Patent ID: 11856925
Assignee: nan
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 23:
24. A broadcast feeder for dispensing granules of feed from a feed hopper, the feed hopper having a planar bottom having a bottom surface with a central opening therethrough, the feeder comprising:
a housing comprising:
a planar attachment plate having an upper surface with a feed opening and being removably attachable to the bottom surface of the bottom of the feed hopper in face-to-face engagement therewith and so that the feed opening is alignable with the central opening in the bottom of the hopper;
a chute depending from the attachment plate and configured to receive feed from the feed hopper;

a dispenser rotatably supported in the housing and positioned to receive feed from the chute and to throw feed radially by centrifugal force when the dispenser rotates;
wherein the housing further comprises an upper guide plate above the dispenser and a lower guide plate below the dispenser, wherein the lower guide plate is imperforate to the feed granules, wherein each of the upper and lower guide plates defines an outer circumferential edge that extends a distance beyond the dispenser, wherein each of the upper and lower guide plates is domed and forms a surface that slopes downwardly toward the circumferential edge, and wherein the outer circumferential edges of the upper and lower guide plates are spaced from each other a distance selected to prevent selected varmints from reaching the dispenser; and
a motor supported in the housing and operatively connected to the dispenser to rotate the dispenser.