U.S. patent application number 14/516905 was filed with the patent office on 2015-02-05 for indexed feed dispensing mechanism.
This patent application is currently assigned to CTB, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is CTB, Inc.. Invention is credited to Paul J. BONDARENKO, Anthony MARTIN, Andrew J. RAUSCH, Bryan S. SHIVE, Harry R. VAN HORN, George S. ZIMMERMAN, Leon S. ZIMMERMAN.
Application Number | 20150034015 14/516905 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46328394 |
Filed Date | 2015-02-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150034015 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BONDARENKO; Paul J. ; et
al. |
February 5, 2015 |
INDEXED FEED DISPENSING MECHANISM
Abstract
An improved livestock feeder provided with an adjustable feed
dispensing mechanism including control levers which are operatively
connected to the feed metering gates to control the flow of feed to
livestock. The dispensing mechanism features a control lever which
engage an array of indexing holes formed in the feeder to position
the feed gate within the opening to adjust the amount of feed
dispensed from the hopper. The dispensing mechanism includes a
graduated scale corresponding to each of the index holes to provide
a standard setting for the feeder which can be utilized by an
animal producer to supply of feed flow at a given stage in the
animal's life cycle to obtain a desired growth rate.
Inventors: |
BONDARENKO; Paul J.;
(Gresham, OR) ; SHIVE; Bryan S.; (Myerstown,
PA) ; ZIMMERMAN; Leon S.; (Lititz, PA) ;
ZIMMERMAN; George S.; (Lititz, PA) ; MARTIN;
Anthony; (Denver, PA) ; VAN HORN; Harry R.;
(Monterey, IN) ; RAUSCH; Andrew J.; (Rochester,
IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CTB, Inc. |
Milford |
IN |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
CTB, Inc.
Milford
IN
|
Family ID: |
46328394 |
Appl. No.: |
14/516905 |
Filed: |
October 17, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14071099 |
Nov 4, 2013 |
8899178 |
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14516905 |
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13692287 |
Dec 3, 2012 |
8573157 |
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14071099 |
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13171517 |
Jun 29, 2011 |
8322306 |
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13692287 |
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12911237 |
Oct 25, 2010 |
8015944 |
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13171517 |
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12463834 |
May 11, 2009 |
7819083 |
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12911237 |
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11559210 |
Nov 13, 2006 |
7530328 |
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12463834 |
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11243082 |
Oct 4, 2005 |
7134402 |
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11559210 |
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10898727 |
Jul 23, 2004 |
6976450 |
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11243082 |
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10694250 |
Oct 27, 2003 |
6766765 |
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10898727 |
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10347815 |
Jan 21, 2003 |
6637368 |
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10694250 |
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10140025 |
May 7, 2002 |
6526913 |
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10347815 |
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09840631 |
Apr 23, 2001 |
6536373 |
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10140025 |
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09309839 |
May 11, 1999 |
6269770 |
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09840631 |
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09007284 |
Jan 14, 1998 |
5921200 |
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09309839 |
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60046048 |
May 9, 1997 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
119/53 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K 5/0225 20130101;
A01K 5/01 20130101; A01K 5/0241 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
119/53 |
International
Class: |
A01K 5/01 20060101
A01K005/01 |
Claims
1. An animal feeder comprising: a feeder housing including a feed
hopper and a feed trough positioned below the feed hopper and
defining a feed access opening between the feed trough and the feed
hopper; a feed gate movable relative to said feed access opening
and positionable in a plurality of positions; an adjustable feed
gate mechanism supported on the feeder housing and including a feed
gate movable relative to the feed access opening to adjust a size
or a feed flow path through the feed access opening and an adjuster
for selectively positioning the feed gate in one of a plurality of
feed gate positions; a feed agitator including an agitation grate
disposed in the feed hopper and adjacent said feed access opening
and loosely coupled within the feed hopper to a side wall of said
feed hopper; and an actuator operably coupled to the agitation
plate and extending into the feed trough such that the actuator is
accessible through the feeder access opening for moving the
agitation grate relative to said feed hopper.
2. The animal feed of claim 1 wherein the actuator includes an
actuator member coupled to and extending from the agitation plate
to an actuator plate located at a second end of the actuator.
3. The animal feeder of claim 1 wherein the feed hopper and the
feed trough define a pair of feeder access openings such that one
feeder access opening is located on each side of the feeder
housing.
