Self-propelled poultry cage handler and method

[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/722,593, filed Sep. 30, 2005.

[0002] The present invention relates to handling mobile poultry carts within poultry houses, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a self-propelled vehicle for safely pushing, pulling, and manipulating poultry carts within narrow aisles of poultry houses.

[0003] Chicken and like poultry are typically grown in high density cages within poultry houses. An average-sized poultry house may house about 85,000 to 100,000 live chickens. The high density cages are typically aligned in rows extending substantially the full length of the poultry house, and a narrow aisle, or walkway, extends between each adjacent pair of rows permitting access to the high density cages. An example, an average-sized poultry house may have seven such aisles each being approximately 500 feet in length.

[0004] Chicken and like poultry are typically required to be relocated to and from various types of poultry houses, processing plants and the like. For example, chicks are typically permitted to grow for about eighteen weeks in a nursing house and are then relocated to a “layer” house for egg production and collection. At the end of the egg laying cycle, the chickens are relocated to processing plants. Transporting poultry to and from poultry houses and processing plants typically requires the poultry to be removed from cages and placed in mobile multi-compartmented poultry carts. Each cart typically holds about 150 to 200 live chickens and weighs approximately 600 to 800 pounds when fully loaded. Filling and/or emptying an average-sized poultry house typically requires the use of about 450 to 500 carts each of which must be loaded and/or unloaded and pushed throughout the length of the poultry house.

[0005] Each cart has a relatively rectangular frame supporting multiple tiers of cages. The front and rear ends of each cart are typically supported on fixed and/or caster wheels. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,084,714 issued to Williams and 3,895,727 issued to Rucker disclose examples of mobile poultry carts. Due to the limited space available within the narrow aisles of poultry houses, the carts are required to be manually pushed and/or pulled through the aisles of the poultry house. As an example, an individual worker on a daily basis may be required to manually push carts for a total distance of about one to two miles. Accordingly, the manual handling of mobile poultry carts is both a labor intensive and potentially dangerous procedure considering the significant size, weight, and number of carts and the distance that they must be traversed.

[0006] In addition to loading and unloading live poultry, other duties relating to the maintenance of a poultry house include removing mortality on a daily basis and assuring a steady flow of eggs throughout the poultry house. Other duties include replacing light bulbs, repairing and replacing motors, and checking for water leaks. To fulfill such duties, maintenance employees are required to walk each aisle of the poultry house at least two to three times per day.

[0007] By way of example, known systems for handling poultry are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,623,232 B2 issued to Cattaruzzi; 5,476,353 issued to Mola; 5,660,147 and 4,365,591 issued to Wills et al.; 4,342,393 issued to Box; 4,020,793 issued to Morrison; 6,655,897 B1 issued Harwell; 6,477,987 B2 issued to Taylor; 5,975,029 issued to Morimoto et al.; and 6,612,918 B2 issued to Livingston et al.

[0008] Although the above referenced poultry handling systems may be satisfactory for their intended purposes, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method for handling poultry within the narrow confines of poultry houses. Preferably, the apparatus and method should enable safe and efficient handling of fully loaded multi-compartmented carts within and through narrow aisles of poultry houses.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for use in transporting poultry loaded in a wheeled multi-tier cage from a first location to a second location, such as through a poultry house. The apparatus has a gripper assembly for releasably laterally engaging and disengaging one end of the cage above its fixed wheels and a lifter assembly disposed below the gripper assembly for selectively raising and lowering the cage adjacent its fixed wheels. The apparatus has a self-propelled pair of drive wheels enabling linear and pivotal translation of the apparatus and cage along a support surface, such as the floor of a poultry house. Preferably, the gripper and lifter assemblies are connected to the apparatus adjacent the drive wheels. Accordingly, the cage can be coupled to the apparatus and decoupled therefrom for efficient transportation of live poultry within a poultry house.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for transferring live poultry from a first location to a second location in a moveable multi-tier cage. Preferably, the cage has a set of fixed wheels and a set of caster wheels enabling the cage to be displaced and pivoted on a support surface, such as the floor of a poultry house. The cage is gripped laterally above the fixed wheels and lifted vertically to elevate the fixed wheels above the support surface. Thereafter, the cage is displaced along the support surface while being gripped and lifted.

[0018] A multi-tiered, multi-compartmented cart 10 for transporting poultry in cages is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Preferably, the cart 10 has a substantially rectangular frame 12 permitting it to pass through narrow aisles of a poultry house (not shown). The frame 12 is supported on wheels, more preferably, a set of fixed wheels 14 on one end 16 of the cart 10 and a set of caster wheels 18 on an opposite end 20. As an example, the cart 10 can be sized to hold about 150 to 200 live chickens and weight about 600 to 800 lbs when fully loaded. According to conventional practice, the cart 10 is manually pushed/pulled through the narrow aisles of poultry houses and manually loaded or unloaded with live poultry.

[0019] A self-propelled vehicle, or transporter, 22 according to the present invention is also illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The vehicle 22 can be used to push and/or pull the cart 10 within a poultry house and has a sufficiently narrow front profile, as best illustrated in FIG. 3, to permit the vehicle 22 to be driven within the narrow aisles of poultry houses. Use of the vehicle 22 eliminates the need of manually pushing/pulling of the carts 10. By way of example, the vehicle 22 can have a maximum width “W” of about 21.5 inches. Of course, the vehicle 22 can be designed with other dimensions, as desired.

