US 10,477,835 B2Granted

Feeding apparatus for animals

AssigneeCrystal Spring Colony Farms Ltd.

InventorsTom McAdams, Ethan Hofer, Lucien Dnestrianschii

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Abstract

In an apparatus for feeding animals including one or more feed dispensing containers from which the animals can take feed which are fed by supply ducts from a supply a device is provided which includes a feed supply duct portion arranged such that the feed falls through the feed supply duct portion under gravity. A drive member is mounted at the duct and includes a plurality of paddle blades of a wheel mounted for rotation about an axis of the wheel such that falling feed in the duct acts to drive the blades to rotate the wheel about the axis and a driven component driven by the wheel. The driven component is in most cases a dispenser for feeding a liquid or particulate additive material from a supply cartridge, which is mounted on a common housing forming the duct and containing the wheel, to an injection opening on the bottom of the housing for addition to the feed passing through the duct portion.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An apparatus for feeding animals comprising:

a feed dispensing system;
a plurality of feed dispensing containers at each of which at least one animal can take feed material;
each of said plurality of feed dispensing containers comprising:
a respective upstanding feed supply duct portion connected to the feed dispensing system so as to receive feed therefrom;
the respective feed supply duct portion being configured so that feed therein from the feed dispensing system falls by gravity to the respective feed dispensing container;
a rotary drive member mounted at the duct portion and including a plurality of paddle blades of a paddle wheel mounted for rotation about an axis of the wheel such that falling feed in the duct acts to drive the paddle blades to rotate the wheel about the axis;
a dispensing container containing a particulate additive material mounted on one side of the duct portion;
a feed wheel at the dispensing container driven by the paddle wheel which meters particulate additive material from the dispensing container to an outlet thereof which is arranged to discharge into the feed duct portion to mix with the feed therein.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/239,177Filed 17 Aug 2016
Published: US 2018/0049405 A122 Feb 2018
Granted: 19 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

A01K 5/0225
Automatic devices: gravity replenishment from a reserve, e.g. a hopper
A01K 5/0216
Automatic devices: for the distribution of liquid fodder
A01K 5/0218
For the distribution of liquid fodder: supply of liquid and solid mixture of animal feedstuffs, e.g. water pipe for pig's fodder
A01K 5/0275
Automatic devices: with mechanisms for delivery of measured doses

Family

US 2018/0049405 A1Pre-grant publication · published 22 Feb 2018
US 10,477,835 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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