Patent Application
20130164079
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to latching assemblies, and more particularly to an improved latching assembly for use with livestock stanchions and related methods of installation, removal, use and repair.
2. Description of the Related Art
Livestock stanchions have been used for years to restrain the heads of animals such as cattle, horses and goats for limited periods of time. Such temporary restraint ordinarily occurs in association with feeding the animal to prevent the animal from over feeding, and also allows the animal to be examined, groomed, cleaned, vaccinated, artificially inseminated or otherwise administered to without disruption. In dairies, stanchions are often employed to hold the cattle during the milking process. Animal stanchions may also be used to temporarily separate one or more head of cattle from the herd.
A typical stanchion includes a pivotable vertically oriented bar that is used to hold the head of the animal in place. The animal pushes its head through an opening in the stanchion bounded on one side by the pivotable bar. By moving the head down to feed from a trough, the bar pivots and latches at an upper location thereby restricting the size of the opening through which the head was inserted, and preventing the animal from removing its head. When it is time to release the animal, the vertical bar is unlatched at the top which enlarges the size of the opening thereby allowing the animal to remove its head.
An example of a typical stanchion latch is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,027 which discloses a stanchion latch that may be opened by providing outward pressure on either of two pivotable latching members from an inner gap between the latching members. This pressure causes one or both of the latching members to rotate such that their lower end(s) move to release the upper end of the stanchion bar. Livestock stanchions are typically provided in groups or banks made up of a series of several individual stanchions.
Animals restrained in a stanchion will often try to escape. Large and strong animals such as horses and cattle may cause damage to the stanchion and its parts from these escape efforts. In particular, the edges and lower ends of the pivotal latching members may be bent, deformed or otherwise damaged from this activity. Over time, the lower ends of these latching members tend to wear out such that they can no longer accomplish a latching function, and must be replaced. In addition, the animal movement may damage the pivoting nut-bolt assemblies that hold the latches onto their horizontal mounting pipes, often making it difficult or impossible to unscrew the nut from the bolt in these assemblies to remove the latch.
Removing existing damaged or broken latches is difficult because such latches are engaged around a mounting support pipe. Thus, even after the nut-bolt pivot is removed (often with difficulty), the latch itself must either be cut off, or slid down the support pipe for removal. Even if the damaged latch is cut from the pipe, the replacement latch must be slid down the pipe back into place since it must extend around the pipe. Sliding latches up and down the pipe usually requires removal of the pipe from the stanchion, as well as removal of any other latches along the pipe between the damaged latch and the closest pipe end. Since stanchions are usually provided in banks of 6 or 8, several other latches may need to be removed from the pipe (often with difficulty) to get to the damaged one. This is a time consuming and cumbersome process which shuts down all of the stanchions in the bank until it is completed.
It is therefore desirable to provide latching mechanisms for livestock stanchions that are easy to remove and replace. It is also desirable to provide methods for removing and replacing damaged livestock stanchion latches that do not require removal of the support pipe or removal intermediate latches.
The present invention addresses these desires by providing improved latching assemblies for use in animal stanchions that are easy to remove and replace, and by providing methods of removal and replacement that do not require removal of the support pipe and/or that do not require removal of any other stanchion latches.
Embodiments of the present invention include an improved latch assembly having one or two important features. The first feature is a removable lower portion of the latch assembly that is deployed below the horizontal mounting pipe. This removable portion allows embodiments of the latch to be easily removed from the horizontal stanchion support pipe without requiring removal of the pipe itself, nor removal of all latches between the removed latch and the end of the support pipe. In particular, it is not necessary to slide these embodiments of the latch down the support pipe in order to remove them. These embodiments of the latch have a lower portion that is provided with two opposite sides or legs defining a central open area. A removable portion spans this open area at one end (usually the bottom) between the legs, such that it is located below the horizontal support pipe when the latch is installed. In preferred embodiments, the removable portion may be provided in the form of a coupler nut provided between opposite sides of the latch itself. Embodiments of a coupler nut are provided in the form of an elongated generally tubular member having openings at either end. In embodiments of the latch, two openings are provided, one on each of the two opposite sides (legs) of the latch body. In these embodiments, a bolt is inserted through each of these two openings, one on each side, and into the openings in the coupler nut to hold it in place. In different embodiments, the removable portion may be provided in other forms of coupling devices, including without limitation a pin with retainer clips, a cylindrical body with spring-loaded pins on opposite ends, and the like. The removable portion (e.g., coupler nut, pin with clips, etc.) should be made of sturdy material so that it can withstand the considerable stress imparted by livestock trying to get free from the stanchion.
To install embodiments of the invention, the removable portion of the latch is removed (e.g., the bolts are unscrewed from the ends of the coupler nut), and the two sides or legs of the lower portion of the latch body are placed over the horizontal support pipe in a straddling position. The removable portion is then attached to and between the two legs of the latch body underneath the support pipe (e.g., the bolts are inserted through the holes in the legs and screwed into the ends of the coupler nut). The pivotal section of the latch is then attached to the pipe. To remove such embodiments of the invention, the pivotal section of the latch is first detached from the pipe; then, the removable portion is detached from between the two legs of the latch body and removed, allowing the latch to then be removed from the pipe.
