AU2001100263A4 - An attachment for attaching a horse feed bin to a support - Google Patents

Description

AN ATTACHMENT FOR ATTACHING A HORSE FEED BIN TO A

SUPPORT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to a quite simple attachment, which may be in the form of a chain, which allows a horse feed bin to be attached to virtually any type of support. The invention will be described with reference to a horse feed bin, but it should be appreciated that the attachment may also be used for other types of similar bins.

BACKGROUND ART Metal and plastic feed bins manufactured for feeding larger animals are readily available in the marketplace. These feed bins can hold several kilograms of animal feed. The feed bins typically have an open top to allow the feed to be accessible to the animal. The open top is surrounded by a horizontal lip or rim. The feed bins typically have a curved front wall and a flat back wall. The flat back wall is provided with two spaced apart substantially inverted U shaped brackets. The brackets can pass over a horizontal rail to support the feed bin to the rail. The brackets are typically riveted or spot welded to a metal bin, or glued, or formed integrally with a plastic bin.

It is important to ensure that the feed bin is hung in a safe, secure fashion, and does not inadvertently swing around and fall off onto the ground. It is known for a horse to dislodge a feed bin by flicking it off the rail with its nose. Conventionally, these known feed bins can only be properly secured by a horizontal timber rail, with a second rail below that to provide stability to the bin. The horizontal timber rail must have a substantially rectangular cross-section in order to properly support the bin.

Because of the bin design, and the fact that horses (and other animals) can quite easily dislodge an improperly secured bin, to date, it has only been possible to suspend these known feed bins on a horizontal rectangular cross-section rail. Therefore, the bins are not able to be supported on wire fences, round vertical posts, round horizontal posts, horse floats, stable walls, or anywhere else that does not provide the necessary horizontal railing to hang the bins securely.

For some types of animals, a horizontal post and rail fence is not suitable, for instance, if the animal can pass between the rails.

A conventional horse bin can be permanently attached to a suitable support, for instance by nailing, or screwing the bin into a suitable support; however this causes damage to the bin, and means that the bin cannot be easily relocated. It is envisaged that nuts and bolts might also be used which would allow the bin to be relocated. However, it will be necessary to drill holes into the bin wall to allow the bolt to pass through the hole. For plastic bins, the plastic may not be strong enough to hold the weight of the bin via the bolts. In the case of metal bins, the metal usually a galvanized, and drilling holes through galvanized metal provides sources of corrosion.

Therefore, it is not considered desirable to have an attachment means which requires the bin to be altered.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION After much research and experimentation, a simple yet effective attachment means has been developed which will allow horse feed bins to be attached to support other than horizontal rectangular cross-section rails.

These bins can now be safely and securely attached to vertical posts, fences, and a larger range of other types of supports. The attachment means does not require the bin to be modified, and therefore conventional and in use bins can be used. There is also no need to drill holes into the bin, or to otherwise damage the bin.

In one form, the invention resides in an attachment means for an animal feed bin, the attachment means comprising a first and second flexible substantially inextensible elongate line portions, each line portion having one end provided with bin attachment means, the line portions being attached to, or relative to each other, and a third line portion attached to, or forming part of the first and/or second line portion, the third line portion adapted for engagement with a support, and having a self attachment means to allow the third line portion to be releasably attached to itself and/or to the first and/or to the second line portion.

In this form of the invention, the attachment means may comprise a fairly simple line member which can be used to securely and safely connect an animal feed bin to a variety of different types of supports.

The portions of the attachment means are suitably flexible and substantially inextensible. A suitable material would comprise a chain. The chain may be made from any suitable material, and may be any suitable design, size and the like to make it suitable to support an animal feed bin.

Another suitable material would comprise a wire or rope. The wire or rope may be formed from metal, plastic, or from other material. Again, the design size and the like of the wire or rope can vary to make it suitable to support an animal feed bin. Another suitable material may comprise a strap material.

The attachment means may have a substantially Y type configuration when laid out flat.

The first and the second line portions each have a free end provided with a bin attachment means. The bin attachment means is preferably some form of releasable attachment means which allows the entire device to be attached to and removed from the bin preferably without damage or modification to the bin. In one form, the bin attachment means may comprise a hook, clip, angled portion, and the like which can releasably attach to the lip of the bin. The first and the second line portions can be spaced apart from each other which means that the feed bin can be supported by two spaced apart bin attachment means. This can improve the stability of the bin when the bin is held in place. The bin attachment means are preferably designed or configured such that no sharp edges are presented to the animal (it being appreciated that the nose of the animal which is very sensitive can be close proximity to the bin attachment means).

The first line portion and the second line portion may be separate line portions which are attached together by any suitable means.

Alternatively, the first line portion and the second line portion may comprise part of a single line member. The length of each portion can vary to suit. A typical length will be between 200-600 mm, this depending inter alia on the size of the bin.

The attachment means has a third line portion. The third line portion may be formed from material which is the same, or different from the first line portion or the second line portion. Conveniently, all the line portions are formed of the same material. The third line portion may comprise an extension of the first line portion or the second line portion. Alternatively, the third line portion may comprise a separate portion which is attached to the first line portion or the second line portion. The length of the third line portion can vary to suit. As this length typically extends about a vertical post, fence, and the like, the length should be sufficient to allow this to occur. It is found that a suitable length will be between 400-1000 mm. The third line portion has a self attachment means which allows it to be attached to itself. This can be of various designs. In a simple form, the self attachment means may be in the form of a hook which can allow the third line member to be hooked on to itself.

This would be particularly suitable if the line member comprises a chain. If the line member comprises a wire or rope, the self attachment means may comprise a clip, clamp, or other type of member to allow the third portion to be attached to itself. Of course, it is envisaged that the third portion, rather than being attached to itself, might be attached to either the first portion or the second portion.

In order to provide better stability to the bin, it is preferred that the bin attachment means are somewhat held in place. This can be achieved by attaching the first and the second line portions to parts of the feed bin at a position spaced away from the bin attachment means. If the feed bin is provided with inverted U shaped brackets (which is common), the first and the second line portions may be attached to a part of the brackets. This can be achieved by the by a separate attachment member, which may be in the form of a ring, although this can also be achieved by a particular manner of feeding the line member with respect to the brackets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which Figure 1 Illustrates an attachment means according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 Illustrates the attachment means of figure 1 attached to a feed bin.

Figure 3 Is a rear view of a feed bin and an attachment means, with the attachment means attaching the feed bin to a wire fence.

Figure 4 Illustrates a front view of a feed bin attached to a vertical post Figure 5 Illustrates a second manner by which the attachment means is attached to a feed bin.

BEST MODE Referring initially to figure 1, there is illustrated an attachment means according to an embodiment of the invention, and which is suitable for attaching a horse feed bin to an array of supports without damage to the feed bin. Figure 2 illustrates the attachment means of figure 1 attached to a feed bin. Attachment means 10, comprises a first substantially inextensible elongate line portion 11, a second substantially inextensible elongate line portion 12, and a third substantially inextensible elongate line portion 13. In the embodiment, the line portions comprise linked chain. Line portions 11 and 12 have a length of approximately 400 mm, while line portion 13 is slightly longer and has a length of approximately 500 mm. The three line portions may comprise separate lengths of chain which are joined by a split link 14 or other type of device. Line portions 11 and 12 each have a bin attachment means 15. The bin attachment means comprises a substantially rectangular sheet of metal approximately 40 mm wide and 60 mm long which is bent to form a return lip 16 at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The bin attachment means 15 are attached to the last link of line portions 11 and 12 by welding of a thicker U shaped member 17 to each bin attachment means, and threading the linked chain through member 17.

Third line portion 13 has a free end which has a self attachment means which is in the form of a hook 18. The hook 18 has one end attached to the end of third line portion 13. The other end of hook 18 is free, and it can be seen that this can be attached to third line portion 13, but also (if required) to first line portion or second line portions 11, 12. If the line portions are chains, the hook portion can extend either through a chain link or about the chain link. If the line portions comprise wires or rope, the hook portion can extend about the wire or the rope.

Illustrated in figure 1 and figure 2 is a pair of D shaped ring members 19, 20. These rings can be of any suitable shape and are captured on the respective line portions 11, 12 which means that the rings are unable to be removed from the line portions. However, the rings are able to slide along each respective line portion. The function of these rings will be described below, but the rings may be optional.

Referring to figure 2, there is illustrated the attachment means of figure 1 attached to a feed bin 21. The feed bin 21 is usually made of lightweight metal but is also available in plastics. The feed bin has an upper opening 22 which is surrounded by an inwardly extending horizontal lip 23 which has a width of approximately 50 mm. The bin attachment means attach about the edge of horizontal lip 23 by virtue of the return lip portions 16 on each of the bin attachment means 15. The bin attachment means 15 are typically attached about lip 23 at spaced apart locations, and suitably as far away as possible from each other to provide improved stability to the bin.

The rear of feed bin 21 is provided with a pair of inverted U shaped brackets 24 this being known In this particular embodiment, rings 19, 20 extend over the brackets 24 as illustrated in figure 2. The function of these rings is to facilitate continued attachment of bin attachment means 15 to the lip of the feed bin. Once the attachment means is attached to a suitable support (wire fence, vertical post etc), the weight of the bin (especially if the bin has feed in it), will cause the bin attachment means 15 to be pressed against the lip of the bin by virtue of a rearward force being applied to each bin attachment means 15, with rings 19-20 assisting in positioning the chain in such a manner that the weight of the bin holds the bin attachment means tightly to the lip of the bin.

Figure 3 is a rear view of a feed bin attached to a wire fence by virtue of the attachment means. Feed bin 21, has the rear brackets 24 and the attachment means is attached to the feed bin in the manner illustrated in figure 2. Brackets 24 are supported by an upper horizontal wire 26 of a wire fence. Line portion 13 has its lower portion extending about a lower horizontal wire 27 of the wire fence, and the lower portion doubles back onto itself and is attached to itself by hook 18. Line portion 13 is tensioned to hold the bin firmly in place. This figure illustrates how a horse feed bin can be securely mounted to a wire fence which has hitherto not been possible.

Figure 4 illustrates attachment of the horse feed bin 21 to a vertical post 30. Third line portion 13 extends about post 30 and is hooked onto itself to hold the horse feed bin in place at any desired position along post 30 this was previously not possible.

Figure 5 illustrates a different method of attachment of the attachment means to a feed bin. In this figure, the rings 19, 20 are not required. Instead, parts of the line members 11, 12 pass through brackets 24.

Again, the weight of feed bin 21 will pull line members 11 and 12 tight, which will pull the bin attachment means 15 tight up against lip 23. Third line portion 13 can be attached to various supports such as a wire fence, a vertical post, a tree trunk, and the like.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the invention described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (4)

1. An attachment means for an animal feed bin, the attachment means comprising a first and second flexible substantially inextensible elongate line portions, each line portion having one end provided with bin attachment means, the line portions being attached to, or relative to each other, and a third line portion attached to, or forming part of the first and/or second line portion, the third line portion adapted for engagement with a support, and having a self attachment means to allow the third line portion to be releasably attached to itself and/or to the first and/or to the second line portion.

2. The attachment means of claim 1 wherein the bin attachment means comprise hooks.

3. The attachment means of claim 1 or claim 2,wherein the self attachment means comprises a hook.

4. The attachment means of any one of the preceding claims, wherein each line portion comprises a linked chain. An attachment means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 1 3 th day of August 2001 Sally Hansen By Her Patent Attorneys Cullen Co