US 12,075,749 B2
Modular livestock alley construction and strategic cladding of livestock handling equipment to optimize livestock flow therethrough
Stephen Arthur Langrell, Woodlands (CA)
Assigned to Northquip Inc., Woodlands (CA)
Appl. No. 17/627,773
Filed by Northquip Inc., Woodlands (CA)
PCT Filed Jul. 30, 2019, PCT No. PCT/CA2019/051038
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 17, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/016698, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 4, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0312720 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. A01K 1/00 (2006.01); A01K 15/04 (2006.01)
CPC A01K 1/0023 (2013.01) [A01K 15/04 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A modular livestock alley system comprising:
a plurality of bows each comprising a lower base, an upper header, and a pair of uprights spanning between the lower base and upper header at opposite lateral sides of the bow, whereby the lower base, upper header and pair of uprights cooperatively delimit an opening through which an animal can traverse;
a plurality of side panels each comprising two longitudinally opposing ends at which the side panel is configured for connection to any one of said bows at either one of a front or a rear face thereof; and
a plurality of elongated upper beams of equal longitudinal measure to one another and each comprising two ends at which the elongated upper beam is configured for connection to the front or rear face of any one of said bows at or near an upper end thereof;
whereby a pair of said panels and one of said elongated upper beams are connectable between a pair of said bows during construction of an alley section that is terminated at opposing ends thereof by said pair of bows, through which an animal can enter and exit said alley section during travel therethrough between the pair of side panels; and
wherein:
each bow, at both front and rear faces thereof that face in longitudinally opposite directions from the opening of the bow at the front and rear faces thereof, is configured for optional connection of any respective pair of said side panels to enable sharing of a singular bow between two adjacent alley sections; and
the upper header of each bow is a double-sided header comprising a respective mounting surface at each face of the bow to receive an end of a respective one of the elongated upper beams whose other end is receivable by the upper header of another bow.