GB2198327A - Animal feed means - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to animal feed means, particularly for horses and ponies, and which ordinarily need to be kept to a relatively rigid feeding routine. The object of the invention is to allow for the automatic feeding of animals by a technique incorporating an adequate fail safe device. The objective is met by a construction comprising a hopper 1, an access opening to the hopper 1 to allow a quantity of food to be deposited therein, a hinged outlet 3 from the hopper, electrically controlled, leasable holding means to hold the hinged outlet in a closed position, and switch and timer means provided in the line of electrical power from a source to the electrically controlled, releasable holding means. Preferably, the holding means is an-magnet 4 that must be in an ON condition to hold the hinged outlet closed. <IMAGE>

Description

ANIMAL FEED MEANS This invention relates to animal feed means and is particularly, but not necesarily exclusively concerned with the feeding of horses and ponies.

In common with other animals, it is important that horses and ponies are kept to a relatively rigid routine, and are fed at pre-determined times. With working horses and ponies the timing of their morning feed, is most important, as a sufficient time must elapse after feeding before the horse or pony is put to work. Traditionally, feed is prepared at the time required and taken by hand to the stable, but this has several disadvantages. With larger stabling facilities, such as racing stables and equestrian centres, a large number of horses and ponies need to be fed at the same time, and a considerable time can elapse from the feeding of the first to the last.Not only does this delay the start of e.g., training, schooling or the use of the horses and ponies for tuition of riders, until the required time for the feeding of the last horse or pony has elapsed, but also those horses and ponies waiting for their feed can become considerably agitated.

With most amateur owners/riders, their horse or pony is more usually kept at stabling facilities away from their home, with then the inconvenience of having to travel to the stable very early every morning to provide the horse or pony with its morning feed,and on the day of a particular competition, sufficiently in advance of the time of the competition for the horse or pony to have properly digested its food.

It is the case that both horses and ponies are inherently powerful, and can be very distructive, and this has constituted a major inhibition in the provision of means within a stable to contain food, consequent upon the difficulty of preventing a horse or pony from gaining access to the food at times other than prescribed feed times.

It is the objective of the invention to provide a simple robust, and relatively inxpensive feed means for animals, that will automatically provide food to an animal at a predetermined time.

According to the present invention, animal feed means comprises a hopper, an access opening to the hopper to allow a quantity of food to be deposited therein, a hinged outlet from the hopper, electrically controlled, releasable holding means to hold the hinged outlet in a closed position, and switch and timer means provided in the line of supply of electrical power from a source to the electrically controlled, releasable holding means. Preferably, the holding means is an electromagnet.In the case of feed means for horses and ponies, it is preferred that the hopper is located within a cage, the cage being secured to the hopper in such a way that should a horse or pony attack the feed means, the cage prevents the horse or pony from making direct contact with the hopper, and cannot induce a sufficient vibration on the hopper to disturbe the electro-magnetic connection between the hinged outlet and the hopper.

Thus, with the switch in the ON position, and the hinged outlet in the closed position, the electro-magnet is active to hold the hinged outlet closed. Food can then be deposited in the hopper and the time set to deactivate the switch at any required time. At that time, the switch is put in the OFF position to de-activate the electro-magnet and allow the hinged outlet to swing open to allow the food in the hopper to fall into a suitable receptacle from which the animal feeds.

A distinct advantage of the invention is its ability to allow food to be prepared the previous evening, and feeding to take place automatically the next morning at the required time. With large establishments, there is the advantage that with the invention provided in every stable all horses and ponies can be fed at the same time, without the horses and ponies becoming agitated, and ensuring that all are available for work at the same time.

A further advantage of the invention is its fail-safe aspect. If the power supply should fail for any reason, then the or each electro-magnet, would be deactivated. This could result in a horse of pony being fed at the wrong time, but that is considerably more preferable than the break-down of a feed means, resulting in a horse or pony not being fed at all.

The hopper and the hinged outlet can be formed from any suitable metal, or could be formed from a suitable plastics material, when the hinged outlet would be provided with a ferro-magnetic plate for engagement with the electromagnet. It is further preferred that the cage is formed from a suitable metal mesh to combine strength and resilience and thereby to substantially guarantee that a horse or pony cannot gain access to the hopper or induce vibrations on the hopper.

The power supply to the electro-magnet can be from mains, when a transformer/rectifier would be provided to provide reduced voltage to the electro-magnet for the safety of the animal. The power supply could equally be from appropriate batteries, either of the replaceable or, more preferably, of the rechargeable type, and which can be permanently maintained charged from a mains supply.

Although at added cost, it would additionally be possible with mains supply, to incorporate a mains-fail battery supply to the electro-magnet, to ensure feeding at the required time, even when mains has failed Obviously, in a single-stable application, a hopper has its own switch/timer.

In a multiple stable application, the hoppers in all the stables can be connected to a common switch/timer, but advantageously, each hopper can have its own switch/timer.

Thus, whilst each timer would need to be individually set, it would provide an ability for the selective feeding of one or some of the horses or ponies when special circumstances demanded.

The invention, therefore, in its simplest form, has cost factors, well within the compass of the majority of owner/riders, and can therefore eliminate the need for the owner/rider to attend the horse or pony for its early morning feed (or indeed any other feed at a time that would be inconvenient), and with large establishments, is a most cost effective means of ensuring simultaneous feeding of all horses and ponies at the same time with the advantage of being able to prepare food and load the hoppers at an earlier more convenient time.

Several embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an animal feed means in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic representation of several animal feed means as in Figure 1 connected to a common source of control; Figure 3 is a schematic representation showing a second embodiment of animal feed means, with several such feed means shown under common control; and Figure 4 is a schematic representation showing the employment of the animal feed means of Figures 1 and 3 under common control.

In Figure 1, an animal feed means comprises a hopper 1 provided with a hinged or removable lid 2 and whereby animal foodstuffs can be deposited within the hopper of a quantity as is required for the next feed of the animal concerned. The hopper 1 has a bottom outlet closable by a hinged flap 3.

Secured to the hopper 1 is an electro-magnet means 4 and there being a ferromagnetic keeper 5 on the hinged flap 3, the arrangement being such that with the hinged flap 3 in its closed position, and with the electro-magnet activated the hinged flap 3 is held in its closed position, the power of the electro-magnet being such as to be capable of supporting not only the weight of the flap 3 but also the weight of animal foodstuff placed within the hopper 1.

The electro-magnet means 4 is connected to a source of electrical supply via a control unit 6, which control unit embodies timer means and such that the power supply to the electro-magnet can be terminated at a predetermined time, and consequently allows the hinged flap 3 to swing to an open position, with the animal foodstuff then falling from the hopper 1 and into a suitable receptacle accessible to the animal.

In addition to containing suitable timer means, the control unit may also incorporate a failsafe system employing appropriate batteries that can take over the function of mains supply in the event of a mains failure. The ult:imate safeguard stems from the fact that the electro-magnet means must be maintained in an ON condition to maintain the flap closed and should therefore a circumstance arise where there is battery failure during a period of mains failure, the electromagnet means will be switched off allowing the flap to swing to an open position. This may result in an animal being fed at the wrong time, but better that than an animal not being fed at all.

In the appliction of the invention to the feeding of horses and ponies, whilst an individual feed means and its associated control can be located within a particular stable, the invention has the advantage that more than one such feed means can be controlled from a single control unit. Thus, as is illustrated in Figure 2, four hoppers are illustrated each of which would be sited in an individual stable and with the control unit located at a convenient remote location. In this circumstance, the control unit can be such as to deactivate the -electromagnet means on each hopper at the same time but could equally be such as to be capable of selective deactivation of different electro-magnet means at different times.

As is illustrated in Figure 3, the invention permits a situation where a single hopper 1 located in an individual stable can be such as to provide two feeds for the horse or pony. Thus as indicated, an individual hopper 1 can be subdivided at 7 to provide two compartments with each compartment provided with a hinged flap 3, each flap 3 having its own associated electro-magnet means 4.The hoppers are connected to a control unit that again can be sited at a convenient remote location and the control unit being such as to allow deactivation of the electro-magnet means of those flaps intended to release a first feed, either simultaneously or as required, and at a later point allow deactivation of the electro-magnet means associated with the flaps of the hopper compartments to provide a second feed, with again either simultaneous release of all flaps or selective release of the flaps at required times.

Figure 4 illustrates the possibility of a mixed system, a circumstance where horses or ponies of certain stables only require either a first or a second feed, the flaps of those single hoppers being released at the required time as has been discussed above, and where horses or ponies of certain other stables require both first and second feeds and when a compartmented hopper is employed, all hoppers being under the control of a common control unit able to selectively deactivate appropriate electro-magnet means to release the flaps of the single hoppers at the required time, and each flap of a two-compartment hopper, again at the required times.

Preferably, the hoppers, single or compartmented, are formed from a suitable high strength non-toxic, plastics material. Particularly in connection with horses and ponies a guard means can be provided around a periphery of the hopper and spaced from the hopper to prevent a horse or pony from making direct contact with the hopper and hence from causing any accidental damage.

Claims (9)

1. Animal feed means comprising a hopper, an access opening to the hopper to allow a quantity of food to be deposited therein, electrically controlled releasable holding means to hold the hinged outlet in a closed position and switch and timer means provided in the line of supply of electrical power from a source to the electrically controlled, releasable holding means.

2. Animal feed means as in Claim 1, wherein the electrically controlled, releasable holding means is an electro-magnet.

3. Animal feed means as in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the hopper is located within a cage.

4. Animal feed means as in any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the switch and timer means are adapted to be driven by a secondary source of electrical supply in the absence of mains supply.

5. Animal feed means as in Claim 4, wherein the secondary source of electrical supply is provided by appropriate batteries.

6. Animal feed means as in any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the switch and timer means is such as to allow control over a number of hoppers.

7. Animal feed means as in Claim 6, wherein the hoppers are single hoppers that can be simultaneously or selectively activated under the control of the common switch and timer means.

8. Animal feed means as in any of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the or each hopper is subdivided into two compartments, each having a hinged outlet, the two-hinged outlets of a single hopper each being under the separate control of the switch and timer means to permit two feeds to be dispensed from a single hopper at different times.

9. Animal feed means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.