Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not Applicable. 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a water pressure regulator, and in particular, to a water regulator for use in a drinking system in a poultry house which allows for the water regulator, and the drinking system of the poultry house, to automatically be switched between a low pressure operational mode and a higher pressure flushing mode. 
   Drinking or watering systems for poultry houses are supplied with water at relatively high line pressure (e.g., 20–60 psi). The water is delivered at lower pressure to a watering line extending the length of a poultry house or the like. The watering line has a series of spaced apart watering stations or drinkers therealong at which birds can get water by pecking at a movable pin or lever. One such watering station is shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,522,346 and 5,074,250, both to Clark. For the drinkers to operate properly, the water pressure in the watering line must be reduced to only a few inches of water (i.e., less than 6″–12″ of H2O). Typically, in order to reduce the water pressure, the water passes though a regulator before entering the water line which leads to the drinking stations. 
   The water in the drinking system may be hard well water. That is, it may contain minerals and solid particles which settle or precipitate out in the pipes and the regulator. Additionally, the chickens are provided with medication and nutritional supplements (such as vitamins) through the water. These supplements can also settle out or be deposited in the drinking system. Thus, it is advantageous that the drinking system be flushed out periodically to prevent the various minerals and particles from accumulating in the regulator and drinking stations, and thus possibly interfering with the operation of the regulator and the drinking stations. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,021, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a pressure regulator which overcame many of the problems associated with the some of the more common types of water pressure regulators. This regulator is manually switched between an operating mode and a flush mode. Hence, if a poultry house had several watering lines, each with their own regulator, each pressure regulator for each watering line would have to be independently and manually operated to fully flush the watering system. It would be desirable to have a pressure regulator which could be automatically flushed and which would not have to be manually operated. 
   Additionally, it would be desirable to flush the watering system at predetermined times. For example, to avoid the drinkers from being operated by the chickens during a flush mode, it is preferable to flush the watering system at night (or when the chicken house is dark), when the chickens are less active. Further, as noted above, medicaments (including vitamins, nutritional supplements, and medicines) are often delivered to the chickens through the watering system. To avoid any undesired interaction between a currently delivered medicament and any previously delivered medicament, it is desirable to flush the watering system prior to the introduction of the medicament into the watering system. Additionally, to help prevent over medication of the chickens, it is desirable to flush the system after a predetermined amount of time after introduction of the medicament to remove excess medicament from the watering pipes. Further, disinfectants can be passed through the watering system to remove germs, bacteria, or other unwanted organisms that may grow in the watering line. Depending on the disinfectant used, it can be desirable to flush the watering system after the disinfectant has been introduced into the watering system. Some medications cannot be mixed with disinfectants. Hence, flushing after disinfecting the watering system will also reduce the possibility of medications from being adversely affected by the disinfectant. Lastly, the temperature in a chicken house can get quite warm, and, as the chicken house warms up, the water in the watering line also warms up. When the chicken house warms up, it would be desirable to promote the drinking of water by the chickens. To do this, the watering system can be flushed to introduce cooler water into the watering system. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Briefly stated, a pressure regulator for an animal drinking system is provided which can be manually or automatically switched between an operating, drinking or watering mode and a flushing mode. The regulator comprises a housing defining a chamber. A flexible diaphragm is carried by the housing and is sealed with respect to said housing. The diaphragm divides the chamber into a water chamber and an ambient chamber. The water line of the watering system is in fluid communication with said water chamber. A spring is carried by the housing in operable engagement with the diaphragm such that the force of the spring and of the atmosphere acts upon the diaphragm to force the diaphragm toward the water chamber. 
   A water inlet member adapted to be connected to a supply line is carried by the housing to place the housing water chamber in communication with the water supply line. The inlet member defines both a watering flow path and a flush flow path, both of which communicate with the housing water chamber and the water supply line. Both the watering flow path and the flush flow path have a ports through which water passes to enter the housing water chamber. The flush path exit port is spaced axially from the watering path exit port. 
