Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AN ENTRANCE GATE FOR A LIVESTOCK SORTER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an entrance gate for a livestock sorter and more
particularly to an entrance gate for a livestock sorter wherein the distance
between the
gate members of the entrance gate, when in the open position, may be quickly
and
easily adjusted without the need of a wrench, pliers or other tool.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Many types of livestock sorters have been previously provided which are
used to weigh livestock such as pigs to separate or sort the same depending
upon the
weights thereof. Normally, the conventional sorters include a cage having an
entrance
end and an exit end with a weighing scale being provided within the bottom of
the
cage. The exit end of the cage has an exit gate associated therewith which
directs the
pigs to various pens depending upon the weights thereof. Normally, the
entrance end
of the cage is provided with an entrance gate which is closed to maintain an
animal
within the cage and which may be opened to permit the animal to enter the
cage.
Since the size of the pigs being weighed will vary, a problem has been
encountered in
that if the entrance gate is completely open, more than one pig may enter the
interior
of the cage which will dramatically affect the weighing operation. In an
effort to
prevent more than one pig from entering the cage at one time, an adjustment
means
was previously provided to limit the amount of opening movement of the
opposing
gate members at the entrance end of the sorter. However, that adjustment could
only
be accomplished through the use of a wrench, pliers or other tool. The
requirement of
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the necessity of a wrench, pliers or tool being used is sometimes inconvenient
since
such tools are not normally readily available and the adjustment of the
adjustment bolt
thereof being time consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided an entrance gate for a
livestock sorter including a weighing scale within a cage having an upper end,
a lower
end, a first side, a second side, an exit end which is selectively closeable
by an exit
gate and an entrance end; comprising:
an elongated, horizontally disposed actuator member, having first and
second ends, slidably mounted on the cage at the upper end thereof which is
selectively movable between a retracted position to an extended position;
said first end of said actuator member being positioned at the entrance
end of the cage;
a horizontally disposed support plate fixed to said first end of said
actuator member for movement therewith and having first and second ends
disposed
at opposite sides of said actuator member;
a first vertically disposed shaft, having upper and lower ends, rotatably
mounted on the cage at the entrance end thereof at the first side thereof;
a second vertically disposed shaft, having upper and lower ends,
rotatably mounted on the cage at the entrance end thereof at the second side
thereof;
a first vertically disposed gate member having upper and lower ends
which is spaced from said first shaft;
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a first support means secured to and extending between said first shaft
and said first gate member;
a second vertically disposed gate member having upper and lower ends
which is spaced from said second shaft;
a second support means secured to and extending between said second
shaft and said gate member;
a first linkage means secured to and extending between said first shaft
and said first end of said support plate;
a second linkage means secured to and extending between said second
shaft and said second end of support plate;
the movement of said first actuator member from its extended position to
its retracted position causing said first and second gate members to move to a
closed
position wherein they prevent an animal from entering the cage through the
entrance
end thereof and prevent an animal within the cage from moving rearwardly from
the
cage through the entrance end thereof;
the movement of said actuator member from its retracted position to its
extended position causing said first and second gate members to move from
their
closed position towards an open position wherein they permit an animal to
enter the
cage through the entrance end;
a first stop secured to said actuator member adjacent the second end
thereof;
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an adjustable second stop means mounted on the cage which is
adapted to be engaged by said first stop as said actuator member is moving
between
its retracted position to its extended position to limit the amount of opening
movement
of said first and second gate members as they move from their closed positions
to
their open positions to adjustably vary the horizontal distance between said
first and
second gate members when they are in their open positions;
said second stop means being adjustable without the need of a wrench
or the like.
Preferably each of said first and second gate members are rotatable
about a vertical axis.
Preferably said first stop comprises a resilient bumper.
Preferably said second stop means comprises:
a horizontally disposed base plate secured to the cage and having a
first end, a second end, a first side and a second side;
an elongated bar selectively slidably mounted on said base plate and
having a first end, a second end which protrudes from said second end of said
base
plate, a first side and a second side;
said first side of said bar having a plurality of teeth formed therein;
a locking lever selectively pivotally mounted on said base plate about a
vertical axis and being movable between a locked position and an unlocked
position;
a spring connected to said locking lever which yieldably maintains said
locking lever in its locked position;
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said locking lever having a side portion positioned adjacent said one
side of said bar;
said side portion of said locking lever having a plurality of teeth formed
therein which are adapted to mesh with said teeth on said bar when said
locking
5 lever is in its said locked position to maintain said bar in a selected
position with
respect to said base plate;
said second end of said bar adapted to be engaged by said first stop
on said actuator member to limit the amount of opening movement of said gate
members as said actuator moves from its retracted position to its extended
position.
Preferably said teeth on said bar and locking lever are angularly
disposed so that when they are in mesh with one another they prevent the
slidable
movement of said bar towards said first end of said base plate.
