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US 4,232,632 AGranted
Live fowl conveying system
AssigneeK-B Engineering Co.
InventorJack W. Kice
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention is a conveying system for the transport of live fowl including a receiver assembly having an inlet thereto and outlet therefrom for live fowl and having an airlock assembly therebetween the inlet and outlet; a fowl conduit having an inlet thereto and outlet therefrom connected to the receiver assembly inlet; a suction apparatus mounted on the frame structure and connected to the receiver operable to provide a pressure drop between the fowl conduit inlet and the receiver assembly. More particularly, this invention is a system adapted to move live fowl through a fowl conduit, into a receiver assembly, through an airlock assembly and out of the receiver assembly.
Claims18
A conveying system for the transport of live fowl comprising:
- (a) a receiver chamber mounted on a frame, said receiver chamber including a housing having a fowl inlet and a fowl outlet for live fowl, a pressure differential outlet for air generally positioned laterally with respect to said fowl inlet for inhibiting additional forward progression of said live fowl from said fowl inlet, and a partition for cushioning and directing said live fowl towards said fowl outlet comprising a plurality of resilient cylindrical bumper members transversely attached within said housing to allow the passage of said air therebetween and to essentially enclose said fowl inlet and said fowl outlet and separate same from said pressure differential outlet while said air is being passed thereto;
- (b) an airlock connected to said receiver outlet, said airlock comprising a housing including a fowl discharge outlet and at least two door members opening sequentially during conveyance of said live fowl through said airlock;
- (c) a fowl conduit having an inlet for said live fowl and an outlet attached to said fowl inlet of said receiver chamber;
- and
- (d) means connected to said receiver chamber for creating a pressure differential between said fowl conduit inlet and said receiver chamber in order to move said live fowl to said receiver chamber for discharge through said door members of said airlock.
2 more elements
A conveying system for the transport of live fowl comprising:
- (a) a receiver chamber mounted on a frame, said receiver chamber including a housing having a fowl inlet and a fowl outlet for live fowl, means situated within said receiver chamber for cushioning and directing said live fowl towards said fowl outlet;
- (b) an airlock connected to said receiver outlet, said airlock comprising a housing including a fowl discharge outlet and at least two door members opening sequentially during conveyance of said live fowl through said airlock;
- (c) a fowl conduit having an inlet for said live fowl and an outlet attached to said fowl inlet of said receiver chamber;
- (d) means connected to said receiver chamber for creating a pressure differential between said fowl conduit inlet and said receiver chamber in order to move said live fowl to said receiver chamber for discharge through said door members of said airlock;
- and
- (e) means for discharging said live fowl from said airlock comprising a discharge conduit having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion including a structure defining a venturi, an upper swivel joint rotatably connected to said airlock, an auxiliary air inlet connected to said means for creating a pressure differential and situated between said venturi and said upper swivel joint, said lower portion including a structure defining a lower swivel joint connected to the lower end portion of said venturi, a flexible conduit member connected to said lower swivel joint, and a lengthwise adjustable discharge spout attached to said flexible conduit, said spout having an outer conduit member slidably mounted on an inner conduit member operable to change the length of said discharge spout.