4. The animal feeder of claim 3 wherein the actuator is centrally
located within the feed trough.
5. The animal feed of claim 4 wherein the actuator includes an
actuator member coupled to and extending from the agitation plate
to an actuator plate located at a second end of the actuator.
6. The animal feeder of claim 1 wherein the feed agitator comprises
a plurality of adjacently positioned agitation grates in the feed
hopper.
7. The animal feeder of claim 6 further comprising a plurality of
actuators, such that each agitation grate is associated with at
least one of the plurality of actuators.
8. The animal feeder of claim 7 wherein the feed hopper and the
feed trough define a pair of feeder access opening such that one
feeder access opening is located on each side of the feeder
housing.
9. The animal feeder of claim 8 wherein the actuator is centrally
located within said feed trough.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.
14/071,099, filed Nov. 4, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S.
Ser. No. 13/692,287, filed Dec. 3, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.
8,573,157, issued Nov. 5, 2013; which is a continuation of Ser. No.
13/171,517, filed Jun. 29, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,322,306,
issued Dec. 4, 2012; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.
12/911,237, filed Oct. 25, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,015,944,
issued Sep. 13, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.
12/463,834, filed May 11, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,083, issued
Oct. 26, 2010; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/559,210,
filed on Nov. 13, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,530,328, issued May 12,
2009; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 11/243,082,
filed on Oct. 4, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,134,402 issued on Nov.
14, 2006; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/898,727,
filed on Jul. 23, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,450 issued on Dec.
20, 2005; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/694,250,
filed on Oct. 27, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,765 issued on Jul.
27, 2004; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/347,815,
filed on Jan. 21, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,368 issued on Oct.
28, 2003; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/140,025,
filed on May 7, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,913, issued on Mar.
4, 2003; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/840,631, filed
Apr. 23, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,373, issued on Mar. 25,
2003; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/309,839, filed
May 11, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,770, issued on Aug. 7, 2001;
which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/007,284, filed
Jan. 14, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,200, issued Jul. 13, 1999,
which claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No.
60/046,048, filed May 9, 1997. The disclosures of the above
applications are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to animal feed dispensers and,
more particularly, to an indexed feed mechanism for selectively
positioning the feed gate is one of a plurality of discrete feed
gate positions.
[0003] 1. Background of the Invention
[0004] All conventional gravity type feeders utilize so-called feed
gates to regulate the flow of feed from a hopper to the animals.
These feed gates are usually adjusted by some type of threaded
adjusting mechanism to control the flow of feed. The threaded
adjusting mechanisms found in hog feeders on the market today offer
no means of accurately determining the flow of feed being
dispensed. If the gate is open too much, more feed will be
dispensed than the animals can eat and the excess feed is wasted.
On the other hand, if the gate is not open enough, the animals will
not get the amount of food necessary for optimum growth. To
compound the matter, as the animals grow larger, they need more
food to continue optimal growth.
[0005] To adjust conventional feeders correctly to obtain optimum
performance requires a certain amount of guesswork. Because
adjusting the feeders is difficult and very labor intensive, many
feeders are simply not adjusted properly, resulting in feed waste
or poor animal growth rate as discussed above.
[0006] In addition, standardized agricultural practices require
regular cleaning and disinfecting of livestock feeders. Typically
the cleaning process entails washing the feeders with high pressure
water hoses. Cleaning fluids, animal waste and leftover waste grain
often remain trapped in the trough of the feeder. One way to remove
the cleaning fluids from a conventional feeder is tilting the
feeders back and forth to displace the fluids. Further,
conventional feeders often have defined flanges and structures,
which trap food and dirt, making cleaning and disinfecting with
high pressure hoses difficult.
[0007] The present invention solves these problems by providing an
improved feeder having a precise feed dispensing mechanism with
standardized indicia to eliminate the guesswork from dispensing
feed to the livestock.
[0008] The advantages provided by the present invention are that
animal producers can control proper feed adjustment based on animal
weight, feed type, number of animals, etc. Producers can also
mandate a standard setting for all feeders for any given
circumstance thereby ruling out potential variables in animal
production.
[0009] Another advantage to the present invention is that routine
adjustments to the feed dispensing mechanism can be accomplished
simply and the feed gates can be quickly and fully opened for
cleaning.
