AU773500B2 - Animal feeder - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT (Original) APPLICATION NO:

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COMPLETE SPECIFICATION LODGED:

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RELATED ART: 0* NAME OF APPLICANT: ACTUAL INVENTOR: ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: MARK ROY CLATWORTHY MARK ROY CLATWORTHY LORD COMPANY Patent Trade Mark Attorneys 4 Douro Place West Perth, Western Australia, 6005

AUSTRALIA.

INVENTION TITLE: "ANIMAL FEEDER" DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION NO'S: Australian Provisional Patent Application Number PQ 1826 filed on July 26, 2000.

The following Statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me/us:

TITLE

"ANIMAL FEEDER" The present invention relates to an animal feeder for housing animal feed.

It is known to provide animal feeders for housing animal feed which are static. They generally include a fence or boundary which surrounds a bale of hay, silage or some other form of animal feed to prevent the feed from being scattered by the wind or a feeding animal. The animal feeders of the prior art are designed to allow access of the animal's head over an upper rim of the animal feeder whereupon, for example, the animal may feed from the outer edges of the bale of hay. Depending upon the size of 10 the animal feeder there will come a point where the animal can no longer reach far enough into the animal feeder to obtain access to the feed, the animal's reach being limited by the static fence or boundary of the animal feeder. Thus, a proportion of the hay bale or animal feed is wasted, and consequently the animal feeder must be replenished to a sufficient volume of animal feed whereby the animal can obtain 99*9 15 access thereto.

The present invention seeks to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided an animal feeder for housing animal feed, comprising a pair of opposing fence members and at least one movable gate member suspended between the fence members, wherein the movable gate member is such that an animal's muzzle can be inserted through the gate member to access the animal feed and the gate member is moveable toward the animal feed so that an animal can access the animal feed as required.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an animal feeder in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of two opposing fence members interconnected by two web members shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side view of the animal feeder of Figure 1.

In Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown an animal feeder 10 for housing animal feed. The animal feeder 10 includes a pair of opposing fence members and a pair of opposing gate members 30 suspended between the fence members The fence member 20 includes a first upright member 21 spaced apart from a second 0 upright member 23, a lower end member 22 and an upper end member 24.

The lower end member 22 interconnects a lowermost end 25 of the first upright member 21 with a lowermost end 26 of the second upright member 23. The upper end member 24 is endwise connected to an upper portion 27 of the first upright member 21 and to an upper portion 28 of the second upright member 23. As shown in Figures 0 15 1, 2 and 3, an uppermost end 51 of the first upright member 21 and an uppermost end 0.00 52 of the second upright member 23 extend vertically above the upper end member 9* .24.

The lowermost ends 25 of the first upright members 21 of the opposing fence members 20 are interconnected by a first web member 42. The lowermost ends 26 of the second upright members 23 of the opposing fence members 20 are interconnected by a second web member 44.

A first strut member 62 obliquely extends between each first upright member 21 and the first web member 42. A second strut member 64 obliquely extends between each second upright member 23 and the second web member 44.

The fence member 20 is provided with a plurality of slat members 70 which extend laterally between the first upright member 21 and the second upright member 23.

Preferably, the slat members 70 are spaced apart from one another equidistantly.

Preferably, a gap between adjacent slat members 70 is sufficiently large for an animal's tongue to be inserted therebetween.

Each gate member 30 includes a frame 35 and a mesh insert 39 extending therebetween. The frame 35 includes opposing side members 32, a lower end member 33 and an upper end member 34. Lowermost ends 36 of the side members 32 are interconnected by the lower end member 33. Uppermost ends 38 of the side members 10 32 are interconnected by the upper end member 34.

*Each uppermost end 38 is provided with an outwardly extending shoulder portion 41.

An end 43 of the shoulder portion 41 remote from the upper end member 34 is provided with a downwardly depending overhang portion 45 which is spaced apart from, and substantially parallel to, the side member 32.

15 The overhang portion 45 is provided with a pin 47 which is slidable between an open position and a closed position. The pin 47 is arranged to engage with a latch 48 located on the side member 32 of the frame 35 when the pin 47 is in a closed position.

In use, the opposing fence members 20 are installed in a field or paddock, and a hay bale, silage, or an appropriate animal feed is located between the opposing fence members 20. Each pin 47 of the gate members 30 is slid into the open position, and as shown in Figure 1, a first gate member 30a, and a second gate member 30b are suspended between the opposing fence members 20 adjacent the uppermost ends 51 of the first upright members 21 and the uppermost ends 52 of the second upright members 23, respectively. The shoulder portions 41 of the first and second gate members 30a and 30b, are located above and contiguously to the upper end members 24 of the fence member 20. The lower end members 33 and the side members 32 are thus unrestrained enabling the first and second gate members 30a, 30b to slide along the upper end members 24. Each pin 47 is then slid into the closed position so as to engage with the latch 48.

