Protective shroud for shock wire coupling

Abstract

The invention discloses a shroud or guard that provides a housing to protect electrical couplings in a livestock facility. The guard may be placed on conventional feed and water supply lines and over their associated shock wires to prevent animals from destroying the electrical connections that supply electricity to the shock wires.

Claims

1. A protective shroud for an indoor electrical coupling for a shock wire supported on a water or supply line, the shroud comprising: a hollow, elongated, cylindrical housing with spaced apart ends having a flat opening at a first end and with at least two arcuate cutouts at the opposite end; an elongated slot in each of the cutouts, each slot extending from the cutout toward the flat opening; and, wherein the housing is adapted to gravitationally sit on the supply line around the electrical coupling and against the shock wire to thereby protect the coupling.

2. The protective shroud as recited in claim 1 wherein the cutouts are defined on opposite housing sides.

3. The protective shroud as recited in claim 2 further comprising a cap adapted to fit over the open housing end.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following drawings, which form a part of the specification and which are to be construed in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals have been employed throughout wherever possible to indicate like parts in the various views:

(2) FIG. 1 is an environmental view showing one exemplary embodiment of the protective shroud for shock wire coupling adjacent to the coupling in accordance with the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is another environmental view taken from the back and with the top removed thereof;

(4) FIG. 3 is an environmental view taken from the bottom front thereof;

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 but with portions omitted or shown in section for clarity

(6) FIG. 5 is a top plan view photograph thereof;

(7) FIG. 6 is a side elevational view with the opposite side being a mirror image thereof;

(8) FIG. 7 is another side elevational thereof;

(9) FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view thereof;

(10) FIG. 9 is a side perspective view taken thereof with the optional cap;

(11) FIG. 10 is a side perspective view thereof with the optional cap exploded therefrom; and,

(12) FIG. 11 is an environmental view showing one exemplary embodiment of the protective shroud for shock wire coupling adjacent to the coupling in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(13) The present invention addresses the perceived needs in the known art discussed above. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

(14) The invention includes a protective shroud for electric coupling that is generally indicated by reference numeral 25 in FIGS. 1-11. The shroud 25 is deployed in a poultry house on a feed supply line 28 (it could also be installed similarly on a water supply line or a support brace for either as well). The shroud 25 covers and substantially prevents access to the electric coupling 30 that provides electricity to a conventional shock wire 32. FIG. 11 shows an exemplary embodiment where the shroud 25 is installed with a shock line in a poultry house 21.

(15) The conventional feed supply line 28 is approximately two inches in diameter. The shroud (or guard) 25 needs to be wide enough to fit over the feed supply line or approximately at least 2.85 inches in width. A four inch diameter pvc section of pipe was found to be sufficient to fit over the supply line 28 to provide a wide enough base to accommodate the supply line for the guard 25. Generally, the water supply lines are smaller in diameter so a smaller two inch diameter pvc section of pipe was suitable to form the guard 25 when place over water supply line 28.

(16) Guard 25 may be advantageously cut from an approximately six inch long section of standard or conventional pvc piping of either or two or four inch diameter to fit either the water or feed supply line. The guard 25 thus has an elongate cylindrical shape that forms a hollow housing 40.

(17) Guard housing 40 is open at both ends 42, 44. End 42 is simply a round open end. End 44 has arcuate cut-outs 52, 54 on opposing housing sides to facilitate the seating of the Guard 25 on the supply line 28. The cut-outs 52, 54 are in the shape of an arch with a base of approximately 2.85 inches in width at end 42 and extending toward end 44 approximately 2.25 inches to a radiussed peak (to match the outer diameter of the supply line).

(18) Centered on each cut-out 52, 54 at the peak is an elongated slot 62, 64 for the shock wire to pass through the housing 40. Each slot 62, 64 is approximately 0.25 inches in width and 1.25 inches in length (but could be larger as necessary to accommodate shock wires of larger diameter).

(19) An optional cap 45 may be placed over end 42 if desirable. The cap 45 is a conventional pvc cap of the appropriate diameter hat has a hole 46 in it to permit the installation of the electrical supply line 31 for the coupling 30.

(20) In use, the shroud 25 is installed over the coupling 30 and seated on the supply line 28. The shroud 25 does not have to be permanently affixed to the line 28 and gravity and the friction provided by the shock line 32 is sufficient to retain the shroud 25 in place. Usually the housing 40 is of sufficient depth and narrow enough to prevent animals from inserting their heads into the housing to reach the protected coupling 30. But if animals with smaller heads are present, the optional cap 45 is employed to prevent access to coupling 30.

(21) Usually, each supply line has a single coupling to protect at an end of the line and so a single guard 25 is all that is necessary to protect the coupling 30. Usually a house has several supply lines and each line requires a guard 25 at each of its couplings 30 (e.g. a conventional house may require 20 or 30 or more guards for all of the couplings).

(22) In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology has been used for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.