[0010] The dispensing mechanism of the present invention is user
friendly, the index scale of 1 to 10 is easily read and understood,
a direct acting index lever correlates to feed gate movements
either upwardly or downwardly, the indexing lever and connecting
rods are replaceable and the unique connecting rod attaches to the
feed gate without bolts or welding.
[0011] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a
closable cleaning gate that allows cleaning fluids and waste food
grains to be easily removed from the entire feeder. Further, the
invention additionally provides an improved flange structures,
which facilitates cleaning, increased strength as well as minimizes
discomfort to the feeding animals.
[0012] A dust cover is included which makes the feeder of the
present invention environmentally safe by preventing large amounts
of dust from becoming airborne when a feeder is being filled by an
automatic delivery system.
[0013] In addition to the above, the improved feeder of the present
invention includes a feed drop tube holder similar to that shown in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,039 to adapt it for use with an automatic feed
delivery system.
[0014] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,039 to Leon S. Zimmerman discloses a
livestock feeder for use with an automatic feed delivery system
having a feed drop tube operatively connected thereto for
dispensing feed into a feed bin. This feeder features a feed drop
tube holder fabricated from a flexible, resilient material which is
installed intermediate the opposed side walls of the feed bin by
compressing the holder lengthwise with hand pressure to effectively
reduce its overall length and to allow tabs formed on the ends
thereof to engage a plurality of horizontally opposed slots formed
in the opposed side walls.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] After much research and study of the above described
problems, the present invention has been developed to provide an
improved livestock feeder including a feed dispensing mechanism
which accurately controls the flow of feed to the animals for
consumption. The improved feeder utilizes a pair of adjustable feed
gates installed in the lower portion of a gravity feed bin formed
by downwardly converging side walls. The feed gates are
mechanically coupled by connecting rods to the feed dispensing
controls which are accessible from the open top of the feed
bin.
[0017] The controls for the feed dispensing mechanism are provided
with a lever that engages a standard index of positions that adjust
the opening of the feed gates. By use of the controls, animal
producers may obtain a standardized setting for the release of feed
to animals at different stages of the life cycle to obtain optimum
growth rates.
[0018] In the preferred embodiment, the dispensing mechanism and
controls are utilized with a hog feeder of the type disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,039 which has previously issued to the
Applicant herein.
[0019] In view of the above, it is an object of the present
invention to provide an improved livestock feeder having a
precision dispensing mechanism that will accurately control the
release of feed to livestock.
[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved livestock feeder that will permit animal producers to
obtain standardized settings for the release of feed to numerous
animals at a particular stage in the production cycle.
[0021] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved livestock feeder that will reduce variations in growth
rate between animals by insuring the controlled release of food
thereto.
[0022] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved livestock feeder including a removable dust cover which is
installed across the top opening of the feeder to reduce the
release of airborne dust generated by an automatic feed delivery
system.
[0023] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
livestock feeder which facilitates cleaning.
[0024] Another object of the current invention is to provide a
livestock feeder with improved flanges which provide for greater
animal comfort as well as easy cleaning.
[0025] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent and obvious from a study of the following
description and the accompanying drawings which are merely
illustrative of such invention.
[0026] Further areas of applicability of the present invention will
become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter.
It should be understood that the detailed description and specific
examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the
invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are
not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a livestock feeder of the
prior art;
[0028] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the improved feeder of
the present invention showing the feed-dispensing mechanism
thereof;
[0029] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the feed dispensing
controls;
[0030] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken through section 4-4 of FIG.
