Position: 
The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/856,095, filed May 28, 2004, entitled “batching method AND APPARATUS FOR ADMINISTERING micro ingredient FEED ADDITIVES TO ANIMAL FEED RATIONS”, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by this reference.
Claims:
What is claimed:
1. A batching method of measuring, dispensing, and delivering micro ingredients to a feed ration, said method comprising: providing a bin for storing a quantity of a micro ingredient; metering the micro ingredient from the bin to a weigh hopper; weighing the micro ingredient in the weigh hopper; transferring the micro ingredient from the weigh hopper to a product collection tank, the product collection tank comprising a funnel-like, a flush chamber connected to the funnel like portion, and an outlet interconnected to the flush chamber; activating a flush ring pump to provide a flush ring water to a flush ring interconnected to the product collection tank; and activating a conveyance pump to convey a backfill water from a previous delivery, the flush ring water and the micro ingredient from the product collection tank to the feed ration; and maintaining an amount of backfill water in the product collection tank for use in a subsequent micro ingredient delivery.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flush chamber comprises about 10% of a width of said production collection tank.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a flush chamber bottom surface of said flush chamber slopes downward toward said outlet.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flush ring comprises a front flush ring and a rear flush ring, said front and rear flush rings having a plurality of first perforations, said front flush ring further comprising a plurality of second perforations, wherein said second perforations provide at least a portion of the flush ring water to a sidewall of said flush chamber.
5. A batching method of measuring, dispensing, and delivering micro ingredients to a feed batching, said method comprising: metering a micro ingredient from storage to a weighing device; weighing the micro ingredient on the weighing device; transferring the micro ingredient from the weighing device to a product collection tank, the product collection tank comprising a funnel like portion, a flush chamber connected to the funnel like portion, and an outlet interconnected to the flush chamber, said flush chamber having a width less than width of said funnel like portion; activating a flush ring pump to provide a flush ring water to a flush ring connected to the product collection tank; and activating a conveyance pump to convey a back-fill water from a previous delivery, the flush ring water and the micro ingredient from the product collection tank to the feed batching; and maintaining an amount of backfill water in the product collection tank for use in subsequent micro ingredient delivery.
6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said width of said flush chamber is about 10% of a width of said production collection tank.
7. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a flush chamber bottom surface of said flush chamber slopes downward toward said outlet.
8. A batching method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said flush ring comprises a front flush ring and a rear flush ring, said front and rear flush rings having a plurality of first perforations, said front flush ring further comprising a plurality of second perforations, wherein said second perforations provide at least a portion of the flush ring water to a sidewall of said flush chamber.
9. A method, as claimed in claim 5, wherein said flush chamber further comprises a sloping bottom surface.
10. A method, as claimed in claim 9, wherein said sloping bottom surface comprises a bottom angle between about 1 to 10 degrees from horizontal.
11. A method, as claimed in claim 5, wherein: said outlet is substantially horizontal.
12. A batching method, as claimed in claim 5, wherein: said product collection tank further includes an extension portion connected to said funnel like portion.
13. A method, as claimed in claim 5, wherein: a side wall of said flush chamber is substantially vertical.
14. A method, as claimed in claim 5, wherein: an end wall of said flush chamber is substantially vertical.
15. A batching method, as claimed in claim 5, wherein: said flush chamber includes a pair of side walls interconnected by an end wall.
16. A method, as claimed in claim 5, wherein: said flush chamber includes side walls and an end wall, said side walls and said end wall being orientated substantially vertical, and further wherein said side walls are substantially triangular shaped and said end wall is substantially rectangular shaped.
17. A method, as claimed in claim 5, wherein: said funnel like portion comprises a plurality of planer sloping surfaces.
18. A batching method of measuring, dispensing, and delivering micro ingredients to a feed ration, said method comprising: storing a quantity of a micro ingredient; weighing the micro ingredient; transferring the micro ingredient to a product collection tank, wherein the product collection tank comprises a funnel like portion, a flush chamber protruding from the funnel like portion, and an outlet interconnected to the flush chamber, said outlet being oriented substantially horizontal; simultaneously activating a flush ring pump to provide a flush ring water to a flush ring connected to the product collection tank and activating a conveyance pump to convey the micro ingredient; and said simultaneously activating step further includes activating the conveyance pump to convey the micro ingredient and a backfill water retained in the product collection tank from a previous delivery.
19. A method of measuring, dispensing, and delivering micro ingredients to a feed batching control system ration, said method comprising: storing a quantity of a micro ingredient; weighing the micro ingredient; transferring the micro ingredient to a product collection tank, wherein the product collection tank comprises a funnel like portion, a flush chamber protruding from the funnel like portion, and an outlet interconnected to the flush chamber, said outlet being oriented substantially horizontal; and activating a flush ring pump to provide a flush ring water to a flush ring connected to the product collection tank and activating a pair of conveyance pumps to convey (i) a backfill water from a previous delivery, (ii) the flush ring water and (iii) the micro ingredient, all from the product collection tank to the feed batching.
Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for adding micro ingredients to feed rations for animals such as livestock, and more particularly, to a product collection tank used in a batching system for administering micro ingredient feed additives to a feed ration.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Providing animals with various dietary supplements and medications such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones, and antibiotics is a common and well known practice in the livestock and poultry industries. The manner in which these supplements are mixed together and added to a consumptive fluid carrier such as water is disclosed in a number of patents, including the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,889,443; 4,815,042; 4,733,971; and 5,219,224.
In these references as well as many others, it is known to utilize automatic batching systems which dispense discrete amounts of micro ingredients, mix the micro ingredients, and then deliver the micro ingredients to a feed batching, typically in a slurry mixture form. The prepared slurry may be fed directly to the animals, or may be added to the animal feed rations using mixing or spraying batching methods.
One step in traditional approaches of manipulating micro ingredients which can be eliminated is the mixing of the multiple micro ingredients prior to addition of the micro ingredients to a feed batching. Feed rations are typically stored in large batch-feed mixers prior to delivery of the rations to a feed truck which then distributes the feed to bunk feeders for consumption by animals. It has been found through various trials that mixing of the feed ration which inherently takes place at the batch feed mixers is adequate for also mixing and dispersing micro ingredients throughout the feed batching. By requiring use of a mixer within a micro ingredient dispensing system, the mixer itself is an additional piece of equipment which must be maintained and cleaned, and adds to the overall cost and complexity of the batching system.
Features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by a review of the accompanying drawings taken along with the detailed description.
