Integrally Manufactured Stall Dividers for Barns

Abstract

A hollow polymer stall divider for use in a barn permits lateral flexing when a cow presses against the stall divider while the stall divider asserts a lateral force against the cow to urge the cow to move into a proper position between adjacent stall dividers without causing injury to the cow. The polymer stall divider can be formed of a single polymer material having a unitary density throughout. Alternatively, the polymer stall divider can be formed of multiple sections of different densities of polymer material, and different types of polymer material. The different sections of polymer material can be plastic welded together or connected by plug members inserted into the adjoining ends of the sections and secured with adhesives or other bonding material to form line blanks that can be heated until softened sufficiently to be bent into a proper shape within a pre-formed mold.

Claims

1. A stall divider, comprising: a first generally horizontal, elongated member formed from a flexible polymer; a second generally horizontal, elongated member formed from said flexible polymer and being oriented in a vertical plane with said first elongated member; and a curved member formed from said flexible polymer and being integrally formed with said first and second elongated members to form said stall divider.

2. The stall divider of claim 1 wherein said first and second elongated members are oriented in a converging manner toward said curved member such that said curved member is curved through an arc of less than 180 degrees.

3. The stall divider of claim 1 wherein said first and second elongated members are formed from the same flexible polymer material having a first density, said curved member being formed from the same flexible polymer material but have a second density less than said first density, whereby said curved member is more flexible than said first and second elongated members.

4. The stall divider of claim 3 wherein said first and second elongated members are respectively plastic welded to said curved member to make the first and second elongated members integral with said curved member.

5. The stall divider of claim 3 wherein said curved member is affixed to said first and second elongated members by a flexible plug formed from a low density flexible polymer material and secured by adhesives to said first and second elongated members.

6. The stall divider of claim 5 wherein said curved member is affixed to said first and second elongated members by a flexible plug formed from rubber and secured between said curved member and said first and second elongated members by fasteners, including at least one of bolts, screws and adhesive.

7. The stall divider of claim 1 wherein said each of said first and second elongated members are formed from two densities of said flexible polymer, each of said first and second elongated members having a base portion and a distal portion, said curved member being connected to the respective said distal portions, each said base portion having a density that is greater than the corresponding distal portion, each of said corresponding base and distal portions being plastic welded together to form respective integral said first and second members.

8. The stall divider of claim 7 wherein said curved member is formed from said flexible polymer having a density less than the density of said adjacent distal portions of said first and second elongated members.

9. A method of forming a polymer stall divider for use in barns to create stalls for the separation of cattle within the barn, comprising the steps of: providing a form defining a selected shape for said stall divider, including at least first and second elongated members interconnected at adjacent ends by a curved member; heating lengths of hollow polymer tubing to soften said lengths of polymer tubing; bending the softened polymer tubing into the shape defined by the form; cooling said form to harden said polymer tubing; and removing the stall divider from said form.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said heating step includes the steps of: forming a pair of selected first lengths of said hollow polymer tubing having a first density; forming a selected second length of said hollow polymer tubing having a second density lower than said first density; connecting said first lengths of said hollow polymer tubing to opposing ends of said second length of tubing before said bending step to create a line blank; and then, applying heat to said line blank to soften said line blank and proceeding to said bending step.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said connecting step includes the step of plastic welding said first and second lengths of hollow polymer tubing to create said line blank.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said connecting step includes the step of: using a plug member to interconnect said first and second lengths of hollow polymer tubing and securing said plug member to both said first and second lengths of hollow polymer tubing before said step of applying heat to said line blank.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said plug member is secured to said first and second lengths of hollow polymer tubing by adhesives to make the first and second lengths of hollow polymer tubing into an integral line blank.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein said heating step includes the steps of: forming a pair of selected first lengths of said hollow polymer tubing having a first density; forming a pair of selected second lengths of said hollow polymer tubing having a second density lower than said first density; forming a third length of said hollow polymer tubing having a third density lower than said second density; connecting said first lengths of said hollow polymer tubing to corresponding second lengths of said hollow polymer tubing such that said first length defines a base portion and said second lengths define a distal portion; affixing said third length of hollow tubing at opposing ends thereof to the respective ends of said distal portions to create a line blank; and then, applying heat to said line blank to soften said line blank and proceeding to said bending step.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said connecting and affixing steps include the step of: using a plug member to interconnect respective said first second and third lengths of hollow polymer tubing and securing said plug member to both said first and second lengths of hollow polymer tubing before said step of applying heat to said line blank.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said plug member is made of rubber and is secured, respectively, to said first, second and third lengths of hollow polymer tubing by adhesives to make the first and second lengths of hollow polymer tubing into an integral line blank.

