AU673627B2 - A floor module for an animal pen - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Address for Service: VISCOUNT PLASTICS PTY LTD CULLEN

CO.,

Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

A FLOOR MODULE FOR AN ANIMAL PEN fl V V 00 Invention Title: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us.

THIS INVENTION relates to a floor module for an animal pen and particularly to a plastic floor module for use in pig pens.

Animal pens, and particularly pig pens, support pigs on a floor under which a waste channel extends. Waste products can pass through apertures in the floor and into the waste channel for removal. The waste channel can be periodically flushed with water to maintain an acceptable hygiene level in the pen.

One known type of floor includes apertured metal sheets which are plastic coated. The sheets are laid over the channel and support the animal. The sheets however become damaged fairly quickly and require replacement.

In our earlier Australian patent application 33749/93 we developed floor modules made froni injection moulded plastic which are about 40 centimetres long and about 20 centimetres wide and which could be stacked and transported with minimum cost and could be assembled into an animal floor. Should a particular module require 20 replacement, it could be removed from the floor and a new one put in. While this module proved satisfactory, it still exhibited certain stresses, especially when used in a pig pen.

The present invention is directed to a floor module which may overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the public with a useful or commercial choice.

S" In one form, the invention resides in a floor module for an animal pen, the module having a top wall, a side wall having opposed portions and a strengthening rib underneath the top wall and extending between the opposed portions, the rib terminating in a plurality of arm members to join the rib to the opposed portions.

We find that this arrangement reduces or balances the stresses on the floor module caused by load and variations in temperature.

The module may be rectangular when viewed in plan and may comprise a pair of opposed side walls and a pair of opposed end walls depending from the top wall.

r The top wall may be formed or provided with slots or openings dimensioned to allow animal waste products to pass therethrough or be pressed therethrough and also to prevent an animal foot from passing through the slot or becoming wedged therein.

The end walls may comprise legs to support the module above a waste channel. Each leg may comprise an inner leg and an outer leg which may be interconnected by struts. The inner leg and the outer leg are preferably connected by a top wall which may form part of the top wall of the module. The top wall interconnecting the inner leg and the outer leg preferably does not contain any openings such that waste products and debris does not pass between the inner leg and the outer leg. To facilitate waste products passing through the slots or openings in the top wall, it is preferred that t-1 P2- ,-,rmim it Fi, 4 ,ij lr the top wall inclineStowards the openings or slots.

eeoc A number of strengthening ribs may be provided under the top wall and extending between the opposed o 20 portions of the side wall. A main central rib may be provided and a number of intermediate ribs may be provided between the main rib and an end wall of the module.

The main rib may be of thicker or wider material S than the intermediate ribs, again to reduce or balance the stresses on the module. Suitably, each strengthening rib is made from a single sheet of material which branches into a first arm and a second arm before the rib joins the opposed portions of the side wall.

An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a floor module; Figure 2 is a top section view of Figure j; Figure 3 is a side section view of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Figure 1, there is shown a floor module 10 for a pig pen.

Module 10 has a top wall 11, a pair of opposed side wtls 12, 13 and a pair of end walls 14, 15. In the embodiment, the module is formed from injection-moulded plastics and is approximately 40 centimetres long, 20 centimetres wide and centimetres in height.

The top wall of module 10 is substantially planar and is formed with a plurality of slots 16 which are elongate and rounded at their edges. Slots 16 are dimensioned to allow faeces and urine to pass through the module or be pressed through the module with the walking action of the animal, or hosing down of the floor, but are small enough to prevent an animal foot from passing through the slot or becoming wedged therein. Sets of slots are provided on the top wall, each set containing between two to three parallel elongate slots. To facilitate drainage, it is preferred that some of the slots face one way and other of the slots face another way. In the embodiment illustrated, it is preferred that the slots adjacent end walls 14, 15 face parallel to the end wall, while intermediate slots face parallel to side walls 12, 13.

'as* This arrangement facilitates drainage of waste products through the module and into a waste channel (not shown).

