US3541968A

US3541968A - Service car for tiered poultry cages

Info

Publication number: US3541968A
Application number: US684306A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert L Van Huis
Original assignee: US Industries Inc
Current assignee: Big Dutchman Inc; US Industries Inc
Priority date: 1967-11-20
Filing date: 1967-11-20
Publication date: 1970-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 1987-11-24

Description

United States Patent 1 3,541,968

[72] Inventor RohertLVlnHuis 2,726,095 12/1955 Emery 105/366 Zeeland, Michigan 2,893,518 7/ 1959 Vanderbeck 104/93 [21] AppLNo. 684,306 3,109,413 11/1963 Patchett 199/48 [22] Filed Nov.20, 1967 Prim E D A y xammeruane .Reger [45] Patented 1970 Attorney-Price,l-leneveld,Huizenga&Cooper By mesne assignments to U.S. Industries, ln c., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware [73] Assignee [54] SERVICE CAR FOR TIERED POULTRY CAGES 1,513,296 10/1924 Thorne ABSTRACT: A'service car for use on elevated tiers of poultry cages, comprised basically of a bed or platform to 'which wheels are attached for carrying the car along a trackway attached to the poultry cage structure. The wheels at the rear of the car are attached thereto by a leverage mechanism such that the rear portion of the bed or platform can be raised and lowered with respect to the trackway by using the rear wheels as fulcrums, and braking elements attached to the platform are forced against the trackway by the weight of the person standing on the platform when the leverage mechanism is released. That is, the car may be rolled along the trackway when a force is applied to actuate the leverage mechanism, but the car will be positively braked against the trackway by the weight of the person carried on the platform when the actuating force is removed from the leverage mechanism.

Patented Nov. 24, 1970 l of 2 Sheet FIG! ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 24, 1970 3,541,968

, INVENTOR FAQEET 4, umu Hl/IJ ATTORNEYS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The raising of poultry in confinement cages containing a predetermined number of birds is a relatively recent practice in this country which is becoming increasingly popular, since numerous advantages are to be obtained by this method. Cer tain types of cages in these systems are now being aggregated by stacking rows of cages vertically, to provide upper and lower tiers of cages in the same building, thereby maximizing the number of birds which'can be maintained in a building of a given floor area.

Caring for the birds in the upper tiers of cages is a problem i in such systems, since the upper tiers are too high above the ground level for an individual to examine unless he is standing upon some type of elevating structure, and the extensive length of these elevated rows or tiers of cages make it a prohibitively tiresome and time-consuming task to attempt to mount and dismount a portable raised support placed adjacent each part of each such tier of cages. It is also unfeasible and impractical to attempt to build some kind of elevated walkway extending along the length of such tiered cages. Further, while the feeding and watering of the poultry in such cages may be carried out through equipment which is essentially automatically operated, a certain basic amount of care is always required which can only be provided through human effort, including for example regular visual inspection of the birds, removal of diseased or sick birds from the cages for treatment, removal of dead or dying birds for destruction, etc.

Consequently, an unsatisfied need has arisen for a vehicle which could travel between the elevated tiers of cages and which would provide a carrying capacity as well as merely being a movable support for an individual to stand upon while inspecting and the like. However, since a great deal of physical movement on the part of the user of such a vehicle is required in bending and turning in many different directions in order to look at cages and perform a multitude of different tasks, it is important that the car be stable and have a dependable and readily actuable braking means which will hold it absolutely still unless the operator definitely wants it to be moving.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a service car for elevated tiers of poultry cages, in which the car rides upon a trackway comprised of a pair of rails mounted along the front of the poultry cage structure, such that the car may move between and along the length of two rows of oppositely-disposed, spaced, elevated cages.

The service car of the invention incorporates a structure which utilizes the weight of the user as a holding or braking force, and which utilizes the actuating force applied by the user to a control means to disengage the braking force rather FIG. 5 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 4, but showing the braking means in a second operational condition.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As best illustrated in FlG. l, the service car 10 of the invention is principally intended for use between a pair of spaced, oppositely-disposed

poultry cage structures

12 and 14, respectively, each includingalower row of poultry cages I12 and 114, respectively, and also including an elevated upper row or tier of

cages

212 and 214, respectively. As illustrated, the two cage structures are substantially symmetrical on either side of the spacing therebetween; in actualpractice each such cage structure generally forms either the left and the right-hand portion of a cage construction having four rows of cages, i.e., two back-to-back bottom rows and two back-to-back top rows. As will be understood, such cage constructions can also include triple decks or other rows of cages disposed at positions higher than the top rows shown here, although at the present time such are not the predominating type of construction.

