Abstract:
According to the preferred aspect of the instant invention, there is provided an apparatus for feeding livestock that is modular in design. In the preferred embodiment, it consists of alternating support and spanning sections that are preferably held together by one or more steel or similar rods running therethrough. Preferably, the modular components will be made of high density plastic to help reduce the risk of rust and corrosion.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/039,262, filed on Mar. 25, 2008, and incorporates such provisional application by reference into this disclosure as if fully set out at this point. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to the general subject matter of livestock husbandry and in more particular, to an apparatus for feeing cows, horses, pigs, sheep, and the like. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    As farmers and ranchers well know, it is generally not a good idea to feed livestock by throwing food out on the ground for them. There are many reasons for this, but among them are that such a practice would inevitably lead to wastage and/or spoilage when the animals stepped on and/or fouled the food given to them to eat. Thus, those who have a need to feed livestock have long understood that it is advantageous to feed them by placing their food in an elevated bin or trough, thereby keeping it off of the ground and making it less subject to spoilage. 
         [0004]    Since the problem of how to feed livestock is one that is ancient in origin, it should come as no surprise that ranchers and farmers have had ample opportunity to confront this problem and develop solutions. Indeed, over the years livestock owners have struggled to develop animal feeders that would be suitable to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. However, and in spite of this, most present day feeding devices are little more than boxes with legs. In most cases, the box is made of metal or concrete, and is placed on legs or otherwise raised to get it off of the ground and out from under foot, thereby making it easier for the animals to reach the food and removing the food from the immediate vicinity of vermin that might be on the ground. 
         [0005]    Since these devices are typically constructed of metal or concrete, they are subject to a number of shortcomings. For example, troughs that are made of metal are subject to corrosion/rusting which shortens their lives and in some instances can contaminate food items placed therein. Additionally, troughs made of these concrete or steel are almost invariably heavy and relocating them can prove to be difficult. Further, troughs are usually available in a small number of standard lengths and, if the farmer&#39;s or rancher&#39;s needs call for something that is longer or shorter than the “standard”, he or she may be required to have their own customized trough built at considerable expense. 
         [0006]    Heretofore, as is well known in the animal husbandry arts, there has been a need for a livestock feeding device that does not suffer from the disadvantages of the prior art. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, it should now be recognized, as it was recognized by the present inventor, that there exists, and has existed for some time, a very real need for an apparatus for feeding livestock that would address and solve the above-described problem. 
         [0008]    Before proceeding to the description of the present invention, however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of the invention that follows, together with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or the preferred embodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be able devise other forms of this invention within the ambit of the pending claims. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    According to a first preferred aspect of the instant invention, there is provided a trough-like apparatus for feeding animals which is modular in nature. In the preferred embodiment, the instant invention contains a plurality of discrete alternating spanning and supporting sections, supporting sections being formed with a foot which is intended to be in contact with the ground and spanning sections being supported between two support sections. In the preferred arrangement, the individual sections will be held together using at least one (and preferably three) length(s) of a metal rod such as “all thread” (i.e., a metal rod that is threaded throughout its entire length) which has been inserted through cylindrical apertures that have been provided in each section for that purpose. In some preferred variations, the sections will be formed to be interlocking, in which fewer (or no) metal rods will be necessary. 
         [0010]    Preferably, both types of sections will have a generally U-shaped interior and include at least one (but preferably three) cylindrical aperture(s) on their peripheries for receiving a stiffening rod therein. 
         [0011]    Additionally, it is expected that a number of these modular sections might be put together to form a trough of a given length which will then preferably be closed on each end by a semicircular plastic plate that is affixed to the trough to prevent the feed from falling out of its ends. In a preferred embodiment, the spanning/support sections will be formed of a high density plastic such as polyethylene. 
         [0012]    The foregoing has outlined in broad terms the more important features of the invention disclosed herein so that the detailed description that follows may be more clearly understood, and so that the contribution of the instant inventor to the art may be better appreciated. The instant invention is not to be limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Rather, the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various other ways not specifically enumerated herein. Finally, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting, unless the specification specifically so limits the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the instant invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  contains a schematic illustration of two preferred modular sections of the instant invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  contains another preferred embodiment of the instant invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  contains another embodiment of the instant invention which utilizes a “snap together” method of assembly. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  illustrates another preferred embodiment of the “snap together” invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described hereinafter in detail, some specific embodiments of the instant invention. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments or algorithms so described. 
       PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    According to a first embodiment of the instant invention and as is generally indicated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 , there is provided an animal feeder  100  that contains alternating support  105  and spanning  110  modular sections which can be combined arbitrarily to produce various configurations of the instant feeding trough  100 . As is generally indicated in  FIG. 1 , the preferred embodiment utilizes a large number (or as many of the components  105 / 110  as required to create a trough of the desired length) of sections  105 / 110  that are closely situated next to each other. The support section  105  will have a foot  140  of some sort which is intended to support that section—and the adjacent spanning section  110  (or sections)—above the ground. 
         [0021]    In the preferred embodiment, an all thread rod  220  will be inserted through the passageways  205 ,  210 , and  215  (which are preferably cylindrical), and secured on each end (preferably using a nut and washer combination), with enough tension being applied to hold the instant trough sections together. Preferably, an end member  125  with end plate  120  will be fixed to each end of the trough  100 . The end plate  120  has been provided to help keep feed materials that are placed therein from being pushed out of the trough and onto the ground by the animals. 
         [0022]    In the preferred embodiment, each of the sections  105  and  110  will be constructed of plastic. Using this sort of material will help ensure that, for the most part, the trough  100  will not be subject to corrosion in the form of rust or subject to attack from chemicals found in the feed (although, it should be clear that any non-plastic component parts that are used might potentially eventually rust). Preferably, each of these sections  105 / 110  will be comprised of polyethylene or a similar high density plastic which can potentially hold very heavy loads for its weight. That being said, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the material from which the instant invention is constructed is unimportant, so long as the modular structure can be assembled to create a trough. Plastic is preferred because it is not subject to rust and will result in a lighter and (likely) more movable trough  100 . Of course, metal (and, preferably, metal that has been treated to be resistant to the weather) or any similar material could be used instead. 
         [0023]    In the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the cylindrical passageways  205 ,  210 , and  215  will be approximately ¾″ in inner diameter, but those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that this is a design choice and many other configurations are certainly possible and have been considered by the instant inventor. Additionally, preferably a ⅜″ all thread rod  220  or similar tensioning rod will be inserted through each of the passageways  205 ,  210 , and  215  and secured at each end of the trough using nuts  130  as is generally suggested in  FIG. 1 . The instant inventor has determined that inserting a metal rod  220  such as all thread into the passageways  205 ,  210 , and  215  provided for by the instant invention tends to stiffen the trough  100 , and especially so when the nuts  130  (or other fasteners) on the end of the trough are tightened, thereby compressing the different elements of the trough  100  together and forming a convex interior suitable for storing animal food. 
         [0024]    Note that in  FIG. 2  the rod  220  is not shown passing through all of the passageways  205 ,  210 , and  215 , although in practice it would necessarily be threaded through each of the trough  100  elements. That was done in  FIG. 2  in order to make clearer the structure of this embodiment. However, it should be noted that it is preferred passageways  205 ,  210 , and  215  be cylindrical (or otherwise shaped, preferably to match the cross section of the tensioning rod  220 ) and be axially aligned so that one or more tensioning rods  220  may be threaded through all such aligned passageways and be secured at opposite ends to provide the compressive force necessary to hold the trough  100  components together. 
         [0025]    In the preferred embodiment, after they are tightened the nuts  130  on each end of the tensioning rod  220  will then act to apply compression to the trough  100 , thereby helping it hold together and forming a substantially continuous feeder interior. 
         [0026]    In one preferred embodiment, each support section  105  section will be about 4″ in width, about 11″ high and 16″ across. Of course, those of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains will immediately recognize that the precise dimensions that are utilized in practicing the instant invention are a design choice that will likely need to be modified to suit the particular application. Further, although in the preferred embodiment the support  105  and spanning  110  sections will be approximately the same width, this is obviously not required and one could certainly be much wider or narrower than the other. 
