US1398829A - Releasing device for poultry-house doors - Google Patents

Description

v R. L. BENNINGTON.

RELEA SING DEVICE FOR POULTRY HOUSE DOORS. APPLICATION FILED APR- 30, I921- ,l,898,829 Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

RUSSELL LLOYD BENNINGTON, OF LAKE CITY, IOWA.

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Application filed April 30, 1921. Serial No. 465,688.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Russnni. LLOYD BEN- NINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lake City, in the county of Calhoun and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Releasing Devices for Poultry-House Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to poultry houses and more particularly to fowl actuated door releasers therefor.

The object of the. invention is to provide a simple and eflicient trip actuated by the perching of a fowl thereon to release the door securing catch, which door when so released will open automatically under the action of a weight.

Another object is to provide a door release of this character in which there are no triggers or complicated parts to get out of order, being so simple that nothing can interfere with its operation.

Another object is to provide aremovable device of this character which may be read ily taken out and cleaned to avoid harboring lice, mites or disease germs and may be removed when not in use, if desired.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described, and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a poultry house equipped with this invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail horizontal section showing the releasing device constituting this invention in topplan view.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof, and,

Fig. 4: is a front elevation of the device constituting the invention.

In the embodiment illustrated a poultry house H is shown having the usual door D for the entrance of the attendant and equipped with a smaller door 1 to provide for the entrance and exit of the poultry, said door 1 being here shown hinged to swing open outwardly and having an operating cable 2 attached at one end to the free edge of the door and passed over a pulley 3 lo catecl in a plane above the door and equipped with a weight 4 for opening the door when the latch which secures it is released. The latch here shown for holding the .door in closed position is in the form of a hook 5 pivotally mounted on the inner face of the door near its front edge and which is designed to engage the eye or eye bolts 6 carried by the inner face of the front wall of the house as is shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3.

The device constituting this invention comprises a box-like vessel 10 preferably made rectangular in form and open at one end as shown at 11, said open end 11 being designed to be placed against the inner face of the door 1 and the adjacent wall of the house H spanning the joint between the door and the house as is shown clearly in Fig. 2.

The box 10 is equipped with a cross bar 12 intermediate its ends at the upper portion thereof on which is fulcrumed a lever the front portion of the lever being slightly longer than the rear portion so that it will normally assume the position shown in 3. The free end of the longer front portion 1a of this lever is so positioned that when the box 10 is properly located relatively to the door and its latch said end will engage the bill of the hook 5 when the'lever is swung up into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3 which occurs when a fowl perches on the rear end of the lever. This upward swinging of the front end of the lever will operate to release the catch 5 from the eye bolt 6 and when so released the door 1 will swing automatically open under the tension of the'weight 4i and permit the fowls tq. pass out of the house H.

A combined guide and stop 15 is mounted in the front end of the box 10 and is preferably in the form of a heavy wire U-shaped member straddling the front end 14 of the lever 13 and operating to prevent lateral displacement of said lever and also to limit the upward swinging movement of said lever end when the box is removed from under the eye bolt 6. r

This box 10 not only operates as a protector against night prowlers, mice and the like which might trip it were it not so incased, but it is made sufliciently deep so that the early birds willhave to wait until there is sufiicient light for them to see how to fly upon the lever thus preventing them from getting out of the'house: before the early morning prowling enemies have been dispersed.

It is well known that chickens fly onto any available perch and after they once ind out that perching on the lever will open the door and release them no further inducement will be required to attract them to the part 13.

A house equipped with this improved door releasing device permits the poultry to get out early in the morning without necessitating an attendant to rise early especially for this purpose.

During the day time if desired the entire box may be lifted outside of the house and placed wherever desired and its remova' bility provides for it being readily cleaned when necessary.

From the above description it will be ob vious that this releasing device constructed as shown and described is extremely simple any man handy with tools being capable of making it or it may be made and sold at a very reasonable price so as to be within the reach of all small poultry raisers as well as for those raising poultry on a larger scale.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the drawings and set forth in the specifications, but it will be understood that any modifications within the scope of the claimed invention may be made in the construction without departing from the rinci ale of the invention or sacrificin b.

any of its advantages.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. The combination with a'poultry house having a door opening, a door for automatically opening when not fastened in closedposition, a fastener on the inside of said door to hold it closed, a supporting structure adapted to be positioned adjacent said fastener, a lever fulcrumed intermediate its" ends insaid structure, the front porends, one end of said lever beinglonger than the other and having its terminal positioned adjacent the open end of the box and a guide for saidvlever to prevent lateral movement thereof, and to limit its upward swinging movement. y

3. A door fastener releasing device comprising a box open at one end and having a cross bar mounted there-in intermediate its ends, a longitudinally disposed lever fulcrumed on said cross bar intermediate its ends, one end of said lever being longer than the other and having its terminal positioned adjacent the open end of the box, and a U-shaped guide straddling the front end of said lever to preventlateral movement thereof and to limit its upward swinging movement.

In testimony whereof I my signature hereto. Y

RUSSELL LLOYD BENNINGTON.

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