Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/840,631, filed Apr. 23, 2001 which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/309,839, filed May 11, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/007,284, filed Jan. 14, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No.  5 , 921 , 200 , issued Jul. 13, 1999, which claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/046,048, filed May 9, 1997. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to animal feed dispensers and, more particularly, to an indexed feed mechanism for selectively positioning the feed gate is one of a plurality of discrete feed gate positions.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    All conventional gravity type feeders utilize so-called feed gates to regulate the flow of feed from a hopper to the animals. These feed gates are usually adjusted by some type of threaded adjusting mechanism to control the flow of feed. The threaded adjusting mechanisms found in hog feeders on the market today offer no means of accurately determining the flow of feed being dispensed. If the gate is open too much, more feed will be dispensed than the animals can eat and the excess feed is wasted. On the other hand, if the gate is not open enough, the animals will not get the amount of food necessary for optimum growth. To compound the matter, as the animals grow larger, they need more food to continue optimal growth.  
           [0004]    To adjust conventional feeders correctly to obtain optimum performance requires a certain amount of guesswork. Because adjusting the feeders is difficult and very labor intensive, many feeders are simply not adjusted properly, resulting in feed waste or poor animal growth rate as discussed above.  
           [0005]    In addition, standardized agricultural practices require regular cleaning and disinfecting of livestock feeders. Typically the cleaning process entails washing the feeders with high pressure water hoses. Cleaning fluids, animal waste and leftover waste grain often remain trapped in the trough of the feeder. One way to remove the cleaning fluids from a conventional feeder is tilting the feeders back and forth to displace the fluids. Further, conventional feeders often have defined flanges and structures, which trap food and dirt, making cleaning and disinfecting with high pressure hoses difficult.  
           [0006]    The present invention solves these problems by providing an improved feeder having a precise feed dispensing mechanism with standardized indicia to eliminate the guesswork from dispensing feed to the livestock.  
           [0007]    The advantages provided by the present invention are that animal producers can control proper feed adjustment based on animal weight, feed type, number of animals, etc. Producers can also mandate a standard setting for all feeders for any given circumstance thereby ruling out potential variables in animal production.  
           [0008]    Another advantage to the present invention is that routine adjustments to the feed dispensing mechanism can be accomplished simply and the feed gates can be quickly and fully opened for cleaning.  
           [0009]    The dispensing mechanism of the present invention is user friendly, the index scale of 1 to 10 is easily read and understood, a direct acting index lever correlates to feed gate movements either upwardly or downwardly, the indexing lever and connecting rods are replaceable and the unique connecting rod attaches to the feed gate without bolts or welding.  
           [0010]    Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a closable cleaning gate that allows cleaning fluids and waste food grains to be easily removed from the entire feeder. Further, the invention additionally provides an improved flange structures, which facilitates cleaning, increased strength as well as minimizes discomfort to the feeding animals.  
           [0011]    A dust cover is included which makes the feeder of the present invention environmentally safe by preventing large amounts of dust from becoming airborne when a feeder is being filled by an automatic delivery system.  
           [0012]    In addition to the above, the improved feeder of the present invention includes a feed drop tube holder similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,039 to adapt it for use with an automatic feed delivery system.  
         DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,039 to Leon S. Zimmerman discloses a livestock feeder for use with an automatic feed delivery system having a feed drop tube operatively connected thereto for dispensing feed into a feed bin. This feeder features a feed drop tube holder fabricated from a flexible, resilient material which is installed intermediate the opposed side walls of the feed bin by compressing the holder lengthwise with hand pressure to effectively reduce its overall length and to allow tabs formed on the ends thereof to engage a plurality of horizontally opposed slots formed in the opposed side walls.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    After much research and study of the above described problems, the present invention has been developed to provide an improved livestock feeder including a feed dispensing mechanism which accurately controls the flow of feed to the animals for consumption. The improved feeder utilizes a pair of adjustable feed gates installed in the lower portion of a gravity feed bin formed by downwardly converging side walls. The feed gates are mechanically coupled by connecting rods to the feed dispensing controls which are accessible from the open top of the feed bin.  
           [0015]    The controls for the feed dispensing mechanism are provided with a lever that engages a standard index of positions that adjust the opening of the feed gates. By use of the controls, animal producers may obtain a standardized setting for the release of feed to animals at different stages of the life cycle to obtain optimum growth rates.  
           [0016]    In the preferred embodiment, the dispensing mechanism and controls are utilized with a hog feeder of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,039 which has previously issued to the Applicant herein.  
