GB2049603A - Haynet holder - Google Patents

Abstract

A preferably collapsible holder, for use when filling haynets, has four corner legs secured together to form a rectangular frusto-pyramidal, open, box-like structure. In use, the open mouth of a haynet is secured to the tops of the legs so that the net hangs down within the frame. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Haynet holder This invention relates to a haynet holder suitable for use when filling haynets with hay. A haynet is a coarse mesh bag, usually provided with a draw string at its mouth to close the bag when it is filled with hay; the filled bag being suspended from a suitable support, such as a hook on the wall of the stable or horsebox, to provide fodder for a horse. In this specification the term 'horse' is intended to include all quadrupeds of the horse family such as pony, mule, donkey, ass and the like.

In general haynets are filled manually and the usual method employed is for one person to hold open the mouth of the haynet while another person stuffs it with hay. The need for two people to fill the haynets effectively doubles the labour costs and this can be significant in large stables.

Another method which can be used by one person is to hold open the mouth of the net bag using the feed spaced apart to hold part of the mouth on the ground and one hand to hold the remainder of the mouth above ground to form a somewhat triangular opening and then drag the hay towards the mouth of the net and then push it in. This method is time consuming, laborious, tiresome and there is also a tendency to introduce dust and litter from the ground into the haynet with the hay.

An attempt has been made to overcome these problems by making a haynet holder which is sec urely attached to a suitable support, such as a stable wall, but this has the disadvantage that hay has to be carried to the holder, and the filled haynet carried to the place where it is to be used and this can be time consuming, laborious and wasteful of hay, particularly on windy days.

It is an object of the invention to provide a haynet holder which overcomes or alleviates the aforementioned disadvantages.

According to the invention there is provided a portable haynet holder for use in filling haynets with hay, comprising an open box-like frame having four rigid, elongate members defining four corner legs of the frame which legs are arranged, in use, to converge slightly towards the top of the frame. Thus, the top extremities of the elongate members are arranged to receive and hold open the mouth of a net which is suspended within the frame while the net is filled quite simply by one person.

Because the elongate corner members converge slightly towards the top of the frame, it follows that the area of the frame at its base defined by the lower extremities of the four elongate members is greater than at its top, defined by the upper extremities of the four elongate members. Thus when the haynet is filled it is a simple matter to release the mouth of the net from the holder, tighten the draw string to contain the hay, and then lift off the haynet holder, which is light relative to the haynet and contained hay. The haynet holder can then be carried to the next position where a filled haynet is required.

The elongate members can be made of a light alloy material and, preferably, have a right-angled profile to increase the rigidity of the individual members and the frame formed therefrom.

The frame is preferably arranged to be collapsible to increase its portability and its ease its storage when not in use. Such a frame, when collapsed, can be readily stored, for example, in a horse box so that it can be used for horses in transit and at horse shows and the like.

One embodiment of the haynet holder according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying draw ings, in which: Fig. is a perspective view of a haynetholderin the open, operative condition.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the haynet holder of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the haynet holder of Fig. 1 in the collapsed condition.

Fig. 4 is a detail of a fixing member for securing supporting struts of the holder.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a haynet holder 10 comprising four elongate corner legs 12, 14, 16, 18 of an aluminium alloy having a rightangled profile to increase their rigidity. The legs 12, 14, 16, 18 converge slightly as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 from the bottom to the top of the frame 10 so that the base area defined by the extremities 12a, 14a, 16a (not shown), 18a of the legs is greater than the top area defined by the extremities 12b, 14b, 16b, 18b.

The legs 12, 14, 16, 18 are held together in the open position by cross members 20, 22, 24, 26 situated near the top of the frame 10, cross members 28, 30,31,34 situated near the bottom of the frame 10 and struts 36, 38 which extend diagonally between legs 12 and 14 and 16 and 18 respectively. The cross members and struts are of an aluminium alloy.

The cross members 22,26,30,34 are fixedly secured to the respective legs, for example as by rivetting.

The cross member 20 is pivotally secured at one end 20a to the leg 14 and is provided at its other end with an aperture 20b (Fig. 3) which fits over a peg 13 (Fig. 4) extending outwardly from the leg 12. The peg 13 is provided with a flange 13a at its distal end of larger diameter than that of its body 13b. The diameter of the flange 13a is made such that it is a push fit through the aperture 20b in cross member 20 so that when erecting the frame 10, the legs are spaced apart, the cross member 20 is pivoted away from leg 14 to a position where its aperture 20b can be pushed over the peg 13 on leg 12.The member 20 is then secured in position bea slide-lock device 15 having a bifurcated slideable member 15a which can be slid (to the left in Fig. 4) so that the bifurcated portion embraces the body 13b of the peg 13 and prevent any inadvertent detachment of the member 20 from the leg 12. The cross member 24 is similar, in manufacture and operation, to the cross member 20.

