US3802391A

US3802391A - Poultry coop

Info

Publication number: US3802391A
Application number: US00294269A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Peeler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-10-02
Filing date: 1972-10-02
Publication date: 1974-04-09
Anticipated expiration: 1991-04-09

Abstract

A coop, depending on its size, for quail, chickens, turkeys and the like and resembling a conventional-type poultry coop. Unlike wooden or pre-cast-type integrated plastic coops, which have to be scrapped when prefabricated parts are broken, the instant coop comprises individual plastic component parts which can be replaced if broken. With the exception of the metal rivets all other components (floor panel, frames, dowels, and spring-biased latchable door) are made of plastic material and pave the way for repairs. The ends of top and bottom rail-type frame members are united by ship-lap joints. Vertical side and end dowels, either solid or reinforced hollow, have ends renewably seated in sockets. Certain frame members are provided with blocked weightreducing voids and the bottom frame members are provided with clearance notches to provide for outward drainage of waste and to minimize dropping waste atop coops which are stacked below.

Description

[451 Apr. 9, 1974 [57] ABSTRACT A coop, depending on its size, for quail, chickens, turkeys and the like and resembling a conventional-type poultry coop. Unlike wooden or pre-cast-type integrated plastic coops, which have to be scrapped when prefabricated parts are broken, the instant coop comprises individual plastic component parts which can be replaced if broken. With the exception of the metal rivets all other components (floor panel, frames, dowels, and spring-biased latchable door) are made of plastic material and pave the way for repairs. The ends of top and bottom rail-type frame members are united by ship-lap joints. Vertical side and end dowels, either solid or reinforced hollow, have ends renewably seated in sockets. Certain frame members are provided with blocked weight reducing voids and the botlnventor: Tommie Peeler, 1206 Nettleton Cir.,

.lonesboro, Ark. 7240-1 Filed: Oct. 2, 1972 App]. No.: 294,269

Int. A0lk 31/18 Field of Search................................ 119/17-19;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Aylor........

United States Patent [191 Peeler POULTRY COOP tom frame members are provided with clearance notches to provide for outward drainage of waste and to minimize dropping waste atop coops which are stacked below.

Carpenter.

0.m fin 3e BV 2582 45656 99999 111.11 900592 55482 0763 3 73 65 0 9 8 7 22322 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Guida Primary Examiner-Antonio F.

Assistant Examiner-1. A. Oliff Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Clarence A. O'Brien; Harvey B. Jacobson APR 91514 sum 2 [IF 2 1 POULTRY coop This invention relates to openwork confining, handling and shipping coops for marketing poultry and which, while basically and structurally similar to commonly marketed wooden and prefabricated unified and precast plastic types, has to do with an easy-to-repair adaptation wherein the primary component parts are separate and individual and are made of replaceable moldable plastic material.

As indicative of the state of the art and for general background information attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 1,424,218 granted to C. T. Sherman, U.S. Pat. No. 1,453,005 granted to D. T. Considine and U.S. Pat. No. 2,970,712 granted to O. F. Carpenter and showing varying types of coops and crates.

An object of the present invention is to provide a coop which is strong, durable, light in weight, convenient and easy to handle, whose component parts are made of moldable plastic material, can be expeditiously replaced when unduly worn or broken (without scrapping the entire coop) and which well serves the overall purposes for which it has been perfected and acceptably used.

Briefly the improved coop comprises a horizontal bottom unit which in turn, comprises an imperforate panel which constitutes a satisfactory floor. This panel is primarily flat and made of moldable plastic material, the body portion being provided with transverse, longitudinally spaced, parallel stabilizing flutes or ribs, with their outer ends terminating inwardly of the marginal edges of the panel. A bottom frame is made up of complemental plastic frame members or rails which have lower surfaces firmly seated and fastened atop the associatively cooperative marginal edge portions of the panel. The frame members have open-ended notches or passages which open through inward as well as outward peripheral surfaces in a manner to permit accumulated droppings and excess drainage and waste to escape outwardly of said frame and, in so doing, to minimize discharging and dropping of waste on coops which, during transit, may be aligned with and stacked on a level therebeneath. The frame members are also provided with upwardly opening sockets for lower ends of the side and end dowels. Blind downwardly opening sockets provide weight relieving voids. A horizontal top unit is aligned with and elevated above and disposed in a plane parallel with the bottom unit. The top unit is characterized by top frame means provided with and encompassing spaced horizontal dowels and also with a manually openable and closable springbiased detent retained access door. The top unit is characterized by an outer frame made up of a pair of longitudinal side members having terminal half portions overlapping and secured to similar half portions of the respective terminal ends of the transverse end members. In addition an inner frame is provided and is made up of a pair of light longitudinal frame members which are flush with and located within the confines of the side and end frame members of the outer frame. A plurality of horizontal coplanar dowels bridge the longitudinal frame members of the inner frame and certain of these last-named dowels are amply spaced apart to define an entrance and exit opening, the door normally closing said entrance and exit opening. The inner frame members are provided with sockets to accommodate end portions of the associated dowels and are provided with blind or blocked voids for weight reducing purposes.

