CN-116056662-B - Injection device and method for aquatic species

Abstract

An injection device (10) includes a handheld unit (100) having a head portion (102) and a body portion (104). The head includes a needle (110), a support portion (116), a movable portion (118), and a safety cap (122) removably coupled to the head. The movable portion is axially movable relative to the support portion between an extended position and a retracted position in which a distal point of the needle is exposed. The safety cap includes a base member (123) and a locking plate (124) pivotally coupled to the base member, the locking plate being pivotable between a locked position in which the safety cap and the movable portion are restricted from axial movement relative to the needle and an unlocked position in which the safety cap and the movable portion are axially movable relative to the needle.

Inventors

• G. Fort Gordon
• A. Haramish
• N. Babu
• A. Sha Fu Lan

Assignees

• 飞泰克动物保健科技有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20210812

Priority Date

20200814

Claims (20)

1. 1. An injection device, comprising: A hand-held unit having a head and a body portion, the head including a needle, a support portion, and a movable portion axially movable relative to the support portion between an extended position and a retracted position in which a distal point of the needle is exposed, and A safety cap removably coupled to the movable portion, the safety cap including a base member and a locking plate pivotably coupled to the base member, the locking plate being pivotable between a locked position in which the safety cap and the movable portion are restricted from axial movement relative to the needle and an unlocked position in which the safety cap and the movable portion are axially movable relative to the needle.
2. 2. The injection device of claim 1, wherein the safety cap further comprises first and second clamp members extending from the base member and configured such that positioning a subject between the first and second clamp members aligns a selected injection site on the subject with the distal point of the needle.
3. 3. The injection device of claim 2, wherein the first and second clamp members are movable between an open position and a gripping position in which the clamp members are configured to grip the subject.
4. 4. The injection device of claim 1, wherein the safety cap further comprises a biasing member configured to bias the locking plate to the locked position.
5. 5. The injection device of claim 1, further comprising a needle support portion configured to releasably couple the needle to the body portion, wherein the locking plate comprises a locking member extending from the locking plate and having a locking surface configured to engage a corresponding locking surface on the needle support portion when the locking plate is in the locked position.
6. 6. The injection device of claim 1, wherein the safety cap comprises an annular protrusion having a threaded outer surface configured to couple to a corresponding threaded surface of a connector coupled to the movable portion.
7. 7. The injection device of claim 1, wherein the locking plate includes a hole extending through a thickness of the locking plate, the hole aligned with the needle such that at least a portion of the needle extends through the hole when the movable portion is in the retracted position.
8. 8. The injection device of claim 7, further comprising a removal member disposed within the bore, the removal member comprising a needle aperture extending through a thickness of the removal member, the needle aperture sized such that an inner surface of the removal member contacts an outer surface of the needle to remove contaminants from the outer surface of the needle.
9. 9. The injection device of claim 1, further comprising at least one control unit comprising a pump, the control unit being remote from the handheld unit and fluidly coupled to the handheld unit via one or more connecting tubes.
10. 10. The injection device of claim 9, wherein the control unit is configured to be worn by a user.
11. 11. The injection device of claim 1, wherein the handheld unit is configured to be submerged in water.
12. 12. The injection device of claim 1, wherein the movable portion further comprises a locking mechanism movable between a locked position in which the movable portion is restricted from moving to the retracted position and an unlocked position in which the movable portion is movable between the extended position and the retracted position.
13. 13. The injection device of claim 12, wherein the locking mechanism is configured to be actuated by a trigger coupled to the body portion.
14. 14. The injection device of claim 1, wherein the injection device is configured to operate in and switch between at least an automatic mode, a manual mode, and a semi-automatic mode.
15. 15. The injection device of claim 14, wherein when the injection device is in an automatic mode, the medicament is automatically administered upon insertion of the needle to a selected depth within the subject.
16. 16. The injection device of claim 14, wherein when the injection device is in a manual mode, a medicament is administered when a trigger coupled to the body portion is actuated.
17. 17. An injection device, comprising: A base station comprising a base plate, an upper member coupled to the base plate, and a head removably coupled to the upper member, the head comprising a needle, a support portion, and a movable portion axially movable relative to the support portion between an extended position and a retracted position in which a distal point of the needle is exposed, and A safety cap removably coupled to the upper member, the safety cap including a base member and a locking plate pivotably coupled to the base member, the locking plate being pivotable between a locked position in which the safety cap and the movable portion are restricted from axial movement relative to the needle and an unlocked position in which the safety cap and the movable portion are axially movable relative to the needle.
18. 18. The injection device of claim 17, further comprising at least one control unit remote from the base station and fluidly coupled to the upper member via one or more connecting tubes, the at least one control unit comprising a pump.
19. 19. The injection device of claim 18, wherein the upper member is configured to communicate with the at least one control unit via a communication cable.
20. 20. The injection device of claim 17, wherein the base station and the safety cover are submersible.

