Animal husbandry – Confining or housing – Stall
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-12
2003-09-09
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Confining or housing
Stall
C119S741000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06615768
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a head gate of the type comprising at least one tubular structural element and extending in a main plane.
The head gate is a special gate constituting a barrier making it possible to hold farm animals in position, limiting their movements by holding their neck between two parallel vertical bars.
Each structural element comprises a frame in which a substantially rectilinear movable bar is mounted so as to pivot, substantially half-way along its length, about an axis perpendicular to the main plane.
This movable bar can consequently adopt three positions:
an open position providing a space between substantially the top half of the movable bar and the frame, thus enabling the animal to pass its head through the head gate element;
a closed position in which the movable bar is substantially vertical and parallel to an element of the frame, preventing the animal from withdrawing its head from the head gate element;
a release position providing a space between substantially the bottom half of the movable bar and the frame, thus enabling the animal, for example in the event of falling, to withdraw its head from the head gate element through the bottom.
Each head gate element makes it possible to accept one animal, the head gate being formed by the assembly, in the same plane, of as many elements as there are animals.
In the prior art, the head gate elements comprise means of locking the aforementioned movable bar.
By way of example and as described in the patent FR 2 750 292 of the present applicant,
FIG. 1
is a partial view of a head gate element showing one of these devices for locking the movable bar.
These locking means usually comprise a hollow control bar
113
mounted on a top part
103
of the frame
101
and a locking fork joint
111
fixed at the top end
110
a
of the movable bar
110
, the locking fork joint
111
coming to straddle the control bar
113
.
The control bar
113
is able to move in rotation about its longitudinal axis and has, over its length, projections
121
,
122
,
123
intended to cooperate with a slide
115
carried by the locking fork joint
111
.
The locking fork joint
111
comprises two substantially parallel walls
111
a
,
111
b
, extending in the longitudinal direction of the movable bar
110
, in which facing oblong holes
130
a
,
130
b
are formed, also extending in the longitudinal direction of the movable bar
110
.
The slide
115
, extending between the walls
111
a
,
111
b
of the locking fork joint
111
and being guided in translation in the oblong holes
130
a
,
130
b
, cooperates under the effect of its own weight with the projections
121
,
122
,
123
on the control bar
113
in order to lock the movable bar
110
in its closed position.
The head gate described in the document FR 2 750 292 does not give complete satisfaction.
This is because manufacturing the control bar
113
comprising projections
121
,
122
,
123
is complex and expensive.
These projections are generally pieces welded onto the control bar
113
, which consequently poses problems of positioning the pieces during the welding, and problems of deformation due to the internal stresses created in the material by the welding.
In addition, the document EP-A-1 040 753 describes a head gate comprising a control bar having notches intended to receive a rotating shaft, thus allowing the locking of the movable bar.
However, the control bar described in the document EP-A-1 040 753 is hollow. This certainly simplifies the storage of the basic materials, since a control bar is used having the same characteristics—and in particular the same diameter—as the longitudinal members.
On the other hand, the use of a hollow control bar presents many drawbacks.
First of all, a hollow bar has less strength than a solid bar. This gives rise to two major difficulties:
firstly, it is necessary to increase the diameter of the bar in order to increase its rigidity, the bar being weakened by the presence of the notches. Thus a new control bar—provided with notches—cannot be easily adapted to head gates already installed, lengthy and expensive changes needing to be made:
secondly, bearings must be placed in line with each of the notches, to absorb the forces. Additional parts are thus necessary, which gives rise to extra cost and less easy installation.
Equally, the production of a notch in a hollow bar gives rise to the formation of sharp surfaces. The result is increased wear on the sliding shaft, and potentially a greater noise when the sliding shaft drops into the notch.
Moreover, the control bar is traditionally produced from an oxidisable material, such as steel. Because of this, an additional galvanisation step is necessary. This operation is extremely expensive and constraining. In addition, it results in not insignificant deformations of the hollow control bar, which may give rise to poor adaptation of the notch to the sliding shaft, thus limiting the locking height. The locking of the movable bar is then not perfectly assured.
The purpose of the invention is to provide a head gate element provided with a device for locking the movable bar which is more secure and less expensive to manufacture.
The invention aims in particular to propose a stronger control bar, with no welds, and affording better locking of the slide.
To this end, the object of the invention is a head gate element comprising:
a substantially flat frame;
a substantially rectilinear movable bar mounted so as to pivot on a shaft fixed to the said frame and substantially perpendicular to the plane, so that the movable bar can be situated in two extreme inclined positions, namely an open position and a release position, as well as in an intermediate so-called closed position in which the movable bar is substantially vertical;
fixed rigidly to one end of the movable bar, a locking fork joint formed by two plates, receiving a transverse slide able to move in translation in the direction of the movable bar;
a control bar able to move in rotation about its longitudinal axis in order to control the possibilities of the movable bar in the aforementioned three positions, this control bar being fixed in translation to the top part of the frame and extending between the two plates of the locking fork joint.
According to a general definition of the invention, the control bar comprises locking means themselves comprising a transverse notch arranged so that the slide can fit therein when the movable bar and the control bar are in the closed position, and the control bar is solid.
The control bar being solid, it is possible to machine a transverse groove in this bar in order to form the said notch. It is thus no longer necessary to carry out welding, the control bar there being more simple and less expensive to manufacture.
The production of a notch in a solid bar does not create—or only slightly creates—sharp surfaces, which considerably reduces wear on the slide.
According to a first embodiment, the control bar can be produced from a strong lightweight metallic material, other than galvanised steel.
The metallic material employed is chosen so that the control bar thus produced is as strong as a hollow bar of the prior art, generally produced from steel, for an unchanged diameter. Because of this, it is possible to associate the control bar according to the invention with an existing head gate without any particular adaptation, and without using any additional part.
The material of the control bar is also lighter than steel, so that the solid bar obtained has a weight comparable with that of the hollow steel bars of the prior art.
The metal used is also chosen so as not to require any galvanisation operation, thus avoiding constraining operations such as in particular handling, the production of orifices on the bar enabling it to be attached and suspended before it is introduced into a galvanisation bath, finishing of the bar (removal of the zinc deposited in excess at the notch, etc).
Consequently the manufacture of the control bar is less lengthy and less expensive.
In addition, since the bar does not u
Jordan Charles T.
Nawrocki, Rooney & Sivertson P.A.
Shaw Elizabeth
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