Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SWING-OUT FEEDER
This invention is in the field of equipment for feeding animals and in
particular a device for
feeding animals confined on one side of a barrier from the opposite side
thereof.
BACKGROUND
Animals are most often confined behind a pen wall, fence or similar confining
barrier. It is
desirable to be able to provide feed from the opposite side of the pen wall so
that the person
feeding does not have to enter the pen, thereby disturbing the animals and
providing
opportunities for escape, possible injury to the person or animals, and so
forth.
Feeders for attachment to a pen wall, fence or other barrier are known wherein
the feed is put
in at the top from the outside of the barrier and is accessible to the animals
on the inside
><s thereof. "Lazy Susan" type feeders are also known wherein the feeder
pivots on a vertical
axis in a barrier wall so that the top may be pivoted so as to be more easily
accessible from
the outside of the barrier for filling.
The prior art feeders generally require that feed be raised to a height that
is over the average
person's head for filling, resulting in spillage and discomfort for the person
filling the feeder.
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It is desirable to provide a lid over the feeder to prevent the animal from
reaching over the
top of the feeder for feed instead of feeding from the feed aperture, thereby
drawing out big
pieces of hay which drop to the floor and are wasted. The lid also prevents
entry of rain,
birds and other foreign material. Prior art feeders either do not have such
lids, or require that
s the lids be removed and set aside in order to fill the feeder.
Feeders must be cleaned periodically, usually requiring their removal from the
barrier so that
they may be inverted to dump out the cleaning water and so forth as well as
left over feed.
A feeder that allowed for convenient filling and the proper feeding height for
all animals
would be beneficial. Such a feeder that had a more convenient lid and was
easily cleaned
would be further beneficial.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the present invention to provide an animal feeder that
pivots from a feeding
position to a filling position, thereby providing both a convenient feeding
position for the
animal and a convenient filling position for filling it with feed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an animal
feeder that has a
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convenient lid and that is conveniently inverted for cleaning.
The invention accomplishes its objects providing in one aspect an animal
feeder comprising
a feed container having a filling aperture in a top portion thereof for
filling with feed and
having a feeding aperture in a lower portion thereof for allowing an animal to
feed therefrom;
means to pivotally mount said feed container in an animal barrier such that
said feed
container may pivot from a feeding position wherein said feeding aperture is
positioned for
said animal to feed from one side of said barrier and wherein said feeding
aperture is in an
upper position, to a filling position wherein said feeding aperture is
positioned in a lower
position for filling with feed from a second side of said barrier.
The feed container could conveniently pivot about a horizontal axis to
accomplish the
purpose of moving the feed aperture to a lower position for feeding.
The feeder of the invention may be mounted at the proper height for feeding
the animal on
the inside of the barrier. Normally such a mounting would mean that the
filling aperture at
the top of the feeder was quite high making it inconvenient to fill. The novel
feeder however
pivots down so that a person on the outside of the barrier may conveniently
fill the feeder,
and then pivot it back up to the feeding position.
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To prevent the feed container from being moved by the animal, the feeder could
comprise
means to lock the feed container in the feeding position.
The feeder could further comprise a lid and means for mounting the lid on the
barrier such
that the lid covers the feeding aperture when the feed container is in the
feeding position.
The feeder could then be pivoted so that the feeding aperture moves away from
under the lid
for filling and then moves back under the lid in the feeding position. The
means for
mounting the lid could provide pivotal mounting such that the lid rests on the
feed container
when the feed container is in the feeding position and such that the lid moves
downward
when the feed container is moved to the filling position. This orientation
could provide a
better fit of the lid to the container.
The means to pivotally mount the feed container could also provide a cleaning
position
wherein the feed container is substantially inverted with the filling aperture
below the
feeding aperture whereby material in the feed container may fall out of the
filling aperture
on the second side of the barrier. For example the feed container in the
filling position could
be horizontal and in the cleaning position could move past horizontal so that
the feed
container is substantially inverted.