   A regulator valve carried by the housing is operatively associated with the diaphragm for movement between a closed position in which the valve blocks the flow of water from the inlet member watering port into the water chamber and an open position in which water is permitted to flow from the inlet member watering port into the water chamber such that with the spring adjusted to a predetermined level, the force of the spring acting on the lower side of the diaphragm balances the force exerted on the water side of the diaphragm thereby to regulate the pressure of the water in the water chamber and within the watering pipe to a predetermined water pressure substantially less than the pressure of the water supply. The inlet member is manually movable axially with respect to the housing between a regulating position in which the watering path port is engageable by the valve member so as to block the flow of water from the watering path port into the water chamber and a flushing position in which the watering path port is clear of the valve so as to permit water from the supply line to flow through the water chamber and into the watering pipe to flush the water chamber and the watering pipe. Means, such as a lever associated with the inlet member, is provided to move the inlet member between its regulating and flushing position. The means for manually switching the regulator between its watering and flushing modes comprises the inlet member moving means. 
   The inlet member comprises a inlet adapted to be connected to a source of water, a flush inlet port extending between the watering flow path and the flush flow path, and a flush valve in the flush flow path. The flush valve is movable between a closed position in which water cannot flow through the flush flow path and a open position in which water can flow through the flush flow path into the water chamber to flush the water chamber and the watering pipe. In the open position, water flows through the flush flow path to place the regulator in a flush mode, independently of the position of the inlet member. When the flush valve is in the closed position, water cannot flow through the flush flow path, and the position of the inlet member controls whether the regulator will be in a watering mode or a flush mode. The flush valve includes a valve member (such as a diaphragm) operable to be engaged with and disengaged from an end of the flush inlet port to move the flush valve between its the open and closed positions. Hence, the means for automatically switching the regulator between its watering and flush modes comprises the flush valve. 
   The inlet member can be provided with an actuator (such as a solenoid) to allow for remote control of the flush by the control system. The animal house in which the watering system is located can be provided with either a remote switch to allow for selective activation of the flush valve actuator to place the watering system in a flush mode at a desired time. Alternatively, or in addition, the animal house can include a controller which activates the flush valve actuator at predetermined times or intervals or upon the temperature of either the animal house or the water in the watering line reaching a predetermined temperature. Temperature control of the flush valve would be combined with a timing control, to prevent flushing of the watering line before a predetermined time has elapsed from the last time the watering line was flushed. 
   The animal house can also have a lighting system which is operatively connected to the control system to be controlled by the control system. Hence, the animal house lights will be turned on and off according to a predetermined schedule programmed into the controller. The controller can be programmed such that the flush valve is activated a predetermined time after the lights are turned off, to prevent flushing of the system when the animals are active and using the watering system. 
   The animal house can additionally include a supplement system which is connected to the watering system to introduce supplements, such as vitamins, minerals and/or medicaments into the watering system. Such supplements would be water dissolvable or water dispersible. The supplement system comprises at least one supplement hopper in communication with the watering system and containing a supplement dispersible or dissolvable in water, a supplement valve positioned between the supplement hopper and the watering line, and a supplement actuator. The supplement valve is moveable between a closed position in which supplement cannot flow into the watering system and an open position in which supplement can flow into the watering system, and the supplement actuator is operable to move the supplement valve between its open and closed position. The supplement actuator can be manually operated or operably connected to the controller such that the controller activates and deactivates the supplement actuator according to a predetermined schedule. The watering system can be controlled by the controller in conjunction with the supplement system as well. The controller can activate the flush valve to flush the watering system a predetermined time before and/or a predetermined time after activation of the supplement system. 
   As can be appreciated, the watering system can comprise several watering lines, each of which has a regulator with a flush valve and a flush actuator. The control system can be operable to activate the any desired combination of the flush actuators. Thus, specific watering lines can be flushed individually, a desired set of watering lines can be flushed together while some watering lines are not flushed, or all the watering lines can be flushed at once. Similarly, activating switches or override buttons can be provided for each regulator, or a single switch or button can be set to activate a desired set of the flush actuators. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic drawing of a poultry house watering system; 
       FIG. 2  is an perspective view of a watering system having an inlet member of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the pressure regulator of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of an inlet member for the regulator; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the regulator inlet member; 
       FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the regulator inlet member; 
       FIG. 7  is a side elevational view of the regulator inlet member rotated 90° relative tot eh position of  FIG. 6 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a top portion of the regulator inlet member; 
       FIG. 9  is a side elevational view of the regulator inlet member top portion; 
       FIG. 10  is a bottom plan view of the regulator inlet member top portion; 
       FIG. 11  is a top plan view of the regulator inlet member top portion; 
       FIG. 12  is a top perspective view of a bottom portion of the regulator inlet member; 
       FIG. 13  is a bottom perspective view of the regulator inlet member bottom portion; 
       FIG. 14  is a side elevational view of the regulator inlet member bottom portion; 
       FIG. 15  is a bottom plan view of the regulator inlet member bottom portion; 
       FIG. 16  is a top plan view of the regulator inlet member bottom portion; 
       FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view of the regulator inlet member bottom portion taken along line  17 — 17  of  FIG. 14 ; 
       FIG. 18  is a schematic diagram of a control system for the regulator. 
