Patent ID: 9521828
Filing Date: 2016-12-20
CPC Classification: A01K,Y02A

Claim Text:
1. A feeder for animals selected from domestic pets, cage birds, chickens, fish and wild birds, the feeder comprising: a hopper constructed and arranged to hold a supply of dry feed, the hopper having a lower portion; a chamber extending beneath the lower portion of the hopper to receive feed vertically by gravity from the lower portion of the hopper, the chamber defining an axis, and having an axial end; a discharge outlet coupled to the axial end of the chamber to receive feed therefrom, and having an opening at a distal end of the discharge outlet for discharge of feed from the feeder, the distal end of the discharge outlet having an enlarged end portion; a passage being defined from and including the chamber and to the discharge outlet and terminating at said opening, and an auger mounted for rotation about the axis within said chamber, the auger being constructed and arranged as it rotates to move feed along said passage to be discharged at the distal end of the discharge outlet; a shutter constructed and arranged to occlude the passage at the opening and being provided within the discharge outlet, the shutter being coupled to and rotating with the auger, and the shutter having a forward edge and a trailing edge defined in relation to the direction of rotation; wherein the enlarged end portion of the discharge outlet having an outer wall spaced laterally by a predetermined distance from the passage such that, as the forward edge progressively occludes the passage as the shutter rotates, any feed between the outer wall and the moving forward edge of the shutter will fall from the enlarged end portion; an electric motor; and a drive system for coupling the motor to the auger to provide drive thereto, the drive system being arranged in use to cause the electric motor to rotate the auger through a discrete number of completed 360° turns such that when the auger is not rotating the passage is fully occluded by the shutter.