3;
[0031] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the feed gate showing
the manner in which the connecting rod is attached thereto;
[0032] FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the connecting rod and
feed gate;
[0033] FIG. 7 is a top sectional view of the lower portion of a
connecting rod;
[0034] FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the control lever in a
position of disengagement with an indexing hole;
[0035] FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the control lever in a
position of engagement with an indexing hole;
[0036] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the dust cover panels;
[0037] FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the animal feeder showing
the dust cover installed therein;
[0038] FIG. 12 is an enlarged view showing the support braces and
J-shaped brackets for mounting the dust cover panels;
[0039] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the improved feeder of
another embodiment of the present invention showing the cleaning
mechanism thereof;
[0040] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the improved feeder
shown in FIG. 13 illustrating actuation of the cleaning
mechanism;
[0041] FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the cleaning mechanism and
improved flanges of the improved feeder shown in FIG. 14;
[0042] FIGS. 16a and 16b are cross-sectional views of the flanges
of the opposing end walls of the present invention taken through
16-16 of FIG. 15;
[0043] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the flanges of the
trough portion taken through 17-17 of FIG. 15;
[0044] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning mechanism
of the present invention;
[0045] FIG. 19 is a elevational view of an alternate embodiment of
the improved feeder of the showing the feed-dispensing mechanism
thereof;
[0046] FIG. 20 is a top view of the feeder illustrated in FIG. 19;
and
[0047] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXI-XXI
shown in FIG. 20.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0048] As background and to better understand by comparison the
improved livestock feeder of the present invention, reference
should be made to animal feeder illustrated in FIG. 1 and labeled
Prior Art.
[0049] The prior art animal feeder, indicated generally at 40,
comprises an open-topped hopper, indicated generally at 45, defined
by opposing, downwardly sloping side walls 41 and opposing
substantially vertical end walls 42.
[0050] The opposing end walls 42 are of generally rectangular shape
and their upper edges are preferably positioned on substantially
the same level as the upper edges of the downwardly sloping side
walls 41. The lower edges of the opposing end walls 42 terminate at
a substantial distance below the lower edges of the opposing side
walls 42 and are suitably secured to opposed ends of a bottom wall
43.
[0051] The bottom wall 43 is connected to upwardly and outwardly
inclined outer panel portions 44 forming elongate feed troughs,
indicated generally at 55, along opposite sides of the animal
feeder 40 and below the opposing side walls 41.
[0052] The lower portions of the downwardly converging side walls
41 and the bottom wall 43 define therebetween a feed discharge
opening 16.
[0053] As another element of the Prior Art feeder 40, reinforcing
dividers, shown in the form of plurality of spaced-apart, elongate
rods 57 span the feed troughs 55 from the side walls 41 to the
respective outer trough portions 44 of the bottom wall 43. The rods
57 reinforce the feed bin and divide each feed trough 55 into
individual feeding areas which serve to aid in giving the livestock
animals access to feed.
[0054] As another element of the Prior Art feeder 40, a pair of
elongate, pivotally mounted, vertically adjustable gates 48
including gate adjustment means 49 mechanically coupled thereto
overlie the respective feed discharge openings 46 for varying the
size of each opening 46. The gates 48 extend longitudinally between
the end walls 42 with the opposite ends of the gates 48 terminating
closely adjacent end walls 42. A small clearance remains necessary
between the ends of the gates 48 and the end walls 42 so that the
gates 48 may pivot freely in their described adjusted positions.
The gate 48, which functions to regulate the amount of food into
the trough, is shown as a flat rectangular plate. It is envisioned
that gate 48, can take the form of other shapes such as circular or
conical.
[0055] Another element of the Prior Art feeder 40 is the feed drop
tube holder, indicated generally at 60, as shown in FIG. 1. The
feed drop tube holder 60 is a generally flat, rectangular structure
having a circular opening 60a in the center thereof.
[0056] Holder 60 includes a plurality of tabs 60b integrally formed
on opposite ends thereof at predetermined intervals. Tabs 60b are
adapted to engage a plurality of cooperating slots 61 which are
disposed about the upper peripheral edges of side walls 41 at
regular intervals.
[0057] One of the principle advantages of the feed drop tube holder
60 is that it does not require brackets for additional hardware to
install. Holder 60 is manufactured to an overall length that is
slightly larger than the inside dimension between the opposing side
walls 41 as measured in a plane coincidental with slots 61.
[0058] Being made of a flexible, resilient material holder 60 may
be compressed lengthwise by hand pressure into a curved bow shape
in order to insert tab 60b into cooperating slot 61.
[0059] Once released from this position, holder 60 springs back
into its original flat configuration such that tabs 60b project
outwardly through slots 61 in side walls 41 retaining holder 60
therebetween.
[0060] The central opening 60a in holder 60 is sized to a dimension
that is slightly larger than the feed drop tube 63 to accommodate
the insertion of the same into central openings 60a at varying
angles without binding therein.
[0061] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
holder 60 may be easily repositioned to several longitudinal
positions within feeder 40 by removing and replacing holder 60 to a
different grouping of opposed slots 61 as desired.
