초록 ▼

An improved bedding for livestock of this invention provides a bed strip for livestock having at least two elastomeric belts bonded together, one on top of the other, to form at least one bed with at least two chambers, front and rear, expandable under fluid pressure, that, once properly filled with

An improved bedding for livestock of this invention provides a bed strip for livestock having at least two elastomeric belts bonded together, one on top of the other, to form at least one bed with at least two chambers, front and rear, expandable under fluid pressure, that, once properly filled with a working volume of fluid, will each attain a convex pillow-like shape. The fluid volume in the chambers is such that when an animal steps on the rear chamber of the bed the top belt makes contact with the bottom belt to provide a stable base for the animal's foot, yet, when the animal drops to its knees on the front chamber of the bed, during the process of lying down or rising to standing, the knees are supported by a fluid cushion between the top and bottom belts. Further, the fluid volume and the modulus of elasticity of the top belt are such that when the animal is lying down, substantial portions of its body trunk will depress portions of the top belt into contact with the bottom belt to thereby displace enough fluid against other portions of the elastomeric top belt to support the more sensitive body parts, principally the knees and hocks, on a cushion of fluid extending beneath the other portions of the top belt.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A bed strip for livestock comprising:a top belt; a bottom belt, said belts having a front end, a rear end, a right end and a left end, wherein said bottom belt is bonded by a fluid tight seal to said top belt along the margins of said belts and along at least one longitudinally spaced stripe exte

1. A bed strip for livestock comprising:a top belt; a bottom belt, said belts having a front end, a rear end, a right end and a left end, wherein said bottom belt is bonded by a fluid tight seal to said top belt along the margins of said belts and along at least one longitudinally spaced stripe extending from said front end margin to said rear end margin to define at least two fluid tight beds, at least one bed the bed strip having a left side and a right side; said at least one bed having a band extending transversely from said left side to said right side of said at least one bed, said band being located at approximately one-third the length of said at least one bed from the front end thereof, said band dimensioned having a front to rear length sufficient to accommodate the size of an animal's hoof to support an animal's hooves in a stable supported relation, wherein said band is defined by a discontinuous fluid tight bond between said bottom belt and said top belt such that said band divides said at least one bed into an expandable front fluid chamber and an expandable rear fluid chamber, said front fluid chamber having a surface area of sufficient size to receive and support the front knees of an animal when the animal lays down from a standing position in which the animal's front hooves are supported by said band, said rear fluid chamber being interconnected to said front fluid chamber through at least one orifice defined by a discontinuity in said band; and said fluid chamber being expandable to contain a working volume of substantially incompressible fluid such that the portions of said top belt that are not bonded to said bottom belt forming said front and rear fluid chambers will elastically assume convex pillow-like shapes such that the point loading of a standing animal's foot on said rear fluid chamber will press said top belt into stable supporting contact with said bottom belt, whereas, when the animal drops to its knees on the front fluid chamber, the animal's knees will be cushioned and separated from said bottom belt by fluid between said belts. 2. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein when the animal lies down on said at least one bed, the knees and hocks of the animal lying on said fluid chambers will be supported above said bottom belt by fluid between said top and bottom belts.3. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein when the animal lies down on said at least one bed, substantial portions of the animal's body trunk will press portions of said top belt into stable contact with said bottom belt to thereby displace fluid from beneath the top belt portion under the animal's body trunk into portions of the fluid chambers supporting the udder, knees and hocks of the animal.4. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein said top and bottom belts are comprised of an elastomeric material.5. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein said top belt is comprised of a laminate having at least one first ply comprised of an elastomeric material and at least one second ply comprised of a material having a modulus of elasticity greater than the modulus of elasticity of said elastomeric material.6. The bed strip for livestock of claim 5, wherein said at least one second ply is comprised of a material having a greater modulus of elasticity in a direction generally parallel to said front and rear ends of said belts, than in a direction generally parallel to said right and left ends of said belts.7. The bed strip for livestock of claim 5, wherein said at least one second ply is comprised of a loom woven fabric of synthetic filament fibers having polyester warp fibers extending in a direction generally parallel to said front and rear ends of said belts and nylon weft fibers extending in a direction generally parallel to said right and left ends of said belts.8. The bed strip for livestock of claim 5, wherein said at least one second ply is comprised of a material having a modulus of elasticity in a direction generally parallel to said front and rear ends of said belts that is at least twice the modulus of elasticity of said material in a direction generally parallel to said right and left ends of said belts.9. The bed strip for livestock of claim 8, wherein said at least one second ply is comprised of a Nylon material.10. The bed strip for livestock of claim 5, wherein said at least one first ply is comprised of natural rubber.11. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein said top belt is a laminate comprising:a first ply of natural rubber formulated to easily bond to other materials and be substantially fluid impervious; at least one second ply comprised of a material having a modulus of elasticity greater than the modulus of elasticity of said first ply, said material having a greater modulus of elasticity in a direction generally parallel to said front and rear ends of said belts, than in a direction generally parallel to said right and left ends of said belts, said at least one second ply being bonded on top of said first bottom ply; and a third ply comprised of natural rubber formulated to resist chemicals and fluids normally found in an animal enclosure, said third ply being bonded on top of said at least one second ply. 12. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein said bottom belt is comprised of a material having a modulus of elasticity greater than the modulus of elasticity of the material comprising said top belt.13. The bed strip for livestock of claim 12, wherein said bottom belt is comprised of a laminate having at least one first ply comprised of an elastomeric material and at least one second ply comprised of a material having a modulus of elasticity greater than the modulus of elasticity of said elastomeric material.14. The bed strip for livestock of claim 13, wherein said at least one second ply is comprised of a loom woven fabric of synthetic filament fibers.15. The bed strip for livestock of claim 14, wherein said at least one second ply is comprised of a polyester fabric.16. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1 wherein said bottom belt is a laminate comprising:a first ply comprised of natural rubber adapted to resist chemicals and fluids normally found in an animal enclosure; at least one second ply comprised of a loom woven synthetic filament fiber fabric having a modulus of elasticity greater than the modulus of elasticity of said top belt, said at least one second ply being bonded on top of said first ply; and a third ply comprised of natural rubber bonded on top of said at least one second ply. 17. The bed strip for livestock of claim 16, wherein said at least one second middle ply is comprised of a polyester fabric.18. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein said at least one bed contains fluid.19. The bed strip for livestock of claim 18, wherein said fluid is comprised of a liquid that will remain a liquid below freezing operating temperatures of said bed strip.20. The bed strip for livestock of claim 18, wherein said fluid is comprised of water.21. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, further comprising a fluid passage for accessing at least one fluid chamber of at least one said bed to allow the fluid chamber of at least said one bed to be filled with fluid.22. The bed strip for livestock of claim 21, wherein said fluid passage comprises a tube extending between said top and bottom belts from a margin of said bed strip into at least one interconnected fluid chamber of said at least one fluid tight bed.23. The bed strip for livestock of claim 22, wherein said tube is flexible, and further comprising a clamp for forcing said top and bottom belts together on either side of said tube to prevent fluid flow through or around said tube.24. The bed for livestock of claim 21 further comprising a closure means for retaining the fluid in said fluid chambers.25. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1 further comprising a means for securing said bed strip to a supporting structure.26. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein said bed strip is comprised of at least one hold down strip to thereby secure said bed strip to a supporting structure.27. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of said longitudinally spaced stripes dividing said bed strip into a plurality of said fluid tight beds.28. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the top belt is embossed with interstices of between about 0.0010 inches and 0.0030 inches to provide a low coefficient of friction against an animal's skin, while maintaining a surface on which the animal may walk when the surface is wet without substantial foot slippage.29. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, wherein separation foil material is interposed between said top belt and said bottom belt within the dimensions of said front and rear fluid chambers and said at least one orifice in which said belts are not bonded together.30. The bed strip for livestock of claim 1, including:a plurality of separation foils interposed between said top and bottom belts, said separation foils having a surface area smaller than the surface area of said top and bottom belts such that said separation foils prevent said top belt from bonding to said bottom belt within areas wherein said separation foils are interposed, said separation foils being positioned between said top and bottom belts such that the margins of said top and bottom belts may be bonded together in fluid tight relation by heat and pressure, and separation foils being longitudinally spaced such that said top and bottom belts bond in the stripes between said separation foils to thereby form a plurality of beds, each such bed consisting of areas in which said top and bottom belts are not bonded surrounded by a continuous area of fluid tight bond, thereby forming a plurality of expandable fluid chambers that may be filled with fluid, said separation foils having a generally rectangular shape and having such portions removed therefrom to allow a discontinuous band of bonded material extending generally parallel to said front and rear ends of said belts and extending the width of said beds to thereby divide said fluid chambers into a plurality of restrictively connected front fluid chambers and rear fluid chambers; a fluid passage for accessing at least one of said front and rear fluid chambers to thereby fill both of said fluid chambers with fluid; and a closure for said fluid passage to selectively permit and prevent fluid flow to and from said fluid chambers. 