It will be noted that there are no trough-like indentations in the panel or floor to collect poultry droppings. It will also be noted that the underneath comer portions of the panel are provided with square or equivalent depending lugs which facilitate nesting and stacking of coops and prevent undesirable slippage during shipping. 7

The fact that the frame members of the bottom frame have interconnected ship-lapped joints, are suitably notched and are of requisite cross section transforms the panel and frame members into a shallow pan or tray for efficient accumulation and drainage of waste matter.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a poultry coop constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and showing the door closed and readied for use.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section taken approximately on the plane of the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the indicating arrows.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken approximately on the plane of the section line 3-3 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary corner sectional and elevational view showing how corner portions of two coops are stacked and how the aforementioned anti-slipping lugs come into play.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing all of the essential component parts which are made, as before stated, of moldable plastic material.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross section showing that it is within the purview of the invention to provide dowels which are hollow or tubular and provided with internal reinforcing ribs.

The aforementioned horizontal bottom unit is denoted by the numeral 8, the component parts being constructed of moldable plastic material. The substantially rectangular panel, which constitutes a desirable floor is denoted by the numeral 10, the flat top surface being designated at 12 and the bottom surface at 14. The central body portion is provided with upstanding or indented flutes or reinforcing ribs 16 which are transverse, have their terminal ends spaced inwardly of the marginal edges of the panel and provide reinforcing elements and facilitate drainage. As shown in FIG. 5 the ends of the ribs are spaced inwardly from the marginal edges 18 and the edge portions are provided with bored holes 20 to accommodate assembling and retaining rivets wherever necessary or desired and as suggested in FIG. 1. The companion bottom frame comprises rail-like longitudinal side members 22 and transverse end members 24. The coacting end portions are provided with half-

portions

26 and 28 which are overlapped and provide the aforementioned ship-lap joints, these portions being riveted together as at 30. The upwardly opening socket members (FIG. 3) are denoted at 32. The downwardly opening socket members, which constitute weight-reducing voids, are denoted at 34 and are covered and closed by the underlying panel l0. Suitable rivet holes are provided as at 36, these being bored through the top and bottom surfaces of the rail or frame members. It is of utmost importance to note the clearance notches which open downwardly also open interiorly and exteriorly to provide the aforementioned waste and drainage discharge openings as perhaps best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

As before suggested, positioning the rails or frame members around and flush with the marginal edges of the imperforate plastic panel provides a shallow coop bottomming tray or pan. It will also be noted particularly in FIG. 4 that each underneath corner portion of the panel is provided with a depending substantially rectangular positioning and anti-slipping lug 40. These lugs serve in the manner shown in FIG. 4 to facilitate nesting and stacking and to minimize slippage when the stacked coops are in transit.

The top or upper unit is denoted by the numeral 42 and is proportionally similar to the bottom unit and in fact is characterized by an outer frame made up of Iongitudinal side rails or members 44 and transverse end members or rails 46. Hereagain the reduced terminal half-

portions

48 and 50 are overlapped and riveted together as at 52 (FIG. 1) to provide the desired ship-lap joints. The median outward and upper marginal edge portions of the side rails are provided with recessed and beveled surfaces 53 which allow chains (not shown) to slide in booming down stacked loads. This structural feature prevents splintering. The underneath sides of the side and end rails are provided with downwardly opening sockets 54 which are aligned with the aforementioned sockets 32. These coacting upper and lower sockets serve to accommodate the end portions of the telescoping vertical side and end plastic rounds or dowels all of which are denoted by the numeral 56 (whether side or end). The flush cooperating inner frame encompassed by the outer frame 42 is denoted in FIG. 1 by the numeral 58 and comprises a pair oflike longitudinal frame members 60 which are provided (FIG. 5) in inner surfaces with appropriate sockets 62 to accommodate end portions of the cooperating horizontal dowels 64. These inner frame members (FIG. 2) are provided with outwardly opening recesses or socket members 66 which in this instance provide voids for weight-reducing purposes. The voids are closed at their outer ends by the cooperating top frame rails or frame members 44. Certain of the dowels 64 are spaced apart as shown to provide an entrance and exit opening. This opening serves to accommodate the manually openable and closable door 68. This door comprises a pair of coplanar spaced rails 70 having end portions 72 which are hingedly mounted and having free end portions 74 which are notched to provide the retaining result desired as brought out in FIG. 1. A suitable coil spring 76 is provided to assist in retaining the door closed and to assist primarily in shoving the substantially L-shaped detent 77 over and underneath the cooperating rail for latching purposes as brought out in FIG. 2. Thus the openable and closable door can be said to be springbiased, norm ally closed, and held in latched position by the detent means 77 illustrated in FIG. 2.

