Abstract:
A portable animal feed supply bin for holding a few feedings in which a hopper has a lid on the top end for refilling the hopper and a slide plate covering a feed dispensing open bottom end. Within the hopper is an open grate assembly attached to a bar slidably that is mounted by a housing removably attached to a wall of the hopper. A lever assembly, or gear drive, engages the grate assembly bar to raise and lower the grate assembly to break up clumps and bridging of the feed.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates generally to animal feed handling and more particularly to a readily transportable storage bin for animal feed. 
     BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     Carrying animal feed, such as whole and/or ground grain, natural or fortified or pelletized feed, can be time consuming and/or inconvenient when an animal to be fed is in a corral or paddock and particularly so when the animal is located some distance from the main supply bin. It is even more difficult to have at hand a suitable and conveniently available supply of feed when the animal is being transported, for example by trailer from one sight to another as is often the case with race horses and/or show animals. 
     One of the problems associated with animal feed of the foregoing general type is that it clings together in clumps or bridges in a hopper. This becomes even more pronounced due to settling that takes place while being transported. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A principal object of the present invention is to provide a readily transportable animal feed supply bin for holding a few feedings and one which has an agitator in the hopper to loosen the bridged and/or compacted feed material. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and wherein: The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation, oblique, view of a portable animal feed bin provided in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is, in elevation, an oblique rear view of the bin shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevation, part broken, view of the feed bin showing the internal feed agitator and operating mechanism for the same; 
     FIG. 4 is a right hand elevation, part broken, view of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a top plan view of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 6 is a part sectional view, on a larger scale, of the encircled portion of FIG. 3 showing in greater detail the agitator operating mechanism; 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of one of the pair of levers of the mechanism shown in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a plan view of one of a pair of lock levers of the mechanism shown in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of a mounting box for the agitator and agitator operating mechanism of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 10 is a top plan view of FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11 is a front elevation of a cover plate for the box shown in FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 12 is a top plan view of FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of the agitator shown inside the feed hopper in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 14 is a right hand elevation view of FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 15 is a top plan view of FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 16 is a part elevation, part broken, view of a modified agitator operating mechanism; and 
     FIG. 17 is a plan view of FIG.  16 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Illustrated in the drawings is a portable animal feed bin comprising a hopper  10  having an agitator  20  within the hopper to break up compacted animal feed grain, pelletized or similar food in the hopper and an agitator operating mechanism  30 . 
     The hopper  10  has a front wall  101 , a rear wall  102  and respective opposite side walls  103  and  104  the latter tapering inwardly to a hopper content discharge opening  105  in the bottom of the hopper. The opening is covered by a plate  106  slidably mounted in a pair of spaced apart channels provided between a lower end of end walls  103  and  104  and respective angle members  107  and  108  secured thereto and having legs directed toward one another. 
     Secured to the hopper, and external thereof, are carrying handles  109  and  110  on respective side walls  103  and  104  and a mounting bracket ill on the rear wall. A clip storage bracket  112  is secured to the rear wall and located within the hopper. 
     A lid  113 , having a handle  114 , is pivotally attached by a hinge to the end wall  103  and a known slotted lever and block unit  115  (or air cylinder) temporarily holds the lid in an open position facilitating filling the hopper. 
     The hopper is readily suspended from a horizontal stringer of a corral fence by a clip  400  that has a first leg  401  that slip fits between the rear wall  102  of the hopper and the bracket  111  secured thereto and a second leg  402  having a hook portion  403  for engaging a stringer of the fence. This clip can also be used to mount the hopper on a wall of for example a horse trailer and if need be bolts can be threaded into respective mounting spacers  404  and  405  on the rear wall of the hopper to securely lock the hopper during travel and also prevent theft. The clip  400 , when not in use can be stored in the hopper on the bracket  112 . 
     The agitator  20  comprises a bar  201 , a first open grate assembly  202  secured at one end thereof to a lower end of the bar  201  and canter-levered therefrom to extend horizontally across the lower end of the hopper and a second inclined open grate assembly  203  secured at one end to the outer free end of the grate assembly  202  and at the other end to the top end of the bar  201 . In side elevation, as seen in FIG. 13, the grate assemblies and bar define a triangle. The lower grate assembly is positioned to break up clumps of feed in the lower portion of the hopper and the slopping grate assembly does the same in the central and upper portion. 
     The bar  201  is slidably mounted in a housing  204  attached as by bolts or studs  205  and a cover plate  206  to the hopper end wall  104  as is clearly shown in FIG.  6 . The housing  204  is shown in detail in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cover plate in FIGS. 11 and 12 and the grate assemblies of the agitator  20  in FIGS. 13 to  15  inclusive. 