31. A bed strip for livestock comprising:a resilient body having a top belt and bottom belt wherein the belts are selectively bonded together in fluid tight relation to define at least one bed, said at least one bed having a transverse band located at approximately one-third of the length of said at least one bed from a front end thereof, said band defined by a fluid tight bond between said bottom belt and said top belt to divide the bed into an expandable front fluid chamber and an expandable rear fluid chamber of greater dimensions than said front fluid chamber, said belts not being bonded together within the dimensions of said fluid chambers, said band dimensioned having a front to rear length sufficient to accommodate the size of an animal's hoof to support an animal's front hooves in a stable supported relation, said rear said rear fluid chamber being interconnected to said front fluid chamber by an orifice which permits restricted fluid flow between said chambers, said fluid chambers being expandable to contain a working volume of substantially incompressible fluid such that the portions of said top belt that are not bonded to said bottom belt will elastically assume convex pillow-like shapes and the point loading of a foot of a standing animal on said rear fluid chamber will press said top belt into stable supporting contact with said bottom belt, whereas, when the animal drops to its knees on the front fluid chamber, the animal's knees will be cushioned and separated from said bottom belt by fluid between said belts; a fluid passage for accessing at least one fluid chamber of said bed to allow the fluid chamber of said bed to be filled, said fluid passage extending between said top and bottom belts from a margin of said bed strip into at least one interconnected fluid chamber of said bed. 32. The bed strip for livestock of claim 31, wherein the modulus of elasticity of the top belt is such that when the fluid chambers contain a working volume of substantially incompressible fluid, and the animal is lying down, substantial portions of its body trunk will depress portions of the top belt into stable contact with the bottom belt to thereby displace enough fluid against other portions of the top belt to support the knees and hocks of the animal on a cushion of fluid extending beneath the other portions of the top belt.33. The bed strip of claim 31, wherein the selective bonding together of said belts define a plurality of fluid tight beds extending along the length of the said strip in side-by-side relation.34. The bed strip for livestock of claim 31, wherein separation foil material is interposed between said top belt and said bottom belt within the dimensions of said fluid chambers and said orifice in which said belts are not bonded together.35. The bed strip for livestock of claim 31, including:a plurality of separation foils interposed between said top and bottom belts, said separation foils having a surface area smaller than the surface area of said top and bottom belts such that said separation foils prevent said top belt from bonding to said bottom belt within areas wherein said separation foils are interposed, said separation foils being positioned between said top and bottom belts such that the margins of said top and bottom belts may be bonded together in fluid tight relation by heat and pressure, and separation foils being longitudinally spaced such that said top and bottom belts bond in the stripes between said separation foils to thereby form a plurality of beds, each such bed consisting of areas in which said top and bottom belts are not bonded surrounded by a continuous area of fluid tight bond, thereby forming a plurality of expandable fluid chambers that may be filled with fluid, said separation foils having a generally rectangular shape and having such portions removed therefrom to allow a discontinuous band of bonded material extending generally parallel to said front and rear ends of said belts and extending the width of said beds to thereby divide said fluid chambers into a plurality of restrictively connected front fluid chambers and rear fluid chambers; said fluid passage accesses at least one of said front and rear fluid chambers to thereby fill both of said fluid chambers with fluid; and a closure for said fluid passage to selectively permit and prevent fluid flow to and from said fluid chambers. 36. A bed strip for livestock comprising:a top belt and a bottom belt, said belts each having a front end, a rear end, a right end and a left end, wherein said bottom belt is bonded by a fluid tight seal to said top belt along the margins of said belts and along at least one longitudinally spaced stripe extending from said front end margin to said rear end margin, wherein said at least one stripe divides said bed strip into at least two fluid tight beds, said top belt being a laminate comprising a first ply of natural rubber formulated to easily bond to other materials and be substantially fluid impervious, at least one second ply comprised of a material having a modulus of elasticity greater than the modulus of elasticity of said first ply and being further comprised of woven synthetic filament fibers having polyester warp fibers extending generally parallel to said front and rear ends of said belts and nylon weft fibers extending generally perpendicular to said front and rear ends of said belts, and wherein the warp/weft modulus of elasticity is at least two to one, said at least one second ply being bonded on top of said first ply, and a third ply comprised of natural rubber formulated to resist chemicals and fluids normally found in an animal enclosure, said third ply being bonded on top of said at least one second ply; at least one bed of the bed strip having a left side and a right side; said at least one bed having a band extending from said left side to said right side of said at least one bed, wherein said band is defined by a discontinuous fluid tight bond between said bottom belt and said top belt such that said band divides said at least one bed into an expandable front fluid chamber and an expandable rear fluid chamber, said rear fluid chamber being interconnected to said front fluid chamber through at least one orifice defined by a discontinuity in said band; and said fluid chambers being expandable to contain a working volume of fluid such that the portions of said top belt that are not bonded to said bottom belt forming said front and rear fluid chambers will elastically assume convex pillow-like shapes such that the point loading of a standing animal's foot on said rear fluid chamber will press said top belt into stable supporting contact with said bottom belt, whereas, when the animal drops to its knees on the front fluid chamber, the animal's knees will be cushioned and separated from said bottom belt by fluid between said belts.