portion, allowing optimized tissue engagement for retention while minimizing damage during removal. This local differentiation of structural properties resolves the contradiction between secure retention and gentle removal.
2Reliability
If barbed collars are used to retain the dart, then the dart can be retained on the animal, but the collars slide off the needle and stay behind in the animal
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded retainer is pre-configured with engagement features that secure it to the needle before dart deployment. The thread geometry includes locking characteristics that prevent backward movement or sliding off during the injection process, ensuring the retainer remains attached to the needle and does not become a foreign object in the animal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional barbed collar mechanical retention system with a threaded engagement system. This substitution provides more reliable connection between the retainer and needle, preventing the retainer from sliding off and remaining in the animal, while still achieving effective dart retention through the threading mechanism.
3Ease of repair
If traditional darts are designed for retention, then they can be retrieved and reused, but they require specialized and expensive weapons
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded retainer design is compatible with standard hypodermic needle configurations and can be adapted to various dart types and delivery mechanisms. This universal threading standard allows the same retainer design to work with multiple weapon platforms, reducing the need for specialized expensive weapons and enabling broader reuse across different injection systems.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a dart (10) comprising a body, the body defining a chamber (24) having a plunger located therein to operatively deliver a substance through a hypodermic needle (32) extending through a front end of the body, and a retainer comprising a barb body locatable on the hypodermic needle (32) characterised in that the barb body is threaded. The invention further relates to a dart retainer, wherein the retainer comprises of a threaded barb body locatable on a hypodermic needle (32) of a dart (10).