   

   Corresponding reference numerals will be used throughout the several figures of the drawings. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation. This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what we presently believe is the best mode of carrying out the invention. Additionally, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
   A watering system  1  for use in a poultry house H is shown schematically in  FIG. 1 . The watering system  1  includes a water supply pipe  3  which is connected to watering pipes  5 , two of which are shown. A plurality of watering stations or drinkers  7  is spaced along each watering pipe  5 . As is known, watering stations in poultry houses include valves, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,522,346 and 5,074,250 (which are incorporated herein by reference) which are activated by birds pecking against a pin. The pressure within the water pipes  5  is critical, and must be maintained at a low pressure (i.e., less than 1″–24″ of water) which is substantially less than the line pressure (e.g., 20–60 psi). Thus, water regulators  9  are positioned in the water pipes  5  before the watering stations  7 . The regulators  9  can be placed at the beginning of the water pipes  5 , as schematically shown in  FIG. 1 , or intermediate the water pipes  5 . 
   The regulator  9  is shown generally in  FIGS. 2–3 . The regulator  9  includes a housing  21  having a top cover  23  and a bottom  25  which are sealably connected together by a plurality of fasteners  26  to define a chamber  27 . An inlet sleeve  29  extends upwardly from the housing top cover  23  and an outlet  31  extends generally radially from a top cover  23 . The outlet  31  is adapted to be connected to the water pipe  5  in any conventional manner. A hollow sleeve  33  extends upwardly from the top cover  23  to receive a standpipe. 
   A flexible diaphragm  35  extends across the chamber  27  and divides the chamber into a water chamber  27   a  and an ambient chamber  27   b . An adjuster assembly  37  is received in the ambient chamber  27   b . The adjustor assembly includes a spring  39  which urges the diaphragm  35  upwardly into the water chamber  27   a . The spring pressure can be adjusted using a knob  40 . A diaphragm support plate  41  is positioned between the underside of the diaphragm and the spring, such that the spring urges against the plate  41 . A post  43  extends up from the diaphragm into the water chamber  27   a . The post  43  is mounted to the plate  41  by means of a stem  45  which passes through the diaphragm  35  and into the plate  41 . A pivot arm  47  extends from the post  43  and has a pad  49  in an upper surface at its free end  47   a . The pivot arm  47  is pivotally connected to the housing top cover intermediate the post  43  and the free end, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,021, which is incorporated herein by reference. As explained therein, as the pressure within the water chamber  27   a  varies, the diaphragm  35  will move up and down. Movement of the diaphragm translates to movement of the post  43 , which in turn causes the pivot arm  47  to pivot about its mounts thereby causing the arm free end  47   a  to move upwardly or downwardly based upon the motion of the diaphragm. 
   As just mentioned, the regulator housing is substantially identical to the to the regulator housing described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,021. The regulator  9 , however, includes a different inlet member  51  which is different from the inlet tube of the regulator in the just noted patent. The inlet member  51  is shown in detail in  FIGS. 4–17 . The inlet member, as described in detail below, is sized, shaped and adapted to be received in the inlet sleeve  29 . The inlet member is comprised of an upper section  53  and a lower section  55 . Although the upper and lower sections are formed as individual parts which are then assembled together, they could be formed as a unitary one-piece part. 
   The inlet member upper section  53  (shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  8 – 11 ) includes a top surface  57 , bottom surface  59 , generally flat front and side walls  61  and  63 , respectively and a curved side wall  65 . A neck  67  extends upwardly from the top surface  57  and is adapted to be connected to the water supply line. The neck  67  is shown to be threaded, for a threaded connection to the supply line. However, other conventional means could also be used to connect the neck  67  to the supply line. An opening  69  is formed in the front wall and an opening  71  is formed in the bottom wall  59 . A circumferential groove or channel  70  surrounds the front wall opening  69 . 