[0062] Since all of the above hereinabove described features of
feeder 40 are well known to those skilled in the art, further
detailed discussion of the same is not deemed necessary.
[0063] One of the principle improvements of the animal feeder 10 of
the present invention is the feed dispensing mechanism, indicated
generally at 20 comprising a pair of control levers 16 with
associated indexing holes 23, a scale 25 with numeric indicia 26,
control rods 15 and feed gates 14 as shown in FIG. 2. The feed
gates 14 have projections 14a, 14b extending outwardly from feed
discharge opening 16.
[0064] The structure and function of these components will now be
described in further detail. It will be understood that a
dispensing mechanism as depicted in FIG. 2 is installed on the
interior surface of each end wall 11 of the present feeder 10 to
operate the vertically adjustable feed gates 14 thereof.
[0065] A pair of adjustable control levers 16 are pivotally mounted
on the interior surface of each end wall 11 by use of suitable
attaching hardware such as a pivot screw 17, lock washer 18, spacer
13 and compression spring 19 as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0066] An opposite end of the control lever 16 includes a pointer
16a for indicating the setting for the feed gates 14 as described
hereinafter in further detail.
[0067] The pointer 16a is provided with a knob 21 including an
index pin 22 projecting outwardly therefrom for mating engagement
with an array of index holes 23 which are radially disposed at
regular intervals along an arc concentric with an axis of the pivot
screw 17 as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0068] Intermediate the pivot screw 17 and the knob 21 an upper end
of a connecting rod 15 is secured using suitable attaching
hardware. In the preferred embodiment a connecting tab 24 having an
elongated slot 37 formed at one end thereof is coupled to the upper
end of connecting rod 15. The tab 24 is mounted on a connecting
bolt 35 which loosely penetrates the slot 37 and is secured thereon
by lock nut 36.
[0069] An opposite end of each connector rod 15 is configured as
illustrated in FIGS. 5-7. The lower most end of the connector rod
15 is initially bent at 90.degree. to a longitudinal axis thereof
as at 15 in FIG. 5 so as to lie in a plane coincident with the
major portion of the rod 15. Thereafter the tip portion 15b is
again bent 90.degree. as at 15 to lie in a plane perpendicular to
the longitudinal axis of the major portion of the rod 15 as shown
in FIG. 6.
[0070] To install the connector rod 15 in the feed gate 14 the tip
portion 15b is inserted through mounting aperture 38 as seen in
FIG. 5 attaching the rod 15 to the feed gate 14 without bolting or
welding the connection. Thus installed, it will be appreciated that
a non-binding linkage is provided between the rod 15 and the gate
14 to facilitate operation of the dispensing mechanism when the
feeder is filled to capacity.
[0071] In normal operation the user of the improved feeder 10
adjusts the dispensing mechanism 20 by grasping and pulling the
knob 21 outwardly from an engaged position as shown in FIG. 8 and
pivoting the lever 16 upwardly or downwardly to adjust the gate 14
to the desired vertical position. After the desired position or
hole 23 is selected, the knob 21 is again released to the position
shown in FIG. 9.
[0072] It will be appreciated that each respective indexing hole 23
corresponds to numeric indicia 26 on the scale 25 so as to dispense
feed at a predetermined rate to livestock eating from the feeder
10. In this manner several feeders 10 can be utilized in a
livestock production facility to deliver a predetermined amount of
feed to animals at any stage of the life cycle using the standard
settings on the scale 25.
[0073] It will also be noted that a feeder 10 can be disposed
between adjacent pens in such a production facility and adjusted to
deliver feed in different amounts from opposite sides of the feeder
10. Thus, the improved feeder of the present invention provides
significant advantages to animal producers which are unknown in the
prior art.
[0074] Further, the physical location of the dispensing mechanisms
20 on the interior end walls 11 of the feeder rather than on
lateral brace members 47 extending across the hopper 45 as shown in
FIG. 1 lends itself to another principle advantage of the present
invention. The improved feeder 10 is provided with a removable dust
cover, indicated generally at 33 as shown in FIGS. 10-12.
[0075] The dust cover 33 is comprised of a pair of generally
rectangular panels 34 which are configured and dimensioned to
closely fit the interior peripheral edge of the feeder 10 when
installed therein as shown in FIG. 11. It will be understood that
the feed drop tube holder 60 of the prior art as shown in FIG. 10
functions as a part of the dust cover 33 as described hereinafter
in further detail.