           [0017]    In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved livestock feeder having a precision dispensing mechanism that will accurately control the release of feed to livestock.  
           [0018]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved livestock feeder that will permit animal producers to obtain standardized settings for the release of feed to numerous animals at a particular stage in the production cycle.  
           [0019]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved livestock feeder that will reduce variations in growth rate between animals by insuring the controlled release of food thereto.  
           [0020]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved livestock feeder including a removable dust cover which is installed across the top opening of the feeder to reduce the release of airborne dust generated by an automatic feed delivery system.  
           [0021]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a livestock feeder which facilitates cleaning.  
           [0022]    Another object of the current invention is to provide a livestock feeder with improved flanges which provide for greater animal comfort as well as easy cleaning.  
           [0023]    Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention.  
           [0024]    Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0025]    [0025]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a livestock feeder of the prior art;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the improved feeder of the present invention showing the feed-dispensing mechanism thereof;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the feed dispensing controls;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken through section  4 - 4  of FIG. 3;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the feed gate showing the manner in which the connecting rod is attached thereto;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the connecting rod and feed gate;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 7 is a top sectional view of the lower portion of a connecting rod;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the control lever in a position of disengagement with an indexing hole;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the control lever in a position of engagement with an indexing hole;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the dust cover panels;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the animal feeder showing the dust cover installed therein;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 12 is an enlarged view showing the support braces and J-shaped brackets for mounting the dust cover panels;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the improved feeder of another embodiment of the present invention showing the cleaning mechanism thereof;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the improved feeder shown in FIG. 13 illustrating actuation of the cleaning mechanism;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the cleaning mechanism and improved flanges of the improved feeder shown in FIG. 14;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIGS. 16 a  and  16   b  are cross-sectional views of the flanges of the opposing end walls of the present invention taken through  16 - 16  of FIG. 15;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the flanges of the trough portion taken through  17 - 17  of FIG. 15; and  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning mechanism of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0043]    As background and to better understand by comparison the improved livestock feeder of the present invention, reference should be made to animal feeder illustrated in FIG. 1 and labeled Prior Art.  
         [0044]    The prior art animal feeder, indicated generally at  40 , comprises an open-topped hopper, indicated generally at  45 , defined by opposing, downwardly sloping side walls  41  and opposing substantially vertical end walls  42 .  
         [0045]    The opposing end walls  42  are of generally rectangular shape and their upper edges are preferably positioned on substantially the same level as the upper edges of the downwardly sloping side walls  41 . The lower edges of the opposing end walls  42  terminate at a substantial distance below the lower edges of the opposing side walls  42  and are suitably secured to opposed ends of a bottom wall  43 .  
         [0046]    The bottom wall  43  is connected to upwardly and outwardly inclined outer panel portions  44  forming elongate feed troughs, indicated generally at  55 , along opposite sides of the animal feeder  40  and below the opposing side walls  41 .  
         [0047]    The lower portions of the downwardly converging side walls  41  and the bottom wall  43  define therebetween a feed discharge opening  16 .  
         [0048]    As another element of the Prior Art feeder  40 , reinforcing dividers, shown in the form of plurality of spaced-apart, elongate rods  57  span the feed troughs  55  from the side walls  41  to the respective outer trough portions  44  of the bottom wall  43 . The rods  57  reinforce the feed bin and divide each feed trough  55  into individual feeding areas which serve to aid in giving the livestock animals access to feed.  
         [0049]    As another element of the Prior Art feeder  40 , a pair of elongate, pivotally mounted, vertically adjustable gates  48  including gate adjustment means  49  mechanically coupled thereto overlie the respective feed discharge openings  46  for varying the size of each opening  46 . The gates  48  extend longitudinally between the end walls  42  with the opposite ends of the gates  48  terminating closely adjacent end walls  42 . A small clearance remains necessary between the ends of the gates  48  and the end walls  42  so that the gates  48  may pivot freely in their described adjusted positions. The gate  48 , which functions to regulate the amount of food into the trough, is shown as a flat rectangular plate. It is envisioned that gate  48 , can take the form of other shapes such as circular or conical.  
         [0050]    Another element of the Prior Art feeder  40  is the feed drop tube holder, indicated generally at  60 , as shown in FIG. 1. The feed drop tube holder  60  is a generally flat, rectangular structure having a circular opening  60   a  in the center thereof.  
