Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A TRIGGERING MECHANISM FOR A HEAD BAIL
The present invention relates to an improved head
bail and more particularly a new triggering mechanism
therefore
In our New Zealand patent specification No.
177789 there is disclosed an animal head bail having a
I pair of neck engaging arms which are triggered into a
¦ closed position by the engagement of the trigger
mechanism by the animal's brisket
The use of the animal' 8 brisket or neck to
trigger the head bail are the two alternatives used in
¦ head bails currently available in New Zealand.
While our head bail of specification 177789
operates effectively, it was desired to improve the
j action of the triggering mechanism in making it more
l 15 positive and also in making the bail suitable for cows
and calves as well as cattle i.e. to make the
triggering mechanism not require the animal to have a
brisket.
Additionally it was desired to enable the
triggering to be effected even if the animal tries to
jump through the head bail and to avoid premature
triggering by the foot or nose of the animal for
example
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It is thus an object of the present invention to
provide a head bail having a triggering mechanism which will
avoid or at least obviate the above disadvantages of head bail
available at the present time.
Further objects of this invention will become apparent
from the following description.
According to one aspect of the present invention there
is thus provided in a head bail including a framework and a pair
of animal neck engaging arms movable relative one with Tao other
between open and closed positions, said arms having inner surfaces
approximating the neck profile of the animal, said arms being
pivotal mounted at the bottom end of a framework, with at least
one of said arms biased towards said closed position, a triggering
mechanism comprising a shaft rotatable mounted on said framework
and having a catch means which engages with said one of said arms
to hold same in said open position until released, an animal
engaging means positioned in front of said framework and in a
central position between said arms when in their open position
so as to be engaged by the animal's head after it has entered
between the open arms from the rear of said framework, said
engaging means provided on, to move with, said rotatable shaft,
said one of said arms includes on a front surface thereof a
projection and said catch means comprises a projecting portion to
engage in front of said projection to hold said one of said arms
in said open position, whereby with said arms in their open
position and said animal's head engaging with said engaging means,
said shaft will rotate, moving said projecting portion from in
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front of said projection enabling the bias on said one arm to
bring said arms into said closed position about the animal's
neck.
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According to another aspect of this invention
there it provided an animal head bail incorporating a ,
trigger mechanism as above defined
Further aspects of this invention which should be
considered in all its novel aspects, will become
apparent from the following description given by way
of example of a possible embodiment thereof and in
which reference it made to the accompanying drawings Jo
wherein;
; 10 FIGURE 1 shows diagrammatically, an animal -I
head bail incorporating a ;-~
triggering means according to one
possible embodiment of the
invention with said bail being in
it open position;
FIGURE 2 shows the head bail of Figure 1
with the bail in its closed
position;
FIGURE 3 ooze an enlarged view of one end
of the trigger mechanism of the
preceding Figures.
The present invention it particularly but not
exclusively directed towards a head bail of the type
described in our New Zealand patent specification No.
17778g. Accordingly whilst various features of this
type of head bail will be described hereinafter, for a
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lZ~384~
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detailed description thereof reference should be made I;
to our aforementioned specification. '-
Thus, referring to the accompanying drawings ;-
triggering mechanism referenced generally by arrow 1
is shown mounted on a head bail referenced generally
by arrow 2, the latter being substantially the same as
that described in our aforementioned patent
specification 177789 except in that the brisket -
triggering mechanism has now been omitted and replaced
by the triggering mechanism of the prevent invention.
The head bail 2 it shown provided in known manner
with a pair of arms 3 approximating on their inner
surfaces 4 the neck profile of an animal and being
biassed together by springs 5 on the front and back of ;`-
the head bail (only the front spring 5 being shown)
the arms 3 being pivoted together at a bottom end of
the head bail on mounting plate 6.
At their upper ends the arms 3 are shown
connected via a lever mechanism 7 one arm 8 of which
20 being pivoted at 9 at the top of the head bail 2. The ~-~
lever portion 10 is shown connected with a handle 11
associated with a paw 12 engage able with a ratchet 13.
