# US 10,499,611 B2 · Adjustable crowding alley > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,499,611 B2 - Document ID: US10499611B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/645,559 - Filed: 2017-07-10 - Published: 2019-01-10 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-10 - Applicants: Michael Coker - Inventors: Michael Coker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10499611B2 ## CPC - A01K 1/0029: {Crowding gates or barriers} - A01K 15/04: Devices for impeding movement; Devices for impeding passage through fencing {, e.g. hobbles or the like; Anti-kicking devices (impeding passage under fences A01K15/006)} - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS ## Abstract An adjustable crowding alley used to route livestock or other animals towards a destination. The adjustable crowding alley includes an adjustable panel that allows the width of the alleyway to vary according to the width of the animals being routed through the adjustable crowding alley. The adjustable crowding alley includes one or more backup blockers that allow animals to move forward through the adjustable crowding alley, but restrict backwards movement of the animals within the adjustable crowding alley after passing each backup blocker. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An adjustable crowding alley for guiding an animal from an entrance to an exit of the crowding alley, the crowding alley comprising: a stationary panel spanning the length of the crowding alley; a frame having a rail assembly with two or more rails, each rail being substantially perpendicular to the stationary panel; an adjustable panel substantially parallel to the stationary panel and spanning the length of the crowding alley, thereby defining an alleyway having a width W, the adjustable panel hanging from the rail assembly of the frame, wherein the width W increases or decreases as the adjustable panel moves along the two or more rails; a backup blocker movably coupled to the adjustable panel, the backup blocker comprising: a pivot assembly coupled to the adjustable panel, the pivot assembly capable of rotating around a pivot axis, the backup blocker being operable to rotate around the pivot axis between a protruding position and a collapsed position; a first face and a second face coupled at a protruding edge portion, the protruding edge portion protruding into the alleyway from a front side of the adjustable panel by at least 12 cm when the backup blocker is in the protruding position; and a spring assembly biased to hold the backup blocker in the protruding position and biased to resist movement of the backup blocker around the pivot axis into the collapsed position, wherein forces applied normal to the first face rotate the backup blocker around the pivot axis but forces applied normal to the second face do not rotate the backup blocker around the pivot axis; a control assembly operable to control the movement of the adjustable panel along the two or more rails; and a gate pivotally coupled to the stationary panel proximate the exit of the crowding alley, the gate being substantially parallel to the stationary panel in a closed position and the gate opening into the alleyway towards the adjustable panel in an open position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 1, wherein the adjustable panel is capable of moving along the two or more rails to vary the width W between a first alleyway width W1 and a third alleyway width W3 with a second alleyway width W2 being between W1 and W3, wherein W2 is from 35 cm to 150 cm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 1, further comprising: a rear side of the adjustable panel opposite the front side of the adjustable panel; a first end portion of the adjustable panel proximate the entrance of the crowding alley; a second end portion of the adjustable panel proximate the exit of the crowding alley; and a first barrier coupled to the first end portion of the adjustable panel, the first barrier protruding away from the rear side of the adjustable panel by a distance between 1.5·(W2−W1) and 1.0·(W2−W1), wherein W1 is from 20 cm to 50 cm and W2 is from 60 cm to 125 cm, the first barrier thereby operable to resist entry of the animal from the entrance of the of the crowding alley to the rear side of the adjustable panel. ### Claim 4 An adjustable crowding alley for guiding an animal from an entrance to an exit of the crowding alley, the crowding alley comprising: a stationary panel spanning the length of the crowding alley; an adjustable panel positioned opposite to the stationary panel and spanning a length Ltotal from the entrance to the exit of the crowding alley, thereby defining an alleyway having a width W, the adjustable panel hanging from a rail assembly having two or more rails, wherein the width W increases or decreases as the adjustable panel moves along the two or more rails; and a plurality of backup blockers movably coupled to the adjustable panel, each of the backup blockers comprising: a pivot assembly coupled to the adjustable panel, the pivot assembly capable of rotating around a pivot axis, the backup blocker being operable to rotate around the pivot axis between a protruding position and a collapsed position; a first face and a second face coupled at a protruding edge portion, the protruding edge portion protruding into the alleyway from a front side of the adjustable panel by at least 12 cm when the backup blocker is in the protruding position; and a spring assembly biased to hold the backup blocker in the protruding position and biased to resist movement of the backup blocker around the pivot axis into the collapsed position, wherein forces applied normal to the first face rotate the backup blocker around the pivot axis but forces applied normal to the second face do not rotate the backup blocker around the pivot axis; wherein the distance between adjacent protruding edge portions of each of the plurality of backup blockers is a first length L1. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 4, wherein the first length L1 is between 150 cm and 300 cm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 4, wherein: the first length L1 is between 150 cm and 300 cm and the plurality of backup blockers consists of two to five backup blockers; or the first length L1 is between 100 cm and 170 cm and the plurality of backup blockers consists of two to eight backup blockers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 4, further comprising: a gate pivotally coupled to the stationary panel proximate the exit of the crowding alley, the gate being substantially parallel to the stationary panel in a closed position and the gate opening into the alleyway towards the adjustable panel in an open position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 4, further comprising: a first control assembly operable to hydraulically control the movement of the adjustable panel along the two or more rails, the first control assembly being positioned within 200 cm of the entrance of the crowing alley; and a second control assembly operable to hydraulically control the movement of the adjustable panel along the two or more rails, the second control assembly being positioned within 200 cm of the exit of the crowing alley, wherein the same movement of the adjustable panel is controlled by at least one control member of the first control assembly and by at least one control member of the second control assembly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 4, wherein the length Ltotal is between 7.5 and 12 m. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 4, wherein the adjustable panel is capable of moving along the two or more rails to vary the width W between a first alleyway width W1 and a third alleyway width W3 with a second alleyway width W2 being between W1 and W3, wherein W2 is from 36 cm to 150 cm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 10, further comprising: a rear side of the adjustable panel opposite the front side of the adjustable panel; a first end portion of the adjustable panel proximate the entrance of the crowding alley; a second end portion of the adjustable panel proximate the exit of the crowding alley; and a first barrier coupled to the first end portion of the adjustable panel, the first barrier protruding away from the rear side of the adjustable panel by a distance between 1.5·(W2−W1) and 1.0·(W2−W1), wherein W1 is from 20 cm to 50 cm and W2 is from 60 cm to 125 cm, the first barrier thereby operable to resist entry of the animal from the entrance of the of the crowding alley to the rear side of the adjustable panel. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 10, wherein W3 is at least 60 cm wider than W2. ### Claim 13 An adjustable crowding alley for guiding an animal from an entrance to an exit of the crowding alley, the crowding alley comprising: an adjustable panel spanning a length Ltotal from the entrance to the exit of the crowding alley, the adjustable panel being capable of being positioned substantially parallel to a stationary panel and thereby defining an alleyway having a width W, the adjustable panel hanging from a rail assembly having two or more rails, wherein the width W increases or decreases as the adjustable panel moves along the two or more rails; and a plurality of backup blockers movably coupled to the adjustable panel, each of the backup blockers comprising: a pivot assembly coupled to the adjustable panel, the pivot assembly capable of rotating around a pivot axis, the backup blocker being operable to rotate around the pivot axis between a protruding position and a collapsed position; a first face and a second face coupled at a protruding edge portion, the protruding edge portion protruding into the alleyway from a front side of the adjustable panel by at least 12 cm when the backup blocker is in the protruding position; and a spring assembly biased to hold the backup blocker in the protruding position and biased to resist movement of the backup blocker around the pivot axis into the collapsed position, wherein forces applied normal to the first face rotate the backup blocker around the pivot axis but forces applied normal to the second face do not rotate the backup blocker around the pivot axis; wherein the distance between adjacent protruding edge portions of each of the plurality of backup blockers is a first length L1 measuring at least 100 cm. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 13, wherein the adjustable panel is capable of moving along the two or more rails to vary the width W between a first alleyway width W1 and a third alleyway width W3 with a second alleyway width W2 being between W1 and W3. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 14, wherein W3 is at least 60 cm wider than W2. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 15, wherein the first length L1 is between 150 cm and 300 cm. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 16, wherein: the first length L1 is between 150 cm and 300 cm and the plurality of backup blockers consists of two to five backup blockers; or the first length L1 is between 100 cm and 170 cm and the plurality of backup blockers consists of two to eight backup blockers. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 14, further comprising: a rear side of the adjustable panel opposite the front side of the adjustable panel; a first end portion of the adjustable panel proximate the entrance of the crowding alley; a second end portion of the adjustable panel proximate the exit of the crowding alley; and a first barrier coupled to the first end portion of the adjustable panel, the first barrier protruding away from the rear side of the adjustable panel by a distance between 1.5·(W2−W1) and 1.0·(W2−W1), wherein W1 is from 20 cm to 50 cm and W2 is from 60 cm to 125 cm, the first barrier thereby operable to resist entry of the animal from the entrance of the of the crowding alley to the rear side of the adjustable panel. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 13, further comprising: a stationary panel spanning the length of the crowding alley, the stationary panel having a gate proximate the exit of the crowding alley, wherein the gate is a palpation gate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The adjustable crowding alley of claim 13, further comprising: a first control assembly operable to hydraulically control the movement of the adjustable panel along the two or more rails, the first control assembly being positioned within 200 cm of the entrance of the crowing alley; and a second control assembly operable to hydraulically control the movement of the adjustable panel along the two or more rails, the second control assembly being positioned within 200 cm of the exit of the crowing alley, wherein the same movement of the adjustable panel is controlled by at least one control member of the first control assembly and by at least one control member of the second control assembly.