WO2006026643A2

WO2006026643A2 - Sheeted adjustable alley frame

Info

Publication number: WO2006026643A2
Application number: PCT/US2005/030924
Authority: WO
Inventors: William Priefert
Original assignee: Priefert Manufacturing Company, Inc.
Priority date: 2004-08-30
Filing date: 2005-08-30
Publication date: 2006-03-09
Also published as: WO2006026643A4; CA2581915A1; WO2006026643A3

Abstract

An alleyway (12) for use in animal husbandry operations that is of an adjustable width to accommodate animals of diverse sized. An operator side panel (24) is mounted for sliding movement toward and away from a fixed, opposite side panel (20). The operator side panel (24) can be fixed in an adjusted position to defined alleyways of adjusted width. Prefereably, one or both of the panels (20,24) are mounted for pivotal movement up and away from the alleyway to permit the release of an animal from the alleyway.

Description

SHEETED ADJUSTABLE ALLEY FRAME

Background of the Invention

The invention relates generally to animal enclosures and guideways and, more specifically, to a frame used to adjust the width of an alley or walkway used in the management and control of animals, particularly cattle.

There are operations in the care and management of animals when they must be directed into an enclosure or captured in a confined space. For example, when a farmer or rancher is preparing to sell animals, they frequently must be sorted by size or weight so that only animals of the target size or weight are sent to market. To assist in sorting the animals, they may be moved from one enclosed area to a plurality of other enclosures through alleys, walkways, and the like. In sorting the animals, some must be directed to an enclosure, such as a pen to which a truck for transporting them to market has access while the others will be directed to a different enclosure or returned to a feeding area. Usually the sorting process involves a single-line procession of animals along a narrow alley so that they maintain a forward direction. Because sorting typically requires that the animals be directed along alternative paths at certain points, gates or the like are alternatively opened and closed to provide or prevent access, as desired by the person doing the sorting. Opening and closing of gates between animals is oftentimes disturbing to the animals and may have the effect of causing the animals to attempt to turn around in the alley and try to go in the opposite direction than is required. If the alley is not sufficiently narrow, the animals may be successful in getting turned around, or may get partially turned and then stuck. Either condition inhibits the efficiency of the sorting process.

Other examples of when animals are moved down alleys are when animals are being provided with veterinary procedures, such as inoculations, de-horning, castration, artificial insemination, pregnancy testing, and the like. To prevent animals of diverse sizes from being able to turn around in the alley and disrupt the process, it is helpful to be able to adjust the width of the alley. While prior art systems have been used for this purpose, all have lacked in the simplicity of construction, ease of use, and functionality of the present invention. Summary of the Invention

The invention consists of an alleyway for use in animal husbandry operations that is of an adjustable width to accommodate animals of diverse sizes. The animal alleyway includes an upright frame having a top rail, an operator side rail and an opposite side rail. A mounting bar is supported on the top rail for movement toward and away from the opposite side rail of the upright frame. An operator side panel is mounted on the mounting bar. An opposite side panel is mounted on the opposite side rail of the frame. An operator handle is positioned outside of the operator side panel and is interconnected with the mounting bar by a pair of links such that movement of the operator handle toward and away from the opposite side rail of the frame results in sliding movement of the mounting bar and the operator side panel toward and away from the opposite side panel to adjust the width of the alley between the panels. A retaining pin is used to hold the operator side panel at the desired adjusted width of the alleyway. hi a preferred embodiment, the panels are mounted for pivotal movement between a vertical or working orientation defining an enclosed alleyway and a pirvoted or releasing position which allows an animal to be released from the alleyway below the pivoted panel.

Brief Description of the Figures Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the sheeted adjustable alley frame of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an upper perspective view of an animal enclosure constructed using the sheeted alley frame of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a close-up view of the spring-loaded retaining pin used to hold the sheeted adjustable alley frame in a desired adjusted position.

Fig. 4 is a close-up view of the alley frame with the operator handle moved to its closest position adjacent the operator's side rail and, accordingly, the sheeted panel is in its adjusted position maximizing the width of the alley.

Fig. 5 corresponds to Fig. 4 except that the operator handle has been moved away from the side rail to move the sheeted panel inwardly to narrow the alley.