     The grate assembly  202  is a rigid structure of elongate spaced apart rods  202 A connected to a plurality of spaced apart cross rods  202 B. The grate assembly  203  comprises a plurality of elongate spaced apart rods  203 A connected at one end to the grate assembly  202  and at the other end to a plate  207  that is rigidly secured to an upper end of the bar  201 . The feed agitator  20  can be raised and lowered manually using the operating mechanism  30  shown in detail in FIGS. 6 to  8  inclusive or alternatively the gear drive mechanism shown in FIG. 16 and 17. 
     Referring principally to FIG. 6 the mechanism  30  comprises a plurality of levers and compression springs that operate in a manner well known with bar clamps except that in the present system the bar is moved and it is moved back and forth. 
     Referring principally to FIGS. 6 to  8  the agitator operating mechanism comprises a lower L-shaped lever  301  and an upper L 5  shaped lever  302  each of which has a slot  304  and a lug  305 . The two levers are identical but one is installed in an inverted position relative to the other. The lugs  305  of levers  301  and  302  project into respective slots  208  and  209  in the rear wall  210  of the agitator mounting housing  204 (see FIG.  9 ). The bar  201  passes trough the slot  304  in the respective levers and a slot  211  in each of the respective top and bottom walls  212  and  213  of the housing  204 . A pair of slotted washers  315  and  316  and a compression spring  317  are slidably mounted on the bar at a position between the levers  301 , 302  and the housing respective end walls  213  and  212 . 
     A pair of bar lock levers  320 , each with an end tab  321  and a slot  322 , are spring biased to a locking position by respective compression springs  323  and  324 . The compression springs project into and bear against respective cap members  226  and  227  fixedly secured to the cover plate  206 . The tabs  321  on the levers  320  project into respective slots  250  and  251  in the back wall  210  of the housing  204 . 
     The levers  301 , 302 , and the pair of levers  320  pass through holes in the cover plate  206  and are finger or hand engageable enabling releasing the lock grip of one of the levers and then moving the bar  201  using one of the levers  301  or  302  to move the agitator down or up as the case may be. 
     The levers  301  and  302  have respective extensions  330  and  340  attached thereto by respective hinges  331  and  341 . The pivot axes of the hinges are off-set from one another, and the levers and lever extensions differ in length, permitting one lever extension to overlap the other when folded to an inoperative position shown in dotted line in FIG.  6 . The lever extensions  330  and  340  have respective portions  332  and  342  projecting beyond the hinge associated therewith and these abut the lever associated therewith. Pivoting lever extension  340  in a counter-clockwise direction causes the extension to engage lever  302  effectively increasing its length thus providing greater leverage to move the agitator up. Similarity pivoting lever extension  330  in a clockwise direction effectively provides a longer lever arm for lever  301  to move the bar  201  down. 
     A second agitating means in the hopper comprises one or more posts  150  (two being shown in FIG. 1) secured to and projecting upwardly from the slide plate  106 . These posts stir or agitate the feed below the lower grate assembly  202  each time the plate  106  is moved to open or close the dispensing opening. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17 the agitator bar  201  has a series of gear teeth providing a rack  501  that meshes with a drive gear  502  mounted by a shaft  503  in respective opposite side walls  506  and  507  of a housing  508 . The housing has a mounting flange  509  and bolts and nuts (not shown) can be used to attach the housing to the hopper end wall  103 . The top and bottom walls of the housing  508  are notched as indicated at  516  for the bar  201 . If desired the bar can be stabilized by an upper and lower pair of idler gears(or rollers)  510  supported by shafts  511  and  512 . 
     The gear shaft  503  has a square or out of round socket  515  for receiving a correspondingly shaped end of a crank or socket wrench drive. Rotating gear  502  obviously will move the agitator up or down as desired at the time of use. A hole can be provided in the front wall  101  of the hopper and aligned with the socket  515  for inserting a drive rod into the socket. Alternatively the shaft  503  can extend to or through a hole in the hopper wall  101  wall. 
     In this embodiment the bar  201  is held captive against the hopper side wall by the housing  508  when the latter is secured to the hopper wall. If desired a slide wear plate can be held captive between the housing  508  and the hopper wall. Assembly is simple as the bar simply slip fits into the slots  516 . Should one desire to have the agitator remain in various sheet positions a worm gear drive can readily be adapted to move the bar  201 . 
     The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the art based upon more recent disclosures and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.