Abstract
The present invention relates to a cover for a poultry container for holding live poultry, comprising: two substantially parallel guides; plural longitudinal supports, on opposite sides moveable connected to the guides; a flexible cover sheet, connected to the longitudinal supports; wherein the parallel guides are provided with preferred holding locations for preferred positioning of the longitudinal supports onto the guides. The invention also relates to a poultry container including such a cover as well as to a poultry container assembly of plural stacked poultry containers.
Claims
1.-14. (canceled)
15. A cover for a poultry container for holding live poultry, comprising: two substantially parallel guides; plural longitudinal supports, on opposite sides moveable connected to the guides; and a flexible cover sheet, connected to the longitudinal supports; wherein the parallel guides are provided with preferred holding locations for preferred positioning of the longitudinal supports onto the guides.
16. The poultry container cover according to claim 15, wherein the preferred holding locations of the substantially parallel guides are defined with relief on the guides.
17. The poultry container cover according to claim 15, wherein the preferred holding locations of the substantially parallel guides are defined with magnetic force.
18. The poultry container cover according to claim 15, wherein the flexible cover sheet is provided with openings.
19. The poultry container cover according to claim 15, wherein the flexible cover sheet is a net.
20. The poultry container cover according to claim 15, wherein at least one longitudinal support is connected fixed to the guides.
21. The poultry container cover according to claim 15, wherein guides are provided with couplings for connecting the guides onto a poultry container.
22. A poultry container for holding live poultry, comprising: a bottom wall, four side walls protruding from the bottom wall and a cover for a poultry container according to claim 15, which poultry container cover is connected to the side walls at distance from the bottom wall.
23. The poultry container for holding live poultry according to claim 22, wherein the preferred holding locations are located on the parallel guides at least on positions adjoining two opposite side walls of the poultry container and at one or more positions centrally between two opposite walls.
24. The poultry container for holding live poultry according to claim 22, wherein the poultry container is provided with a door, which door is formed by a section of one of the side walls and a, with the side wall section connected, section of the bottom wall, which door is moveable connected with the rest of the poultry container such that the door is displaceable between a position wherein the door fits the rest of the poultry container and a position wherein the door leaves an opening in the side wall and the bottom for the passage of poultry.
25. The poultry container according to claim 22, wherein the door is centrally located in the side wall wherein the door is installed.
26. The poultry container according to claim 22, wherein the door is slideable connected with the rest of the bottom wall.
27. The poultry container assembly for holding live poultry, comprising plural stacked poultry containers including a poultry container with a poultry container cover according to claim 22 placed on top of the stack of poultry containers.
28. The poultry container assembly according to claim 27, wherein the poultry container assembly includes a poultry container base.
Description
[0016] The invention will be further elucidated herein below on the basis of the non-limitative exemplary embodiments shown in the following figures. Herein:
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a perspective schematic view of a poultry container cover according to the present invention in a closed position;
[0018] FIG. 2A shows a cross-section of a guide and a part of a longitudinal support;
[0019] FIG. 2B shows a perspective schematic view of the outer end of a longitudinal support;
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a perspective schematic view of the poultry container cover as shown in FIG. 1 in a partially opened position;
[0021] FIG. 4 shows a perspective schematic view of the poultry container cover as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 in a fully opened position;
[0022] FIG. 5A shows a perspective schematic view of an alternative embodiment of the outer end of a longitudinal support and a magnet to be place in this outer end of the longitudinal support;
[0023] FIG. 5B shows a perspective view on an end part of a guide and a strip holding magnets to be placed into the guide;
[0024] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view on a part of a longitudinal support and a flexible cover sheet clamped onto the longitudinal support;
[0025] FIG. 7 shows a top view on an alternative embodiment of a flexible cover sheet;
[0026] FIG. 8 shows a perspective schematic view of a poultry container including a closed cover according to the present invention; and
[0027] FIG. 9 shows a perspective schematic view of a poultry container assembly including a top poultry container with an opened cover according to the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 1 shows a poultry container cover 1 with two parallel guides 2, here embodied as bars, along which guides 2 longitudinal supports 3 are slideable. The longitudinal supports 3 comprise on opposite sides two brackets 4 that enclose the guides 2. The longitudinal supports 3 stretch a flexible cover sheet 5, here embodied as a net. As is clearly depicted in FIG. 2Abut also shown in FIG. 1the guide 2 has bevelled notches 6 that define preferred positions for a brackets 4 that are part of a longitudinal support 3. A bracket 4 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2B. To prevent the bracket 4 coming loose from the guide 2 the bracket 4 has a closed opening 7 to encircle the guide 2.
