Hog feeder with flexible agitator
AssigneeAgri-Plastics, Inc.
InventorCarl W. Van Gilst
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A feeder (10) for dispensing feed to livestock includes a hopper (14), a discharge opening (28) in a lower portion (18) of the hopper (14), a vertical shaft (32) in the hopper (14) that extends downward through the discharge opening (28), an animal-actuated actuator arm (66) that extends radially outward from the shaft (32) below the discharge opening (28), and a flexible agitator (70) that is disposed in the hopper (14) that has a tip (88) at a first radial distance (74), and that elastically bends to reduce the first radial distance (74) to smaller (96, 106, and 110) radial distances in response to various resistances of packed feed, thereby reducing the torque that is required to agitate packed feed.
Claims28
A device (10) for dispensing feed, which device comprises:
- a hopper (14) having a lower portion (18), and having a discharge opening (28) in said lower portion;
- a shaft (32), being disposed in said hopper;
- actuator means (66), being operatively connected to said shaft, for imparting angular rotation to said shaft that is in a first direction;
- and
- agitator means, comprising a flexible agitator (70) that is disposed in said hopper, that is operatively attached to said shaft, and that extends outwardly from said shaft for a first radial distance (74), for agitating feed in said hopper that is proximal to said flexible agitator in response to said angular rotation of said shaft in said first direction, for elastically bending said flexible agitator in a first direction, and for reducing said first radial distance to a second radial distance (96, 106, or 110) in response to a first predetermined resistance of said feed to said angular rotation of said shaft in said first direction;
- whereby
- said elastic bending and said reduction of said first radial distance to said second radial distance automatically limits the torque that is required to agitate said feed.
A feeder (10) for dispensing feed to livestock, which feeder comprises:
- a base unit (12) having a feed trough (60);
- a hopper (14) having a lower portion (18), having a discharge opening (28) in said lower portion, being positioned above said base unit, and being operatively attached (20) to said base unit;
- shaft means (32), being disposed in said hopper, and extending through said discharge opening, for receiving angular rotational movement;
- flexible agitator means, comprising a flexible agitator (70) that is disposed in said hopper, that is operatively attached to said shaft means, and that extends outwardly from said shaft means, for agitating feed in said hopper that is proximal to said flexible agitator in response to angular rotation of said shaft means, and for elastic bending of said flexible agitator in response to a predetermined resistance of said feed to said angular rotation;
- and
- actuator means (66) for angularly rotating said shaft;
- whereby
- said elastic bending of said flexible agitator automatically limits the torque that is required to agitate said feed, and to assure dependable discharging of said feed through said discharge opening.
A feeder (10) for dispensing feed to livestock, which feeder comprises:
- a base unit (12) having a feed trough (60) that includes both outer edge (58) and an inner edge (62);
- a hopper (14) being disposed above said base unit, being operatively attached (20) to said base unit, having a lower portion (18), and having a discharge opening (28) in said lower portion;
- shaft means (32), being disposed in said hopper, and extending through said discharge opening, for receiving angular rotational movement;
- metering means (48), being disposed proximal to said discharge opening, and being operatively attached to said shaft means, for metering feed through said discharge opening in response to said angular rotation of said shaft means;
- animal-actuated means (66), being operatively attached to said shaft means, and being disposed inwardly and upwardly from said inner edge of said feed trough, for actuation by a feeding animal;
- and
- means (22) for allowing the head of an animal to extend inward from said outer edge, for allowing said animal to eat from said feed trough, for allowing said animal to reach inward of said inner edge of said feed trough and actuate said animal-actuated means with its head, and for preventing the body of said animal from entering said feeder;
- whereby
- said location of said animal-actuating means generally precludes accidental actuation of said actuator means by an eating animal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.