AU707006B3

AU707006B3 - Container for feeding horses

Info

Publication number: AU707006B3
Application number: AU87854/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Kylie Toole
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-09-30
Filing date: 1998-09-30
Publication date: 1999-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 2000-07-01
Also published as: AU720352B2; AU3576899A

Description

1 P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A PETTY PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Kylie Toole Kylie Toole

AHEARNS

Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, GPO Box 1149, Brisbane, Queensland, 4001 "CONTAINER FOR FEEDING HORSES" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: -2- CONTAINER FOR FEEDING HORSES This invention relates to a container for feeding horses.

However, it will be appreciated that the container may be used for feeding other animals such as stud cattle.

Prior art containers for feeding horses are typically hard sided and suffer from a number of shortcomings, one being that they are generally difficult to hang temporarily from a rail or wall and if dislodged by a hose can cause injury to the horse if allowed to remain in the stable. Furthermore, they take up an undesirable amount of stowage space when being transported with horses to race meetings, gymkhanas and the like.

Additionally they cannot be effectively and safely used to feed horses while in transit in floats and thus horses must typically be fed prior to loading thus delaying the journey.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container for feeding horses which can be readily stowed for transit purposes and which requires less stowage space than the presently available hard sided containers. It is another object to provide a container for feeding horses which can be utilised in transit with much less danger of injury to horses. It is yet another object to provide a container which will have reduced likelihood of causing injury to a horse if the container becomes dislodged from the wall, rail or the like to which it is mounted. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention.

With the foregoing in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a container for feeding horses, including: a rear wall adapted to rest against a flat wall and having spaced apart side edge portions and a lower portion, a base wall extending forward from said lower portion of said rear wall and a front wall extending forward from said spaced apart side edge portions of said rear wall and upward from said base wall and terminating in an upper edge portion, said front wall, said base wall and said rear wall defining a feed storage compartment having an upwardly directed opening; arcuate support means having spaced apart end portions -3operatively connected to said side edge portions of said rear wall and said upper edge portion of said front wall for supporting said front wall and maintaining said upwardly directed opening, said arcuate support means being constructed substantially of a flexible material having a radially outward bias, and said front wall, said base wall and said rear wall being constructed of a flexible material whereby they may be folded towards said opening to collapse said storage compartment for stowage of said container, and securing means connected to said rear wall for securing said rear wall to a wall, rail or the like.

In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a container for feeding horses, including: a rear wall adapted to rest against a flat wall and having spaced apart side edge. portions and a lower portion and a front wall extending forward from said spaced apart side edge portions and upward from said lower portion of said rear wall and terminating in an upper edge portion, said front wall and said rear wall defining a feed storage compartment having an upwardly directed opening; arcuate support means having spaced apart end portions operatively connected to said side edge portions of said rear wall and said upper edge portion of said front wall for supporting said front wall and maintaining said upwardly directed opening, said arcuate support means being constructed substantially of a flexible material having a radially outward bias, and said front wall and said rear wall being constructed of a flexible material whereby they may be folded towards said opening to collapse said storage compartment for stowage of said container, and securing means connected to said rear wall for securing said rear wall to a wall, rail or the like.

Terms such as rear, front, base, upward, forward and the like are used for the purpose of description and illustration of the invention in the position it would normally be used for feeding purposes.

Advantageously the outward bias of said arcuate support means assists in maintaining the rear wall sufficiently taut -4and the front wall supported when in an in-use position, thereby preventing the front wall collapsing against the rear wall so that the opening is maintained and feed in the storage compartment can be accessed by a horse. However, if a horse accidentally causes the container to be released from the wall or rail to which it is secured, then the likelihood of the container injuring the horse is very small due to its construction in flexible materials. In this respect it will be appreciated that containers constructed of steel, timber or rigid plastics materials can lead to injury of a horse if insufficient care in mounting is not taken. Moreover, rigid containers cannot be used for feeding horses while in transit because injury may result if the horse accidentally bumps the container and furthermore, as horses are often nervous while in transit they are more inclined to panic once they have bumped a hard sided feed container thereby leading to further injury.

Preferably, said rear wall, base wall and front wall are constructed substantially of a relatively stiff canvas or similar material and said upper edge portion of said front wall is folded to form a sleeve with said arcuate support means being mounted in said sleeve. In such form of the invention it is preferred that the ends of the sleeve be closed adjacent said side edge portions of said rear wall to retain said arcuate support means in said sleeve.