Briefly describing the operation of such a head
bail 2, once the arms 3 have been triggered from their
open position shown in Figure 1 they will travel under
the influence of springs 5 to toe closed position
..
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shown in Figure 2 with the paw 12 riding over the
ratchet 13 until the arms 3 have engaged with the
animal's neck at which point the paw 12 will engage Jo
in a tooth of the ratchet 13 to hold the arms 3 in the I;-closed position.
When the animal it required to be released,
downward movement of the handle 11 will cause the
lifting of the paw 12 against the bias of the spring
15 to enable the paw 12 to be moved backward over the
ratchet 13 until, as described hereinafter, a catch
will hold the arms 3 in the open position ready for
the next triggering thereof. ¦
The triggering mechanism 1 it shown comprising a
shaft 16 mounted on a transverse plate member 17.
Positioned substantially centrally of the shiftily
is shown a trigger arm 18. Although shown as a solid
substantially diamond-shape this could alternatively Jo
be open and/or substantially circular, square, oblong Jo
or the like. The arm 18 depend downwardly from the
shaft 16 and it movable therewith. the trigger arm 18
it SO sized and positioned that it will engage the
head of an animal placing it head between the open
arms 3.
A catch means 19 shown in greater detail in
Figure 3 is slid ably positioned on the shaft 16 80
that a projection 33 thereof engage with one of the
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-- 6 --
arms 3 once the arms 3 have assumed a desired width of
opening. Suitably the catch means 19, as shown,
includes a hollow cylindrical portion which has an
aperture 30 there through which can accommodate a
locking bolt or pin 31 which can engage with an
appropriate one of a plurality of apertures 32
provided through the shaft 16.
The shaft 16 it shown rotatable mounted on the
plate 17 between mounting plates 20.
The projection 33 of the catch means 19 suitably
engages with a projection 34 provided on the surface
of the arm 3. The projection 34 is suitably a block
of a wedge-~hape with a raised front edge AYE and a
low rear edge 34B. The projection 33 of the catch
means 19 suitably has a chamfered edge AYE to
facilitate the projection 33 sliding over the
projection 34 to enrage in front of the front edge AYE ;
in holding the arms 3 in the open position shown in \
Figure 1.
However, upon an animal I head engaging with the
trigger arm 18 the shaft 16 will be caused to rotate
lifting the catch means 19 and thus releasing the
engaged arm 3 80 that both-arms 3 will then travel
towards the closed position.
A handle 22 it shown provided at one end of the
shaft 16 80 as to enable the trigger to be reset.
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The handle 22 can be engaged within a ring 21
once the trigger arm 18 has been triggered so as to
keep the trigger arm 18 away from the animal's head.
By the adjustment of the distance between the
opened arms by the movement of the catch means 19 on
the shaft 16, various sizes of animal can be
accommodated.
It will be seen that as the triggering is
effected after the animal's head hag been introduced
10 between the open arms 3, premature triggering by the t
¦ foot or nose of the animal before its head has been
¦ inserted into the opening cannot now take place.
Also a triggering does not rely on the animals
brisket, cows and calves can be readily accommodated
15 thereby
A stop snot shown) may be provided on the shaft
16 which will engage with the plate 17 when the
trigger arm is in its correctly set position and this
prevents the shaft 16 being rotated too far placing
20 the trigger arm 18 and catch 19 in an incorrect
position.
The stop may suitably be a small projection which
will engage beneath the lower edge of the plate 17 as
the lever 22 it rotated moving the trigger arm 18
25 downwardly
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It is envisaged that the trigger mechanism of the
present invention may be incorporated in new head
bails or fitted onto existing head bails such as those
of the aforementioned New Zealand patent
specification. It is emphasized that the basic head
bail 2 as shown in the drawings is by way of example
only. Other types could utilize the triggering
¦ mechanism of the present invention for example those
¦ types in which one arm is fixed and only the other arm
1 10 is biased for movement.
! Although this invention has been described by way
of example and with reference to one possible
embodiment thereof it is to be understood that
modifications or improvement may be made thereto
without departing from the scope of the invention as
defined in the appended claims.