Each of the

cage structures

12 and 14 of the drawings typically (and necessarily) includes a number of upright supports such as are seen at 16 and 18, which supportthe upper extremities of these structures in their elevated positions, along the horizontal extent thereof. In accordance with the invention, a trackway is provided by securing

horizontal rails

20 and 22 along the length of each of the

cage structures

12 and 14, such that the two wheels on each side of the service car 10 may each ride upon one of the

rails

20 and 22 as the car is moved between the upper tiers of

cages

212 and 214, while the birds therein are being inspected and cared for. For this purpose, the

rails

20 and 22 may take the form of elongated metal beams of generally rectangular cross section, preferably with a rounded upper edge extremity, and the wheels on the car maybe sheavelike in nature, having a central circumferential groove fitting over the rounded upper edge of the rails just noted.

desired type may be mounted, andalso preferably with a than engage it, such that only by the voluntary application of r such actuating force will the user release the brake and become able to initate movement of the car. At all other times, as when the user is busy performing any of a variety of manual tasks, the user need do nothing whatever to cause the car to be held stationary along the trackway, except to refrain from disengaging the braking means.

DRAWlNGS FlG. l is a fragmentary perspective view showing the service car of the invention in a typical environment of elevated poultry cages;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the service car of the invention without environmental structure;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the service car, illustrating parts of the braking means thereof;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the structure of HO. 3, with the braking means shown in a first operational condition; and

downwardly-depending ladder 28, which will provide an easy means by which a user may climb onto the platform 24. The platform and its corner posts and ladder may collectively be referred to as a supportive frame portion of the service car of the invention, since these members comprise the structural framework of the car.

At each of the corners of the platform 24 is located a'rela tively heavy upright angle bracket 30. Within the interior cornerdefined by each such angle bracket the upright corner post 26 may conveniently be secured, as for example by welding; further, a pair of front wheels designated 32 are attached to the car by mounting them in a rotatable manner to the angle brackets 30 located at one end of the platform or bed 24. At the rearward end of the car, opposite the end just described, a pair of wheels 34 are mounted, in a manner considerably different than that just described for the forward end.

At the-rearward end of the car, a pair of

lever arms

36 and 38 are each pivotally connected tothe upper extremity of one of the angle brackets 30 located at this end of the car, as by a pivot pin (F 16. 3). The opposite extremity of each of the

lever arms

36 and 38 are interconnected, as by a member 40 (FIG. 2) that serves to provide a control member which is operable by the foot of the user. Near that end of each

lever arm

36 and 38 which is connected to one of the respective angle brackets, one of the rear wheels 34 is rotatably attached, as shown in FIG. 3. From this it will be apparent that the aforesaid rearward end of the platform or bed 24 may be raised by pushing downwardly on the control member 40, since the wheels 34 pushed downwardly, as by the operator stepping downwardly upon control member 40, the rear end of the platform 24 is raised with respect to the rails and 22 and the braking elements should then be somewhat above their corresponding rail and disengaged from the same. However, when the control member 40 is released, the weight of the operator upon the platform 24 will immediately cause the rearward end of the platform to move downwardly, bringing the braking elements directly into contact with the top of the respective rails.

Quite clearly, the weight of the operator upon the platform or bed 24 of the service car is completely adequate to hold the braking elements against the rails so securely that the car will other of the rows of cages. On the other hand, by simply stepping downwardly upon the control member 40, the operator can easily lift the rearward end of the car to raise the braking elements attached thereto with respect to the rails, thereby allowing all of the wheels to easily turn upon the tracltway, and allowing the car to-move along the trackway to a desired point thereon. At any such desired point along the trackway, the operator need only remove his foot from the control member 40 to securely apply a braking force to the trackway which will hold the car in place until the operator is ready to once again move onward. Preferably, a bumper element or stop 43 (FlG. 3) is attached to at least one of the

rails

20 and 22 to prevent the service car from being rolled off the end of its trackway. As illustrated, the bumpers may operate by acting as an abutment for the braking elements 42.