Preferably, said rear wall extends upwardly beyond said arcuate support means and in such form of the invention said securement means is connected to the extended portion of said rear wall so that said rear wall may be hung from a rail or hook by said securement means. Advantageously such extension to said rear wall assists in inhibiting sagging relative thereto of said arcuate support means and in turn said front wall..In such form of the invention it is also preferred that additional securement means is connected to said rear wall between said end portions of said arcuate support means or slightly above a line joining said end portions and preferably said additional securement means is arranged to secure the rear wall to a wall or rail at a position adjacent the ends of said arcuate support means. Advantageously, such positioning of the additional securement means also assists in preventing sagging of said rear wall and said support means. in a preferred form of the invention the extended portion of said rear wall forms a closure for said upwardly directed opening and fastening means such as a hook and loop fastener may be provided for fastening an upper portion of said extended rear wall to said front wall.

In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein: Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a container for feeding horses according to the invention from a side front perspective; Fig. 2 is another pictorial representation of the container of Fig. 1 from a rear side perspective; and Fig. 3 is a sectional end view of the container of Fig. 1 along line 2 2, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the area marked in Fig.

1.

The feed container 10 illustrated in the drawings is constructed substantially of a relatively stiff canvas material and includes a rear wall 11 having a lower portion 11a and an upper portion llb, a base wall 12 extending forward from the lower end of the base wall, and a front wall 13 extending forward from the side edges of the rear wall and upwardly from the outer edge of the base wall, the lower portion of the rear wall, the base wall and the front wall defining a feed storage compartment 14 having an upwardly directed opening A sleeve 16 is formed at the upper end of the front wall by folding the canvas to form a loop and stitching to itself and a piece of 13 mm reinforced plastic hose 17 is fitted in the sleeve and takes on an arcuate form to provide support for preventing the front wall collapsing against the rear wall when the container is in the upright feeding position as illustrated. The ends of the sleeve are stitched as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 to provide blind ends adjacent the rear wall and the ends of the hose 17 engage with the blind ends respectively. It will be appreciated that the closeness of -6the blind end to the rear wall at line 19 assists in holding the hose and the sleeve perpendicular to the rear wall as shown. The hose is a relatively stiff hose and has a natural bias to return to its normal straight elongate form thereby applying a sidewardly directed force along line 21-22 so as to maintain the rear wall relatively taut. The rear wall is reinforced in the region of line 22 by a strip of canvas 23 which is stitched therealong to provide additional stiffness in this area.

The upper portion llb of the rear wall is substantially triangular in form tapering inwardly from respective points slightly above line 21-22 to the apex at loop 27 with edges 28 and 29 being reinforced with cotton binding. The upper portion can be folded over the opening 15 to provide a closure so that feed can be temporarily stored in the compartment 14 if desired. The closure may be held in the closed position by a hook and loop fastener such as that sold under the trade mark

"VELCRO".

Two spaced apart straps and buckles 20 are stitched to the rear wall, one end of each strap being stitched onto the reinforcing strip and the other end being stitched to the rear wall slightly below. Advantageously the straps and buckles are located in close proximity to a straight line joining the opposite ends of the sleeve 17 and are adapted for securing the container to a rail so that the container can be well supported in this area. A loop 27 is stitched to the upper end of the rear wall portion 11b for securing the container to a higher rail. Advantageously, hanging the container from a higher rail tends to maintain the desired feeding shape shown in the drawings, the weight of the feed causing the rear wall to abut a flat wall against which it is mounted and the stiffness of the canvas material together with the hose 17 causing the front wall to maintain the desired semi-cylindrical shape as illustrated.

It will be appreciated that if a horse dislodges the container from its mounting it is unlikely to cause injury to the horse due to being constructed of a soft material.

Furthermore it will be appreciated that the front wall and rear -7wall can be squashed or folded within the opening 15 between the sleeve 17 and the reinforcing strip 23 so that the container becomes relatively flat and can be easily stowed.

Additionally, the container can be easily washed and disinfected if necessary.

It will of course be realised that while the foregoing description has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, all other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

2. A container according to Claim i, wherein said rear wall, said base wall and said front wall are constructed substantially of a relatively stiff canvas or similar material and said upper edge portion of said front wall is folded to form a sleeve with said arcuate support means being mounted in said sleeve.
3. A container according to Claim i, wherein said rear wall extends upwardly beyond said arcuate support means and said securement means is connected to the extended portion of said rear wall and further including additional securement means connected to said rear wall between said end portions of said arcuate support means or slightly above a line joining said end or rtions, said additional securement means being arranged to 7 ure said rear wall to a wall or rail at a position adjacent -9- the ends of said arcuate support means. Dated this 23rd day of April, 1999 KYLIE TOOLE by her Patent Attorneys AHEARNS