   Internally, the inlet member upper section  51  includes an inlet  72  in the neck  67 . An inner tube  73  is positioned below the inlet  72  and is in communication with the inlet. The inner tube  73  defines an upper portion of a watering flow path. The tube  73  has a bottom edge  73   a  which is flush with the bottom surface  59  of the inlet member upper section  51 , and, as seen in  FIG. 5  is stepped to form an outwardly facing shoulder. The inner tube  73  is spaced from the inner surfaces of the walls  61 ,  63  and  65  to define a chamber  75  which surrounds the tube  73 . The chamber  75  defines an upper part of a flush flow path. A short tube  77  extends from the side opening  69  into the chamber  75 , and hence defines an inlet into the flush flow path. The tube  77  has an end edge  77   a  which is generally flush with, or spaced inwardly slightly from, the outer surface of the side wall  61 . The tube  77  has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the opening  69 . As seen in  FIG. 5 , an upper surface  77   b  of the tube  77  extends from the inner tube  72  and is spaced from the surface  69   a  defining the opening  69 . This space between the tube surface  77   b  and the opening surface  69   a  defines a port  79  which is in communication with the inlet  72 . 
   Turning to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a retainer  81  having a domed section or cup  83  is received over the front wall opening  69 . The retainer cup  83  defines a chamber  84  which is in communication with both the port  79  and the tube  77 . Hence, the inlet member chamber  75  is placed in fluid communication with the inlet  72  by means of the retainer chamber  84 . The diaphragm  85  is positioned in the retainer chamber. The diaphragm  85  has a web  85   a  with a seal  85   b  formed at the edge of the web. The seal  85   b  is sized and shaped to be received in the channel  70  surrounding the side opening  69 . The central portion  85   c  of the diaphragm  85  is sized and shaped to seal against the outer edge  77   a  of the side tube  77 . Hence, the tube edge  77   a  defines a seat against which the diaphragm  85  seals. The diaphragm  85  is secured in place over the side opening  69  by the retainer  83 . The diaphragm is movable by a solenoid  89  between a first position in which the diaphragm is seated against the tube edge  77   a  to close the inlet into the chamber  75  (and hence prevent the flow of water from the inlet  72  into the chamber  75 ) and a second position in which the diaphragm is unseated from the tube edge  77   a , such that water can flow from the inlet  72  into the chamber  75 . 
   The retainer  81  domed central section  83  has an opening  87  adapted (as with threads) to receive the tubular solenoid  89 . The solenoid  89  defines a chamber  89   a  which is open at the end facing the diaphragm  85 . A solenoid piston  91  and spring  93  are received within the solenoid chamber  89   a . The piston  91  extends out from the end of the tubular solenoid  89  to engage the diaphragm  85  at the central portion  85   a  thereof. The retainer  81  and solenoid  89  are enclosed by a solenoid cover  95  which is secured to the inlet member upper portion side wall  61  in any conventional manner, such as by screws  97 . The cover  95  includes a neck  99  to allow for the connection of wire leads between the solenoid  89  and a power source. 
   The solenoid spring  93  urges the piston  91  to an extended position, shown in  FIG. 5 . In this position, the diaphragm is engaged with and seals against the end edge  77   a  of the tube  77 , and the upper member chamber  75  is closed with respect to the inlet member neck  67 , and water is prevented from flowing through the port  70  and into the flush chamber  75 . When the solenoid  89  is activated, the piston  91  is retracted against the force of the spring  93  to pull the diaphragm away from the tube  77 , thereby opening the tube and placing the tube  77  and the chamber  75  in communication with the inlet  72 . In this open position, the flush chamber inlet tube  77  is opened, and water can flow through the port  70 , through the tube  77  and into the flush chamber  75 . As can be appreciated, the diaphragm is moveable by action of the solenoid between its noted closed and open positions. As will be described in more detail below, the solenoid can be remotely controlled by a programmable control system, or by the use of a switch. 
   The inlet member bottom section  55  ( FIGS. 12–17 ) comprises a body  101  corresponding to the shape of the internal surface of the regulator housing inlet sleeve  29 . In the embodiment shown, the inlet sleeve  29  and the bottom section body  101  are both shown to be cylindrical. The body could be formed in other shapes as well, if desired. A pair of circumferential grooves  103   a,b  are formed in the body outer surface to receive O-rings  104  ( FIGS. 4–5 ) to provide for a fluid tight seal between the body  101  and the inlet sleeve  29 . A flange  105  extends outwardly from the top of the body  101 . As seen, the flange  105  is generally circular, but has a flattened edge  105   a . Alignment ears  107  extend downwardly from the bottom of the flange  105  and outwardly from the body  101 . The ears  107  are received in corresponding slots in the regulator housing inlet sleeve  29  as described in the above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,021 which is incorporated herein by reference. As noted therein, the engagement of the inlet sleeve slots with the inlet member ears allow for the inlet member to move axially, but not rotationally, with respect to the inlet sleeve  29 . A finger  109  extends outwardly from the ear  107  below the flange flat surface  105   a . The finger  109  receives a lever  111  ( FIG. 2 ) to allow for manual movement of the inlet member  51 . As described in the just noted patent, axial movement of the inlet member switches the regulator  9  between a flushing mode and a watering mode. 
   A rib  113  extends upwardly from the top surface of the flange  105  and is spaced slightly inwardly from the periphery of the flange. The rib  113  is sized and shaped to be received in the bottom opening  71  of the inlet member upper portion as seen in  FIG. 5 . Hence, the rib  113  and the upper portion bottom opening  71  are complementarily shaped. As shown, the bottom portion rib  113  and the upper portion bottom opening  71  are both in the shape of circles having a flattened edge. The fit between the rib  113  and the inner surface of the bottom opening  71  preferably defines a fluid tight seal. If desired, an O-ring could be provided to facilitate the forming of a seal between the rib  113  and the opening  71 . 
   Internally, the inlet member bottom portion  55  includes a central passage  121  which defines a lower portion of the watering flow path and an outer passage  123  which defines a lower portion of the flush flow path. Both passages extend generally axially from the top of the inlet member portion  55  to its bottom. The flush passage  123  can, as shown, include four discrete channels  123   a  which are separated by ribs  125  which extend the length of the body  101 . A small lip  127  surrounds the opening to the watering passage  121  on the top surface of the body  101 . As seen in  FIG. 5 , the lip  127  is sized and shaped to mate with the bottom edge  73   a  of the tube  73  in the inlet member upper portion  53 . As such, the lip  127  includes an inwardly facing shoulder which mates with the outwardly facing shoulder at the bottom edge  73   a  of the upper portion inner tube  73 . At the bottom end of the body, it will be seen that the outlet  121   a  of the watering passage  121  is spaced axially below from the outlet  123   b  of the flush passage. 
   Turning to  FIG. 5 , when the inlet top and bottom members  52  and  55  are assembled together, the inlet member bottom water passage  121  is aligned with, and forms a continuation of, the inner tube  73  from the inlet upper member  53 ; and the inlet bottom member flush passage  123  is in communication with the upper member chamber  75 . 
   As seen in  FIG. 3 , when the inlet member  51  is inserted in the inlet sleeve  29  of the regulator housing  21 , the outlet  121   a  of the watering passage will be closed and opened by the action of the pivot arm  47 . That is, based upon the pressure in the water chamber  27   a , the diaphragm  35  will move up and down, causing the pivot arm  47  to pivot between a closed position in which the pad  49  at the free end of the arm contact and seals against the watering passage port  121   a  and an open position in which the pivot arm pad  49  will be spaced from the water passage outlet  121   a . Hence, the pivot arm defines a regulator valve of the pressure regulator. When the pivot arm  27  is in the open position, water can pass from the water supply, through the inlet member inlet  72 , the upper member tube  73  and the water passage  121  to enter the regulator water chamber  27   a . When the pivot arm is in its closed position, the passage of water into the chamber  27   a  through the watering passage  121  is blocked. 
