Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
440 words
Apparatus for determining and registering the amount of food consumed by each of a plurality of animals comprising a feed station, a scale located at the feed station, a feed hopper containing food mounted on the scale, presence sensing means for sensing the arrival and departure of an animal to and from the feed station, scale weight measuring means connected to the scale and responsive to the actuation of said presence sensing means for determining the amount of food in the hopper, identification means responsive to activation of the presence sensing means by the arrival of the animal to determine the identity of the given animal, consumption measuring means responsive to the scale weight measuring means for determining the increment of food consumed by the animal between its arrival and departure, memory means for storing the cumulative totals of food consumed by each animal individually, additive means responsive to said consumption measuring means for determining and storing in the memory means the cumulation of the previous consumption total stored in the memory means plus said increment of food determined by the consumption measuring means, memory address means responsive to the actuation of said presence sensing means upon the departure of said animal from said feed station and responsive to the identity determined by said identification means for connecting the additive means into that portion of said memory means corresponding to the given animal, means responsive to actuation of the additive means and the completion of its function for returning the consumption measuring means and the identification means to their initial states in preparation for the next animal entry, register means connected to said memory means and intermittently operable to recall and register the identity and corresponding amounts of food consumed by each animal individually as stored in the memory means, said identification means including an electromagnetic coil located at the feed station and responsive to the actuation of the presence sensing means by the animal's arrival for providing electromagnetic pulses, identity means on each animal, each identity means including an internal source of power for the identity means, a transmitter tuned to a specific frequency assigned to the given animal, magnetically responsive reed switch means normally open but closable in response to electromagnetic pulses from said electromagnetic coil to power said transmitter in said identity means, a receiver at the feed station for receiving the transmission of said identity means, a frequency sensitive means in said receiver to determine which of the plurality of identity means is transmitting, and identification storage means connected to said receiver for storing in said storage means the identity determined by said frequency sensing means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
440 words
Apparatus for determining and registering the amount of food consumed by each of a plurality of animals comprising a feed station, a scale located at the feed station, a feed hopper containing food mounted on the scale, presence sensing means for sensing the arrival and departure of an animal to and from the feed station, scale weight measuring means connected to the scale and responsive to the actuation of said presence sensing means for determining the amount of food in the hopper, identification means responsive to activation of the presence sensing means by the arrival of the animal to determine the identity of the given animal, consumption measuring means responsive to the scale weight measuring means for determining the increment of food consumed by the animal between its arrival and departure, memory means for storing the cumulative totals of food consumed by each animal individually, additive means responsive to said consumption measuring means for determining and storing in the memory means the cumulation of the previous consumption total stored in the memory means plus said increment of food determined by the consumption measuring means, memory address means responsive to the actuation of said presence sensing means upon the departure of said animal from said feed station and responsive to the identity determined by said identification means for connecting the additive means into that portion of said memory means corresponding to the given animal, means responsive to actuation of the additive means and the completion of its function for returning the consumption measuring means and the identification means to their initial states in preparation for the next animal entry, register means connected to said memory means and intermittently operable to recall and register the identity and corresponding amounts of food consumed by each animal individually as stored in the memory means, said identification means including an electromagnetic coil located at the feed station and responsive to the actuation of the presence sensing means by the animal's arrival for providing electromagnetic pulses, identity means on each animal, each identity means including an internal source of power for the identity means, a transmitter tuned to a specific frequency assigned to the given animal, magnetically responsive reed switch means normally open but closable in response to electromagnetic pulses from said electromagnetic coil to power said transmitter in said identity means, a receiver at the feed station for receiving the transmission of said identity means, a frequency sensitive means in said receiver to determine which of the plurality of identity means is transmitting, and identification storage means connected to said receiver for storing in said storage means the identity determined by said frequency sensing means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said receiver includes verification means for verifying the identification determined by said frequency sensitive means and preventing said memory address means from responding to an incorrect identification.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said verification means is responsive to stray outside R.F. transmissions in timed relation to the actuation of said electromagnetic coil in performing the verification.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said identification means is included in said memory address means whereby the identity of the given animal is retained in said memory address means until said additive means completes its function.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said memory means is comprised of a plurality of memory cells corresponding to said plurality of animals, respectively, and wherein said memory address means connects said additive means to the cells of said memory means corresponding to said given animal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
56 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said scale weight measuring means includes a load cell providing an output voltage which varies with the weight of food in the hopper, and means for converting the output voltage from said load cell into a series of pulses corresponding in number to the magnitude of said voltage.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said additive means is responsive to said consumption measuring means only when said increment of food exceeds a predetermined value.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
97 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said register means comprises a cycling means connected to said memory address means for providing said memory address means with addresses in succession for each animal individually, a printer connected to said memory address means and to said memory means for printing the identity and corresponding amounts of food consumed by each animal individually, a clock for actuating said register means periodically, and means connected to said memory means responsive to the operation of said printer for zeroing said memory means after the amounts of food consumed are printed.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
88 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including a scanning means comprising sequencing means connected to said memory address means for providing said memory address means with the addresses in succession for each animal individually, switch means connected to said sequencing means and manually operable for actuating said sequencing means, and incandescent display connected to said memory address means and said memory means for visually displaying the identity and the corresponding amounts of food consumed by each animal individually in response to the actuation of said sequencing means.