         [0051]    Holder  60  includes a plurality of tabs  60   b  integrally formed on opposite ends thereof at predetermined intervals. Tabs  60   b  are adapted to engage a plurality of cooperating slots  61  which are disposed about the upper peripheral edges of side walls  41  at regular intervals.  
         [0052]    One of the principle advantages of the feed drop tube holder  60  is that it does not require brackets for additional hardware to install. Holder  60  is manufactured to an overall length that is slightly larger than the inside dimension between the opposing side walls  41  as measured in a plane coincidental with slots  61 .  
         [0053]    Being made of a flexible, resilient material holder  60  may be compressed lengthwise by hand pressure into a curved bow shape in order to insert tab  60   b  into cooperating slot  61 .  
         [0054]    Once released from this position, holder  60  springs back into its original flat configuration such that tabs  60   b  project outwardly through slots  61  in side walls  41  retaining holder  60  therebetween.  
         [0055]    The central opening  60   a  in holder  60  is sized to a dimension that is slightly larger than the feed drop tube  63  to accommodate the insertion of the same into central openings  60   a  at varying angles without binding therein.  
         [0056]    It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that holder  60  may be easily repositioned to several longitudinal positions within feeder  40  by removing and replacing holder  60  to a different grouping of opposed slots  61  as desired.  
         [0057]    Since all of the above hereinabove described features of feeder  40  are well known to those skilled in the art, further detailed discussion of the same is not deemed necessary.  
         [0058]    One of the principle improvements of the animal feeder  10  of the present invention is the feed dispensing mechanism, indicated generally at  20  comprising a pair of control levers  16  with associated indexing holes  23 , a scale  25  with numeric indicia  26 , control rods  15  and feed gates  14  as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0059]    The structure and function of these components will now be described in further detail. It will be understood that a dispensing mechanism as depicted in FIG. 2 is installed on the interior surface of each end wall  11  of the present feeder  10  to operate the vertically adjustable feed gates  14  thereof.  
         [0060]    A pair of adjustable control levers  16  are pivotally mounted on the interior surface of each end wall  11  by use of suitable attaching hardware such as a pivot screw  17 , lock washer  18 , spacer  13  and compression spring  19  as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.  
         [0061]    An opposite end of the control lever  16  includes a pointer  16   a  for indicating the setting for the feed gates  14  as described hereinafter in further detail.  
         [0062]    The pointer  16   a  is provided with a knob  21  including an index pin  22  projecting outwardly therefrom for mating engagement with an array of index holes  23  which are radially disposed at regular intervals along an arc concentric with an axis of the pivot screw  17  as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.  
         [0063]    Intermediate the pivot screw  17  and the knob  21  an upper end of a connecting rod  15  is secured using suitable attaching hardware. In the preferred embodiment a connecting tab  24  having an elongated slot  37  formed at one end thereof is coupled to the upper end of connecting rod  15 . The tab  24  is mounted on a connecting bolt  35  which loosely penetrates the slot  37  and is secured thereon by lock nut  36 .  
         [0064]    An opposite end of each connector rod  15  is configured as illustrated in FIGS.  5 - 7 . The lower most end of the connector rod  15  is initially bent at 90° to a longitudinal axis thereof as at 15 in FIG. 5 so as to lie in a plane coincident with the major portion of the rod  15 . Thereafter the tip portion  15   b  is again bent 90° as at 15 to lie in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the major portion of the rod  15  as shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0065]    To install the connector rod  15  in the feed gate  14  the tip portion  15   b  is inserted through mounting aperture  38  as seen in FIG. 5 attaching the rod  15  to the feed gate  14  without bolting or welding the connection. Thus installed, it will be appreciated that a non-binding linkage is provided between the rod  15  and the gate  14  to facilitate operation of the dispensing mechanism when the feeder is filled to capacity.  
         [0066]    In normal operation the user of the improved feeder  10  adjusts the dispensing mechanism  20  by grasping and pulling the knob  21  outwardly from an engaged position as shown in FIG. 8 and pivoting the lever  16  upwardly or downwardly to adjust the gate  14  to the desired vertical position. After the desired position or hole  23  is selected, the knob  21  is again released to the position shown in FIG. 9.  
         [0067]    It will be appreciated that each respective indexing hole  23  corresponds to numeric indicia  26  on the scale  25  so as to dispense feed at a predetermined rate to livestock eating from the feeder  10 . In tills manner several feeders  10  can be utilized in a livestock production facility to deliver a predetermined amount of feed to animals at any stage of the life cycle using the standard settings on the scale  25 .  