The strut 36 is pivotally mounted at one end 36a The drawing(s) originally filed were informal and the print here reproduced is taken from a later filed formal copy.

on an inner face of leg 14b as shown and at the other end 36b it is provided with an aperture arranged to fit over a peg 37 on leg 12 and secured in position by a slide-lock device 39 in the same manner as that described in relation to cross member 20. The strut 38 is similar, in manufacture and operation, to strut 36.

The cross member 28 comprises two parts 28a and 28b which are articulated at 2 & and pivotally connected to the legs 12 and 14 at 28d and 28e respectively. The part 28b is provided with an outwardly extending, upper flange 28f which is arranged to abut the upper surface of the part 28a when the frame 10 is open to maintain the cross member 28 straight and therefore the base area of the frame 10 constant. The cross member 32 is similar, in manufacture and operation, to cross member 28.

In use of the haynet holder 10 (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2), the open mouth of a haynet (not shown) is supported at equispaced positions around its mouth on the upper extremities 12b, 14b, 16b, and 18b of the legs 12 to 18 respectively so that the net hangs down within the framework. The net is then filled with hay, its mouth released from the upper extremities of the legs 12 to 18, allowed to rest on the ground within the frame while the draw cord is pulled and knotted to close the mouth. The holder 10 can then be lifted from the filled hay net; a much easierand simpler task than attempting to lift the filled net out of the holder 10. The holder can then be placed in position in readiness to fill a haynet or it can be collapsed to the position shown in Fig. 3 for storage.

Typical dimensions for a haynet holder for use with a pony haynet are: Legs 12,14,16,18-length 68.5 cm Cross members 20,22,24,26 - length 43 cm Cross members 28,30,32,34 - length 50 cm Struts 36,38 - length 65 cm For nets for large horses such as cobs and hunters the length ofthe legs 12 to 18would be about 10 cm longer and the dimensions of the other members would be increased accordingly.

Thus there has been described a haynet holder which is cheap, simple and easily transportable.

Claims (11)

1. A portable haynet holder comprising an open box-like frame having four rigid, elongate members defining four corner legs of the frame, which legs are arranged, in use, to converge slightly towards the top of the frame.

2. A haynet holder according to Claim 1 comprising a first set of four rigid elongate cross members secured near the top ends of the leg members to hold them in fixed, spaced relation so that the top ends of the leg members defined in plan view, the corners of a first rectangle and a second set of four rigid, elongate cross members longer than the first set of cross members and secured near the bottom ends of the leg members to hold them in fixed, spaced relation so that the bottom ends of the leg members define in plan view the corners of a second rectangle slightly larger than and disposed symmetrically about the first said rectangle.

3., A haynet holder according to Claim 1, 2 comprising a first rigid, elongate strut member secured to and extending from a position near the bottom of a first leg member to a position near the top of a second adjacent leg member and a second rigid, elongate strut member secured to and extending from a position nearthe bottom of a third leg member, diagonally opposite the first leg member, to a position near the top of the fourth leg member.

4. A haynet holder according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 which is collapsible.

5. A haynet holder according to Claim 4 as dependant upon Claim 2 wherein one corresponding pair of opposed cross members of the said first and second sets are fixedly secured to their associated leg members, and each one of the other pair of opposed cross members of one of the said first and second sets has one end pivotally secured to one of its associated leg members and the other end adapted to be releasably secured to the other of its associated leg members and each one of the other pair of opposed cross members of the other of said first and second sets are articulated members pivotally mounted at their ends to their associated leg members.

6. A haynet holder according to Claim 4 as dependant upon Claim 3 wherein one end of each strut member is pivotally secured to one of its associated leg members and the other end is adapted to be releasably secured to the other end of its associated leg members.

7. A haynet holder according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the elongate members are of metal.

8. A haynet holder according to Claim 7 wherein the metal is an aluminium alloy.

9. A haynet holder according to any one of the preceeding Claims wherein the elongate leg members have a right-angled profile.

10. A haynet holder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

11. The features as herein disclosed, or their equivalents, in any novel selection.