Livestock feeder
AssigneeWestland Plastics, Ltd.
InventorRoger L. Patterson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved gravity flow livestock feeder broadly includes a hopper, a base, an feeder assembly and a deflector. The feeder assembly includes an upright member and a plurality of arms pivotally and independently connected to the lower end of the upright member. Each arm extends radially from the upright member. The deflector is disposed within the interior of the hopper and is pivotally connected to the upper end of the upright member. The feeding actions of an animal against an arm facilitates the movement of feed to an area accessible to the feeding animal.
Claims16
An animal actuated, gravity induced feeder, comprising:
- a. a feed hopper with a circular bottom aperture disposed substantially in a horizontal plane;
- b. a frusto-conical baffle pivotally mounted on a vertical axis with its major diameter above and in proximity to the bottom aperture, substantially concentrically therewith;
- c. a plurality of feeding stations disposed in a substantially horizontal plane substantially concentrically and circumferentially spaced below and outwardly from the bottom aperture;
- d. a support surface disposed beneath the bottom aperture at a distance from the bottom aperture whereby feed is deposited upon the support surface but does not flow into the area of said feeding stations, said support surface extending radially outwardly from said vertical axis to said feeding stations at an angle below a horizontal plane less than the angle of repose of the feed;
- and
- e. a plurality of independently movable elongated feeder arms pivotally mounted beneath the bottom aperture and extending from the support surface to the feeding stations, resting upon the support surface and feeding stations such that movement of the feeder arms by the animal causes feed to flow from said support surface to the feeding stations.
An animal actuated, gravity induced feeder, comprising:
- a. a feed hopper with a circular bottom aperture disposed substantially in a horizontal plane;
- b. a frusto-conical baffle pivotally mounted on a vertical axis with its major diameter above and in proximity to the bottom aperture, substantially concentrically therewith;
- c. a plurality of feeding stations disposed in a substantially horizontal plane substantially concentrically and circumferentially spaced below and outwardly from the bottom aperture;
- d. a support surface disposed beneath the bottom aperture at a distance from the bottom aperture whereby feed is deposited upon the support surface but does not flow into the area of said feeding stations, said support surface being conical and extending radially outwardly from said vertical axis and sloping downwardly to said feeding stations at an angle less than the angle of repose of the feed;
- and
- e. a plurality of independently movable elongated feeder arms, pivotally and concentrically mounted beneath the bottom aperture and extending from the support surface to the feeding stations, resting upon the support surface and feeding stations such that movement of the feeder arms by the animal causes feed to flow down said support surface to the feeding stations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.