[0029] In FIG. 3 the poultry container cover 1 as shown in FIG. 1 is depicted again, however now in a half opened position. Two of the longitudinal supports 3 and 3 are shifted towards the middle of the parallel guides 2 thus creating a space 8 between the guides 2 that is not covered anymore by the cover sheet 5. The poultry container cover 1 in this half opened position provides access to a poultry container when attached to such poultry container. In FIG. 4 the poultry container cover 1 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is shown again but now in a fully opened position wherein all the longitudinal supports 3 are shifted towards the middle of the guides 2. As an alternative the poultry container cover 1 may also be fully opened by moving the longitudinal supports 3 together somewhere else on the guides 2 (thus not in the middle of the guides 2 but for instance on one of the two opposite sides of the guides 2). The flexible cover sheet 5 is in this position of the longitudinal supports 3 not covering the opening (space) between the two guides 2 anymore.
[0030] In FIG. 5A a part of a bracket 10 from a longitudinal support is shown including an aperture 11 for holding a magnet 12. Such bracket 10 is preferably to be used in combination with a type of guide 13 as shown in FIG. 5B. This guide 13 is formed by a profile section 14 that has an internal holding structure 15 for a strip 16 holding several magnets 17. The cooperation between the magnet 12 in the bracket 10 with the magnets 17 in the guide 13 define preferred positions of the bracket 10 of a longitudinal support 3 on the guide 13. In the embodiment according to the FIGS. 5A and 5B the bevelled notches 6 as shown in the FIGS. 1, 2A, 3 and 4 are thus superfluous.
[0031] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view on a part of a longitudinal support 20 carrying a flexible cover sheet (net) 21. The cover sheet 21 is attached to the longitudinal support 20 using clamping elements 22. In FIG. 7 a top view on an alternative cover sheet 23. Here the cover sheet 23 is a synthetic film 24 wherein spaces 25 are left open.
[0032] FIG. 7 shows a poultry container 30 for holding live poultry, with a bottom wall 31 and four side walls 32-35 protruding from the bottom wall 31. A door 36 is formed by a section of one of the side walls 35 and a section of the bottom wall 31. The door 36 is displaceable between a position wherein the door 36 fits the rest of the poultry container 30, which is the situation shown in FIG. 8, and a position wherein the door 36 leaves an opening in the side wall 35 and the bottom wall 31 for the passage of poultry (this situation is shown in FIG. 9). The side walls 32-35 of the poultry container 30 are provided with apertures 37 for aeration/ventilation. Furthermore the poultry container 30 has support columns 38 for carrying the weight of structures that may be stacked onto the poultry container 30. The poultry container 30 is also proved with a poultry container cover 39, here shown in the closed position. For a more detailed description of the poultry container cover 39 reference is made to the previous figures. The poultry container cover 39 may be fully integrated with the poultry container 30, e.g. by welding the guides to the poultry container 30, but as an alternative the poultry container cover 39 may also be releasable attached to the poultry container 30. Releasable attachments are for instance clamping attachments, form fitting attachments, snap fitting attachments, bolted attachments, combinations of such attachments and/or alternative releasable attachments.
[0033] FIG. 9 shows a perspective schematic view of a poultry container assembly 40 wherein on a poultry container base 41 subsequently four poultry containers 42 are stacked. The poultry container base 41 holds two parallel sockets 43 wherein openings 44 are provided for handling the poultry container base 41. The doors 36 (see also FIG. 8) of all the poultry containers 42 are in the opened position, for instance to enable the loading of the poultry container base 41 with live poultry. After the poultry container base 41 is loaded the door 36 of the lower poultry container 42 may be closed (to the position as depicted in FIG. 8). Now the lower poultry container 42 may be loaded and this procedure may be repeated until all the poultry containers 42 are loaded. After loading all the poultry containers 42, including the top poultry container 42 a poultry container cover 45 that is part of the top poultry container 42 may be closed to hold the live poultry loaded in the top poultry container 42.