In a second aspect the invention provides an animal feeder for feeding an
animal on the
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inside of a barrier and for filling with feed from the outside of said
barrier, said feeder
comprising a feed container having an open top and a feeding aperture in a
bottom portion
thereof; pivot hardware to pivotally mount said feed container in an opening
in said barrier
such that said feed container may be moved from a feeding position wherein
said feeding
aperture is positioned for said animal to feed therefrom on said inside of the
barrier and
wherein said open top is in an upper position, to a filling position wherein
said open top is
positioned in a lower position for filling with feed from said outside of the
barrier.
The feeder requires that an opening be provided in the barrier with suitable
framing so that
the feed container may be mounted.
In a third aspect the invention provides an animal feeder panel adapted for
installation in an
opening in an animal barrier, said barrier having an inside on which an animal
is confined,
and an outside, said feeder panel comprising a frame adapted to be mounted in
said opening
in the barrier, said frame having an inside and an outside corresponding to
said inside and
outside of the barrier; and a feed container having an open top and a feeding
aperture in a
bottom portion thereof; wherein said feed container is pivotally mounted to
said frame such
that said feed container may be moved from a feeding position wherein said
feeding aperture
is positioned for said animal to feed therefrom on said inside of the barrier
and wherein said
open top is in an upper position, to a filling position wherein said open top
is positioned in
__ ~ , _
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a lower position for filling with feed from said outside of the barrier.
It may be more convenient to provide such a frame with the feed container
already mounted
thereon for installation into an opening in a barrier, or the frame could be
incorporated into
a conventional panel for pens.
The open top could conveniently be oriented substantially vertically when the
feed container
is in the feeding position and substantially horizontally when in the filling
position. There
could be a first pivot member extending from one side of said feed container
substantially
io in alignment with said barrier and a second pivot member extending from the
opposite side
of the feed container substantially in alignment with the barrier and the
first pivot member.
The pivot members could be located in a lower portion of the feed container,
so that when
it is pivoted down, the open top is quite low and accessible for filling. Any
conventional
pivot attachment could be used to achieve the desired results.
is
The feed container could mounted so as to rest against the barrier or frame
when in the
feeding position, and could also be latched to secure same from movement by an
animal.
The feed container could comprise a front wall defining feeding aperture, and
a back wall
20 substantially in alignment with the barrier when the feed container is in
the feeding position.
, _ ___
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The feed container would thereby extend out from the inside of the barrier or
frame, and into
the pen, leaving the aisle in a barn or similar area clear. Where the opposite
was desired, the
pen could be left clear and the feed container could extend out from the
outside of the barrier
or frame.
s
The front wall could comprise a grate sloping down and back from the top of
the feed
container and ending above the bottom of the feed container to provide the
required feeding
aperture.
i0 The cleaning position could be achieved by moving the feed container past
the filling
position into an inverted position. A stop member could maintain the feed
container in the
filling position could be disengaged to allow the feed container to be moved
to the inverted
cleaning position. The stop member could conveniently be a chain or the like.
15 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, preferred
embodiments are
provided in the accompanying detailed description which may be best understood
in
conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the
several diagrams
20 are labeled with like numbers, and where:
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Figure 1 is a rear view of an embodiment mounted in an animal pen panel, as
seen
from outside the pen;
Figure 2 is a front view of the embodiment of Figure 1, as seen from inside
the pen;
Figure 3 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 1 showing the feed
container in
the vertical feeding position;
Figure 4 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 1 showing the feed
container in
the horizontal filling position;
Figure 5 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 1 showing the feed
container in
the substantially inverted cleaning position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS:
Figures 1- 5 illustrate a feeder 1 of the invention comprising a feed
container 2 having a
filling aperture 3 in a top portion thereof for filling with feed. The filling
aperture 3 is the
open top of the feed container 2. The feed container 2 also has a feeding
aperture 4 in a
lower portion thereof for allowing an animal to feed therefrom. The feed
container 2 is
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pivotally mounted in a frame being a pen panel 5, at the proper height to
allow the animal
being fed to comfortably feed therefrom. The pen panel 5 may be inserted in
any animal
barrier. The upper and lower panel rails 5a, 5b are joined by upright rails
5c, 5d which are
spaced so as to accommodate the feed container 2 between them. The feed
container 2 may
be similarly mounted pivotally directly into an animal barrier such as a
fence, stall or so
forth.