Preferably the angular arrangement of said teeth permit said bar to be
manually moved towards said second end of said base plate without moving said
locking lever to its unlocked position.
Preferably said first end of said base plate has an upstanding first
flange provided thereon and wherein said second end of said base plate has an
upstanding second flange provided thereon, each of said flanges having an
opening
formed therein which slidably receive the ends of said bar.
Preferably said first end of said bar has a retainer bolt secured thereto.
Preferably said second end of said bar has a bumper provided
thereon.
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As described in more detail hereinafter an entrance gate is provided for
a livestock sorter which includes a weighing scale within a cage with the cage
having
an upper end, a first side, a second side, an exit end which is selectively
closable by
an exit gate and an open entrance end. An elongated actuator member, having
first
and second ends, is horizontally slidably mounted on the cage at the upper end
thereof which is selectively movable between a retracted position to an
extended
position. The first end of the actuator member is positioned at the entrance
end of the
cage and has a horizontally disposed support plate secured thereto for
movement
therewith. A first vertically disposed shaft is rotatably mounted on the cage
at the
entrance end thereof at the first side thereof and a second vertically
disposed shaft is
rotatably mounted on the cage at the entrance end thereof at the second side
thereof.
A first vertically disposed gate member having upper and lower ends is spaced
from
the first shaft and a second vertically disposed gate member having upper and
lower
ends is spaced from the second shaft. A first support means is secured to and
extends between the first shaft and the first gate member and a second support
means is secured to and extends between the second shaft and the gate member.
A
first linkage means is secured to and extends between the first shaft and one
end of
the support plate. A second linkage means is secured to and extends between
the
second shaft and the other end of the support plate.
The movement of the actuator member from its extended position to its
retracted position causes the first and second gate members to move to a
closed
position wherein they prevent an animal from entering the cage through the
entrance
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end thereof and prevent an animal within the cage from moving rearwardly
through the
cage through the entrance end thereof. The movement of the actuator member
from
its retracted position to its extended position causes the first and second
gate
members to move from their closed position towards their open position wherein
they
permit an animal to enter the cage through the entrance end. A first stop or
bumper is
secured to the actuator adjacent the second end thereof. An adjustable stop
means is
mounted on the cage which is adapted to be engaged by the first stop as the
actuator
member moves between its retracted position to its extended position to limit
the
amount of opening movement of the first and second gate members as they move
from their closed positions to their open positions to adjustably vary the
horizontal
distance between the first and second gate members when they are in their open
positions. The adjustable stop means is adjustable without the need of a
wrench or
the like.
The arrangement described in detail hereinafter may provide one or
more of the following features and advantages:
to provide an improved entrance gate for a livestock sorter.
to provide an adjustable entrance gate for a livestock sorter wherein the
width of the entrance opening may be selectively varied without the need of a
wrench,
pliers or tool.
to provide an entrance gate for a livestock sorter including a unique
adjustable means which limits the width of the entrance opening at the
entrance end
of the sorter.
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to provide an adjustment means of the type described which is quickly
and easily adjusted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention
are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference
numerals
refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.
Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a livestock sorter having the
entrance gate of this invention mounted thereon.
Figure 2 is a partial exploded perspective view of the entrance gate of
this invention.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the means for adjusting the amount of
entrance gate opening.
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the means for adjusting the amount of
entrance gate opening.
1 5 Figure 5 is a top view of the entrance gate of this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the
accompanying figures, which form a part hereof and show, by way of
illustration,
specific exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient
detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. However,
embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be
construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The following
detailed
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description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense in that the
scope of the
present invention is defined only by the appended claims.
The numeral 10 refers to an animal or livestock sorter of generally
conventional design sold by many companies including the assignee of this
invention.
Sorter 10 includes a confining cage 12 having an upper end 14, lower end 16, a
first
side 18, a second side 20 an exit end 22 and an entrance end 24. The exit end
22
includes an exit gate means 26. A conventional weighing scale is provided in
the
lower end of the cage 12 in conventional fashion.
A first vertically disposed shaft 28, having upper and lower ends, is
rotatably mounted on the cage 12 at the entrance end 24 adjacent the first
side 18 as
seen in the drawings. The numeral 30 refers to a first vertically disposed
gate
member having upper and lower ends which is spaced from the first shaft 28 and
which is operatively connected thereto by a first support means 32 extending
therebetween. The numeral 34 refers to a second vertically disposed shaft
having
upper and lower ends which is rotatably mounted on the cage 12 at the entrance
end
24 adjacent the second side 20 thereof. The numeral 36 refers to a second
vertically
disposed gate member having upper and lower ends which is spaced from the
second
shaft 34 and which is connected thereto by means of a second support means 38
which is secured thereto and extends therebetween.
