Low profile multi-tier, automated, poultry cage feeder system
AssigneeU.S. Industries, Inc.
InventorWilliam R. Williams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A feeder unit is provided for automated, multi-tier animal feed systems, such as for poultry and the like, of the type having a plurality of conveyors to which feed is supplied from a remote storage bin. The feeder unit has a low profile housing, and a mounting bracket which positions the conveyor drive motor alongside the housing to minimize the overall height of the feeder unit, so that the feeder units can be vertically stacked closely together for substantial space savings and efficiency. The housings include a passageway through a sidewall and a base thereof, in which a feed supply conduit is inserted to transport feed from a remote storage bin into a hopper portion of the feeder units.
Claims9
In a multi-tier poultry feed system comprising a plurality of stacked conveyor mechanisms to which feed is supplied from a remotely disposed source by feed supply conduits, said mechanisms including a hopper, a feed trough and means for conveying feed from said hopper throughout said feed trough, and wherein said feed supply conduits supply feed to each of said hoppers, the improvement comprising:
- said hoppers being vertically stacked closely together one above the other for space saving and efficiency;
- said hoppers each including a housing formed by a plurality of walls that define an area for containing feed;
- said housing having an upwardly facing open top end for receiving feed;
- said housing walls being so arranged to provide a cavity below a portion of the hopper and a side opening leading into said cavity thereby providing communication with said cavity from outside of said hopper;
- and
- said cavity and side opening, when one of said hoppers is located directly above another of said underlying hoppers, forming a passageway disposed immediately above the upwardly facing open end of said underlying feed hopper and extending outside the confines of the walls of said housing, whereby said passageway can receive one of said feed supply conduits, so as to permit transport of feed through said conduit from said remotely disposed source into the underlying feed hopper.
A hopper construction for poultry feeding equipment, said hopper including a housing with an inlet and an outlet, and a conveyor means passing through said hopper from said inlet to said outlet;
- a conveyor drive means for driving said conveyor means, said drive means including a drive motor and a support means attached to the housing for supporting said motor at a position alongside said housing for minimizing the overall height of said hopper unit;
- the improvement comprising said support means including vertically disposed support plate extending alongside a side of said housing adjacent said outlet;
- a motor mounting plate having a motor mounted thereon;
- one of said support plate or mounting plate having a pair of opposed channels disposed along the side edges of said support plate;
- the other of said support plate or mounting plate being slideably mounted between said opposed channels;
- and
- an adjustment screw threadedly mounted in said mounting plate parallel to the direction of relative slideable movement of said mounting plate and support plate;
- said screw having a free end thereof abutting a stationary surface of said support means whereby extension and retraction of said adjustment screw raises and lowers said motor with respect to said housing for adjusting drive belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.