US 2021/0259206 A1Published application

Livestock self-feeder

AssigneeKane Manufacturing Corporation

InventorsJoel Varnedoe, Dylan Hanks, Garry Childs, Scott Johnson

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Abstract

An improved hog/livestock feeder uses a bump cone on a pendulum swivel as opposed to rotary motion. A support structure suspends a feed hopper directly above a feed pan. A bump cone swings with a pendulum motion within a funnel in the hopper. The lower edge of the bump cone is accessible between the open bottom of the hopper and the upper rim of the feed pan, such that when an animal nudges the bump cone, a gap between the hopper funnel and bump cone widens, and feed falls from the hopper and into the feed pan. The device enabling the bump cone to swing a pendulum motion may be a spring, a multi-axis joint, or a length of flexible material. A raised feed diverter structure may extend upwardly from the bottom of the feed pan, and the bump cone may be perforated to further distribute the feed.

Claims6

Dependent claims

An animal feeder, comprising:

a hopper adapted to hold animal feed, and wherein the hopper includes an upper portion with an open top and lower portion with an open bottom;
a feed pan having an upper rim and a bottom surface;
a support structure between the hopper and the feed pan, such that the open bottom of the hopper is suspended directly above the feed pan;
a hopper funnel disposed within the lower portion of the hopper, the hopper funnel including a funnel opening with a diameter, D1;
a bump cone having an upper portion, a lower edge, and an outer surface including a diameter, D2;
wherein the bump cone is suspended in the hopper so as to create a gap G between D1 and D2;
wherein the bump cone is suspended in the hopper with a device enabling the bump cone to swing a pendulum motion relative to the hopper funnel;
wherein the lower edge of the bump cone is accessible between the open bottom of the hopper and the upper rim of the feed pan, such that when an animal nudges the lower edge of the bump cone, the gap G widens, allowing feed to fall from the hopper and into the feed pan.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.