Animal husbandry – Feeding device – Hopper and trough
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-20
2001-01-16
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Feeding device
Hopper and trough
C119S052100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173676
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an adjustable feeder assembly for a feeding system for birds or other animals.
BACKGROUND
Utilization of efficient low-cost poultry feeding systems, which allow poultry and the like to be raised from inception to harvest with a minimum amount of time and effort, is a prerequisite to economic survival in the business of raising poultry. An important component of such poultry feeding systems are the poultry feeder assemblies that present the feed to the poultry.
Operation of one known type of poultry feeding system, for instance, commences with a supply of feed being conveyed from a storage hopper, through a series of transport conduits and ultimately into individual poultry feeder pan assemblies, which are readily accessible to the feeding poultry crop. An example of a feeder assembly that has been successful in connection with such a poultry feeding system is the feeder assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,026, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. The poultry feeder assembly of the '026 patent includes a dome-shaped feeder body contoured to prevent poultry from roosting upon it and a feeder tube extending through an uppermost surface of the dome-shaped body to operatively connect with a feed transport conveyor system. Feed supplied by the transport conveyor falls into the feeder tube and is directed through a feed opening at the bottom of the dome-shaped body and into a pan of the feeder assembly which is disposed below the lowermost edges of both the dome-shaped body and feeder tube. The outer periphery of the pan, in combination with the outer wall of the dome-shaped body, forms a limited annular poultry feeding area accessible to a large number of feeding poultry.
Releasable and adjustable engagement between the pan and the remaining structure is facilitated by circumferentially-spaced wing members formed integral with and extending outwardly of the dome-shaped feeder body. The distal end of these wing members are provided with a plurality of closely-spaced fingers which can be adjustably positioned to interlock with a corresponding arrangement of flange members provided on an annular lip or rim portion of the pan to incrementally adjust the size of the feed opening. Utilization of materials with sufficient resilient flexibility to form the pan member of the poultry feeder assembly allows the feed system operator to manually release and adjustably position the fingers relative to the pan member, and thereby adjust the size of the feed opening, without the aid of any tool. Thus, the feeder can be easily adjusted at its point of use to accommodate a variety of different-sized birds and to adapt to a varying range of feed flow characteristics.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY
It is object of the present invention to provide a feeder assembly defining a feed opening that can be adjusted in size in a manner similar to that of the feeder assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,026, but also in a manner wherein the wing members do not need to be re-positioned relative to the pan.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide such a feeder assembly wherein the level of feed in the pan member of the assembly can be readily adjusted.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a feeder assembly having a feeder tube that defines a brood gate opening and a cone member slidably mounted to the feeder tube for adjusting the size of a feed opening at the bottom of the cone member and for adjustably opening and closing the brood gate opening.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a feeder assembly wherein the feed opening can be adjusted in size in very fine increments and over a wide range of sizes.
In accordance with these and other objects, the present invention provides a feeder assembly for birds or animals having a pan member, a feeder tube defining a channel for receiving feed from a feed supply and defining a brood gate opening adapted to permit at least some of the feed to pass therethrough, a plurality of wing members joined to the feeder tube, and a cone member disposed about the feeder tube and slidably mounted to the plurality of wing members and adapted to slide relative to the wing members between a raised position and a lowered position to substantially open and substantially close the brood gate opening. The pan member and an end of the cone member define a feed opening for permitting the feed to pass from the feeder tube to the pan member for presentation and consumption. The feed opening decreases in size as the cone member is moved toward the lowered position.
The brood gate opening comprises at least one window defined by the feeder tube. In a preferred embodiment, for example, the brood gate opening comprises a plurality of circumferentially-spaced windows defined by the feeder tube. The cone member is adapted to be adjustably positioned relative to the feeder to adjust the size of the feed opening and so that the brood gate opening also can be partially opened and partially closed by the cone member in an adjustable manner. The cone member may include a rim, desirably adjacent its upper end, for substantially closing the brood gate opening when the cone member is in the lowered position. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, each of the wing members includes at its distal end a plurality of engaging fingers for adjustably engaging the pan member and for adjusting the size of the feed opening and for adjusting the elevation of the brood gate opening.
The cone member may be slidably mounted to the plurality of wing members in any suitable manner. The rim slidingly engages the feeder tube. Additionally, the cone member may include a plurality of engaging arms slidably engageable with the wing members. With this embodiment, each of the arms is slidably received within an aperture defined by a respective wing member. Each arm includes a locking ledge, preferably at its distal or bottom end, for engaging the respective wing member. The locking ledges are adapted to prevent the cone member from disengaging from the wing members when the cone member is moved toward the raised position.
The cone member may be adjustably positioned relative to the feeder tube in any suitable manner. In a preferred embodiment, for example, the feeder assembly may include a connector in the form of pair of cords or the like secured to the cone member and a locking member for joining the cords together to or around a support. The support may, for example, be in the form of a wire that extends parallel to a feed supply conduit or in the form of the feed supply conduit. The locking member preferably is in the form of a cable clamp joined to the wire and moveable with the wire to enable the cone member to be adjustably positioned relative to the feeder tube.
The feeder assembly in accordance with the invention provides many benefits. For example, adjustably sliding the cone member relative to the feeder tube causes opening or closing of the brood gate opening in an adjustable manner and also causes the size of the feed opening to increase or decrease in an adjustable manner. Additionally, adjusting the wing members relative to the pan member causes the elevation of the brood gate opening to increase or decrease in an adjustable manner and also causes the size of the feed opening to increase or decrease in an adjustable manner.
Thus, with the feeder assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the brood gate opening can be readily and adjustably opened or closed and the elevation of the brood gate opening can be readily adjusted. Additionally, the size of the feed opening can be readily adjusted in size by adjustably positioning the cone member relative to the feeder tube and the wing members, or by adjusting the wing members relative to the pan member. As a result, the level and amount of feed presented to the poultry can be readily adjusted.
Accordingly, the feeder assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention enables the poultry grow
CTB Inc.
Poon Peter M.
Shaw Elizabeth
Trexler Bushnell Giangiorgi & Blackstone Ltd.
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