[0076] The dust cover panels 34 together with the feed drop tube
holder 60 are fabricated from a resilient plastic material and are
easily removed for cleaning and maintenance purposes.
[0077] The dust cover panels 34 are supported in the position shown
in FIG. 11 by a pair of generally parallel support braces 27 which
extend transversely across the top opening of the feeder 10
interconnecting the downwardly sloping side walls 12.
[0078] Braces 27 are configured to support the inner edges of the
panels 34 in the position shown in FIG. 11. In the preferred
embodiment the inner edges of the dust cover panels 34 are provided
with attaching hardware such as J-shaped brackets 39 which are
secured to the inner edges of panels 34 by suitable fasteners.
J-shaped brackets 39 engage the support braces to 27 to secure the
panels 34 as more clearly shown in FIG. 12.
[0079] An opposite end portion of the panels 34 are provided with
cut-out portions 34a to accommodate the connecting rods 15 disposed
along the end walls 11 of the feeder. The insertion of the feed
drop tube holder 28 is accomplished as described hereinabove and in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,039.
[0080] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
remaining peripheral edges of the panels 34 are supported by their
contact with the downwardly and inwardly converging side walls 12
of the feeder.
[0081] In this construction the dust cover 33 functions to reduce
the airborne particulates generated by the automatic feed delivery
system utilized in conjunction with feeders of this type. Thus, the
environment of the production facility is made safer and
respiratory hazards are reduced for both man and animal.
[0082] Another preferred embodiment of the present invention will
be now described with reference to FIG. 13. In this regard, FIG. 13
is a cross-sectional view of the feeder 10 showing the cleaning
mechanism 96 incorporated into the feeder 10. The cleaning
mechanism 96, which functions to allow easy removal of cleaning
fluids and waste feed, is constructed of an adjustable member or
outer door 98, a linkage 100 connected to the outer door 98 by a
fastener 102 at the bottom end 104 of the linkage 100, as well as
to an engagement member or control lever 106. The control lever 106
is connected to the top portion 108 of linkage 100 and is pivotally
mounted by the mounting system 110 to end wall 42. The mounting
system 110 includes and has a knob 112, lock washer 114, spacer
116, and compression ring 118. The structure and function of the
control lever 106 is similar to that of the adjustable control
levers 16 as seen in FIGS. 3, 4, 8 and 9. Control lever 106
functions to lift the outer door 98, through linkage 100 to an
upward position, to expose four apertures 120.
[0083] The apertures 120, which are shown in FIG. 13 as being
covered by the outer door 98, are elongated rectangular in shape
and are located in the end wall 42 adjacent to the bottom surface
123 of the feed trough 55. The outer door 98 covers the apertures
120 and controls the flow of cleaning fluid and waste grain through
the apertures 120 during the cleaning of the feeder 10. Further
shown in FIG. 13 are the optional, although preferred, first inner
door 122 and second inner door 124. These doors are disposed
adjacent the inner surface 126 of end wall 42 and are connected to
the outer door 98 by through bolts 128. The through bolts 128 pass
through the end wall 42 through a plurality of elongated guide
slots 130 formed in end wall 42. The first and second inner doors
122, 124 are displaced upwardly and downwardly in conjunction with
the outer door 98 as directed by control lever 106. As better seen
in FIG. 18, through bolts 128 couple the first inner door 122 by
using lock washers 132 and a nut 134. As can be appreciated, the
particular fasteners used to movably couple the outer door 98 and
the inner doors 122, 124 can take any suitable form known in the
fastener art. Further shown in FIG. 18 is the coupling of linkage
100 with the outer door 98. Shown is the linkage rod tip portion
136 which is disposed through an elongated slot 138 formed in end
wall 42. The linkage rod tip portion 136 is located through hole
140 in the outer door 98 and is fastened by a fastener 142.
[0084] FIG. 14 shows the cleaning mechanism 96 in its raised
position. Control lever 106 is depicted as being raised and engaged
in an index member or indexing hole 144. In normal operation, the
user of the feeder 10 adjusts the cleaning mechanism 96 by grasping
and pulling knob 112 outwardly from an engaged position and
pivoting the control lever 106 upwardly or downwardly to adjust the
outer door 98 to the desired vertical position. After the desired
position or indexing hole 144 is selected, the knob 112 is
released. The function of the control lever 106 and knob 112 is
similar to that as previously described in the descriptions of
FIGS. 8 and 9.