   As seen, when the pivot arm  45  is in the closed position, the flush passage outlet  123   a  is spaced above the pad  49 , and hence, the pivot arm pad  49  cannot close the flush passage  123 . However, when the diaphragm  85  is sealed against the inlet member tube  77 , the flow of water into the chamber  75 , and hence into the flush passage  123  is blocked. Thus, the only path flow is through the watering passage  121 , and the regulator will operate to regulate the water pressure within the watering system for proper operation of the drinkers  7 . When the solenoid  89  is activated, the inlet member diaphragm  85  is pulled back, or unseated, from the inlet member tube  77  to place the inlet member tube (and hence the upper portion chamber  75  and the flush passage  123 ) in communication with the inlet member inlet  72  (and hence the water supply) by way of the port  79 . Thus, water will flow through the inlet  72 , port  79 , tube  77  and into the inlet member chamber  75  and flush passage  123 . Inasmuch as the flush passage outlet  123   a  is spaced from the pad  49 , water will enter the water chamber at full line pressure to allow for flushing of the watering system. The regulator will then be in a flush mode until the solenoid  89  is deactivated and inlet member diaphragm is closed. Hence, the diaphragm defines a flush valve for the regulator. 
   As seen, the diaphragm only opens and closes the chamber inlet tube  77 . Thus, when the diaphragm is moved to the open position, to open the flush flow path to the flow of water from the inlet  72 , the water flow path remains open, and hence, water flows through both the water flow path and the flush flow path. If the inlet member is in its lowered position, the pivot arm (or regulator valve)  49  may be in the closed position. When the diaphragm is opened, water (at full line pressure) will fill the regulator water chamber  27   a . As the water chamber is filled, the water pressure within the chamber will force the diaphragm down, thereby causing the pivot arm to pivot up into engagement with the water path port  121   a , to close the water flow path at the port  121   a . Thus, although the diaphragm does not close the water flow path, the pivot arm does, and during a flush operation initiated through the flush valve, water will ultimately only flow through the flush flow path (defined by the upper member chamber  75  and the lower member passage  121 ). 
   Thus, as can be appreciated, the regulator  9  can be placed in a flush mode in two ways. First, the inlet member can be manually raised and lowered using the lever  111 . As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,021, when the inlet member  51  is raised, the pivot arm cannot close the water passage outlet  121   a . Secondly, the regulator can be placed in a flush mode by unseating the diaphragm  85  from the chamber inlet tube  77  by activation of the solenoid, as explained above. 
   Turning to  FIG. 18 , the provision of the solenoid  89  to operate the diaphragm  85  allows for the regulator to be controlled by a control system CS to allow for automatic flushing of the watering system at predetermined times. A poultry house includes a lighting system L and a medicating system M both of which can be controlled by a controller C. The lighting system L includes a plurality of lights L 1 , L 2 , L 3  . . . L n  which are turned on and off by the activation and deactivation of one or more light actuators LA. The medicating system M includes a hopper MH which delivers water dissolvable or water dispersible supplements (such as medicaments, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, nutritional supplements, etc) into the water supply line  3 . A valve MV can be opened and closed by the activation and deactivation of an actuator MA to allow the supplements from the hopper to flow into the water supply line. The controller C can be, for example, a CPU which can be programmed to turn the lights on and off at certain predetermined times and to dispense medication or feed supplements at predetermined times. As seen in  FIG. 18 , the watering system is shown to include several regulators  9  which are denoted as R 1 , R 2 , R 3  and R 4 , and each regulator is provided with an actuator RA 1 –RA 4 . The actuators RA 1 –RA 4  correspond to the solenoid  89  and its spring biased piston  91 . 
   It is desirable to flush the watering system when the animals are not drinking and will not be using the watering system. This generally occurs when the animals are sleeping—i.e., when the lights in the animal house are turned off. Hence, the controller can be programmed to activate the solenoid to flush the watering system a predetermined amount of time after the lights in the animal house have been turned off. This will help ensure that the drinkers will not be used during a flushing procedure. 
   It is also desirable to flush the watering system before and/or after the administration of medicine or feed supplements to the animals through the water supply. It is desirable to flush the watering system prior to administration of medicine or other supplements to be sure that there is no residual medication or supplement from a prior dosing. This will avoid the potential of two medications or supplements from interacting with each other. It is also desirable to flush the system after dosing is finished to reduce the possibility of the animals receiving more medication or supplements than necessary. Hence, the controller can be programmed to flush the watering system prior to activation of the medication system M, and then to again flush the watering system a predetermined time after the medication system has been activated or when the controller otherwise determines that the medication cycle is complete. 