Description

Injection device and method for aquatic species Cross Reference to Related Applications The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 63/066,026, filed 8/14/2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to injection devices for injecting one or more medicaments into a subject, particularly an aquatic species including fish or a raised animal or companion animal (e.g., poultry, swine, cattle, sheep, goats, ungulates, cats and dogs). Background In aquaculture, aquatic species (e.g., aquatic organisms, such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs, algae, aquatic plants, marine animals, and other organisms) often must be administered substances such as drugs for a variety of reasons. The producer must process a large number of aquatic specie and the process may require the injection of multiple drugs, typically in liquid form, into each aquatic specie. Such drugs may include drugs, vaccines, hormones, food supplements, and the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as "drugs"). Administration of such drugs typically involves the use of administration equipment, such as a syringe or a drenching unit, from which a dose of the drug can be manually or automatically administered to the animal. This type of administration typically involves manual actuation or pumping of the device to deliver the drug to the animal. Handling large amounts of aquatic organisms (e.g., by manually actuated devices) can lead to operator fatigue, which can lead to a number of malfunctions, including, for example, (i) accidental self-injection by the operator, (ii) administration of a dose of the drug when the needle has not yet penetrated the skin of the subject or has not yet penetrated to a desired depth, (iii) administration of the dose after the needle has been removed from the subject, (iv) administration of only a portion of the required dose, (v) insertion of the needle into the subject in a non-optimal direction, and/or (vi) administration of repeated doses to the same individual, etc. Furthermore, in some cases, it is desirable to administer more than one drug to a single aquatic organism. In the absence of ready-made compositions of different drugs, or in the case where it is not possible to combine two or more drugs together, each subject must take more than one injection, which in turn can lead to operator fatigue. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for improved syringe devices and methods of use thereof, for example, devices for injecting one or more drugs into a large number of aquatic specie. Disclosure of Invention Described herein are embodiments of an injection device for administering one or more medicaments to a subject (particularly an aquatic species, e.g., fish or marine animal). The injection device may be used to administer medications to a large number of subjects in a rapid and efficient manner to prevent and/or reduce operator error, operator fatigue, and injection failure. In a representative embodiment, an injection device may include a handheld unit having a head portion and a body portion. The head includes a needle, a support portion, and a movable portion. The movable portion is axially movable relative to the support portion between an extended position and a retracted position in which a distal point of the needle is exposed. The injection device may further comprise a safety cap removably coupled to the movable portion. Some embodiments of the safety cover include a base member and a locking plate pivotably coupled to the base member. The locking plate is pivotable between a locked position in which the safety cap and the movable portion are restricted from axial movement relative to the needle and an unlocked position in which the safety cap and the movable portion are axially movable relative to the needle. Some embodiments of the safety cap may further include first and second clamp members extending from the base member and configured such that positioning the subject between the clamp members aligns a selected injection site on the subject with a distal point of the needle. The gripping member is movable between an open position and a gripping position in which the gripping member is configured to grip a subject. The safety cover may further include a biasing member configured to bias the locking plate into the locking position. The injection device may further comprise a needle support portion configured to releasably couple the needle to the body portion. For these embodiments, the locking plate includes a locking member extending from the locking plate and having a locking surface configured to engage a corresponding locking surface on the needle support portion when the locking plate is in the locked position. The safety cap may further include an annular protrusion having a threaded outer surface configured to couple with a corresponding threaded surface of a connector coupled to the mova