The service car of the invention will immediately be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent arts as having features not heretofore provided and very important to the safe and satisfactory operation of such a vehicle. It is to be expressly understood, however, that while a preferred embodiment of the car has been shown and described, certain other embodiments are also eminently possible, as are certain modifications of the specific embodiment which has been shown. For example, the trackway formed by the

rails

20 and 22 could take a variety of different specific forms, and consequently so could the wheels used on the car. Also, the leverage mechanism comprised of the two lever arms and their interconnecting control member could take other specific designs, but it is very desirable that the removal of the deliberate actuating force which the operator applies to such a mechanism should result in the engagement of the braking elements, rather than the converse.

It is entirely conceivable that upon examining the foregoing disclosure, those skilled in the art may devise embodiments of the concept involved which differ somewhat from the preferred embodiment shown and described herein, or may make various changes in structural details to the present embodiment. Consequently it is to be recognized that the preferred embodiment is for purposes of general illustration only and is in no way intended as definitive of all possible forms of the invention.

lclaim:

1. in combination, a service car mounted for use on elevated tiers of poultry cages and the like, comprising: a pair of laterally spaced, generally parallel cage structures, each having a lower cage row and an upper cage row; at least two elongated rails, each one thereof mounted on an opposite one of said cage structures, on the side thereof closest to and facing the other such structure, said rails extending lengthwise of said cage structures; a service car rollably mounted on said pair of rails and bridging the same; said car including supportive frame means for carrying a user and bearing his weight; a

plurality of wheels coupled to said frame means and enga ing said rai s to move the car by rolling along the rails; and bra ing cans for normally braking said car in response to the weight carried by said frame means by holding the car stationary with respect to such rails; said braking means including a manually actuable control means which when actuating force is applied thereto operates to release such braking and allow the car to roll along the rails; said control means upon removal of said actuating force operating to engage said braking means to again brake said car and hold it stationary.

2. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said braking means includes a braking element for engaging at least one of said rails or some of said wheels upon removal of said actuating force, to thereby hold said car stationary.

3. The combination recited in claim 2, wherein said braking element engages said rail.

4. The combination recited in claim 2, wherein said control means comprises a foot-operated leverage mechanism.

5. The combination recited in claim 2, wherein said control means comprises a leverage mechanism, and said leverage mechanism moves said braking element with respect to said rail upon application or removal of said actuating force; said mechanism upon removal of said force operating to bring said element into frictional engagement with said rail.

6. The combination recited in claim 5, wherein said braking element is coupled to said frame means such that at least a part of the said weight of a user borne by the latter acts upon said element to urge said element against said rail and thereby brake said car.

7. The combination recited in claim 6, wherein said leverage mechanism moves said frame means with respect to said rail upon application or removal of said actuating force,

. to thereby move said braking element with respect to said rail.

8. The combination recited in claim 7, wherein said leverage mechanism includes at least one lever portion connected between a wheel and said frame means, to move the latter and the brakingelement coupled thereto with respect to such wheel and to the rail along which the latter rolls.

9. The combination recited in claim 8, wherein said frame means includes a generally flat bed providing a floor for said car, wherein some of said wheels are connected to said bed, and wherein said leverage mechanism includes a pair of said lever portions each connected between a wheel and portions of said frame means to move said frame means including said bed with respect to such wheels.

10. The combination recited in claim 9, wherein said frame means and the said bed included thereby is moved generally vertically by said leverage mechanism, said braking element comprising a downwardly-oriented surface for contacting the upper surface of said rail.

11. The combination recited in claim 3, wherein said braking element is attached to said frame means and said braking means comprises a lever mechanism for moving both said braking element and at least portions of said frame means with respect to said rail to separate the braking element and rail and thereby release said braking, said braking element when contacting said rail being forced against the same by the weight of the user of said car borne by said frame means.

12. The combination recited in claim 11, wherein said lever mechanism is connected to said frame means and to at least one of said wheels, to raise said frame means by using said wheel as a fulcrum against said rail.