Patent ID: 7353772

Claim:
A structure for feeding a plurality of animals which number N comprising an imaginary vertical axis surrounded by a plurality of substantially identical feeding troughs, said feeding troughs as seen in plan view, being disposed at a fixed distance from said imaginary vertical axis on a part p of the circumference of a circle, p being in the range 0<p<1, said feeding troughs overlapping each other as seen in plan, a first of said feeding troughs having a width t, said width t being defined by the greatest distance between a first point on an opening of said feeding trough and a second point on said opening of said feeding trough, said first and second points being located at a fixed distance x from said imaginary vertical axis to form a first isosceles triangle with a base equal to t, a vertex angle defined as Ï†, and first and second sides each having a length x, said sides extending from said imaginary vertical axis to the respective said first and second points, and a second feeding trough having a width t to form a second isosceles triangle with a base equal to a length t, a vertex angle Ï†, and first and second sides having a length x, which said second feeding troughs partially overlaps said first feeding trough through an angle Î± which is defined as the angle between said second side of the first isosceles triangle and said first side of said second isosceles triangle, the overlap as so determined by Îµ being defined as Îµ=1âˆ’Î±/Îµ whereby the minimum fixed distance x is defined by the formula: X = 1 / ( 2 â¢ sin â¡ ( p â¢ â¢ Ï€ / É› â¢ â¢ N ) ) .