17. A stall divider, comprising: a first generally horizontal, elongated member formed from a first flexible polymer material; a second generally horizontal, elongated member formed from said first flexible polymer material and being oriented in a vertical plane with said first elongated member; and a curved member formed from a second flexible polymer material and being integrally formed with said first and second elongated members to form said stall divider.

18. The stall divider of claim 17 wherein said first and second polymer materials differ only by density with said first polymer material having a higher density than said second polymer material.

19. The stall divider of claim 17 wherein each of said first and second elongated members have a base portion and a distal portion connected to said curved member, said base portion having a greater density than said distal portion and said distal portions of said first and second elongated members having a greater density than said curved member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0029] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a free stall showing a plurality of parallel stall dividers incorporating the principles of the instant invention to define the respective stalls for the placement of cattle therein;

[0030] FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic diagram of a portion of the free stall barn shown in FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the free stall configuration shown in FIG. 2;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of the stall divider incorporating the principles of the instant invention;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the stall divider;

[0034] FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of the instant invention;

[0035] FIG. 7 is an enlarged diagrammatic cross-sectional view of an optional connector that can be utilized in the second and third embodiments of the instant invention as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6;

[0036] FIGS. 8-13 are side elevational view of various configurations of stall dividers that can be constructed in accordance with the principles of the instant invention; and

[0037] FIG. 14 is a schematic representation of a mold for shaping a formed line blank into the desired stall divider configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] Referring now to the drawings, a stall divider for use in either tie stall or free stall barns configurations, incorporating the principles of the instant invention, can best be seen. One skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the instant invention are not limited to a particular shape or size of stall divider, nor to the specific polymer material used to manufacture the stall dividers.

[0039] Stall dividers 10 are mounted to support structure 5 at the base end 11 of the stall divider 10 in a parallel array to define stalls 8 therebetween. Cows entering the barn 1 find their way into a selected or designated stall 8 between opposing stall dividers 10. In tie stall barns, the cows are tied to a structural member (not shown) and then given feed and milked while within the stall. Cows in tie stall barns are often released after then are finished eating and being milked so that they can find their way to a cool location to lie down. Alternatively, cows in tie stall barns are retained in the stalls for extended periods while tunnel ventilation is utilized to keep them comfortable. In free stall barns, the cows are simply allowed to enter a selected or designated stall where the cow is encouraged to lie down and be cooled by air currents flowing through the barn. In either configuration, cows will sometimes run into the stall dividers, which impact the sides of the cows and cause major or minor injury. Injuries are to be avoided to enhance milk production. Thus, when a cow impacts into a steel stall divider, injury is likely because steel dividers do not yield or give way to the cow.

[0040] By forming the stall dividers 10 from hollow flexible polymer tubing, the flexibility of the polymer tubing allows the stall divider 10 to flex laterally and minimize injury to the cow, while asserting a lateral force to the side of the cow to urge the cow into the proper location between the stall dividers 10. This flexible polymer can be one of several plastic materials, including polypropylene, polyurethane and polyethylene. Each of these polymer materials can be formed in different densities, where the higher the density of the polymer, the less flexible the polymer is. For the purposes of manufacturing stall dividers, each of these materials comes in a high density (HD), medium density (MD) and low density (LD) configurations. High density material would have a density in the range of 0.941 to 0.955 g/cc, while medium density material would have a density in the range of 0.926 to 0.940 g/cc and low density material would have a density in the range of 0.010 to 0.925 g/cc.

