Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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1THIS INVENTION relates to an apparatus for artificial in-
semination of humans and other animals of the type having a
reproductive system which includes a vagina and a uterus.
Artificial insemination of humans and other animals of the
type having a reproductive system which includes a va~i~a
and a uterus involves the delivery of a charge of semen to
the uterus. One technique of artificial insemination invol-
ves locating the cervical canal of the animal with the aid
of a speculum and then inserting a catheter alon~ the
vagina and cervical canal and into the uterus for delivery
of semen loaded in the catheter to the uterus. ~owever, the
anatomy of sheep is such that it is almost impossible to
pass the catheter along the cervical canal usin~, this
technique, and it is therefor necessary to deposit the
semen in the cervical canal rather than in the uterine cavi-
ty. The spermatozoa carried by the semen is therefore requi-
red to pass along the cervical canal and into the uterus
before conception can take place. As a result of this, the
success rate of the insemination technique is not as hi~h
as it would be if the semen could be deposited in the ute-
rine cavity.
It ls an object of this invention to provide apparatus for
artificial insemination of humans and other animals of the
type having a reproductive system which includes a va~ina
and a uterus, which apparatus enables a charge of semen to
be deposited in the uterine cavity of the human or animal.
In one form the invention resides in apparatus for artifi-
cial insemination of humans and other antmals of the tvpe
having a reproductive system which includes a vagina and a
uterus, said apparatus comprising a locating tube adapted
for insertion into the vagina whereby one end of the tube
'~locates against a cervlx of the uterus around the cervical
canal, and a delivery member adapted to be passed along the
64757
l locating tube and into the uterus for delivery of semen
into the uterus.
According to a preferred feature of the invention, there is
provided means for releasably securing said one end of the
locating tube to the cervix.
The locating tube may be releasably secured at said one end
to the uterus by means of a suction force applied between
the locating tube and the cervix.
The invention will be better understood ~y reference to the
following description of one specific embodiment thereof as
shown in the accompanying drawings in which:-
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational view of the locating
tube of apparatus according to the embodiment;
Fig. 2 is a schematic elevational view of one form of
the delivery member;
Fig. 3 is a schematic view in which the locating tube
is shown located against the uterus of an animal and
the delivery member of Fig. 2 shown lnserted through
the cervical canal and into the uterine cavlty (the
anatomy of the animal being deplcted by the phantom
lines);
Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the end of the locat-
ing tube whlch is adapted to locate against the uterus
of the animal;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section on the line 5-5 of
Fig. 2;
Fig. 6 is a partly sectioned schematic elevational
: view of an alternative form of the delivery member.
The embodiment shown in the drawings is directed to appara-
tus for artificial insemination of sheep. The apparatuscomprises a locating tube 11 adapted for insertlon into the
vagina 13 of the animal whereby one end 14 of the locatlng
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tube locates against a cervix 15 o~ the uterus 17 around
the cervical ~anal 19.
A skirt 21 surrounds that portion of the locating tube ad~a-
cent said one end 14 whereby a suction chamber 23 is
defined between the skirt 21 and that portion of the
locating tube which the skirt surrounds. The suction cham-
ber 23 is open at the end thereof adjacent said one end 14
of the locating tube, and said open end of the suction
chamber is adapted to be closed-off by the cervix of the
animal when the end 14 of the tube is located against the
cervix; thus, the locating tube may be retained in engage-
ment with the uterus under the action of a suction force
when a vacuum or partial vacuum is applied to the suction
charnber. In the illustrated arrangement, the skirt 21 is
rigid and its side wall is spaced from the locating tube so
as to define the suction chamber 23. The inner end of the
skirt merges with the locating tube and the corresponding
' end of the suction chamber is thereby closed. The outer end
of the skirt 21 is substantially flush with said one end 14
of the tube so that both the outer end of the skirt and
said one end 14 of the tube may sealingly enga~e the cervix
of the uterus and thereby seal the open end of the suction
chamber 23. In an alternative arrang~ement, the skirt may be
of flexible nature, with the outer end of the skirt exten-
dlng beyond the end 14 of the locating tube, whereby the
skirt deflects to conform with the cervix and sealingly
engage the cervix when the end 14 of the tube 1s located
against the cervix.
; An air line 25 extends axially along the locating tube 11
on the outer side thereof and communicates at one end with
the suction chamber 23. The other end of the air line is
adapted for connection to a vacuum source (not shown~, such
as a vacuum pump, whereby vacuum or partial vacuum may be
applied to the suction chamber.
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l A light sourc e 27 is mounted on the locating tube adjacent
said one end 14 thereof. The purpose of the light source9
when in operation, is to make the cervi~ of the animal
clearly visible to a user of the apparatus when the user
peers along the locating tube from the end thereof remote
from said end 14. The light source is electrically operated
and is mounted in a recess formed in the outer side ~.~all
of the locating tube. Light from the light source enters
the locating tube through an aperture 28 formed in the side
wall of the,tube.
A delivery member is adapted to be passed along the loca-
ting tube and into the uterus for delivery of a charae of
semen into the uterus. The delivery member shown in Fig. 2
of the drawings comprises a delivery tube one end of which
is adapted for connection to a supply of semen and the
other end of which is offset so as to be inclined to the
longitudinal axis of the tube, the inclination preferably
being between 2 and 5. A marker 33 is provided on the
delivery tube at a location remote from said offset end to
provide the user with an indication of the direction of the
offset. The delivery tube itself comprises an inner tube 37
along which the semen is passed and an outer tube 39 which
provldes the inner tube with lateral stability (as best
seen in Fig. 5). In the illustrated embodiment, the inner
tube 37 has an internal diameter of O.S mm, anA the outer
tube 39 has an external diameter of 3 mm. The inner and
outer tubes are connected together at the respective ends.