The numeral 40 refers to an elongated actuator member having a first
end 42 and a second end 44. Actuator member 40 is horizontally slidably
movable on
the upper end of the cage 12 as will be described in more detail hereinafter.
As seen,
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the first end 42 of the actuator member is positioned at the entrance end of
the cage
12. A horizontally disposed support plate 46 is secured to the end 42 of
actuator
member 40 and includes opposite side portions 48 and 50. A first linkage means
52 is
secured to and extends between side portion 48 of support plate 46 and the
upper end
5 of shaft 28. A second linkage means 54 is secured to side portion 50 of
support 46
and the upper end of shaft 34.
Linkage meanS- 52 includes a link member 56, one end of which is
pivotally secured to the support plate by pivot pin or bolt 58. The other end
of link
member 56 is pivotally connected to one end arm 60 by pivot pin or bolt 62
with the
10 other end of arm 60 being welded or otherwise secured to the upper end
of shaft 28.
The linkage means 54 is comprised of link member 64, one end of which
is pivotally connected to side portion 50 of support plate 46 by pivot pin or
bolt 66.
The other end of link member 64 is pivotally connected to one end of arm 68 by
pivot
pin or bolt 70 with the other end of arm 68 being welded or otherwise secured
to .the
upper end of shaft 34.
The inner or second end 44 of actuator member 40 is operatively
connected to a pneumatic cylinder 71 or the like for moving the actuator
member 40
between a retracted position to an extended position and vice versa. When the
actuator member 40 is in its retracted position, the gate members 30 and 36
are in
their fully closed position to prevent an animal from entering the cage 12 and
to
prevent an animal that is in the cage 12, from backing rearwardly out of the
cage.
When the actuator member 40 is in its fully extended' position, the gate
members 30
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and 36 are in their fully open position so that the entrance end 24 is
completely open.
The fact that the entrance end 24 is completely open would permit more than
one
animal from entering the cage at the same time which would therefore interfere
with
the weighing of the animal. It is to this generally conventional structure
described
above that the instant invention is provided to adjustably limit the amount of
opening
movement of the gate members 30 and 36 so that only a single animal may enter
the
cage 12 at any time. Heretofore, the extended stroke of the actuator member 40
was
limited by means of an adjustment bolt assembly which required the use of a
wrench,
pliers or other tool to make the adjustment. The instant invention eliminates
the need
of a wrench, pliers or other tool to perform the adjustment of the gate
members in a
quick and efficient manner.
The adjustment means for controlling the amount of opening movement
of the gate members 30 and 36 is referred to generally by the reference
numeral 72
and includes a mounting plate 74 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the
upper
end of cage 12 at the entrance end thereof. A plastic or Nylon sheet member 76
is
positioned on the upper end of plate 74 and slidably supports the lower
surface of
actuator member 40. The numeral 78 refers to a plastic or Nylon block which is
positioned on sheet member 76 and which has an elongated channel 80 formed in
the
underside thereof which slidably receives actuator member 40 therein. Base
plate 82
is positioned on block 76 as illustrated in the drawings. Bolts 84 extend
downwardly
through base plate 82, block 76, sheet member 76, mounting plate 74 and have
nuts
at the lower ends thereof to secure the same to mounting plate 74.
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Base plate 82 includes a first end 86, second end 88, first side 90 and
second side 92. Upstanding flanges or lips 94 and 96 are provided at ends 86
and 88
of base plate 82 respectively and have openings or slots 98 and 100 formed
therein
respectively. Bar 102, having ends 104 and 106, is selectively slidably
mounted on
Locking lever 114 is pivotally secured to base plate 82 by pivot pin 116
and is selectively movable between locked and unlocked positions. Spring 118
yieldably maintains lever 114 in its locked position. One side of lever 114
has a
plurality of angularly disposed 120 formed therein which are adapted to mesh
with
20 adapted to engage the bumper 110 when the actua'or member 40 is moved to
its
extended position with the engagement of the stop 122 with the bumper 110
limiting
the amount of opening movement of the gate members 30 and 36 thereby limiting
the
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horizontal width of the entrance opening so that only a single animal may
enter the
cage at one time.
When it is desired to increase the width of the opening or space between
the gate members 30 and 36, when in their open position, locking lever 114 is
moved
to its unlocked position and the bar 102 is slidably moved towards end 86 of
base
plate 82 thereby permitting an additional amount of stroke of the actuator
member 40.
If it is desired to decrease the width of the opening between the gate members
30 and
36, bar 102 may be manually moved to the left which will cause the teeth 112
to
ratchet over the teeth 120. Alternatively, the locking member 114 may be moved
to its
unlocked position to move the bar 102 to the left if so desired.
Thus it can be seen that a novel adjustment means has been provided to
vary the distance between the gate members 30 and 36 without the need of
utilizing
the need of a wrench, pliers, or other tool. The adjustment is easily and
quickly
performed.
Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its
stated objectives.