         [0068]    It will also be noted that a feeder  10  can be disposed between adjacent pens in such a production facility and adjusted to deliver feed in different amounts from opposite sides of the feeder  10 . Thus, the improved feeder of the present invention provides significant advantages to animal producers which are unknown in the prior art.  
         [0069]    Further, the physical location of the dispensing mechanisms  20  on the interior end walls  11  of the feeder rather than on lateral brace members  47  extending across the hopper  45  as shown in FIG. 1 lends itself to another principle advantage of the present invention. The improved feeder  10  is provided with a removable dust cover, indicated generally at  33  as shown in FIGS.  10 - 12 .  
         [0070]    The dust cover  33  is comprised of a pair of generally rectangular panels  34  which are configured and dimensioned to closely fit the interior peripheral edge of the feeder  10  when installed therein as shown in FIG. 11. It will be understood that the feed drop tube holder  60  of the prior art as shown in FIG. 10 functions as a part of the dust cover  33  as described hereinafter in further detail.  
         [0071]    The dust cover panels  34  together with the feed drop tube holder  60  are fabricated from a resilient plastic material and are easily removed for cleaning and maintenance purposes.  
         [0072]    The dust cover panels  34  are supported in the position shown in FIG. 11 by a pair of generally parallel support braces  27  which extend transversely across the top opening of the feeder  10  interconnecting the downwardly sloping side walls  12 .  
         [0073]    Braces  27  are configured to support the inner edges of the panels  34  in the position shown in FIG. 11. In the preferred embodiment the inner edges of the dust cover panels  34  are provided with attaching hardware such as J-shaped shaped brackets  39  which are secured to the inner edges of panels  34  by suitable fasteners. J-shaped brackets  39  engage the support braces to  27  to secure the panels  34  as more clearly shown in FIG. 12.  
         [0074]    An opposite end portion of the panels  34  are provided with cut-out portions  34   a  to accommodate the connecting rods  15  disposed along the end walls  11  of the feeder. The insertion of the feed drop tube holder  28  is accomplished as described hereinabove and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,039.  
         [0075]    It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the remaining peripheral edges of the panels  34  are supported by their contact with the downwardly and inwardly converging side walls  12  of the feeder.  
         [0076]    In this construction the dust cover  33  functions to reduce the airborne particulates generated by the automatic feed delivery system utilized in conjunction with feeders of this type. Thus, the environment of the production facility is made safer and respiratory hazards are reduced for both man and animal.  
         [0077]    Another preferred embodiment of the present invention will be now described with reference to FIG. 13. In this regard, FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the feeder  10  showing the cleaning mechanism  96  incorporated into the feeder  10 . The cleaning mechanism  96 , which functions to allow easy removal of cleaning fluids and waste feed, is constructed of an adjustable member or outer door  98 , a linkage  100  connected to the outer door  98  by a fastener  102  at the bottom end  104  of the linkage  100 , as well as to an engagement member or control lever  106 . The control lever  106  is connected to the top portion  108  of linkage  100  and is pivotally mounted by the mounting system  110  to end wall  42 . The mounting system  110  includes and has a knob  112 , lock washer  114 , spacer  116 , and compression ring  118 . The structure and function of the control lever  106  is similar to that of the adjustable control levers  16  as seen in FIGS. 3, 4,  8  and  9 . Control lever  106  functions to lift the outer door  98 , through linkage  100  to an upward position, to expose four apertures  120 .  
         [0078]    The apertures  120 , which are shown in FIG. 13 as being covered by the outer door  98 , are elongated rectangular in shape and are located in the end wall  42  adjacent to the bottom surface  123  of the feed trough  55 . The outer door  98  covers the apertures  120  and controls the flow of cleaning fluid and waste grain through the apertures  120  during the cleaning of the feeder  10 . Further shown in FIG. 13 are the optional, although preferred, first inner door  122  and second inner door  124 . These doors are disposed adjacent the inner surface  126  of end wall  42  and are connected to the outer door  98  by through bolts  128 . The through bolts  128  pass through the end wall  42  through a plurality of elongated guide slots  130  formed in end wall  42 . The first and second inner doors  122 ,  124  are displaced upwardly and downwardly in conjunction with the outer door  98  as directed by control lever  106 . As better seen in FIG. 18, through bolts  128  couple the first inner door  122  by using lock washers  132  and a nut  134 . As can be appreciated, the particular fasteners used to movably couple the outer door  98  and the inner doors  122 ,  124  can take any suitable form known in the fastener art. Further shown in FIG. 18 is the coupling of linkage  100  with the outer door  98 . Shown is the linkage rod tip portion  136  which is disposed through an elongated slot  138  formed in end wall  42 . The linkage rod tip portion  136  is located through hole  140  in the outer door  98  and is fastened by a fastener  142 .  