It is reiterated that the distributively arranged drainage notches 38 permit adequate drainage of the coop .without draining directly down through the next coop below in the stack, as would be true with commonly marketed coops. The total voids provided in the various frame members or rails reduce weight and are covered to prevent fouling by chicken droppings.

It may be necessary in some instances to utilize solid dowels and in other instances hollow or tubular dowels, one of which is shown at 78 in FIG. 6. This plastic dowel is provided interiorly with stabilizing ribs 80.

The door can be opened by pulling up and away from the latched side. The door will open approximately All rivets that face outwardly will be suitably countersunk (not detailed).

By making the essential component parts individual and of molded plastic material the coop requires no painting, insures against rotting, provides durability but lightness in weight. It follows that the coop herein shown and described well serves the purposes for which it has been devised and, under the circumstances, a more detailed description is thought to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A poultry coop comprising a horizontal bottom unit comprising an imperforate panel constituting a floor, a bottom frame embodying complemental frame members having lower surfaces seated and fastened atop cooperatively associated marginal edge portions of said panel, said frame members having open ended passages opening through inward and outward peripheral surfaces in a manner to permit accumulated droppings and excess drainage to escape outwardly of said frame and, in so doing, to minimize discharging and dropping of the same on coops which, during transit, may be aligned with and stacked on a level therebeneath, a horizontal top unit aligned with, elevated above and disposed in a plane parallel with said bottom unit, said top unit embodying top frame means provided with and encompassing spaced horizontal dowels and also with a manually openable and closable access door, and a'multiplicity of vertical suitably spaced interchangeable dowels interposed between said bottom frame and said top frame means and removably connected thereto and coacting therewith in a manner to complete said coop, all of the aforementioned component parts being individually made of moldable plastic material and capable of being singly and collectively removed and replaced, that portion of the panel inwardly of the surrounding frame members being provided with spaced parallel reinforcing ribs, said top unit comprising an outer frame made up of a pair of longitudinal side members having terminal half-portions overlapping and secured to similar oriented half-portions at the respective terminal ends of transverse end members, and an inner frame embodying a pair of like longitudinal frame members flush with and located within the confines of the side and end frame members of said outer frame and abutting interior surfaces of the side members of said inner frame, and a plurality of horizontal coplanar dowels bridging the longitudinal frame members of said inner frame, certain of said last-named dowels being amply spaced apart to define an entrance and exit opening, said door normally covering and clos ing said entrance and exit opening.

2. The poultry coop defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said door comprises a pair of spaced parallel coplanar side rails having inward longitudinal sides provided with paired and aligned inwardly opening sockets, and horizontal spaced parallel dowels bridging the space between said rails and having end portions plugged and retentively anchored in their respectively cooperable sockets, corresponding ends of said side rails being hinged on an adjacent one of said last-named dowels, the free openable and closable ends of said rails having downwardly opening keeper seats, and the free end of one of said rails having a lateral outstanding lug providing a manually regulatable latchtype detent for said door.

3. A poultry coop comprising a horizontal bottom unit embodying an imperforate rigid plastic panel hav ing planar top and bottom surfaces, the body portion of said panel having transverse longitudinally spaced upstanding flute-like stabilizing ribs with opposite free outward ends terminating short of and spaced inwardly from coacting longitudinal marginal edges of said body portion, the bottom surface of said panel having corner portions each provided with a depending lug-like coop positioning, nesting and stacking abutment, a complemental bottom frame also made of plastic material and comprising opposed coplanar longitudinal side members and transverse end members seated and fastened atop underlying marginal portions of said panel and having reduced terminal overlapping half-portions secured and providing ship-lap joints for said frame, said side and end members having bottom portions provided with clearance and drainage notches opening downwardly and also opening through their respective interior and exterior longitudinal surfaces, also having distributively arranged downwardly opening weight reducing voids and upwardly opening dowel seating sockets, said frame members being fastened to said coordinating marginal edge portions of said panel and spaced from and encompassing said free ends of said ribs, a horizontal top unit aligned with, elevated above and disposed in a plane parallel with said bottom unit, said top unit comprising an outer frame made up of interconnected plastic longitudinal side members and transverse end members having downwardly opening dowel seating sockets, and an inner frame coordinated with said outer frame and embodying a single pair of coplanar spaced parallel longitudinal frame members flush with and located within the confines of the side and end frame members of said outer frame and connected by spaced parallel horizontal dowels arranged and defining an accessible entrance and exit opening, a latch equipped spring-biased manually releasable door normally closing said entrance and exit opening, and vertical side and end coop enclosing dowels, said dowels having lower ends removably fitted in the seating sockets provided therefor in said bottom frame members and upper ends removably fitted and anchored in the dowel sockets provided therefor in the side and end members of said outer frame.

