Abstract: A roll-up crowd gate comprises an electrically charged drum that is rotatable in a carriage. Long cables connected to the drum are also electrically charged. A rope translates the carriage in tracks between upstream and downstream locations. Translation of the carriage in the downstream direction when the cables are unrolled from the drum urges a first herd of cows to the downstream location. Carriage stops in the tracks stop carriage translation at the downstream location, but continued operation of the rope when the carriage is against the stop causes the drum to roll up the cables. Reverse operation of the rope translates the carriage above the first herd to the upstream location. A carriage stop at the upstream location stops carriage translation, but continued operation of the rope rotates the drum and unrolls the cables behind a second herd of cows.

Abstract: A walk-through flat barn parlor comprises a number of modular stalls for managing dairy cows. Each module has a frame to which a pair of gates are mounted. The axes of rotation for the gates make compound angles with the vertical such that the gates are biased by gravity to rotate from a closed mode to a ready open mode. A control mechanism is actuated by a cable mechanism from a milking station to unlock the gates for automatic rotation by gravity from the closed mode to the ready open mode. A cow walks to the ready open gates and pushes them to the closed mode, where she is constrained for milking. After completion of milking, the farmer actuates the cable mechanism to unlock the gates and enable the cow to push them to an exit open mode. When the cow has cleared the gates, they automatically rotate by gravity back toward the closed mode. A pawl on a bar connecting the gates co-acts with the control mechanism to enable the gates to rotate past the closed mode all the way to the ready open mode.