Mechanical gate opener for livestock chutes
OwnerTommie Carroll Gipsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mechanical gate opener is used to activate an opening mechanism for a livestock chute. The gate opener includes a weight, an elevating mechanism for lifting the weight to a set height, and a delay mechanism for extending the time from when the weight is released from the set height to when the weight strikes an actuator for the gate opening mechanism. One embodiment of the gate opener includes a diverter for diverting the released weight to prevent the weight from striking the actuator and initiating the gate opening.
Claims21
A gate opener for opening a gate including:
- a. a weight;
- b. a gate opening mechanism;
- c. an actuator for the gate opening mechanism, wherein the weight striking the actuator initiates the opening of the exit gate;
- d. an elevating mechanism for lifting the weight a set height;
- e. a release mechanism for releasing the weight at the set height;
- and
- f. a delay mechanism for extending a time from when the weight is released from the set height to when the weight strikes the actuator.
A gate opener for opening an exit gate of a livestock chute including:
- a. a gate opening mechanism including a rotating linkage, wherein when the rotating linkage is in a first stable position the opening, mechanism resists opening the exit gate to an opening force and when the rotating linkage is in a second unstable position the exit gate opens in response to the opening force;
- b. an actuator for the gate opening mechanism having a flipper bar rotatable between a resting position and a striking position, the flipper bar having a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is positioned under one end of the rotating linkage when the flipper bar is in the resting position;
- and
- c. an actuator control having
- (i) a weight,
- (ii) an elevating mechanism for lifting the weight a set height,
- (iii) a release mechanism for releasing the weight at the set height;
- and
- (iv) a delay mechanism for extending a time from when the weight is released from the set height to when the weight strikes the first end of the flipper bar in the resting position to rotate the flipper bar to the striking position wherein the second end of the flipper bar impacts the one end of the rotating linkage causing the linkage to rotate to the unstable position.
A gate opener for opening an exit gate of a livestock chute including:
- a. a gate opening mechanism including a rotating linkage, wherein when the rotating linkage is in a first stable position the opening mechanism resists opening the exit gate to an opening force and when the rotating linkage is in a second unstable position the exit gate opens in response to the opening force;
- b. an actuator for the gate opening mechanism having a flipper bar rotatable between a resting position and a striking position, the flipper bar having a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is positioned under one end of the rotating linkage when the flipper bar is in the resting position;
- and
- c. an actuator control having a housing that encloses
- (i) a ball,
- (ii) a lift tray for an elevating the ball a set height,
- (iii) a release mechanism for releasing the weight at the set height, and
- (iv) a series of inclined ramps, wherein the series of ramps are positioned such that the ball rolls downward from a first ramp onto a second ramp and then onto a third ramp before striking the first end of the flipper bar in the resting position to rotate the flipper bar to the striking position thereby impacting one end of the rotating linkage to rotate it to the second unstable position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.