The feed container I is pivotally mounted in the pane15 about a substantially
horizontal axis
such that it may be moved from a feeding position to a filling position. The
feeding position
is illustrated in Figure 3, where the feeding aperture 4 is positioned for an
animal to feed
therefrom on the inside 6 of the panel 5 and where the filling aperture 3 is
in an upper
position, oriented vertically. The filling position is illustrated in Figure 4
where the filling
aperture 3 is positioned in a lower substantially horizontal position for
filling with feed from
the outside 7 of the panel 5.
The pivot hardware comprises a first pivot pin 8a extending from one side of
the feed
container 2 substantially horizontally in alignment with the pane15 and a
second pivot pin
8b extending from the opposite side of the feed container 2 substantially
horizontally in
alignment with the panel 5 and the first pivot pin 8a. The pivot pins 8a, 8b
are engaged in
pivot pin brackets 12. The first and second pivot pins 8a, 8b are located in a
lower portion
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of the feed container 2 so that when pivoted down to the filling position, the
filling aperture
3 moves down to a convenient height for filling with feed. Any suitable
conventional pivot
hardware could be used.
The feed container 2 is mounted so that flange 9, fixed to the top of the feed
container 2, rest
against the upper panel rail 5a when in the feeding position. A latch 10 is
provided to lock
the feed container 2 in the feeding position so that it is not tipped out by
an animal in the pen.
A lid 11 is pivotally mounted on the upright rails 5c, 5d such that the lid 11
rests on and
covers the feeding aperture 4 when the feed container 2 is in the feeding
position. The pivot
lid hardware comprises a shaft 15 fixed to the rear edge of the lid 11 and
engaged in lid
brackets 21 fixed to the upright rails 5c, 5d.
The lid 11 moves downward when the feed container 2 is moved to the filling
position, as
illustrated in Figure 4. The lid 11 is thus automatically removed when the
feed container 2
is moved to the filling position, and automatically covers the filling
aperture 3 again when
the feeding position is resumed. Alternatively the lid 11 could simply be
placed in a fixed
position by brackets or so forth attached to the panel 5 with the lid 11
positioned so as to
cover the filling aperture 3 when in the feeding position, and remain fixed
when the feed
container 2 is moved to the filling position.
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The feed container 2 comprises a front wall 13 defining the feeding aperture
4, and a back
wall 14 which is substantially in alignment with the panel 5 when the feed
container 2 is in
the feeding position. The feed container 2 thereby extending out from said
inside of the
panel into the pen, keeping the outside, which could be the aisle of a barn,
clear of
obstructions. The feed container 2 could alternatively be mounted so that the
inside is clear
and the feed container 2 extends on the outside of the pane15.
The back wall 14 provides a convenient mounting location for a message board
19, which
is useful for leaving directions for care of the animal.
The front wall 13 comprises a grate 16 sloping down and back from the top of
the feed
container 2 and ending above the bottom of the feed container 2 to provide the
feeding
aperture 4. The grate 16 is suitable for hay, but could be solid for grain,
pellets or so forth.
The feed container 2 is maintained in the filling position of Figure 4 by a
stop member,
which in the illustrated embodiment is a chain 17. The feed container 2 may be
moved to
the cleaning position illustrated in Figure 5 by un-hooking the chain 17 from
the feed
container bracket 18. In the cleaning position the filling aperture 3 is
oriented substantially
downwards and the feed container 2 is substantially inverted so material
contained therein
may fall out on the outside 7 of the panel 5.
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The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the
invention. Further,
since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled
in the art, it is
not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation
shown and
described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modifications in
structure or
s operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of
the claimed
invention. ~
