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:
Sep. 09, 2003
Filed:
Oct. 01, 2002
Lucien Eliza Niels Voogd, Hg Leerdam, NL;
KArel van den Berg, Br Bleskensgraaf, NL;
Lely Enterprises A.G., Zug, CH;
Abstract
An apparatus for automatically supplying predetermined amounts of feed to animals over a predetermined period which may be a period of time such as 24 hours or based on other occurrences such as the number of animals that are being fed. Each animal feeds at a trough in a feeding area wherein the animal is identified and which may be provided in a preferably circular feeding column or available to an animal in a milking compartment. A plurality of feed types are provided for each animal wherein the amounts and types are computer controlled and take into consideration a number of factors such as the nutrition needs of the particular animal, its preferences in feed types, whether the animal involved is in a lactation period, the milk yield of the animal, the season of the year, the weather, and the physical profile of the animal being fed. Data is retained in the memory of the computer as to when each animal eats, what it eats, how much if any feed is left in the feeding trough and whether or not an animal has consumed the predetermined types of food that it should consume during the predetermined period. If not, the difference is calculated and an amount of feed is provided in portions for each relevant animal which amount is smaller or equal to the difference as a feed balance to the animal.