Animal pen flooring system
An animal confinement pen flooring system, particularly adapted for swine farrowing operations, includes at least first and third rows of spaced-apart molded plastic foraminous flooring panels and an intermediate row of cast iron foraminous flooring panels, all of the panels being supported on spaced-apart elongated support rails in a stand off position above a subfloor. The plastic and cast iron panels each include opposed sets of hooked-shaped flanges for engagement with support rails, respectively, for supporting the panels thereon. The cast iron panels each include a boss and an opposed recess disposed on opposite sides thereof for interconnecting adjacent panels by cooperating hook portions formed on the boss and in the recess of the adjacent panel, respectively. The combination of the cast iron and molded plastic flooring panels provides enhanced comfort for swine in farrowing operations.
Latest SOUTHWEST AGRI-PLASTICS, INC. Patents:
Animal confinement pens, particularly pens for confining sows and piglets in swine farrowing houses present certain problems with respect to the flooring systems for use in such pens. For example, the flooring systems are preferably supported in a standoff position with respect to a subfloor so that animal wastes may be removed from the confinement pens by way of the space between the raised flooring and subflooring therebelow. Raised flooring systems may be characterized by elongated spaced-apart support rails and removable foraminous flooring panels supported thereby. The construction of farrowing pen flooring panels is preferably of thermoplastic covering at least a portion of the confinement pen. However, the weight of the sow is such that conventional plastic flooring panels do not provide adequate support. Moreover, it has been determined that the sow prefers to reside on a cast iron or similar metallic panel which is of adequate strength but which also provides for a heating and cooling effect preferred by the sow. On the other hand the infant pigs prefer the more constant temperature and smoothness of molded plastic flooring and do not require the extra strength provided by cast iron, steel or other suitable metals which may be used for flooring panels.
Continuing improvements have been desired in animal pen flooring systems of the general type described herein. The present invention overcomes certain disadvantages in prior art flooring systems and provides an improved flooring system which utilizes both molded plastic and cast iron or other metal panels which are secured to each other and to spaced apart support rails in an improved manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides an improved flooring system, particularly useful for animal confinement pens and more particularly useful for confinement pens used in swine farrowing operations.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a flooring system is provided wherein spaced-apart elongated support rails are adapted to support spaced-apart rows of molded plastic flooring panels between which is disposed a row of cast iron or similar metal flooring panels. Both types of flooring panels are provided with elongated hook-like support flanges which are interleaved with each other and which engage upstanding elongated support rails to support the flooring in a standoff position from a subfloor to facilitate animal waste disposal.
An improved arrangement in accordance with the present invention is one wherein an elongated set of cast iron or similar metal panels are interlocked with each other and supported by spaced-apart support rails. The metal panels are configured to be interleaved with opposed sets of molded plastic flooring panels which are also partially supported by the same pair of support rails which support the metal panels and are further supported by a second set of spaced apart elongated support rails disposed outboard of the first mentioned set of rails.
The present invention further provides an improved animal confinement pen flooring system wherein the center set of flooring panels is provided by separate panels which are supported on the aforementioned support rails but which are also interlocked with each other to form a more rigid flooring system. The center panels are each provided with an integrally formed laterally projecting tongue and hook part on one side of the panel and the adjacent panel is provided with a recess and cooperating hook part on an opposite side of the panel. Each center panel may be identical or one or more of the center panels may be of different widths to provide the required overall dimension of the confinement pen.
Those skilled in the art will further appreciate the above-mentioned advantages and superior features of the invention together with other important aspects thereof upon reading the detailed description which follows in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the description which follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawing with the same reference numerals, respectively. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be shown exaggerated in scale in the interest of clarity and conciseness.
Referring to
The rails 14 are preferably supported by spaced-apart support blocks 16, as shown in
The flooring system 10 further includes plural spaced-apart rows of generally rectangular shape molded plastic flooring panels 18 which are foraminous to allow animal waste to drop therethrough onto the subfloor 12 to be suitably removed therefrom. Each of the panels 18 includes spaced apart laterally projecting hooked shaped flanges 20 and 22 which are disposed on opposite sides of the panels, as shown. The side of a panel 18 which includes the flanges 20 is also provided with half length flanges, each generally designated by the numeral 21.
The opposed spaced-apart rows of panels 18 are separated by a row of cast metal flooring panels characterized by plural panels 24 supported side by side, and suitably interconnected, as will be explained in further detail herein. Panels 24 are preferably formed of cast iron, although other cast or forged metals may be used.
As shown in
Referring further to
Referring to
Referring further to
Referring briefly to
Accordingly, with the flooring system 10 arranged as illustrated and described, superior strength is provided by the interconnected and standoff supported panels 24 whereby, when the flooring system 10 is placed in a generally rectangular confinement pen, a sow will normally remain on the cast iron panels 24 due to the comfort provided to the sow thereby, while the offspring will normally remain on the molded plastic panels 18 due to the thermal conductivity characteristics of these panels and the somewhat softer or more comfortable feel that the panels present to swine offspring.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the flooring system 10 may be quickly and easily erected and disassembled, as needed. Thanks to the arrangement of two rows of plastic panels 18 cooperating with a center row of cast iron or similar cast metal panels 24 and 24a interposed the plastic panels and interlocked with each other as well as with the plastic panels, several advantages in the art of animal pen flooring systems are realized. The arrangement of adjacent rows of plastic and metal panels may be repeated indefinitely, although the arrangement of two rows of plastic panels and a center row of cast iron panels is preferred for each pen.
The panels 18 and 24 may be provided in various dimensions. Panels having outside dimensions of 24 inches by 24 inches are typical for use in swine farrowing houses. As mentioned above, the panels 24 above are preferably formed of cast iron and the panels 18 are preferably formed of molded plastic, such as polypropylene. The fabrication of the panels 18 and 24 may be carried out using conventional manufacturing processes for articles made of the preferred materials mentioned above. The foramina of all panels is preferably elongated slots.
Although a preferred embodiment of an animal confinement pen flooring system has been described herein in detail, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and substitutions may be made to the flooring system of the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
Claims
1-13. (canceled)
14. A set of plastic and metal flooring panels for providing a flooring system, the flooring panels adapted to be interconnected with one another, said set comprising:
- (a) at least one plastic foraminous panel, said plastic foraminous panel having spaced apart support flanges on at least one of the opposite sides of said plastic panel, and
- (b) at least one metal foraminous panel, said metal foraminous panel having spaced apart support flanges on at least one of the opposite sides of said metal panel,
- (c) the support flanges on a plastic panel and the support flanges on a metal panel of such set having dimensions and shapes enabling the interfit and interlock between said plastic panel and said metal panel.
15. The set of panels as defined by claim 14 in which the plastic and metal panels of said set are of identical dimensions, both the plastic and metal panels include half length flanges, and the support flanges on the at least one plastic panel define recesses in which the support flanges of the metal panel are adapted to fit.
16. The set of panels as defined by claim 14 in which the at least one metal foraminous panel is of cast iron and the plastic and cast iron panels have elongated slots to enable animal waste to drop therethrough.
17. The set of panels as defined by claim 14 in which each of the plastic panels of a set are adapted to interlock with one another and each of the metal panels of a set are adapted to interlock with one another.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 15, 2006
Publication Date: Oct 19, 2006
Applicant: SOUTHWEST AGRI-PLASTICS, INC. (ADDISON, TX)
Inventor: Michael McGregor (Carrolton, TX)
Application Number: 11/453,699
International Classification: A01K 1/01 (20060101);