Abstract:
A poultry feeder having an adjustment mechanism which adjusts the relative positions between the feeder tower and the feeder bowl to control the amount of feed entering the bowl that is readily adjustable, and, at the same time, enables the feeder bowl, the grill and the adjustment collar to freely rotate relative to the feeder tower to prevent damage to the adjustment mechanism when the grill and/or the bowl is contacted by the feeding birds. A lower edge of an adjusting collar rests on a shoulder portion of the feeder tower when the poultry feeder is suspended above floor level. The relative positions between a bottom of the feeder tower and the feeder bowl is adjustable in a plurality of discreet positions. Each of the plurality of discreet positions provides a different clearance between the bottom of the feeder tower and the bowl, thus controlling the amount of feed which may enter the bowl from the feeder tower.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a poultry feeder, more specifically to an adjustable poultry feeder wherein the position of the feeder bowl relative to a feeder tower, or down tube may be readily adjusted to control the amount of feed entering the feeder bowl. The invention also relates to a poultry feeder in which the bowl, the grill and the adjusting collar are all rotatable relative to the feeder tower to prevent damage to the poultry feeder when contacted by the birds during feeding. 
     Poultry feeding systems are well known in the art, a typical example of which is illustrated in FIG.  1 . Such poultry feeding systems typically include a feed supply hopper  10  with a delivery pipe  12  communicating with the bottom of the hopper  10 . In known fashion, within the delivery pipe  12  is a helical conveyor, driven by motor  14 , which conveys the granular feed from the hopper  10  and into the plurality of poultry feeders  16   a - 16   d . Each of the poultry feeders  16   a - 16   d  has a feeder bowl into which the feed passes, and a protective grill that enables the birds to obtain feed from the feeder bowl, but prevents the birds from entering the feeder bowl. 
     When the birds are very young, the poultry feeders  16   a - 16   d  may be located on, or adjacent to the floor (not shown). As the birds mature and grow, the entire feeding system is raised above floor level to enable the birds to readily obtain feed from the feeder bowls. Typically, a series of support wires  18  is used to support the poultry feeder and the entire poultry feeder is raised to a desired level. 
     It is also known to support the poultry feeders  16   a - 16   d  by attaching the feeder tower, or down tube, to the delivery pipe  12 , openings in the delivery pipe  12  communicating with a feed tube inlet of the feeder tower. As the feeder system is raised, the relative positions between the feeder tower and the bowl may be increased to increase the amount of feed that may enter the bowl, thereby allowing the mature birds to obtain a greater amount of feed. However, the systems utilized for adjusting the relative positions between the feeder tower and the bowl tend to be overly complex and, therefore, inherently unreliable. The systems also require excessive manual manipulation of the various elements of the feeders, resulting in an excessive amount of time necessary to adjust all of the poultry feeders. Another drawback of the known poultry feeders is that contact of the feeder bowl or grill by the mature birds may cause damage to the adjustment mechanism. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A poultry feeder is disclosed having an adjustment mechanism which adjusts the relative positions between the feeder tower and the feeder bowl to control the amount of feed entering the bowl that is readily adjustable, and, at the same time, enables the feeder bowl, the grill and the adjustment collar to freely rotate relative to the feeder tower to prevent damage to the adjustment mechanism when the grill and/or the bowl is contacted by the feeding birds. 
     A lower edge of an adjusting collar rests on a shoulder portion of the feeder tower when the poultry feeder is suspended above floor level. The relative positions between a bottom of the feeder tower and the feeder bowl is adjustable in a plurality of discreet positions. Each of the plurality of discreet positions provides a different clearance between the bottom of the feeder tower and the bowl, thus controlling the amount of feed which may enter the bowl from the feeder tower. 
     The collar has a plurality of upwardly opening notches formed in an outer surface, which are engaged by at least one protrusion on the hub of the grill. A rim of the grill is attached to a peripheral portion of the bowl. Thus, by positioning the at least one protrusion of the hub of the grill into one of the plurality of upwardly opening notches, the distance between a lower edge of the collar, which rests on a shoulder of the feeder tower, and the bowl may be increased or decreased. This, in turn, increases or decreases the distance between a bottom of the feed tower and the bowl to thereby control the flow of feed into the bowl. In an adjusted position, the collar, the grill and the bowl are freely rotatable relative to the feeder tower. 
     In order to adjust the feeding position of the feeder, the bowl, grill and collar are manually raised relative to the feeder tower, bringing protrusions on the feeder tower into contact with protrusions on the inner surface of the collar. Such contact in the raised position prevents relative rotation between the collar and the feeding tower. The raised position also disengages the protrusions on the hub of the grill from the notches in the collar, enabling the grill and bowl to be rotated relative to the collar. Such rotation enables the relative positions of the collar and the grill to be changed, thereby enabling the protrusions on the hub of the grill to engage different notches in the collar. Bottoms of adjacent notches are located at different distances from an upper edge of the collar, whereby engagement of the protrusion on the hub of the grill into different notches adjusts the position of the bowl relative to the bottom of the collar. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical poultry feeding system according to the prior art. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the poultry feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the grill utilized in a first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the feeder grill shown in FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the grill taken along line V—V in FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the feeder bowl used in the poultry feeder of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the feeder bowl illustrated in FIG.  6 . 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the adjusting collar utilized in the poultry feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a side view of the adjusting collar illustrated in FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 10 is a top view of the feeder tower utilized in the poultry feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI—XI in FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 12 is a top view of a grill utilized in a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII—XIII in FIG.  12 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the poultry feeder according to the present invention. As illustrated therein, the poultry feeder  20  comprises a feeder bowl  22  having a peripheral portion  22   a  and a central portion  22   b  extending upwardly from a bottom of the bowl. A feeder tower  24  has an upper feed inlet  26 , an open bottom  28  and at least one lateral feed opening  30  between the upper feed inlet and the open bottom. The feeder tower  24  is shaped such that a lower portion  24   a  extends around and is spaced from an outer surface of the central portion  22   b  and has a shoulder  24   b  which may rest upon a corresponding shoulder  22   c  of the central portion when the feeder tower is in a lowermost position relative to the feeder bowl. When the feeder tower is in this lowermost position, as is well known in the art, granular feed entering the upper feed inlet  26  will pass into the bowl through one or more of the lateral feed openings  30 . Additionally, feed may pass through scallops  22   e  in the central portion  22   b  to accurately control the amount of feed entering the bowl. The scallops  22   e  extend across the shoulder  22   c  of the central portion  22   b . When the feeder tower is adjusted to a position spaced from the bowl  22 , as illustrated in FIG. 2, the feed will enter through the upper feed inlet  26  and pass downwardly into the bowl  22  through the space bounded by the outer surface of the central portion  22   b  and the inner surface of the lower portion  24   a.    
     The upper portion of the feeder tower  24  is attached to the delivery pipe  12  and is retained in this position by releasable cap  32  which engages the uppermost portion of the feeder tower  24 , as well as an upper surface of the delivery pipe  12 . Delivery pipe  12  will pass through the opening  34  bounded by the cap  32  and the uppermost portion of the feeder tower  24 . 
     As best illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the feeder tower  24  may have a plurality of radially outwardly extending fins  36  that are equally spaced apart around the circumference of the lower position  24   a . At least one feeder tower protrusion  38  extends outwardly from an upper portion of the feeder tower  24 , although two protrusions are illustrated extending from opposite sides of the feeder tower  24 . Although two such feeder tower protrusions are illustrated, it is to be understood that one protrusion, or more than two protrusions may be utilized as necessary. At least one such feeder tower protrusion  38  must protrude outwardly from the feeder tower  24 . Each of the feeder tower protrusions  38  ends at a lower shoulder portion  38   a , the feeder tower protrusions extending generally in an axial direction on the feeder tower  24 . As can be seen in the figures, the portion of the feeder tower  24  between the lower shoulders  38   a  and the shoulder  24   b  has a relatively smooth outer surface. 
     An adjusting collar  40  is located on the feeder tower  24 . The adjusting collar  40 , as best illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, has a generally cylindrical configuration with a plurality of inward collar protrusions  42  extending inwardly from an inner surface of the collar, such that a diameter of a circle bounded by the innermost surfaces of the inward collar protrusions  42  is less than the transverse dimension between the radially outermost surfaces of the feeder tower protrusions  38 . The axial length of the adjusting collar  40  is slightly less than the axial distance between the lowermost shoulder portions  38   a  of the outward protrusions  38  and the shoulder  24   b . When the lowermost edge  40   a  of the adjusting collar  40  rests on the shoulder  24   b  of the feeder tower  24 , the uppermost edges of the collar protrusions  42  are located below the lowermost shoulders  38   a . When in this position, the collar  40  is freely rotatable with respect to the feeder tower  24 . However, when the collar  40  is axially displaced upwardly relative to the feeder tower  24 , the outward tower protrusions  38  will enter the spaces between the inward collar projections  42  and limit the rotational movement of the collar relative to the tower to the space between adjacent inward collar protrusions  42 . Once the inward collar protrusion  42  contacts the outward tower protrusion  38 , further rotation of the collar  40  relative to the feeder tower  24  is prohibited. 
     An outer surface of the adjustment collar has a plurality of upwardly opening notches  44  on opposite sides thereof, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. Bottoms  44   a  of adjacent notches  44  are located at different distances between the uppermost edge  40   b  and the lowermost edge  40   a  of the adjustment collar  40 . Also, the uppermost edge  40   b  may have one or more flanges  46  extending outwardly therefrom, the flanges having visual indicia  46   a  thereon, which may be in the form of an arrow, or the like. 
     The feeder bowl  22  is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 6 and 7. As can be seen, the peripheral portion  22   a  has a plurality of tabs  22   d  extending outwardly therefrom, the tabs  22   d  being circumferentially spaced apart. Bowl  22  has an uppermost edge  22   e  lying in a plane P. 
     A first embodiment of a grill utilized with the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 3-5. As can be seen therein, the grill  48  comprises a hub  50  having an annular inner surface  50   a  sized so as to receive the adjustment collar  40  therein. The grill also includes a rim  52  that is releasably attached to the peripheral portion  22   a  of the feeder bowl  22 , and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart arms  54 . In a first embodiment of the grill, each of the plurality of arms  54  comprises a first portion  54   a  extending downwardly from the hub  50  adjacent to the feeder tower portion  24   a  (see FIG. 2) and a second portion  54   b  extending radially outwardly from the first portion  54   a  to the rim  52 . As can be seen in FIG. 2, the outwardly extending portions  54   b  are located below the plane P of the uppermost edge of the feeder bowl  22 . This configuration of the arms enables the birds to feed at 360 degrees around the circumference of the feeder bowl  22 . The rim  52  has a plurality of inwardly extending end tabs  56  extending inwardly therefrom and circumferentially spaced apart about the circumference of the rim. The spacings between the adjacent tabs  56  is sufficient to accommodate therebetween the tabs  22   d  of the bowl  22 . Rotation of these elements with respect to one another brings the tabs  56  into contact with the tabs  22   d  so as to releasably attach the bowl to the grill. 