[0020] Preferably, an operator of the vehicle 22 distributes carts 10 throughout the poultry house to allow workers to load and/or unload live poultry onto or from the carts 10. Thereafter, the operator utilizes the vehicle 22 to remove the carts 10 from the poultry house and to load the carts 10 onto trucks or the like which deliver the poultry to other poultry houses or processing plants. The use of the vehicle 22 automates the process of filling and/or emptying a poultry house and decreases injuries and fatigue typically experienced by workers required to manually push carts 10 through poultry houses. In addition, the vehicle 22 can be used by a maintenance employee to carry various tools and other equipment within the poultry house and to transport the employee through the aisles for routine inspections several times a day.

[0021] The vehicle, or transporter, 22 has a pair of drive wheels 24 preferably located at a front end 26 thereof and a pair of caster wheels 26 preferably located at a rear end 30 thereof. The drive wheels 24 can be powered by LP gas or like energy source contained in a tank 32 supported on the frame 34 of the vehicle 22. An operator can stand on rails 36 or sit on platform 38 of the frame 34 of the vehicle 22. Alternatively, the operator can walk behind the vehicle 22. Controls 40 enable the operator to control the speed and direction of movement of the vehicle 22 and the operation of gripping and lifting assemblies 42 and 44 that are preferably located at the front 26 of the vehicle 22 adjacent the drive wheels 24.

[0022] The gripping assembly 42 is used to engage and/or release opposite lateral sides of the end 16 of the cart 10. Preferably, the gripper assembly 42 is used to grasp the end of the cart directly above the fixed wheels 14 of the cart 10. This stabilizes the cart 10 and prevents it from tipping over when end 16 is lifted by the vehicle 22. In addition, this enables ready control and steering of the cart 10 since the caster wheels 18 of the cart remain in contact with the underlying floor or surface.

[0023] The lifting assembly 44 is located below the gripping assembly 42 and is used to lift the end 16 of the cart 10 off the underlying floor or surface. For instance, see fixed wheel 14 relative to surface 46 illustrated in FIG. 2. After the vehicle 22 lifts the end 16 of the cart 10 off the ground, the vehicle/cart combination is in condition for movement within the poultry house. In this condition, the vehicle/cart combination contacts the underlying floor 46 via the caster wheels 18 at the front end 20 of the cart 10, the drive wheels 24 of the vehicle 22, and the caster wheels 28 of the vehicle 22 at a rearward most end of the combination. This arrangement provides the vehicle and cart combination with essentially zero turning radius capability so that the cart and vehicle can be maneuvered through narrow openings and around obstacles or tight corners within limited confines of a poultry house.

[0024] As best illustrated in FIGS. 3-8, the gripper assembly 42 includes an opposed pair of grippers 48 and 50 interconnected by a hydraulically or pneumatically operated cylinder vessel 52 and a piston 54. In FIGS. 4 and 6, the piston 54 is illustrated in its fully extended position relative to cylinder 52. This results in grippers 48 and 50 extending outwardly so that the end 16 of the cart 10 can be introduced or removed from between the grippers 48 and 50. In FIGS. 5 and 7, the piston 54 is contracted into the cylinder 52 so that the grippers 48 and 50 can engage and grip the opposite lateral sides of the cart 10.

[0025] As best illustrated in FIG. 8, the lifter assembly 44 also includes a cylinder 56 and piston 58 arrangement. When the piston 58 is extended from the cylinder 56, the lifter plate 60 extends at an elevation permitting it to be located underneath a base 62 of the cart 10. For instance, see FIG. 1. However, when the piston 58 is contracted into cylinder 56, the plate 60 moves upwardly thereby lifting the end 16 of the cart 10 a spaced distance above the floor 46, for instance as illustrated in FIG. 2. After the end 16 of the cart 10 is gripped and lifted by the vehicle, it can be driven to a desired location.

[0026] The present invention also provides a method for transferring poultry in a wheeled multi-tier cage 10 from a first location to a second location. As discussed above, the cage or cart 10 has a set of fixed wheels 14 and a set of caster wheels 18 enabling the cage 10 to be displaced and pivoted on a support surface 46, such as the floor of a poultry house. A self-propelled vehicle 22 is used to grip the cage 10 with gripper assembly 48 laterally above the fixed wheels 14 and to vertically lift the end 16 of the gripped cage 10 with lifter assembly 44 to elevate the fixed wheels 14 above the floor 46. In this condition, the caster wheels 18 of the cage 10 opposite the vehicle 22 remain in contact with the floor 46 as does the wheels 24 and 28 of the vehicle 22. Thereafter, the cage 10 is displaced relative to the floor 46 by forward and/or reverse operation of the vehicle 22. This arrangement permits the cart-vehicle combination to pivot and maneuver within narrow spaces around obstacles and tight corners.

[0027] As discussed previously, preferably an operators of the vehicle 22 distributes carts 10 throughout the entire poultry house. After the carts 10 are loaded and/or unloaded, the vehicle 22 collects the carts 10 and move them under the force of the drive wheels 24 of the vehicle 22 to a predetermined destination, such as onto a truck bed. Each cage 10 can be released by the vehicle 22 by lowering the lifting assembly 44 and expanding the gripper assembly 42.

[0028] While preferred vehicles and methods have been described in detail, various modifications, alternations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the transporter and method according to the present invention as defined in the appended claims.