Abstract:
An animal carcass lift device is especially adapted for use with animal carcass incinerators or cremators found at various agricultural locations. The lift device takes advantage of two rotation points in order to precisely manipulate an attached animal carcass so that it may be conveniently loaded within the incinerator. The lift device includes a power assist mechanism such as a winch to raise or lower the animal carcass.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to lift devices, and more particularly, to lift devices integrated with incinerators especially adapted for incinerating animal carcasses. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the agricultural sector, it is necessary to dispose of livestock and poultry carcasses for various reasons. Livestock and poultry carcasses must be disposed of after the animal has been slaughtered. For both livestock and poultry, diseased or dead animals must also be disposed of properly. Because of various state and federal environmental regulations, livestock and poultry producers cannot simply bury or “throw away” the animal carcasses. Particularly for diseased animals, it is important that the carcasses be properly disposed of to prevent the spread of infectious diseases to both humans and animals. 
     One traditional method for disposing animal carcasses is cremating the remains in an industrial incinerator or cremator. For many smaller livestock and poultry producers, animal carcasses must be transported to the location of the incinerator because the producer does not have an incinerator. Transport of animal carcasses is also a regulated activity such that a producer cannot simply load the carcasses onto an open trailer and then transport them to the incinerator location. In many states, the transporting vehicle must be licensed to handle the regulated load. In the event an animal carcass load accidentally contacts the ground during transportation, such as in a traffic accident, the carcasses are treated as a biohazard, and extreme measures are taken to clean the biohazard “spill”. 
     Because of regulations concerning disposal of animal carcasses, and therefore the increased costs incurred in handling the carcasses, a number of smaller incinerators/cremators have been developed to accommodate the needs of those producers who must routinely destroy carcasses, but wish to avoid the additional effort and cost associated with disposing of the carcasses by transport to another location. These smaller, more portable incinerators do not have the capacity to incinerate carcasses at the same rate of the larger industrial incinerators; however, many producers have realized savings in the ability to locally incinerate the carcasses thereby eliminating the need to temporarily store and transport the carcasses. 
     Some examples of carcass incinerators include the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,339,752; 5,699,745; 5,926,933; and 6,397,764. 
     While each of these incinerators may be adequate for their intended purpose, there is a need to provide some lift capability for lifting the animal carcasses into the incinerator, but minimizing human contact with the carcasses. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a lift device that can efficiently and accurately lift and place the carcasses directly into the incinerator. 
     In accordance with the present invention, it is therefore one object of the invention to provide a lift device that is integrated with a carcass incinerator/cremator. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cost effective, yet simple to use and efficient life device that may be directly attached to the incinerator, thereby minimizing cost and complexity associated with the lift device. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lift device that is easily adaptable to raise, hold, and otherwise manipulate various sized animal carcasses so that the lift device may be used universally with any type of carcass that may be of a size that can be incinerated in the designated incinerator/cremator. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, an animal carcass lift device is provided. In one aspect of the invention, it is an animal carcass lift device specially adapted for handling carcasses of many different sizes. In another aspect of the present invention, it may be considered a combination of the lift device and incinerator wherein the lift device is secured to the incinerator and therefore, is available for use at all times with the incinerator. In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for manipulating animal carcasses so that the carcasses may be safely and efficiently loaded within the incinerator. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lift device includes a vertical support or mast that is secured to a base. The base is attached to the incinerator. A lower end of the vertical support is telescopically received within the base, therefore, allowing the vertical support to rotate within the base. Smooth rotation of the vertical support within the base can be achieved by lubrication, or bearings may be used between the inner tubular surface of the base and the outer tubular surface of the vertical support. A rotatable arm is pinned to the upper end of the vertical support. A first end of the rotatable arm is controlled by a cable. The cable in turn is controlled by a winch assembly. A second or opposite end of the rotatable arm includes connection hardware that allows the animal carcass to be secured to the second end of the rotatable arm. The connection hardware may include a plurality of attachment rings spaced from one another and secured to the rotatable arm. Chains or straps may be used to then secure the animal carcass to the rotatable arm by routing the chains or straps through the attachment rings. The winch may be manually operated, or a motor may be associated with the winch to control the retraction or extension of the cable. Retraction of the cable causes the second end of the rotatable arm to rotate upwards thereby lifting the carcass, while extension of the cable from the winch lowers the carcass. 
     The location of attachment of the lift device on the incinerator is such that the animal carcass may be loaded into the incinerator by simply lifting the carcass and rotating the carcass over the open lid of the incinerator. 
     Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the lift device of the present invention secured to an animal carcass incinerator; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the lift device secured to the incinerator; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the lift device and incinerator wherein the winch has been operated to lift an animal carcass to an appropriate level for loading within the incinerator; 
         FIG. 4  is another end-view illustrating the lift device being rotated to center the animal carcass over the open chamber of the incinerator; and 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged elevation view of the winch assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate the lift device  10  of the present invention secured to an incinerator  12 . The incinerator  12  is intended to represent a standard incinerator device that may be found at a feedlot, grower, or other agricultural site that can be operated for the incineration of animal carcasses. Beginning first with a description of the incinerator  12 , such a device may include sidewalls  16 , and a lid  18 , which is opened to receive the animal carcasses. An interior chamber  38  may include a desired burner arrangement that incinerates the carcass when placed within the chamber. As shown, burners  34  may be placed on the bottom of the chamber and a grill  36  is spaced above the burners  34 . The animal carcasses rest on the grill  36 . Typically, the incinerator  12  uses natural gas or propane as a fuel source for the burners. As also shown in  FIG. 1 , the particular style of the incinerator  12  includes a slide rail  20  which allows the opening of the lid  18  by sliding the lid  18  on the slide rail  20  in the direction of arrow A. The slide rail  20  may be secured to the sidewalls as by one or more supports  21 . Optionally, a lid lock  22  may be provided to lock the lid to the incinerator in order to prevent inadvertent access to the interior chamber while a carcass is being incinerated. A control panel  24  may be provided for controlling the basic functioning of the incinerator such as the particular temperature of the interior chamber, the length of time in which the chamber operates, and other selected parameters. A thermostat/temperature sensor  26  may be mounted to the lid or sidewalls in order to monitor the temperature, and provide a feedback control signal to the control panel  24 . A source of gas  28  may enter the chamber through sidewall  16  in order to provide a flow of gas to the burners  34  within the interior chamber  38 . One or more fans or blowers  30  may be provided to circulate air within the incinerator, thereby insuring a more complete burn of the carcass through convection. An exhaust stack  32  may be provided at a desired height to evacuate waste gas generated from the burning of the carcasses. 
     Now with reference to the lift device  10  of the present invention, the device includes a base  42  secured to one of the sidewalls  16  as by connection flanges  44 . As shown, the base  42  is a tubular member. A vertical support or mast  40  has a lower end (not shown) telescopically received within the base  42 . As shown by rotational arrow R 1 , the vertical support  40  may rotate with respect to the base  42  as shown. In order to allow ease of rotation, the vertical support may simply be lubricated with respect to the base, or a set of bearings (not shown) may be placed between the inserted end of the vertical support  40  and the inner surface of the base  46 . A rotatable arm  46  is attached to the upper end of the support  40  as by a pin  48 . Accordingly, the rotatable arm  46  may rotate with respect to the vertical support  40  in the manner shown by rotational arrow R 2 . A first end  50  of the rotatable arm  46  may include attachment hardware such as a ring  54  that attaches to cable  60 . The second end  52  of the rotatable arm  46  may include additional attachment hardware such as additional rings  54 . As shown, the most distally located ring  54  on the second end  52  is used to secure an animal carcass C that is to be incinerated. A chain or strap  56  is used to secure the carcass C to the ring  54 . 
     In order to control the rotatable position of the arm  46  and therefore to raise or lower the carcass C, a winch  58  is used. The winch  58  is secured to the vertical support  40 . The winch  58  represents a mechanical device that has the capability to selectively retract or extend the cable  60 , thereby raising or lowering the carcass C. In the preferred embodiment shown best in  FIG. 5 , the winch  58  includes a housing  70 , and a drum  62  that is mounted over a shaft  68 . The shaft  68  is secured to the housing  70 . A hand crank  64  is mechanically linked to the shaft  68 , and rotating the hand crank in the desired direction causes the cable  60  to wind or unwind around the drum  62 . A lock/release lever  66  may be provided to lock the shaft thereby preventing the cable from winding or unwinding. As well understood by those skilled in the art, one way in which the lock/release lever may be incorporated within the winch is by use of a ratchet mechanism (not shown) that is placed in the linkage between hand crank  64  and shaft  68 . Additionally, the winch  58  may be power operated as opposed to manually operated. Accordingly, the winch  58  may be connected to a power source (not shown) such as a reversible motor that enables an operator to control the winding and unwinding of the cable  60  about the drum  62 . 
     Now with reference to  FIGS. 1-4 , the operation of the lift device will be explained. As a first step, the animal carcass to be lifted is secured to the chain/strap  56 . The chain/strap  56  is then connected to the second end of the rotatable arm  46 . The second end of the rotatable arm may be rotated downwards in order to allow the second end of the rotatable arm to secure to the chain/strap  56 . The animal carcass is then lifted to the appropriate height by rotation of the hand crank  64 , and then locking the winch  58  once the animal carcass is lifted. The lid  18  of the incinerator is opened to receive the carcass C. The vertical support  40  is then rotated by securing either the first or second end of the arm  46  or by otherwise pushing the animal carcass C to rotate the vertical support such that the carcass is centered over the opening of the interior chamber  38 . The carcass is then lowered by releasing the winch lock  66 , and rotating the hand crank to lower the carcass. The carcass is disconnected from the chain/strap  56 , the lid  18  is closed, and then the incinerator may be operated to incinerate the carcass. 
     The lift device of the present invention is easily integrated with many different styles or types of incinerators. The base  42  provides a convenient structure for which to attach the lift device to any type of vertically extending wall or support of an incinerator. Exact positioning of the carcass can be achieved by the dual rotation points, one located between the vertical support and base  42 , and the other being the connection of the upper end of the vertical support  40  and the rotatable arm  46 . The cable  60  and winch  58  allow a safe, precise control of the positioning of the carcass. Ultimately, the lift device of the present invention minimizes handling of carcasses and allows them to be incinerated within the more portable, smaller incinerator units that are increasingly found at various agricultural locations. 
     While the present invention has been set forth above in one or more preferred embodiments, it should be understood that various other changes and modifications of the invention can be made in accordance with the invention as described and the claims appended hereto.