In this way, a substantially quadrangular boundary is formed by the opposing fence members 20 and the opposing first and second gate members 30a and 30b around the animal feed, which prevents the feed from being dispersed by wind or an animal.

The animal can obtain access to the feed by locating its muzzle through the mesh 10.* iinsert 39. As the feed is depleted, the animal can slide the gate member 30 along the upper end members 24 of the opposing fence members 20 to obtain closer access to the feed. It is also possible for the gate member 30 to be pivoted about a central longitudinal axis of the upper end member 34, such that an animal obtains closer access to the feed. The gate member 30 can also be pivoted about a vertical plane of the gate member 30. Unlike the prior art, the animal obtains access to substantially all the feed located in the animal feeder 10, and the animal's reach is not limited by the boundary of the animal feeder 10. The present invention thus reduces wastage.

It will be appreciated that an animal may also nibble feed which is accessible between adjacent slat members 70 of the fence member The gate member 30 is prevented from sliding over an end of the upper end member 24 by respective uppermost ends 51, 52 of the first and second upright members 21, 23 which extend vertically above the upper end member 24.

The gate member 30 may be vertically removed from the opposing fence panels when the pin 47 is slid into an open position and disengages with the latch 48.

When the feed is depleted, only one gate member 30 need be removed in order for another hay bale or some form of animal feed to be located within the animal feeder whereupon the gate member 30 is resuspended between the opposing fence members 20 as described previously.

The animal feeder 10 may also be provided with a removable roof member (not shown) which is arranged to be located above and laterally extend marginally beyond the opposing fence members 20 and the gate members 30 so as to cover any animal feed located therein. It is to be understood that the roof member may be clipped onto .sei the animal feeder 10 or suspended on the respective uppermost ends 51, 52 of the first 10 and second upright members 21, 23 of the fence members It will also be appreciated that the size of the mesh may be varied to suit the size of the muzzle of the particular animal of interest, a smaller size mesh being used for ~sheep or goats, for example, in comparison to a mesh size used for cattle. The mesh size should be large enough for the animal's muzzle to protrude therethrough, but not oooo 15 so large as to allow the animal's head to protrude therethrough and thereby cause injury to the animal when its head is withdrawn from the mesh.

Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (6)

1. An animal feeder for housing animal feed, comprising a pair of opposing fence members, whereby the opposing fence members are interconnected by a spaced pair of web members horizontally disposed between respective lowermost ends of the opposing fence members, and at least one movable gate member, the or each movable gate member comprising a frame and a mesh insert extending therebetween, whereby the mesh insert is sized large enough for an animal's muzzle to protrude therethrough to access the animal feed, the frame comprising opposing side members interconnected at lowermost ends thereof by a lower end member and interconnected at uppermost ends thereof by an upper end member, each uppermost end of the side members also being provided with an outwardly extending shoulder portion provided with a downwardly depending overhang portion which is spaced apart from and 15 substantially parallel to the side member, the overhang portion being provided with a o slidable pin arranged to engage with a latch located on the side member of the frame, the arrangement being such that the outwardly extending shoulder portions are located above and contiguously on an horizontal upper member of the opposing fence members whereby, in use, the overhang portion prevents the movable gate member o 20 from laterally sliding from an upper horizontal member of the fence member, and •wherein the outwardly extending shoulder portions are slidable along the horizontal upper members whilst the lower end member and side members of the gate members are unrestrainedly suspended between the fence members to facilitate movement of the gate member by the animal towards the animal feed so that the animal can access the animal feed as required. 8

2. The animal feeder according to claim 1, wherein each upper end of the fence member is provided with an upright member extending vertically above the upper horizontal members of the fence member to prevent the movable gate member from sliding over either ends of the upper horizontal members.

3. The animal feeder according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the pin is slidable between an open position and a closed position.

4. The animal feeder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fence member has a plurality of laterally extending slat members, a gap between adjacent slat members being sufficiently large for an animal's tongue to be inserted therebetween.

The animal feeder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a substantially quadrangular boundary is formed by the opposing fence members and the gate members around the animal feed.

6. The animal feeder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gate member is pivotable about a central longitudinal axis of the upper end member and the gate member is pivotable about a vertical plane of the gate member. An animal feeder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the accompanying Figures 1-3. 0,. DATED THIS 30TH DAY OF MARCH 2004 Mark Roy Clatworthy By his Patent Attorney LORD AND COMPANY PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA