Apparatus for distributing animal feed

Claim 2

In an elongate animal feedbunk having a continuous delivery feed belt extending generally lengthwise thereof for carrying animal feed from a supply end toward the opposite end, a carriage including discharge means positioned relative to said belt to contact feed and being effective to discharge the feed transversely thereof, power means to move said belt in a lengthwise direction with an upper run of the belt moving from the feed supply end to the opposite end, and drive means for moving the carriage from one point longitudinally of the belt for a preselected distance to another point and then back in the reverse direction toward said one point, the improvement comprising said drive means including a sprocket rotatably supported near said opposite end of said belt, means for rotating said sprocket in one direction and then the other, a chain having a portion extending circumferentially around a portion of said sprocket and having upper and lower runs extending longitudinally of said belt, chain guide means positioned to receive at least the upper run of the chain, said guide means having a noncircular opening cooperating with said chain to maintain said chain oriented with respect to said sprocket, and means connecting the upper and lower runs of said chain to said carriage to move said discharge means longitudinally of the belt, said connecting means including an elongate flexible member connected to said upper run of said chain and to said carriage, said lower run of said chain being connected substantially directly to said carriage.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said elongate flexible member comprises a cable connecting the upper run of said chain said to said carriage.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 characterized by an idler pulley near said supply end of said belt, and said cable extending around said pulley to said carriage.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 characterized by the length of said chain and the length of said cable each being approximately equal to the length Of said feed belt.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 4 characterized further by the length of said chain exceeding the length of said cable.

Claim 7

In an elongate animal feedbunk having a continuous delivery feed belt extending generally lengthwise thereof for carrying animal feed, a carriage including discharge means positioned relative to said belt to contact feed and being effective to discharge the feed transversely thereof, power means to move said belt in a lengthwise direction, and drive means for moving the carriage from one point longitudinally of the belt for a preselected distance to another point and then back in the reverse direction toward said one point, the improvement comprising said drive means including a sprocket rotatably supported near the one point, means for rotating said sprocket in one direction and then the other, a chain having a portion extending circumferentially around a portion of said sprocket and having upper and lower runs extending longitudinally of said belt, chain guide means positioned to receive at least the upper run of the chain, said guide means having a non-circular opening cooperating with said chain to maintain said chain oriented with respect to said sprocket, and means connecting the upper and lower runs of said chain to said carriage to move said discharge means longitudinally of the belt, said connecting means including an elongate flexible member connected to said upper run of said chain and to said carriage, said lower run of said chain being connected substantially directly to said carriage, said sprocket comprising means forming a multiplicity of equally spaced, radially extending teeth on the periphery of the sprocket, and means forming a plurality of flat, link-supporting surfaces on each side of said teeth to support chain links engaged with the teeth.

Claim 8

In an elongate animal feedbunk having a continuous delivery feed belt extending generally lengthwise thereof for carrying animal feed, a carriage including discharge means positioned relative to said belt to contact feed and being effective to discharge the feed transversely thereof, power means to move said belt in a lengthwise direction, and drive means for moving the carriage from one point longitudinally of the belt for a preselected distance to another point and then back in the reverse direction toward said one point, the improvement comprising said drive means including a sprocket rotatably supported near the one point, means for rotating said sprocket in one direction and then the other, a chain having a portion extending circumferentially around a portion of said sprocket and having upper and lower runs extending longitudinally of said belt, chain guide means positioned to receive at least the upper run of the chain, said guide means having a non-circular opening cooperating with said chain to maintain said chain oriented with respect to said sprocket, and means connecting the upper and lower runs of said chain to said carriage to move said discharge means longitudinally of the belt, said connecting means including an elongate flexible member connected to said upper run of said chain and to said carriage, said lower run of said chain being connected substantially directly to said carriage, said sprocket comprising means forming a multiplicity of equally spaced, radially extending teeth on the periphery of the sprocket, and means forming a plurality of flat, link-supporting surfaces on each side of said teeth to support chain links engaged with the teeth.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 6 characterized by said sprocket having openings to discharge any feed tending to collect between said sprocket teeth.

Claim 10

In a livestock feeder, a belt conveyor, feed trough means extending longitudinally of said conveyor and positioned to receive feed discharged therefrom, a carriage movable longitudinally of the conveyor and having means for discharging feed transversely from the conveyor and into said feed trough means, power means to move the belt in a lengthwise direction, and drive means for moving said carriage back and forth over at least a substantial portion of the length of said belt, the improvement comprising said drive means including rotatable engaging means, means for rotatably supporting said rotatable engaging means above and near one end of said belt, means for rotating said rotatable engaging means, a chain engaged with said rotatable engaging means and having a lower portion connected to said carriage, and an upper portion extending longitudinally of the belt, an elongate flexible member connected to said upper portion of said chain, idler means spaced from said rotatable engaging means, said flexible member extending around said idler means and being connected to said carriage, said rotatable engaging means comprising a sprocket including a plurality of equally circumferentially positioned, radially extending teeth and means forming link-supporting surfaces on each side of said teeth to support links engaged by said teeth, an upper chain guide receiving an upper portion of said chain adjacent said sprocket, a lower chain guide receiving a lower portion of said chain adjacent said sprocket, said chain guides having non-circular openings to orient said chain in pre-determined relationship to said sprocket.

Claim 11

In a livestock feeder, a belt conveyor, feed trough means extending longitudinally of said conveyor and positioned to receive feed discharged therefrom, a carriage movable longitudinally of the conveyor and having means for discharging feed transversely from the conveyor and into said feed trough means, power means to move the belt in a lengthwise direction, and drive means for moving said carriage back and forth over at least a substantial portion of the length of said belt, the improvement comprising said drive means including rotatable engaging means, means for rotatably supporting said rotatable engaging means above and near one end of said belt, means for rotating said rotatable engaging means, a chain engaged with said rotatable engaging means and having a lower portion connected to said carriage, and an upper portion extending longitudinally of the belt, an elongate flexible member connected to said upper portion of said chain, idler means spaced from said rotatable engaging means, said flexible member extending around said idler means and being connected to said carriage, said rotatable engaging means comprising a sprocket including a plurality of equally circumferentially positioned, radially extending teeth and means forming link-supporting surfaces on each side of said teeth to support links engaged by said teeth, an upper chain guide receiving an upper portion of said chain adjacent said sprocket, a lower chain guide receiving a lower portion of said chain adjacent said sprocket, said chain guides having non-circular openings to orient said chain in pre-determined relationship to said sprocket.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said chain is of a length sufficient to always engage said rotatable engaging means for any position of said carriage on said belt and said flexible member is of a sufficient length to always engage said idler means for any position of said carriage on said belt.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 8 characterized by said sprocket forming recesses between said teeth, said link-supporting surfaces being below the extremities of said teeth and above the bottoms of said recesses.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 10 characterized by said sprocket having openings communicating with said recesses to discharge any material collected therein.

Claim 15

A feeder according to claim 8 characterized by the end of the belt near which said rotatable supporting means is located is the end opposite to which feed is supplied.