Fig. 6 is a close-up view showing the pivotal connection of the panel to the frame. Fig. 7 shows the sheeted panel being pivoted upwardly to open the alley.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment

The invention consists of a sheeted adjustable alley frame 10 (Fig. 1) for use in adjusting the width of alleys 12 (Fig. 2) used in directing animals from one area to another. A vertical rectangular frame includes a ground supported bottom rail 14, a top rail 16, and two side rails extended between opposite end portions of the top and bottom rails, an operator's side rail 18 and a far side rail 20 (Fig. 1). A fixed panel 22 is mounted on the far side rail 20 and forms a part of one sidewall of the alley 12 (Fig. 2). A mounting bar 24 is suspended from the top rail 16 for sliding movement between a position adjacent the operator's side rail 18 and a central position between the two side rails (Fig. 1). An operator handle 26 is pivotally mounted on the operator's side rail 18 on a pair of pivot plates 28, 30 for manual adjustment outside of the rectangular frame in an arc. The pivot plates 28, 30 are also attached through a pair of links 32, 34 to the mounting bar 24 so that movement of the operator handle 26 toward and away from the operator's side rail 18 will slide the adjustable mounting bar 24 toward and away from the operator's side rail 18. A moveable, sheeted panel 36 is supported on the mounting bar 24 and thus forms the other sidewall of the alley 12 (Fig. 2). Accordingly, movement of the operator handle 26 toward and away from the operator's side rail 18 will move the moveable, sheeted panel 36 toward and away from the fixed panel 22 and thus narrow and widen the alley 12 formed between the two panels 22 and 36.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, a spring-loaded retaining pin 38 serves to hold the operator handle 26 in one of a plurality of adjusted positions. The retaining pin 38 is mounted for pivotal movement inside a V-shaped member 50 that is mounted on the operator's side rail 18, and includes a spring 52 that biases the pin 38 toward the pivot plate 28, which is perforated with a plurality of holes 54. Pivotal movement of the pin 38 from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation will compress the spring 52 and withdraw the pin 38 from an associated hole 54, whereupon movement of the operator handle 26 will move the sheeted panel 36 to an adjusted position. The retaining pin 38 is then pivoted to its vertical orientation (Fig. 4) whereupon the spring 52 urges the pin 38 into an associated one of the holes 54 thus releasably securing the pivot plate 28, and thus the sheeted panel 36, it the desired adjusted position.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the panels 22 and 36 are mounted on the far side rail 20 and the mounting bar 24, respectively, using a pivotal connection at the top and a releasable connection at the bottom. The pivotal connection consists of a keyhole bracket 40 on the rail 20 and bar 24 and a flattened pin 42 on either end of the panel 22, 36 (Figs. 1 and 6). The releasable connection consists of an ear and associated pins 56, 58 on the lower portion of the bars 20, 24, respectively. The ear and pins 56, 58 releasably hold the bottom end of the panels 22, 36 to the corresponding rail 20 or bar 24. If an animal should become trapped in the alley 12, for example if it fell and the alley 12 was too narrow to allow it to get up, the retaining pins 56, 58 of the bottom connections for the panels 22, 36 can be released and the panel pivoted upwardly away from the alley 12 (Fig.7) to allow the animal to get up.

The foregoing description and drawings comprise illustrative embodiments of the present inventions. The foregoing embodiments and the methods described herein may vary based on the ability, experience, and preference of those skilled in the art. Merely listing the steps of the method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order of the steps of the method. The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto, except insofar as the claims are so limited. Those skilled in the art that have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. An animal alleyway of adjustable width, comprising:

(a) an upright frame having a top rail, an operator side rail and an opposite side rail;

(b) a mounting bar supported on the top rail for movement toward and away from the opposite side rail of the upright frame;

(c) an operator side panel mounted on the mounting bar;

(d) an opposite side panel mounted on the opposite side rail of the frame;

(e) an operator handle; and

(f) a pair of links interconnecting the operator handle and the mounting bar whereupon movement of the operator handle toward and away from the opposite side rail of the frame results in sliding movement of the mounting bar and the operator side panel toward and away from the opposite side panel to adjust the width of the alley between the panels.

2. An animal alleyway as defined in claim 1, further comprising releasable retaining means for releasably securing the operator side panel at and adjusted position relative to the opposite side panel.

3. An animal alleyway as defined in claim 1, further comprising a pivotal support between the operator side panel and the mounting bar whereby the panel is pivotable relative to the mounting bar between an upright, operating position and a raised, releasing position to permit an animal to exit the alleyway.

4. An animal alleyway as defined in claim 3, further comprising a latch for releasably securing the panel to the mounting bar in its upright, operating position.

5. An animal alleyway as defined in claim 1, wherein the pair of links comprise pivot plates that are pivotally connected to the mounting bar and the operator handle.