Waterer for livestock

Details Waterer for livestock Waterer for livestock

1998-03-24

2001-02-20

Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3643)

Animal husbandry

Watering or liquid feed device

C248S065000, C248S074100, C248S230200, C248S222520, C138S106000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06189488

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to waterers for livestock and, more particularly, to assemblies for adjusting the vertical height of a pipe therefor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Young livestock confined to gated pens typically obtain drinking water from animal waterers. The height of the animal waterer must be periodically adjusted to accommodate for the growing size of the animals. Conventional animal waterers include a metal pipe, with the top end of the pipe being attached to a water supply and the bottom end of the pipe terminating in a nipple. The nippled end is shaped to fit into the animals' mouths. The pipe is usually attached to the gate by a metal bracket. The metal bracket includes a spring located between two tabs, with each tab having an oval shaped opening for the pipe to pass through. The spring forces the tabs apart and into a position angled with respect to the pipe, resulting in a frictional engagement of the pipe and the tabs. As the tabs are squeezed together, the spring compresses and the tabs become substantially perpendicular to the pipe, allowing the pipe to move vertically through the oval shaped openings and to adjust for the appropriate height of animals. Releasing the tabs results again in frictional engagement of the pipe at the newly adjusted height.
One problem that arises with existing animal waterers is that metal corrodes. Corrosion necessitates frequent replacement of parts and of the entire assembly. Also, corrosion of both the pipe and the bracket makes moving the pipe vertically within the tabs difficult. Another problem with conventional animal waterers is that a certain force must be exerted to compress the spring. An even greater amount of force is required to compress the spring when the spring and the tabs corrode. Additionally, existing animal waterers are costly because these assemblies include many parts that require labor intensive assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly for adjusting the vertical height of a pipe in a waterer for livestock.
According to the present invention, an assembly for adjusting the vertical height of a pipe in an animal waterer includes a bracket that secures the assembly to a supporting structure and a locking portion that locks the pipe at a particular position. The bracket includes a plurality of retaining loops with arch portions for retaining the pipe in a vertical position and a central opening for rotatably engaging the locking portion. The locking portion has a locked position and an unlocked position. In the locked position, the locking portion urges the pipe against the arch portions of the retaining loops of the bracket, thereby securing the pipe in the vertical position. When the locking portion is rotated into the unlocked position, the force pushing the pipe toward the arch portions of the retaining loops is removed, thereby allowing the pipe to be moved vertically. After the desired vertical height of the pipe is reached, the locking portion is rotated into the locked position. The locking portion and the bracket of the present invention can be fabricated from plastic without jeopardizing functionality of the livestock waterer.
One feature of the present invention is an inward protrusion, such as a pin, passing through an opening formed in each of the arch portions. The pin engages the pipe when the locking portion forces the pipe against the arch portions, thereby further securing the pipe at a particular position and preventing spinning of the pipe.
One advantage of the present invention is that the pipe does not spin about its axis in the locked position when animals drink or bump into the waterer. Another advantage of the present invention is its superior functionality. The assembly does not corrode and continues to operate properly for long periods of time without the need for frequent replacement of parts or regular maintenance as a result of the corrosion. A further advantage of the present invention is its cost efficiency. First, the present invention reduces the number of parts, thereby translating into savings in manufacturing and assembly costs. Second, fabrication from plastic is less expensive than fabrication from metal, thereby reducing material cost. Moreover, since plastic weighs much less than metal, the animal waterer of the present invention is easier to handle and less expensive to ship. An additional advantage of the present invention is its ease of operation.
The foregoing and other advantages of the present invention become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 1043260 (1912-11-01), Shover
patent: 1152089 (1915-08-01), Heide
patent: 2616646 (1952-11-01), Matthysse
patent: 2679933 (1954-06-01), Christophersen
patent: 2705158 (1955-03-01), Risley
patent: 3347572 (1967-10-01), Pfaff, Jr. et al.
patent: 3472474 (1969-10-01), Fountain et al.
patent: 4173948 (1979-11-01), Austin
patent: 4348989 (1982-09-01), Vik
patent: 4546949 (1985-10-01), Millett et al.
patent: 5603286 (1997-02-01), Gerbo

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Waterer for livestock does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Waterer for livestock, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Waterer for livestock will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2613295