Improvements in Automatic Stock Feeders.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Stock Feeders.
A communication from GEORGE LLOYD, of the Township of King, County of
York, Province of Ontario, Canada, Farmer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Member of the Institution of Mcchanical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of the invention is to provide an attachment to a feed-box or trough
by which a proper supply of feed will be automatically deposited in the box or
trough at any given time it may be proper for the stock to be fed ; and it consists
essentially, of one or more bins located above the trough or box, each bin being
provided with a hinged trap door connected by means of an arrangement of cords,
rods, and levers to an alarm clock designed to release the said levers, &c., so as to
open the trap door of each bin the moment the alarm goes off, substantially as
hereinafter more particularly explained.
Figure 1, is a perspective view showing the application of the appliance to a feed
trough.
Figure 2, is a detail showing the connection between the alarm clock and system
of levers.
In Fig. 1 a portion of the boarding behind the trough is removed for the purpose
of exposing the trough and bins.
A, represents the trough or feed-box, and B a bin or bins placed above the same,
preferably in a separate feed room behind the manger. D is a shaft properly
journalled and extending through the bins B. Each bin is provided with a hinged
trap door E, connected by a rope F, to an arm G, fixed to the shaft D, as
indicated. H, is a lever fixed to the shaft D and extending over the plate I,
(see Fig. 2), which is hinged at a, and is supported at its other end by resting
upon the end of the lever J, which is pivoted at one end at d, and connected
at its other end by a link e, to the pivoted lever K. A weight L, is suspended
from the link e to hold the levers in the normal position indicated in Fig. 1, when
not acted upon by the weight M, which is connected to the lever K, by the
cord N. The weight M is suspended from the key P which winds the alarm
of the clock Q.
In setting the apparatus the shaft D is first revolved so as to close the trap
door R. The clock Q is set so that the alarm will go off at the hour it is decided
that the stock should be fed.
The weight M, is hung upon the key P, the levers being in the position indicated
in Fig. 1. The proper quantity of food is then placed in the bin B. When the
alarm goes off, the key P will revolve, immediately releasing the weight M which
drops and draws down the end of the lever K, which being connected to the lever J,
tips it up so as to carry the notch 6 clear of the plate I, which will immediately
drop and release the lever H, when the weight of the feed in the bin B, forces open
the trap door E; the shaft D revolving so as to loosen the rope F, and permit the
said trap door to open. In addition to the trap door E, an additional trap door R
may and generally is furnished which forms the bottom of a receptacle in which the
required quantity of hay is placed. This trap door R, is supported by a bar S,
fixed to and extending from the counter-shaft T. On this counter-shaft T is fixed
a pinion U, which meshes with the pinion V, fixed to the shaft D. When the
shaft D is put into motion, it revolves so as to lower the bar S, which leaves the
trap door R free to drop down and allow the hay above it to fall into the manger.
It will be noticed that the bar S, has a hinge or joint in it made so that it may be

page_text: folded up out of the way of the trap door R, should the trap door be left open
after the rest of the mechanism has been set.
From this description it will be seen that this device can be arranged the night
before at what hour the stock should be fed, and the said feeding take place without
any further bother to the attendant.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. A clock a series of bins each having a trap-door a shaft D, between said bins,
an arm H on said shaft pulleys on said shaft corresponding to the number of bins
each having a cord connecting it with its corresponding trap-door, and the lever I
arranged to keep said doors closed in combination with mechanism substantially as
described between said lever I and the clock to release said lever as and for the
purpose specified.
2. A bin B provided with a trap-door E and connected to a revoluble_shaft D
by a rope F a lever H fixed to the shaft D and supported by the hinged plate I
resting in the notch made in the pivot lever J in combination with the link e
pivotted lever K weight L cord N weight M key P and alarm clock Q sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
1 1000
ALFRED J. BOULT,
Chartered Patent Agent.