Claims

1. A poultry coop comprising a horizontal bottom unit comprising an imperforate panel constituting a floor, a bottom frame embodying complemental frame members having lower surfaces seated and fastened atop cooperatively associated marginal edge portions of said panel, said frame members having open ended passages opening through inward and outward peripheral surfaces in a manner to permit accumulated droppings and excess drainage to escape outwardly of said frame and, in so doing, to minimize discharging and dropping of the same on coops which, during transit, may be aligned with and stacked on a level therebeneath, a horizontal top unit aligned with, elevated above and disposed in a plane parallel with said bottom unit, said top unit embodying top frame means provided with and encompassing spaced horizontal dowels and also with a manually openable and closable access door, and a multiplicity of vertical suitably spaced interchangeable dowels interposed between said bottom frame and said top frame means and removably connected thereto and coacting therewith in a manner to complete said coop, all of the aforementioned component parts being individually made of moldable plastic material and capable of being singly and collectively removed and replaced, that portion of the panel inwardly of the surrounding frame members being provided with spaced parallel reinforcing ribs, said top unit comprising an outer frame made up of a pair of longitudinal side members having terminal half-portions overlapping and secured to similar oriented half-portions at the respective terminal ends of transverse end members, and an inner frame embodying a pair of like longitudinal frame members flush with and located within the confines of the side and end frame members of said outer frame and abutting interior surfaces of the side members of said inner frame, and a plurality of horizontal coplanar dowels bridging the longitudinal frame members of said inner frame, certain of said last-named dowels being amply spaced apart to define an entrance and exit opening, said door normally covering and closing said entrance and exit opening.

2. The poultry coop defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said door comprises a pair of spaced parallel coplanar side rails having inward longitudinal sides provided with paired and aligned inwardly opening sockets, and horizontal spaced parallel dowels bridging the space between said rails and having end portions plugged and retentively anchored in their respectively cooperable sockets, corresponding ends of said side rails being hinged on an adjacent one of said last-named dowels, the free openable and closable ends of said rails having downwardly opening keeper seats, and the free end of one of said rails having a lateral outstanding lug providing a manually regulatable latch-type detent for said door.

3. A poultry coop comprising a horizontal bottom unit embodying an imperforate rigid plastic panel having planar top and bottom surFaces, the body portion of said panel having transverse longitudinally spaced upstanding flute-like stabilizing ribs with opposite free outward ends terminating short of and spaced inwardly from coacting longitudinal marginal edges of said body portion, the bottom surface of said panel having corner portions each provided with a depending lug-like coop positioning, nesting and stacking abutment, a complemental bottom frame also made of plastic material and comprising opposed coplanar longitudinal side members and transverse end members seated and fastened atop underlying marginal portions of said panel and having reduced terminal overlapping half-portions secured and providing ship-lap joints for said frame, said side and end members having bottom portions provided with clearance and drainage notches opening downwardly and also opening through their respective interior and exterior longitudinal surfaces, also having distributively arranged downwardly opening weight reducing voids and upwardly opening dowel seating sockets, said frame members being fastened to said coordinating marginal edge portions of said panel and spaced from and encompassing said free ends of said ribs, a horizontal top unit aligned with, elevated above and disposed in a plane parallel with said bottom unit, said top unit comprising an outer frame made up of interconnected plastic longitudinal side members and transverse end members having downwardly opening dowel seating sockets, and an inner frame coordinated with said outer frame and embodying a single pair of coplanar spaced parallel longitudinal frame members flush with and located within the confines of the side and end frame members of said outer frame and connected by spaced parallel horizontal dowels arranged and defining an accessible entrance and exit opening, a latch equipped spring-biased manually releasable door normally closing said entrance and exit opening, and vertical side and end coop enclosing dowels, said dowels having lower ends removably fitted in the seating sockets provided therefor in said bottom frame members and upper ends removably fitted and anchored in the dowel sockets provided therefor in the side and end members of said outer frame.