Recirculating feeder

Claim 2

A conveyor system for feeding poultry and the like, comprising an interconnected belt conveyor and auger conveyor, the belt conveyor including a housing having intake and discharge ends, an endless belt member mounted for cyclic motion between said ends and adapted to engage feed deposited at the intake end and transport the feed to the discharge end, and belt conveyor belt drive means mounted adjacent one opening for driving the belt in its cyclic motion, the auger conveyor including an auger member having a plurality of spiral flights for urging feed along the auger conveyor from an intake end to a discharge end and extending into the belt conveyor housing, and auger conveyor drive means for rotating the auger within the auger conveyor, and interconnector means including a shaft engaging both the auger conveyor auger and the belt conveyor belt drive means for common rotation and common operation from a single power source.

Claim 3

A conveyor system according to claim 1 including feed return transport means for transporting unconsumed feed from the discharge end of one of said conveyors to the intake end of the other of said conveyors, thereby establishing a closed loop feed flow path around which feed circulates and recirculates until the feed is consumed.

Claim 4

A conveyor system according to claim 2 wherein said feed return trAnsport means includes a second open-topped auger conveyor having intake and discharge auger ends and located adjacent poultry cages to present feed to caged poultry for consumption, the intake end of said second auger conveyor being located adjacent the discharge end of another of said conveyors to receive a flow of feed threrefrom, and means for directing feed from said second auger conveyor discharge end to said first auger conveyor intake end.

Claim 5

A conveyor system according to claim 3 wherein said second open-topped conveyor intake end is located adjacent the discharge end of said endless belt conveyor, the endless belt conveyor being functionally interposed between said first and second aguer conveyors

Claim 6

A conveyor system according to claim 4 wherein said first and second auger conveyors are mounted at differing elevations and wherein said feed return transport means includes drop tube means for transporting feed from the discharge end of the higher elevation auger conveyor to the intake end of the lower elevation auger conveyor.

Claim 7

A conveyor system according to claim 2 including feed input means for delivering new feed from a remote source to said conveyors and said closed loop feed flow path.

Claim 8

A conveyor system according to claim 2 including first sensor means for sensing the presence or absence of feed at a maximum feed level at a predesignated spot within said feed flow path, and first interconnector means interconnecting said first sensor means and said common conveyor drive means for starting or stopping the operation of said conveyors in response to the sensed presence or absence of feed at said predesignated spot.

Claim 9

A conveyor system according to claim 2 including second sensor means for sensing the presence or absence of feed at a minimum feed level at a predesignated spot within said feed flow path and second interconnector means interconnecting said second sensor means and said common conveyor drive means for starting or stopping the operation of said conveyors in response to the sensed presence or absence of feed at said predesignated spot.

Claim 10

A conveyor system according to claim 2 including receiver surge bin means functionally interposed in said closed loop feed flow path and adopted to receive new feed from a remote source and introduce said feed to said closed loop feed flow path.

Claim 11

A conveyor system according to claim 9 including first and second sensor means for sensing the presence or absence of feed at respective maximum and minimum levels within said receiver surge bin means and for starting or stopping the operation of said conveyors in response to said presence or absence of feed at said maximum and minimum levels.

Claim 12

A conveyor system for feeding poultry and the like, comprising an interconnected belt conveyor and auger conveyor, the belt conveyor including a hollow housing having intake and discharge openings therein, an endless belt conveyor member mounted within the housing for cyclic motion between said openings, a plurality of scoop members mounted on the belt conveyor member and adapted to engage feed deposited within the housing at the intake opening and transport the feed to the discharge opening and belt conveyor drive pulley means mounted adjacent one opening for driving the belt in its cyclic motion, the auger conveyor including a hollow housing having intake and discharge openings therein and an auger member mounted within the housing and having a plurality of spiral flights adapted to conform to the shape of at least a portion of the housing interior surface for urging feed along the housing from the intake end to the discharge end as the auger is rotated, aguer conveyor drive means for rotating the auger within the auger conveyor housing, and interconnector means including a shaft engaging the auger conveyor auger and belt conveyor drive pulley for common rotation, and common operation from a single power source.

Claim 13

A conveyor system for feeding poultry and the like, comprising an interconnected belt conveyor and auger conveyor, the belt conveyor including a hollow housing having intake and discharge openings therein, an endless belt conveyor member mounted within the housing for cyclic motion between said openings, a plurality of scoop members mounted on the belt conveyor member and adapted to engage feed deposited within the housing at the intake opening and transport the feed to the discharge opening and belt conveyor drive pulley means mounted adjacent one opening for driving the belt in its cyclic motion, the auger conveyor including a hollow housing having intake and discharge openings therein and an auger member mounted within the housing and having a plurality of spiral flights adapted to conform to the shape of at least a portion of the housing interior surface for urging feed along the housing from the intake end to the discharge end as the auger is rotated, aguer conveyor drive means for rotating the auger within the auger conveyor housing, and interconnector means including a shaft engaging the auger conveyor auger and belt conveyor drive pulley for common rotation, and common operation from a single power source.

Claim 14

A conveyor system according to claim 12 including direct connection means rigidly Attaching the auger to the shaft, and direct connection means rigidly attaching the pulley to the shaft, the aguer, the pulley and the shaft being rotated by the power source at a common speed.

Claim 15

A conveyor system according to claim 11 wherein said belt conveyor belt member includes an endless linked chain, and said drive pulley means include a toothed sprocket wheel adapted to engage the chain links and drive the belt, and wherein at least one end of the auger conveyor auger member is centerless, at least one centerless auger flight passing between the sprocket wheel teeth for rigid attachment to the sprocket wheel, thereby permitting the belt conveyor belt member and the auger conveyor auger member to be driven together at a common speed by the sprocket wheel.

Claim 16

A conveyor system according to claim 11 including intercommunication means operatively interconnecting one of the belt conveyor housing openings with the opposite auger conveyor housing openings to permit the delivery of feed from one conveyor to the other.

Claim 17

A conveyor system according to claim 11 wherein the auger conveyor housing discharge opening is located congruently and communicatively with the housing conveyor intake opening to permit the direct passage of feed from the aguer conveyor to the belt conveyor.

Claim 18

A conveyor system according to claim 11 including means for halting operation of said conveyors in response to a sensed excessively high feed level at a predetermined point in the system.

Claim 19

A conveyor system according to claim 11 including means for halting operation of said conveyors in response to a sensed excessively low feed level at a predetermined point in the system.

Claim 20

a conveyor system according to claim 11 including receiver surge bin means to receive a first flow of feed from a remote source and a second flow of feed from a conveyor discharge means, and including first sensing means for halting one flow of feed in response to a sensed excessively high feed level in the holding bin, and second sensing means inducing at least one flow of feed in response to a sensed excessively low feed level in the holding bin.