         [0079]    [0079]FIG. 14 shows the cleaning mechanism  96  in its raised position. Control lever  106  is depicted as being raised and engaged in an index member or indexing hole  144 . In normal operation, the user of the feeder  10  adjusts the cleaning mechanism  96  by grasping and pulling knob  112  outwardly from an engaged position and pivoting the control lever  106  upwardly or downwardly to adjust the outer door  98  to the desired vertical position. After the desired position or indexing hole  144  is selected, the knob  112  is released. The function of the control lever  106  and knob  112  is similar to that as previously described in the descriptions of FIGS. 8 and 9.  
         [0080]    [0080]FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the cleaning mechanism  96  and improved flanges of the current invention. The improved flange portions allow for easier cleaning of the feeder as well as increased comfort to the feeding animals. Disposed on the opposing end side  42  is a ledge  148  generally parallel to the inner surface  126  of opposing end wall  42 . Ledge  148  functions to reduce harmful contact to the feeding animals by providing an increased surface area of contact with the feeding animal. As better seen in FIG. 16 a,  the ledge  148  is connected to end wall  42  by a flange  150 , the outer surface being closed off by a flange  152 . Flange  148  has a width from one-half (½″) to one (1″) inch, and preferably five-eighths (⅝″) inch. The flange design allows for the proper stiffening and support of end wall  42  as well as reducing the discomfort to animals which may be forced into the edge. The design also allows for easy stacking of the feeder component materials. An alternate design can be seen in FIG. 16 b,  which shows a curved portion  154  joined to the end wall  42 .  
         [0081]    [0081]FIG. 15 further shows a ledge  146  extending outwardly from the outer trough portion  44 . The outwardly extending flange  146  is connected to the outer trough portion  44  by transition flange  156 . The configuration of the outwardly extending flange  146  and transition flange  156  reduces the number of unexposed surfaces, resulting in better access to the trough  55  surfaces by a stream of cleaning fluid. Conventional feeders typically have flat trough  55  bottom surfaces  123 . To assist in the removal of the cleaning fluids, it is optionally possible to adjust the support structure  158  (shown in FIG. 14) so that the bottom surface  123  of the trough  55  is angled down toward the apertures  120  to assist in the drainage of the cleaning fluids.  
         [0082]    The method of utilizing the aforementioned cleaning mechanism will now be discussed in detail. A feeder  10  is provided having cleaning mechanism  96  consisting of a plurality of apertures  120  covered by an outer door  98 . The outer door  98  is coupled to a control lever  106  which is pivotably mounted to the side of the feeder  10 . The control lever  106 , which has a knob  112 , is adjustable through a plurality of index positions  144  allowing for the raising and lowering of the outer door  98 .  
         [0083]    When it is desirable to clean the feeder, the operator will grasp the knob  112  and raises the control lever  106  to a raised index hole  144 , moving the outer door  98  to expose at least a portion of the aperture  120 . The knob  112  is then released locking the control lever  106  in its upward position. The feeder  10  is then exposed to a stream of high pressure water, washing and rinsing the surfaces of the feeder  10 . It is preferred that the operator use the stream high pressure water to “push” the fluids and waste feed out of the trough  55  through the apertures  120 . It is envisioned that the control lever  106  will be left in its raised position until the trough  55  is substantially free of cleaning fluid. When the trough  55  has been cleaned, the operator grasps the knob  112  and moves it downward so the outer door  98  covers the aperture  120 .  
         [0084]    The terms “top”, “bottom”, “side”, and so forth have been used herein merely for convenience to describe the present invention and its parts as oriented in the drawings. It is to be understood, however, that these terms are in no way limiting to the invention since such invention may obviously be disposed in different orientations when in use.  
         [0085]    From the above it can be seen that the improved animal feeder of the present invention provides an adjustable dispensing mechanism for the accurate delivery of feed to livestock animals. The dispensing mechanism includes standardized controls and settings to enable a precise amount of feed to be delivered to animals during specific stages of their life cycle to ensure optimum growth rates.  
         [0086]    The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of such invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.  
         [0087]    The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

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