Animal husbandry – Animal controlling or handling – Stanchion
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-12
2003-11-25
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Animal controlling or handling
Stanchion
C119S741000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06651593
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 is 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, the slide
115
being guided in translation by the two oblong holes
130
a
,
130
b
, it is necessary for the fixings
131
a
,
131
b
to be projecting from the external faces of the locking fork joint
111
in order to effect the guidance.
It is possible to limit the size of these projecting parts
131
a
,
131
b
but not to omit them since they are made obligatory by the use of opening-out oblong holes
130
a
,
130
b
as guides for the translation movement of the slide
115
.
These projecting parts
131
a
,
131
b
make it possible to lift the slide
115
from the external faces of the locking fork joint
111
giving the possibility for the animal in place in the head gate to lift the slide
115
with its muzzle and thus to put the head gate element in the open position in order to release itself.
In addition, the document EP-A-1 040 753 describes a head gate comprising a control bar having notches intended to receive a sliding shaft, thus enabling the movable bar to be locked. In this document also, the sliding shaft has parts projecting from the external faces of the blocking fork joint.
The aim of the invention is to mitigate these drawbacks of the prior art by providing a head gate element provided with a device for locking the movable bar which is more secure and less expensive to manufacture.
The invention also aims to provide a precise translational movement of the slide by preventing unwanted releases.
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 arranged to cooperate with the slide of the locking fork joint, the slide being guided in translation by guidance means situated on the internal face of each of the plates.
The external faces of the locking fork joint are thus free of any projecting translation device, preventing the possibility of the animals lifting the slide.
In one embodiment, the guidance means comprise profiled sections situated on the internal face of each of the plates, the said profiled sections having their longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the movable bar.
The use of these profiled sections makes it possible to obtain robust runners at a low production cost.
More precisely, two profiled sections are fixed to the internal face of each of the plates, the two profiled sections of one and the same plate being separated from each other so that the slide can slide along this distance.
This type of guidance has sufficient precision for the application in question.
It can however be improved by providing, on the slide, stops arranged so as to slide against the profiled sections whilst preventing the slide from coming into contact with the two plates, thus preventing its wedging during its translation movement.
In a particular embodiment, the slide comprises a metallic core and a polymer is envelope.
The metallic core enables the slide to attain a weight providing good functioning of the locking means and the polymer envelope makes it possible to obtain a covering with a low coefficient of friction in which it is also possible to form the stops described above.
The measures described up to now allow optimum guidance of the slide and secure locking of the movable bar.
It is also possible to propose a control bar with no welds and providing better locking of the slide.
To this end, a head gate element is provided of the type described above in which the locking means carried by the control bar comprise a transverse notch arranged so that the slide can fit therein when the movable bar and the control bar are in the closed position.
According to one possible embodiment, the control bar is solid and produced from a material belonging to the group formed by aluminium and its alloys.
The bar can be produced from a strong lightweight metallic material, other than galvanised steel, made from copper or bronze. The bar can also comprise a metallic core and a covering made of plastics material.
The result is firstly the possibility of manufacturing the control bar from a solid profiled section in which a transverse groove will be machined in order to form the said notch.
It is no longer necessary to carry out welding, the control bar thereby being more simple and less expensive to manufacture.
The slide can cooperate either with
Jordan Charles T.
Nawrocki, Rooney & Sivertson P.A.
Shaw Elizabeth
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