         [0027]    In another preferred embodiment, the spanning and support sections will be designed to “snap” together, rather than utilizing one or more elongated metal rods. As is indicated in the end-on view of  FIG. 4 , in one preferred arrangement each of the modular sections  405 / 410  will include an upper locking insert  420  and a matching upper cavity  415 , the intent being that support sections  405  (each with foot element  440 ) and spanning sections  410  can be quickly snapped together to create a trough on site. Note that in the embodiment of  FIG. 4  each modular section  405 / 410  actually has two upper locking inserts  420  and two upper cavities  415 , the second of which not being visible in this view. In some preferred arrangements, there will additionally be one or more lower locking inserts  425  and matching cavities  430 . However, it is certainly possible that the embodiment of  FIG. 4  could be constructed using some combination of tensioning metal rods (e.g., all thread) and locking inserts ( 420 ,  425 ) and cavities ( 415 ,  430 ). For example, the lower inserts  425 /cavities  430  could be replaced by an all thread rod that runs the length of the trough. Thus, for purposes of the instant disclosure, when the term “tensioning member” is used, that term should be broadly construed to include instances where the rod is a single metal (or other) rod that extends the entire length of the trough and instances where the tensioning member comprises a plurality of inserts. However, in either case the rod or inserts must run substantially the entire length of the trough. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  contains another preferred embodiment of the “snap together” invention, which utilizes a separate insert  515  that is designed to mate on each end with the corresponding modular sections  505  and  510 . Note that this embodiment is substantially similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , except that locking insert  420  is not integral to either of the modular elements  405 / 410 . Note, of course, that some combination of locking inserts  420  and tensioning rods  220  might be used. 
         [0029]    Note that in the preferred embodiment the spanning sections ( 110  and  410 ) are so-called because they are not in direct contact with the ground but are instead suspended between two support sections. However, the instant inventor has determined that in some instances (e.g., where additional load capacity is desired) it might be advantageous to add a smaller supporting foot (or post, column, etc.) to the spanning sections, thereby placing that section also in contact with the ground and providing additional support. 
         [0030]    Additionally, although the preferred embodiment as described and illustrated herein shows support sections alternating with spanning sections, that arrangement is not strictly necessary. For example, depending on the application, the instant modular trough  100  might consist exclusively of support sections  105 , such an arrangement obviously resulting in a trough  100  that would be able to carry heaver loads. Of course, it might be anticipated that this variation would be more expensive to manufacture if for no other reason than the additional raw material (e.g., plastic) that would be required. In other arrangements, it is certainly possible that one support section might be separated from the next by multiple spanning sections  110 , although that would not usually be preferred unless the intervening spanning sections had their own support foot as has been discussed previously. However, if the spanning sections  110  were made to be narrower than the support sections  105  and/or a minimal load is anticipated, it is certainly possible that an arrangement of this sort could be used. 
         [0031]    With respect to the end members  125 , in the preferred embodiment they will also be support members (i.e., contain weight bearing legs that are intended to be in contact with the ground). However, at minimum the end members would be expected to include some sort of end panel  120  or other barrier to close it so that the contents of the trough are kept in place. Obviously, one or more so-called “end members” could also be added to the interior of the trough for purposes of compartmentalizing its contents. 
         [0032]    Still further, it should be noted that although it is preferred (for any number of reasons) that the trough have a U-shaped cross section, that is merely a preference and not a requirement. That being said, trough cross sections that are not U-shaped or otherwise smoothly curved will tend to have internal corners or vertices that will likely accumulate debris and, as a consequence, a smoothly concave trough cross section is preferred. 
         [0033]    Still further, it is preferred that the tensioning rod  220  (and associated passageways) be circular in cross section but, of course, that is a design choice that will be left up to the manufacture. However, it is important that the tensioning member  220  be able to fit through the passageways so as to impart rigidity to the invention. 
         [0034]    Finally, it should be noted that the instant invention is suitable for use with any kind of livestock including, without limitation, cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, llamas, etc. 
         [0035]    While the inventive device has been described and illustrated herein by reference to certain preferred embodiments in relation to the drawings attached hereto, various changes and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made therein by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the inventive concept, the scope of which is to be determined by the following claims