[0085] FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the cleaning mechanism 96 and
improved flanges of the current invention. The improved flange
portions allow for easier cleaning of the feeder as well as
increased comfort to the feeding animals. Disposed on the opposing
end side 42 is a ledge 148 generally parallel to the inner surface
126 of opposing end wall 42. Ledge 148 functions to reduce harmful
contact to the feeding animals by providing an increased surface
area of contact with the feeding animal. As better seen in FIG.
16a, the ledge 148 is connected to end wall 42 by a flange 150, the
outer surface being closed off by a flange 152. Flange 148 has a
width from one-half (1/2'') to one (1'') inch, and preferably
five-eighths (5/8'') inch. The flange design allows for the proper
stiffening and support of end wall 42 as well as reducing the
discomfort to animals which may be forced into the edge. The design
also allows for easy stacking of the feeder component materials. An
alternate design can be seen in FIG. 16b, which shows a curved
portion 154 joined to the end wall 42.
[0086] FIG. 15 further shows a ledge 146 extending outwardly from
the outer trough portion 44. The outwardly extending flange 146 is
connected to the outer trough portion 44 by transition flange 156.
The configuration of the outwardly extending flange 146 and
transition flange 156 reduces the number of unexposed surfaces,
resulting in better access to the trough 55 surfaces by a stream of
cleaning fluid. Conventional feeders typically have flat trough 55
bottom surfaces 123. To assist in the removal of the cleaning
fluids, it is optionally possible to adjust the support structure
158 (shown in FIG. 14) so that the bottom surface 123 of the trough
55 is angled down toward the apertures 120 to assist in the
drainage of the cleaning fluids.
[0087] The method of utilizing the aforementioned cleaning
mechanism will now be discussed in detail. A feeder 10 is provided
having cleaning mechanism 96 consisting of a plurality of apertures
120 covered by an outer door 98. The outer door 98 is coupled to a
control lever 106 which is pivotably mounted to the side of the
feeder 10. The control lever 106, which has a knob 112, is
adjustable through a plurality of index positions 144 allowing for
the raising and lowering of the outer door 98.
[0088] When it is desirable to clean the feeder, the operator will
grasp the knob 112 and raises the control lever 106 to a raised
index hole 144, moving the outer door 98 to expose at least a
portion of the aperture 120. The knob 112 is then released locking
the control lever 106 in its upward position. The feeder 10 is then
exposed to a stream of high pressure water, washing and rinsing the
surfaces of the feeder 10. It is preferred that the operator use
the stream high pressure water to "push" the fluids and waste feed
out of the trough 55 through the apertures 120. It is envisioned
that the control lever 106 will be left in its raised position
until the trough 55 is substantially free of cleaning fluid. When
the trough 55 has been cleaned, the operator grasps the knob 112
and moves it downward so the outer door 98 covers the aperture
120.
[0089] Another preferred embodiment of the present invention will
now be described in reference to FIGS. 19-21 in which the feed
hopper and feed gate are located in a position remote from the feed
trough, thereby minimizing the likelihood of contamination of the
feed reservoir from the feed trough. The animal feeder generally
indicated at 200 includes an open top hopper 202 defined by
opposing, downwardly sloping sidewalls 204 and opposing
substantially vertical end walls 206. One of the side walls 204a
includes a ledge region 208, whereas the other side wall 204b
terminates at a position above and spaced apart from the ledge 208.
An opening 210 is defined between the ledge 208 and sidewall 204b.
A feed trough 212 is defined by end walls 206 extending downwardly
below feed hopper 202 and outer panels 214 extending therebetween.
In this manner, the feed trough 212 is formed in a location remote
from the feed hopper 202 and feed gate opening 210.
[0090] A feed gate 216 is interposed between sidewall 204b and
ledge 208. The feed gate 216 is selectively positionable for
adjusting the feed opening for feed hopper 202. In this regard, a
feed dispensing mechanism 218 is provided which includes a control
lever 220 and a control rod 222 interconnecting the control lever
220 with the feed gate 216. The control lever 220 is similar to the
control lever 16 described with reference to the other embodiments
disclosed herein. In this regard, the control lever 220 is
pivotally mounted on the interior surface of an end wall 206 by use
of suitable attaching hardware such as a pivot screw, lock washer,
spacer and compression spring.