The second feature, which may be provided with or provided independently from the first feature, is a special pivoting mechanism for pivotal attachment of the latch to the horizontal mounting pipe. As noted in the background discussion above, in existing latches, the bolt used to mount the latch to the horizontal pipe extends through the pipe, and may become stripped or damaged from the stress imparted by livestock trying to escape from the stanchion. In embodiments of the present invention, a sleeve is inserted into the openings in the horizontal pipe that receives the bolt before it is inserted. In some embodiments, these openings may be reduced, enlarged or otherwise sized in order to receive the sleeve. The sleeve may be provided in any suitable form, such as without limitation, a spring pin (which may be self-expanding), a pipe, tubing, a press fit bushing, a bushing with a head (two-piece set), and the like. The sleeve provides a protective cover for the bolt, preventing it from being stripped or damaged by friction against the openings in the sides of the support pipe while inserted therein as an animal thrashes in the stanchion trying to escape.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide latching mechanisms for livestock stanchions that are easy to install and remove.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for easily installing and removing latches for livestock stanchions.
Additional objects of the invention will be apparent from the detailed descriptions and the claims herein.
Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring particularly to the bank of prior art stanchions shown in
The stanchion also includes restraining members or bars 29, each bar 29 being pivotally mounted to a lateral arm 23 mounted to a side frame member 25. As shown in
The upper end of the restraining member 29 ordinarily includes a retaining ring 30 which is mounted to first frame member 26. The retaining ring 30 slides along the first frame member 26 as the restraining member 29 pivots at a distal end of lateral arm 23. Retaining ring 30 is shaped to extend above the first frame member 26 so that the ring 30 may be engaged by a latching assembly comprising a plurality of latches 39 and 39a mounted in pairs upon second frame member 27, to secure the restraining member 29 in the vertically oriented position B. Restraining member 29 also preferably includes an angular arm 22 which prevents the insertion of an animal head into the area below the lateral arm 23 and the restraining member 29. The prior art latches 39 are ordinarily provided on the upper frame member 27, with a pair of latches oppositely positioned latches 39, 39a being provided for each pivotable restraining member 29. When engaged, the restraining member 29 will be held in place by latches 39, 39a in a substantially vertical position as shown by B of
Prior art latches 39 have a large central opening that is designed to be engaged around upper frame member 27. It is only possible to attach such latches to frame member 27 by sliding them down member 27 to a desired location. They are then pivotally attached to frame member using a nut and bolt. It is only possible to remove these prior art latches 39 from frame member 27 by either (a) cutting or breaking them off, or (b) sliding them down to the end of frame member 27, which requires removal of all intermediate latches on frame member 27.
The second upper frame member 27 is ordinarily provided in the form of a pipe or cylindrical bar that may be rotated in place, so that rotating member 27 will cause all of the latches 39 mounted thereon to be disengaged from their respective restraining members 29, releasing all stanchion frames and any animals having their heads inserted therein.
As described above, once an animal has inserted its head into an opening 21 and a restraining member 29 has pivoted into place as shown in B, the upper end of restraining member 29 (or ring 30) is held in place by latches 39. Thereafter, any thrashing or other motion by the animal in attempting to escape from the stanchion is transmitted along member 29 to the latches 39. This activity wears down and deforms the latches 39, particularly the bottom sections thereof which bear directly against restraining members 29 or rings 30. Eventually latches 39 become so worn or deformed that they are no longer capable of effectively holding restraining members 29 in place, and must be replaced. As described above, removing prior art latches 39 requires either cutting them off, or sliding them along frame member 27, which requires removing all latches 39 between the damaged latch and the end of member 27.
Referring to
Another feature found in embodiments of the present invention is an improved and reinforced pivoting section for that portion latch 41 that engages with pipe 27. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, a sleeve 51 is provided for insertion into the holes 50, 50a in pipe 27 that are used for the pivot of latch 41. The sleeve 51 preferably extends through pipe 27 such that the interior of sleeve 27 is not in contact with any of the surfaces of pipe 27, particularly the edges of openings 50, 50a. Openings 50, 50a should be sized (reduced or enlarged) in order to snugly receive sleeve 51. Once sleeve 51 has been inserted into openings 50, 50a of pipe 27, a bolt 55 is inserted through pivot openings 54, 54a in sides 42, 42a of latch 41, and through sleeve 51 as shown in
In accordance with the above, embodiments of latches of the present invention may be easily and quickly installed and removed from a support pipe without requiring the removal of other latches from the support pipe. Embodiments of the present invention also minimize stripping or other damage to the bolts that act as the pivotal mounts for holding stanchion latches of the present invention to the support pipe.
It is to be understood that variations and modifications of the present invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof. It is to be appreciated that different versions of the invention may be made from different combinations of the various features described above. It is also to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited by the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but only in accordance with the appended claims when read in light of the foregoing specification.
