초록 ▼

A creep feeder furnishes a blow molded container with an inner chamber, a top port and a bottom port. The top port provides passage for feed into the inner chamber and is closed by a snap fit cap. The bottom part provides a throat, narrowing valve seat and narrower delivery tube. A blow molded, holl

A creep feeder furnishes a blow molded container with an inner chamber, a top port and a bottom port. The top port provides passage for feed into the inner chamber and is closed by a snap fit cap. The bottom part provides a throat, narrowing valve seat and narrower delivery tube. A blow molded, hollow valve is enclosed in the bottom part and operates with the valve seat to dispense feed upon demand of an animal. The valve has a bulbous head with a gradually narrowing under surface that engages with the valve seat to close the bottom port. A narrower valve stem hangs in the delivery tube, and the delivery tube keeps the valve substantially aligned in the bottom port to insure proper sealing between the head and valve seat. The device dispenses feed upon an animal pushing up the bottom end of the stem and spacing the head from the seat. Feed in the chamber then flows down through the bottom port. An umbrella hanging in the chamber reduces the weight of the feed resting on the valve head to reduce the force needed to push up the valve for dispensing feed.

대표청구항 ▼

An animal feeding device for containing granular feed placed therein and dispensing selected amounts of said feed upon demand by an animal, said device comprising: A. container means for forming an interior chamber adapted to contain said feed, said container means including a bottom port for dispen

An animal feeding device for containing granular feed placed therein and dispensing selected amounts of said feed upon demand by an animal, said device comprising: A. container means for forming an interior chamber adapted to contain said feed, said container means including a bottom port for dispensing feed from said chamber under gravity flow, said bottom port including a circular valve seat at said chamber and a narrower depending delivery tube terminating at a bottom edge; B. control valve means freely floating at said bottom port for opening and closing said bottom port, said valve means having an undersurface normally engaging along substantially all of said circular valve seat to close said bottom port, and having a stem depending from said under surface and hanging in said dispensing tube to present a bottom end extending below said bottom edge of said dispensing tube, said undersurface remaining engaged with said valve seat upon movement of said stem bottom end laterally of said dispensing tube and disengaging from said valve seat upon movement of said stem bottom end longitudinally of said dispensing tube; and C. umbrella means suspended at a fixed position in said chamber for carrying at least some of the weight of the feed adapted to be contained in said chamber that otherwise would bear on said control valve means.