[0091] The opposite end of connecting rod 222 is configured to
couple with feed gate 216 in a conventional manner. To provide a
non-binding linkage between the control lever 220 and the feed gate
216 which facilitates operation of the dispensing mechanism when
the feeder is filled. The control rod 222 has a flange 224 formed
on an end opposite the feed gate 216. The flange 224 includes a
loss motion slot 226 which receives a fastener 228 for coupling the
control rod 222 with the control lever 220.
[0092] The feed dispensing mechanism 218 further includes an index
pin 230 extending from the control lever 220 towards the end wall
206 for mating engagement with an array of index holes 232 which
are regularly disposed at regular intervals along an arc concentric
with a pivot screw 234 pivotally coupling the control lever 220 to
the end wall 206. In this manner, the index pin 230 may be
selectively located within any one of the arrays of holes 232 for
selectively locating the feed dispensing mechanism 218 in a series
of discrete positions. Furthermore, the slot 226 formed in flange
224 allows the feed gate 216 to move within a limited range of
motion about each of the discrete positions.
[0093] In normal operation, the feed dispensing mechanism 218
adjusts the location of the feed gate 216 when the control lever
220 is grasped and pulled such that index pin 230 disengages hole
232 allowing the control lever 220 to rotate to a new position. The
control lever 220 is pivotally rotated such that a different hole
232 within the array. Thereby adjusting the position of feed gate
216. After the desired hole 232 is selected, the lever 220 is
re-positioned again such that the index pin 230 engages the hole
232 for fixing the feed dispensing mechanism 218 in a new
location.
[0094] It will be appreciated that the control lever 220 may be
provided with a pointer 236 which corresponds with a series of
numbered indicia 238. These indicia 238 indicate a predetermined
rate for dispensing feed from the hopper 202 into the feed trough
212. Feeder 200 further includes a feed agitation mechanism 240
disposed within hopper 202. The feed agitation mechanism 240
functions to agitate feed within the hopper 202 for avoiding a
bridging condition whereby the feed is blocked from being dispensed
out of the opening 210. Feed agitation mechanism 240 includes
agitation grate 242 loosely secured to side wall 204b at a first
end 244 and an agitator plate 246 located adjacent the inner
surface of ledge 208. Second end 248 of agitation grate 244 is
loosely coupled to agitator plate 246. A flange 250 extends from
agitator plate 246 and is coupled to an actuator 252 which extends
downward into feed trough 212. As an animal feeds at feeder 200, it
bumps or pushes on actuator 252 causing agitator plate 246 to move
or jiggle within hopper 202. Such relative movement of agitator
plate 246 causes agitation grate 242 to move within hopper 202.
Slight relative motion creates sufficient agitation for causing any
feed which may be bridging across the opening 210 to break loose
and fall down to the lower portion of hopper 202. At this location,
the feed may be freely dispensed from the feed hopper into the feed
trough 212.
[0095] In this manner, the present invention provides an animal
feed dispensing with an indexed feed mechanism which allows for
precise control of the feed gate opening. Furthermore, the present
disclosure provides an agitation mechanism which prevents the
bridging of feed across the feed gate opening, thereby affording
proper flow of feed from the feed hopper 202 to the feed trough
212.
[0096] The terms "top", "bottom", "side", and so forth have been
used herein merely for convenience to describe the present
invention and its parts as oriented in the drawings. It is to be
understood, however, that these terms are in no way limiting to the
invention since such invention may obviously be disposed in
different orientations when in use.
[0097] From the above it can be seen that the improved animal
feeder of the present invention provides an adjustable dispensing
mechanism for the accurate delivery of feed to livestock animals.
The dispensing mechanism includes standardized controls and
settings to enable a precise amount of feed to be delivered to
animals during specific stages of their life cycle to ensure
optimum growth rates.
[0098] The present invention may, of course, be carried out in
other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing
from the spirit and essential characteristics of such invention.
The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all
respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes
coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended
claims are intended to be embraced therein.
[0099] The description of the invention is merely exemplary in
nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of
the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention.
Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the
spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *