Abstract:
An animal feeder having a hopper from which an electrically powered motor dispenser discharges feed to inclined surfaces into a feeding trough, has a rain sensing device attached to it and exposed to receive rain. The rain sensing device is installed in the electrical circuit of the motor. Rain causes the sensing device to break the circuit thereby disengaging the motor from its power source until the sensing device no longer is affected by the rain and the circuit is restored and the motor returned to operability.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     Various types of animal feeders are available and in use for storing and providing feed for animals in a feeding trough. The present invention provides a relatively simple construction which is sturdy and readily accessible for resupplying with feed as may be required and provides a shut off to prevent dispensing feed during periods of rain. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly the present invention is in the combination of an electrically operated animal feeder and a rain detection device operably installed into an electrical circuit that powers the feeder, said rain detection device being actuated by rain to break said circuit and temporarily deactivate the feeder. 
     The present invention provides an animal feeder which can be readily assembled on location. It may be constructed in various sizes depending upon the use to which it is to be put and is constructed so that it withstands contact and being turned over, or bumping, by large animals during feeding from a trough forming part thereof. It includes a solar actuated power supply for assisting in discharging food from a food supply container to the feed trough as necessary or desirable. It also includes a rain sensor that shuts off the feeder during periods of rain to prevent the feed from becoming soaked and ruined. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the animal feeder of the present invention assembled for use. 
     FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of FIG. 1 showing the preferred form of the animal feeder. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view illustrating in detail a preferred arrangement and relationship of the lower edge of the inclined surfaces, the support legs and bottom surface of the feeding trough. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inner surface of the closure for the side entry. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Attention is first directed to FIG. 1 of the drawings wherein the preferred form is represented generally by the numeral  4 . It includes a feeding trough, represented generally at  5 , a feed supply, or storage container, or bin  6  with a cover  7  thereon and a side entry with closure  33 . The cover  7  is provided with handles  8  as shown to assist in removal and positioning of the cover. The upper end  9  and lower end  10  of the container  6  are open or may be opened, as better seen in FIG. 2, for receiving animal feed therein and discharging the animal feed from the container to the feeding trough, respectively, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. 
     The feeding trough  5  includes a plurality of downwardly inclined surfaces  11  which are joined together in any suitable manner, such as by nuts and bolts represented generally at  12  which extend through adjacent upstanding shoulders, or ribs, referred to generally at  13 , formed on the adjacent edges of the surfaces  11  as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The surfaces  11  are connected to form an open apex or open vertex V at their upper ends as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Four inclined surfaces  11  each of triangular form are shown in FIG. 1 as forming the downwardly inclined surface portion of the trough  5 , but it can be appreciated that any suitable number of surfaces may be employed as desired to form the downwardly inclined surface portion of the trough including a single conical surface. 
     The downwardly inclined surface portion formed by inclined surfaces  11  of the feeding trough terminates in lower bent edge surface  16  on each of the inclined surfaces  11  which lower edge surfaces are bent out of the inclined plane of the inclined surfaces  11  as seen in FIGS. 1-3. 
     A bottom surface referred to generally at  17  extends or projects from the lower bent edges  16  of the inclined surfaces  11  of the feeding trough and includes a surface portion  17   a  which is preferably in a generally horizontal or parallel relation relative to the lower open end  10  of the bin  6  as shown in the drawings. The bottom surface  17  also includes an upwardly extending surface portion  18  which terminates in the inverted J shaped top edge  19  as shown which is above, or higher than the lower bent edge  16  of the inclined feeding trough surface as shown. 
     The bottom surface  17  may be formed integrally with the inclined surfaces  11  in any suitable manner such as stamping sheet metal, but preferably the bottom surface  17  is formed from a separate piece of metal that includes the portion  17   a  that is generally parallel to the plane of the lower open end of the bin  6 , as well as the upwardly extending portions  18  and the inverted J shaped top edges  19 . 
     The generally parallel surface portion  17   a  of the separate bottom surface  17  is secured in position underneath the lower bent edges  16  of the inclined surfaces  11  of the feeding trough by suitable means such as by nuts and bolts as represented at  12   b  so, as previously stated, that the structure can be readily assembled on location. 
     The ends of upwardly extending surfaces  18  are spaced at the corners of the feeding trough  5  and are secured together by a brace  18   a  as shown to form an opening the bottom surface  17  of the feeding trough for discharge of water from the feeding trough. 
     Support legs, referred to generally at  22 , extend along and underneath the inclined surfaces  11  of the feeding trough a suitable distance, such as by way of example only, as illustrated in FIG. 2 they extend from adjacent the open vertex V downwardly and outwardly beyond the upwardly extending portion  18  of the bottom surface  17 . 
     The extension of the legs beyond the outer or lower edges of the feeding trough provides stability to the structure and resists turning over when bumped or moved by contact with animals. Also, the legs are formed in a general U configuration, with the base of the U formed by two inclined portions  22   a  and  22   b  with the legs of the U being vertical portions  23  and  24  depending from the inclined portions  22   a ,  22   b , respectively, as shown in the drawings. This configuration provides strength to the legs and also forms them so the surfaces  22   a  and  22   b  and their longitudinal juncture  25  generally conform to the juncture of the four inclined surfaces  11  at their adjacent, secured edges. The legs  22  are preferably secured in position on the feeding trough at the junctures of the four surfaces by nuts and bolts as shown in the drawings. 
     The container, or bin  6  may be of any suitable configuration, and as shown it is a quadrilateral. The four walls forming the container  6  extend upwardly from the lower open end  10  of the container and terminate at the upper open end  9  as shown. Bin supports  26  are secured to the container adjacent its lower open end  9  and to the ribs, or shoulders  13  of the inclined surfaces  11  of the feeding trough by nuts and bolts represented generally at  12   c  as shown in the drawings. 
     The supports  26  for bin  6  may be of any suitable form such as plates welded to the lower part, or adjacent the lower end of the container  6  and depending therefrom as shown so that when the container is secured to the feeding trough, the open lower end of the container will be spaced above, but adjacent the inclined surfaces  11 , the plates may be secured to the upstanding shoulders  13  of the inclined surfaces  11  by suitable means such as nuts and bolts  12   c.    
     A funnel shaped hopper  30  is secured in the bin  6 , and preferably engaged with the walls of the bin by any suitable means such as nuts and bolts, represented generally at  34 . The hopper is of standard configuration, and is provided with an opening  31  for discharge of the animal feed from the hopper to the feeding trough as will be described. The hopper is secured intermediate the upper and lower ends of the bin  6  and above the inclined surfaces  11  of the feeding trough as shown. The central axis of the opening  31  is preferably aligned with the open vertex V as shown. 
     The container includes a side entry or opening of any suitable configuration, and is shown as rectangular with a top edge  37  and a lower edge  37   a . A closure  33  of suitable configuration is provided for the opening. This provides access to the interior of the container  6  for access to the interior of the bin  6  as may be necessary. For example, replacement of the battery (not shown) or motor (not shown), as may be necessary, both of which are supported in the support  43  below and adjacent the hopper opening  31 . Preferably the support  43  is aligned with the hopper opening  31 . 
     One form of the closure  33  is shown as rectangular and is also illustrated as being removable from the container. It includes handles  41 ,  42  for assisting in positioning and removal on the bin  6 . 
     The closure  33  is provided with an upper projection  35  formed, or secured on its inner surface  35   a  which projection extends outwardly from the inner surface  35   a  to form a space  36  between it and the inner surface  35   a  of the closure on which it is mounted, as better seen in FIG.  4 . To position the closure in place to close off the opening, the closure  33  is manipulated so that the upper edge  37  of the side entry opening is engaged between the upper projection  35  and the inner surface  35   a  of the closure as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. 
     The closure  33  is then lifted until the lower edge  37   a  of the opening is aligned with the space between the lower projection  35   b  and the inner surface  35   a . The closure is then lowered, or it falls by its own weight to engage the lower edge  37   a  in the space between the projection  35   b  and the inner surface  35   a . The length and configuration of projection  35  which defines the length of upper space  36  is such that when the closure  33  moves down, the upper edge  37  of the opening remains engaged in space  36  between projection  35  and the surface on which it is secured. 
     Removal of the closure  33  is accomplished by lifting it to elevate the lower projection  35   b  above the lower edge  37   a  and tilting the lower end of the closure outwardly to remove the lower closure out of the opening. This enables the closure to be lowered to be disengaged from the top edge  37  of the opening. 
     If desired, the projections may be formed on members pivotally mounted on the closure which projections are adjacent, but spaced from the inner surface of the closure to provide spaces to engage the inner surfaces on the side entry. These projections would extend through the closure with handles on the outer ends thereof so that the projections could be manually moved to engage them with adjacent inner surfaces on the opening in the container to hold the closure in place on the container. 
     Also, the closure may be pivotally mounted on the container adjacent the side entry therein so that it can be moved to close or open the side entry as desired. 
     As previously noted, the support  43  supports a battery and motor therein and the motor rotatable shaft is represented at  49  extending upwardly from the motor. 
     The battery is of any type well known to those skilled in the art which may be charged by a solar panel, of any suitable known type, mounted on the container and represented by the numeral  45 . Solar panel model 682 sold by Spincaster, 5674 Randolph Blvd., San Antonio, Tex. 78233, is one type of solar panel that functions quite well. It includes an on/off switch, flow rate adjustment with one to six time intervals available during any 24-hour period. Pipe  46  receives electrical conduit  46  that connects the battery with the solar panel as shown to convey power to maintain the battery charged for operating the motor. 
     The motor shaft has secured adjacent, or on the upper end thereof a plate  44  which rotates with the motor shaft when it is turned on. When the motor turns off, animal feed such as pellets of any wall known type such as deer pellets, cow pellets and the like, or grains, by way of example only, corn or rice stack up on the plate when it stops and blocks the flow from the hopper opening  31 . 
     When the motor rotates, the plate rotates and throws the grain outwardly which disperses it in the container so that the animal feed is discharged through the container open lower end onto the inclined trough surfaces  13 , and it then flows onto the bottom surface. If desired, upstanding members  47  may be secured on the plate  44  in opposed relationship as shown which further assists in stacking the feed on the plate when the motor is shut off, and also assists in dispersing the feed as the plate rotates. 
     A rain sensor  50  which is attached on a bracket  51  next to the solar panel  45  and electrical wires (not shown) enter through conduit  46  into the circuit between the battery and the motor. A suitable rain sensor is a MINI-CLIK model 502. When the rain sensor senses rain it opens the circuit from the battery to the motor and prevents the feeder from operating. The electrical connection of the rain sensor/switch is conventional and is well known in the art. The MINI-CLIK model 502 operates by having a component which swells when moistened by water forcing the circuit to open thereby deactivating the feeder and which returns to its original size when dry allowing the circuit to close thereby reactivating the feeder. 
     The foregoing disclosure and description are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in size, shape and material as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.