The supply of semen may be contained a hypodermic svrina,e
barrel to which said one end of the delivery tube is
coupled by means of a luer-lock fitting assembly or the
like. It should be appreciated that any other suitable
means may be provided for introducing semen into the deli-
very tube and causing it to pass therealong and ultimately
discharge from said other end of the delivery tube.
~1ti4757
l The del-~very tube 31 is provided with a protrusion 41 such
as a boss, located towards the end thereof provide~ w~th
the offset. The boss is preferahly formed from a trans-
parent material so that the user may see beyond the boss;
in this way, the boss does not obscure the users view of
the cervix when the delivery tube is positioned in the
locating tube. When the delivery tube 31 is inserted into
the locating tube 11, the boss 41 is able to rest on the
inner side wall of the locating tube and thereby provide a
fulcrum about which the delivery tube 31 may be pivoted; in
this way, the end of t~e delivery tube 31 which is provideA
with the offset may be caused to undergo lateral movement
on pivotal move~ent of the delivery tube about the fulcrum.
The end portion of the locating tube 11 remote from the
said one end 14 the~eof is of enlarged cross-section with
respect to the end portion adjacent said one end to allow
for increased angular movement of the delivery tube as it
is pivoted.
An alternative arrangement of delivery member 30 is illus-
tr~ted in Fig. 6 of the drawings. With this arran~ement,
the delivery rnember is adapted to receive a tube 45,
cornmonly ~nown as a "French mini-straw" in which semen ~s
stored (normally ln a frozen condLtLon~. The straw is
norrl~ally closed at one end by a removable cap and at the
other end by a plug 47 which is adapted to be pushed alon~
the tube, after the semen has tha~led and said cap bein~
removed, to cause the semen to discharge from said one end
of the straw.
The delivery member cornprises a delivery section 51, a
storage section 53 and a plun~er section 55. The delivery
section 51 is of tubular form 53 is adapted for connection
at one of its ends to the delivery section and at its othlr
end to the plunger section. The storage section is tubular
~nd is adapted to receive the straw 45, with said cap on
said one end thereof removed, in a manner such that said
one end is located adjacent the delivery sect~on 51 and
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1 said other end is located adjacent the plunger section 55.
The plunger sec-tion is provided with a plunger 57 one end
of which is adapted to bear on the plug 47. The plunger
57 is arranged to be actuated by the user so as to cause
the plug 47 to advance along at least part of the length
of the straw in the direction towards said one end thereof
and cause semen to discharge from said one end. The semen
which has discharged from the straw 45 passes along the
delivery section and discharges from the outlet end thereof.
It is the delivery section 51 of the delivery member that
is actually passed along the cervical canal and into thè
uterine cavity. The plunger is preferably provided with
means for providing an indication of, or selectively con-
trolling, the extent of movement of the plunger so that
the user may be aware of the quantity of semen deposited
by the delivery member.
As with the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 2,
the delivery member is provided with a protrusion 41, such
as a transparent boss. In addition, the free end portion
of the delivery section is off-set.
To artificially inseminate a ewe, the ewe is
presented for insemination by raising her hind-quarters and
securing her hind-legs to prevent kicking. The outer tube
is then inserted into the vagina of the ewe until the end
14 thereof locates against the cervix. With the light
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1 source 27 operating, the user peers alony the locating tube
and adjusts its posi-tion so that the end 14 oE the tube
is positioned the cervical canal. A vacuum or a partial
vacuum is then applied to the suction chamber 23 to apply
a suction force between the locating tube and cervix and
thereby secure the locating tube to the uterus. The
delivery member is then passed along the locating tube 11
and the offset end of the delivery member presented to
the entry of the cervical canal. The user must then
manipulate the delivery member to
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1~647S7
1 li~t at least one of a series of flaps at the entry of the
cervical canal so that entry to the canal may be gained; it
is for this reason that the end of the delivery member is
offset. The user is able to lift the flaps by pivotin~, the
delivery member about the fulcrum forn~ed by the boss, as
described beforehand. The cerv~cal canal is provided with a
series of inner cervical folds around which the leadin~ end
of the delivery tube must be manoeuvrerd as it is advanced
along the canal. It is because the user is able to hold the
uterus of the ewe steady with the locating tube that he is
able to lift the flaps of the entry to the cerviical canal
and manoeuvre the deli~ery member around the ;nner cer~ica~
folds as it is advanced along the cervical canal. The
delivery member ultimately arrives at the uterine cavity.
The user then causes a charge of semen to be discharged
from the delivery member and deposited in the uterine
cavity. The semen may be in its natural state, or in a
diluted state. The delivery member is then withdrawn, and
the vacuum removed from the suction chamber 23. The locat-
inz tube may then be detached from the uterus of the eweand withdrawn from her vagina.
When the apparatus is being used to inseminate maiden ewes,
said other end of the delivery tube (i.e. that end which is
provLded with the offset) preferably tapers down to a
rounded point. However, when artifici,ally -insem;,natin~ ewes
which are not rnaidens, it is not necessary to use a tube
with a tapered end. It would, of course, be necessary to
provide the delivery tube with a rounded end so as not to
inflict injury to the ewe durLng the artifical i,nse~ination
operation.
It should be appreciated that the scope of the ~:nvention is
not limited to the scope of the embodiment described. If,
for example, future developments in the field of artificial
insernlnation enable semen in a form other than its natural
state or a diluted flu~'d state, to be deposited in the
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1~64757
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1 uterus to achieve conception, the delivery member may not
necessarily be of tubular construction, but ~nstead may be
constructed so as to be capable of depositing the semen (in
any such new form) into the uterus.