   Often disinfectants will be passed through the watering system to remove any bacteria, germs, etc. which may be in the watering system. Depending on the disinfecting agent used, the disinfecting agent may adversely effect the medicament being introduced into the watering system. In such situations, it is desirable to flush the watering system after the system has been disinfected. To this end, the watering system is provided with a source of disinfectant D. The disinfectant source is opened and closed by a disinfectant actuator DA, which is controlled by the controller C to admit, or prevent the admission of, disinfectant into the watering system. The controller can be programmed such that the system is flushed a predetermined amount of time after the disinfectant has been introduced into the watering system. Alternatively, the control system can be controlled such that system is flushed as the disinfectant is released into the watering system, to increase the speed at which disinfectant reaches the ends of the watering system watering lines. 
   It is desirable to promote drinking when the temperature in the animal house reaches a predetermined level. Drinking will help reduce dehydration of the animals and can also help cool the animals. One way to promote drinking is to provide the chickens with cooler water. Additionally, chickens can use the watering system to wet their combs and wattles, and allow evaporation to aid in cooling the birds. As can be appreciated, the water in the watering line will reach the ambient room temperature. Hence, to promote drinking and to facilitate cooling, the chickens need to be provided with cooler water. To facilitate this, the control system CS includes a temperature probe T, which can be situated either in the chicken house itself or in the watering line. If the probe is in the watering line, then it is preferably positioned near the end of the watering line. The temperature probe T will send a signal to the controller C indicative of the temperature of either the chicken house or of the water temperature. Upon reaching a predetermined temperature (for example, of about 100° F.), the controller C will activate the flush valves to flush the watering system. This will force the warm water out of the watering system, and replace the water with fresh, cooler water. The flushing of the watering system based on temperature is also dependant upon when the system was last flushed. Thus, if the watering system were recently flushed (e.g., within the past hour), then the temperature controlled flushing of the watering system will be overridden, to prevent the system from being flushed, for example, more than once each hour. In addition, if a normally scheduled flushing is to occur within a predetermined period of time (e.g., within fifteen minutes), for example in conjunction with the medicating system, the lighting system, or the timing system, then the temperature controlled flushing will be overridden in favor of the regularly scheduled flushing. 
   The regulator can be provided with an override button OB to allow for an operator to flush the watering system if, for some reason, the system requires flushing at an unscheduled, and unprogrammed time. The override button OB is an electrical switch, and can comprise any desired type of switch. It can be a button switch which is normally biased to an open position which is pressed to activate the solenoid  89 . In this case, the button switch could be provided with a timer which will automatically open the switch contact after a predetermined period of time or the button could be required to be held in a pressed position for the duration of the flush operation. The switch could also be a toggle switch which is flipped in one direction to activate the solenoid  89  and then flipped in an opposite direction to deactivate the solenoid. 
   Often, an animal house H will include several watering lines, each with their own water regulator. As can be appreciated, to properly flush such a watering system, each regulator will need to be placed in a flush mode. The controller can be programmed to activate all the solenoids simultaneously or individually. Similarly, the override button OB can comprise a bank of buttons OB 1 –OB 4 , each of which will activate an individual solenoid or a determined group of solenoids to flush individual watering lines or a group of watering lines. Thus, for example, if medication or supplements are only delivered through one (or a subset) of the watering lines, the control system can flush only the watering lines through which medication or supplements were delivered, without the need to flush all the lines at the same time. 
   As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Although the watering passage and flush passage of the inlet member are shown to be concentric, they could be side-by-side, to present a dual tube, rather than a concentric, or tube-within-a-tube, configuration. Although the flush port  123   a  is shown to be at the bottom of the water inlet member; the flush flow path could have a port in the side (rather than the bottom) of the inlet member. Such a side flush port would be positioned axially above the watering port  121   a . Although a diaphragm is preferred for the flush valve  85 , other types of valve members which can be automatically controlled could be used as well. For example, and without limitation, the diaphragm  85  could be replaced with a rotatable ball valve or butterfly valve element or an axially movable valve pin. Rather than providing a separate port  70  and flush path inlet port  77 , a single opening or port could be formed in the tube  73  to place the chamber  75  in communication with the nozzle  67 . In this instance, the flush valve (i.e., the diaphragm) would seal against an edge of the opening in the watering tube  73 . The opening and closing of this opening would then move the inlet member between a watering or operating mode and a flush mode. These examples are merely illustrative.

Technology Category: 3