     The hub  50  has at least one inwardly extending hub protrusion  58  protruding inwardly from opposite sides of the hub  50 , although a plurality of such protrusions  58  are illustrated. The inward hub protrusions are configured so as to engage the notches  44  on the outer surface of the adjusting collar  40 . When the inward hub protrusions  58  engage the notches  44  of the adjustment collar  40 , relative rotation between these elements is prohibited. Thus, when hub protrusions  58  are engaged with notches  44 , the adjustment collar, the grill and the feeder bowl may rotate as a unit with respect to the feeder tower  24 , as long as the collar protrusions  42  of the collar  40  are located below the shoulders  38   a  of the feeder tower protrusions  38 . The free rotation of the feeder bowl, the grill and the adjusting collar relative to the tower prevents damage to the feeder and the feed adjusting mechanism when these elements are contacted by mature birds. 
     The grill  48  may also include a reinforcing ring  60  interconnecting the portions  54   b  of the arms  54 . An upper surface of the hub  50  may have visual indicia  62  thereon located so as to be utilized in conjunction with the visual indicia  46   a  on the collar  40  to indicate relative positions of grill  48  and the collar  40 . 
     A second embodiment of a grill is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. In this embodiment, the grill  64  includes hub  66  having inner annular surface  66   a  with at least one inward hub protrusion  68  extending inwardly therefrom. The functions of the hub  66  and the inward hub protrusions  68  are the same as in the previously described embodiment. A rim  70  is connected to the hubs by a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart arms  72 . In this particular embodiment, each of the arms  72  has a first section  72   a  extending generally radially outwardly from the hub  66  and a second portion  72   b  extending downwardly between the first portion  72   a  and the rim  70 . As in the previously described embodiment, the rim  70  has a plurality of inward, spaced apart tabs  74  that are releasably engageable with the tabs  22   d  to releasably attach the grill  64  to the feeder bowl  22 . Again, indicia  76  may be located on the uppermost surface of the hub  66  to be utilized in conjunction with the indicia  46   a  on the adjustment collar  40  to indicate the relative positions of the collar and the grill. 
     In use, as best illustrated in FIG. 2, the feeder  20  will be supported on the delivery pipe (not shown) passing through the opening  34  by the cap  32 . Gravity causes the feeder bowl  22 , the grill  48 ,  64  and the collar  40  to be urged downwardly relative to the feeder tower  24 . The inward hub protrusions  58 ,  68  in contact with the bottoms  44   a  of notches  44  on the collar, will urge the collar  40  downwardly such that lowermost edge  40   a  is in contact with the shoulder  24   b . This will position the bowl  22  relative to the lateral feed openings  30  and to the open bottom  28  of the feeder tower  24  so as to allow a predetermined amount of feed to pass into the feeder bowl  22 . When it is desired to adjust the feeder capacity, the feeder bowl  22 , the grill  48  and the collar  40  are manually moved upwardly relative to the feeder tower  24  such that the outward tower protrusions  38  move into the spaces between the inward collar protrusions  42 . Such upward movement also moves the grill upwardly relative to the collar  40  such that the inward hub protrusions  58 ,  68  are disengaged from the notches  44 . Thus, manual rotation of the grill  48  and bowl  22  will rotate the grill relative to the collar  40 , since rotation of the collar  40  is prohibited by the engagement of collar protrusions  42  with outward protrusions  38 . Rotation of the grill  48 ,  64  relative to the collar  40  will enable the inward hub protrusions  58 ,  68  to engage other notches  44  when the grill is moved downwardly relative to the collar  40 . By engaging other notches, when the collar  44  is again moved downwardly such that the lowermost edge  40   a  contacts the shoulder  24   b , will adjust the relative positions between the feeder bowl  22 , and the lateral feed openings  30  and the open end  28 , so as to adjust the amount of feed passing into the bowl. As can be seen, the adjustment may be readily achieved in a short amount of time without undue effort on the part of the user. Once the elements are in their adjusted positions, the free rotation of the collar  40 , the grill  48 ,  64  and the feeder bowl  22  as a unit relative to the feeder tower  24  will prevent damage to the adjusting mechanism when the grill or the bowl is struck by a mature bird during feeding. 
     The foregoing description is provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as in any way limiting this invention, the scope of which is defined solely by the appended claims.