3 more elements
A conveying system for the transport of live fowl comprising:
- (a) a frame;
- (b) a receiving chamber mounted on said frame, said receiving chamber including a housing having an inlet and an outlet for live fowl, with both unobstructively communicating with an open space in said housing large relative said inlet, said outlet being in a lower portion of said housing and said inlet thereabove;
- (c) an airlock connected to said receiving chamber fowl outlet, said airlock comprising a housing including a fowl discharge outlet and at least two doors therein opening sequentially during passage of said live fowl through said airlock, said doors being spaced apart sufficiently to receive therebetween said live fowl and each of said doors having a door member pivotally mounted near its center by a pivot attached thereto and mounted in said receiving chamber, each of said door members having greater area on one side of said pivot than on the other and said doors in operation normally being closed by the combined force of gravity and air pressure force exerted on said doors;
- (d) a fowl conduit having an inlet for said live fowl and an outlet attached to said fowl inlet of said receiving chamber;
- (e) means connected to said receiving chamber for creating a pressure differential between said fowl conduit inlet and said receiving chamber, and a pressure in operation in said receiving chamber less than atmospheric pressure in order to move said live fowl to said receiving chamber for passage through said airlock;
- and
- (f) means mounted and positioned in said housing and of size to direct a live fowl towards said fowl outlet and to prevent a live fowl from leaving said receiving chamber via said means connected thereto for creating a pressure differential;
- said conveying system in operation with the pressure within said receiving chamber being less than atmospheric having said doors normally closed under the combined force of gravity and force exerted by the pressure differential between the atmospheric and the inside of said receiving chamber and in operation of said conveying system each of said doors is closed before the other of said doors is open and openable under the force exerted thereon by the weight of one or more live fowls to pass said live fowl therethrough.
5 more elements
A conveying system for live fowl comprising:
- (a) a chamber for receiving a live fowl mounted on a frame and having a relatively small inlet and an outlet for the conveyed fowl positioned below said chamber;
- (b) means connected to said chamber for creating a pressure differential between said inlet and chamber;
- (c) a conduit connected to the chamber inlet for moving the conveyed fowl into said chamber;
- (d) an airlock and discharge means connected to the chamber outlet and adapted to pass the conveyed fowl therethrough, said airlock normally being closed to the passage of air and conveyed fowl;
- (e) said chamber inlet being positioned in a wall inclined to the vertical adjacent said chamber outlet, said inclined wall having an inclination sufficient to prevent the fowl from standing thereon;
- and
- (f) protecting means mounted within said chamber to protect the fowl from injury during passage through said chamber, said means for creating a pressure differential being connected to said chamber on the side of said protecting means opposite the inlet and outlet and in a place whereby in operation a live fowl cannot exit said chamber via said means for creating a pressure differential.
4 more elements
A conveying system for the transport of live fowl comprising:
- (a) a frame;
- (b) a receiving chamber mounted on said frame, said receiving chamber including a housing having an inlet and an outlet for live fowl, both unobstructively communicating with an open space in said housing large relative said inlet, said outlet being in a lower portion of said housing, and said inlet thereabove;
- (c) an airlock connected to said receiving chamber fowl outlet, said airlock comprising a housing including a fowl discharge outlet and at least two doors therein opening sequentially during passage of said live fowl through said airlock, said doors being spaced apart sufficiently to receive therebetween said live fowl and each of said doors having a door member pivotally mounted near its center by a pivot attached thereto and mounted in said receiving chamber, each of said door members having a greater area on one side of said pivot than on the other and said doors in operation normally being closed by the combined force of gravity and air pressure force exerted on said doors;
- (d) a fowl conduit having an inlet for said live fowl and an outlet attached to said fowl inlet of said receiving chamber;
- (e) means connected to said receiving chamber for creating a pressure differential between said fowl conduit inlet and said receiving chamber, and a pressure in operation in said receiving chamber less than atmospheric pressure in order to move said live fowl to said receiving chamber for passage through said airlock;
- and
- (f) protecting means mounted within said housing to protect the fowl from injury during passage through said receiving chamber, and to prevent said fowl from leaving said receiving chamber via said means connected thereto to create a differential pressure, said means for creating a pressure differential being connected to said receiving chamber on the side of said protecting means opposite said inlet and outlet for live fowl,
- said conveying system in operation with the pressure within said receiving chamber being less than atmospheric having said doors normally closed under the combined force of gravity and force exerted by the pressure differential between the atmosphere and the inside of said receiving chamber, and in operation of said conveying system each of said doors is closed before the other of said doors is opened and openable under the force exerted thereon by the weight of one or more live fowls to pass said live fowl therethrough.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.