The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 18, 2003
Filed:
Jan. 30, 2002
Karel van den Berg, Bleskensgraaf, NL;
Lucien Eliza Niels Voogd, Leerdam, NL;
Howard Sie, Rotterdam, NL;
Abstract
A device for supplying fodder to animals such as cows which has a plurality of hoppers containing fodder wherein each hopper may have a different type of fodder. A plurality of feeding troughs are provided which are accessible to animals to feed therefrom. Each hopper has a conveyor for conveying fodder from that hopper to a control component that has a receptacle which receives fodder from selected hoppers. Under control of the control component selected conveyors in the hoppers convey predetermined amounts of fodder therefrom to the receptacle. The receptacle has a bottom which can be opened and from which fodder falls through a pipe or chute to a selected trough. The device is provided with a container which may be one of the hoppers edible separating material which may be supplied to the receptacle to form a layer on top of which fodder is received and is wrapped, at least in part, by the edible separating material as it falls through the bottom of the receptacle into the underlying pipe or chute. The control component includes a memory that contains data as to the adhesiveness of the fodder contained in each of the hoppers and causes fodder to be conveyed to the receptacle and therefrom in the order of increasing adhesiveness thereof. The edible separating material is a material that at least substantially does not adhere to components of the device with which it comes into contact.