S 20 Figures 2 and 3 show the arrangement of features below top wall 11. Referring initially to Figure 2, top wall 11 is supported against sagging by a number of strengthening ribs 17 19. These ribs extend from side wall 12 to side wall 13 and underneath top wall 11. The ribs are spaced and parallel with respect to each other and include a central rib 17 and two intermediate ribs 18, 19, S" the intermediate ribs extending approximately equidistant between central rib 17 and end wall 14, 15. Each of ribs 17 19 comprises a single wall. Each wall splits into a first arm member and a second arm member (see, for instance, 20 21 in Figure 2) before joining to a respective side wall 12, 13. This arrangement minimises outward bowing of side walls 12, 13 by differential expansion and contraction of strengthening ribs and the side walls. That is, arm members 20, 21 can act as springs to absorb the differential expansion.

The tile also contains further strengthening ribs extending generally parallel with side walls 12, 13. One

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such rib 22 extends generally mid-way between side walls 12, 13 and includes end portions which are again split into a first arm member and a second arm member (23, 24), again to provide differential expansion and contraction.

While ribs 17 19 are of equal size, further smaller ribs 25, 26 extend between ribs 18, 19 and end walls 14, 15. These further ribs are of reduced width relative to the main strengthening ribs 17 19 and function to provide better support to the module.

Module 10 is supported by legs 30, 31 which are located adjacent end walls 14 and 15. Referring to Figure 3, each leg 30, 31 is formed from an inner leg 32 and an outer leg 33 which may be interconnected by a top wall 34 and side walls (not shown). Outer leg 33 is the same as end wall 15. Top wall 34 does not contain any slots or openings (see Figure i) so waste products cannot locate within the space between inner leg member 32 and outer leg member 33. Top wall 34 also has a gentle inclined surface to guide waste products from the edge of the module towards •g 20 an adjacent slot or opening.

*OO*

Modules 10 can be joined together through a series of projections 35 (see Figure 1) which can locate within correspondingly shaped recesses (not shown) on an adjacent module. The type of joining arrangement can, of course, vary to suit.

Top wall 11 can be configured to form an antislip surface for animals and this may be achieved by providing profiles on the top wall.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

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Claims (14)

1. A floor module for an animal pen, the module having a top wall, a side wall having opposed portions, and a strengthening rib underneath the top wall and extending between the opposed portions, -the strengthening rib having a plurality of arm members to join the rib to the opposed portions.

2. The module of Claim 1 wherein the side wall comprises a pair of opposed side walls.

3. The module of Claim 1 wherein, the module is rectangular when viewed in plan and comprises a pair of opposed side walls and a pair of opposed end walls.

4. The module as claimed in claim 3 wherein the end walls have legs to support the module above the ground surface. The module as claimed in claim 4 wherein each leg has an inner W 1 .g and an outer leg.

6. The module as claimed in claim 5 wherein the inner leg and the outer leg are interconnected by a top wall, the top wall being part of the top wall of the module. The module as claimed in claim 6 wherein the top wall interconnecting the inner leg and the outer leg is continuous and does not include any opening to allow waste 25 material to pass between the leg mermbers, The module as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7 wherein the top wall is inclined to facilitate passage of o waste material from -the top wall and to an adjacent opening.

9. The module as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the strengthening rib is formed from a single wall extending vertically with respect to the top wall and branching Into a first arm member and a second arm member before joining to a said opposed portion.

10. The module as claimed in Claim 9 wherein the first arm member and the second arm member define an included angle of between 200 800.

11. The module as claimed in any one of the preceding claims comprising a plurality of said strengthening ribs.

12. The module as claimed in Claim 11 wherein the ribs extend between the side walls and generally parallel to the end walls.

13. The module es claimed in Claim 12 comprising a central rib and a pair of off-centre ribs, the ribs being of equal width.

14. The module as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the top wall is provided with a series of slots dimensioned to allow animal waste to pass therethrough but preventing an animal foot from passing through the slot or being wedged therein. The module as claimed in Claim 14 wherein the slots comprise sets of parallel slots, the slots of at least some of the sets being angled relative to the slots of at least some other of the sets.

16. The module as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including means to join adjacent modules together. 20 17. The module of Claim 16 wherein the means comprises a plurality of projections on one side of the module and a plurality of recesses on the other side of the module.

18. An animal pen comprising one or more modules as described in any one of the preceding claims.

19. A module substantially as thereinbefore descried with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this Third day of November 1994. S" VISCOUNT PLASTICS PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO O 8 ABSTRACT A floor module for a pig pen has specially shaped ribs and other features to provide the module with greater strength where needed. C