[0041] All three density configurations can be utilized in the manufacture of an improved stall divider configuration, as will be described in greater detail below. In the monolithic stall divider configuration depicted in FIG. 4, the entire stall divider 10, including the upper or first horizontal member 15, the lower, or second horizontal member 17 and the curved end member 19 are all formed from the same material and same density. Preferably, the medium density polymer is utilized to provide both durability and flexibility when impacted by a cow. Alternatively, the high density configuration can be used, which would enhance durability at the expense of flexibility in the stall divider 10. The stall divider 10 of FIG. 4 will flex laterally to either direction and then the stall divider will try to return to the original position, even asserting a force against the cow, as the shape retention memory of the polymer material urges the stall divider 10 back to its original formed orientation.

[0042] The manner in which this monolithic stall divider 10 of FIG. 4 can be manufactured is by softening through heating a selected length of hollow tubing formed from a flexible polymer so that the length of hollow tubing, i.e. a line blank 14, can be placed into a form 25, as depicted in FIG. 14, and shaped into the desired stall divider shape. This selected length of hollow polymer tubing is preferably formed of high or medium density polyethylene and being two to three inches in diameter with wall thickness of 0.10 to 0.50 inches, although other configurations of hollow polymer tubing is also effective. The selected length is chosen to fill the die 26 from one end to the other, after which the mating half of the die 27 is secured so that the stall divider is maintained in the proper shape and then cooled.

[0043] As is depicted in FIG. 3, the stall divider 10 is preferably connected to the support structure 5, which can be a metal, steel riser, or the structure 5 may also be formed of polymer tubing, by connecting brackets 21 supported on the structure 5 and preferably connected to the elongated members 15, 17 by fasteners (not shown). Thus, the base ends 11 of the upper and lower elongated members are secured to the support structure 5 and extend outwardly therefrom in a cantilevered manner. With an impact from a cow moving into the stall 8, the polymer stall divider 10 will bend laterally while the base ends 11 remain secured to the support structure 5.

[0044] The above-described method of forming the stall divider 10 from polymeric material by heating the polymer tubing until soft enough to bend into shape within the die can also be utilized to create multi-density stall dividers 10. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the curved end member 19 can be formed from a polymer that has a lower density that the remaining portions of the stall divider 10. In this manner, the curved end member 19 will have a greater degree of flexibility than the rest of the stall divider structure 15, 17. As depicted in FIG. 6, the upper and/or lower elongated members 15, 17 can also be formed from the polymer material having different densities to enhance the flexibility and bending capability of the stall divider 10 when impacted by a cow.

[0045] Looking first at FIG. 6, the base end 11 can be formed of a high density polymer to provide a somewhat rigid mounting structure for connecting to the riser 5, but the distal portion 12 of the elongated members can be formed from a medium density form of the polymer to enhance flexibility in the elongated members 15, 17, and then the curved end members 19 can be formed from a low density version of the polymer material to further minimize the possibility of injury to a cow impacting the end of the stall divider 10. Alternatively, as depicted in FIG. 5, the entire elongated members 15, 17 can be formed from a high or medium density polymer, while the curved end member 19 is formed from a lower density version of the polymer than the elongated member 15, 17. Preferably, the same polymeric material is used throughout the stall divider 10 structure, with only the density changing from one portion to the other. However, different polymer materials can be used from one section to the other to maximize the desirable properties of the stall divider 10, as long as the respective sections of polymer can be joined together in some manner to create an integral stall divider structure.

[0046] The respective sections of the stall divider 10 can be combined to create a line blank 14 by selecting appropriate lengths of the respective densities of polymeric tubing material and plastic welding the tubing together to create the line blank 14. The line blank 14 is then heated, as previously noted, until soft enough to shape into the die 26 to form the desired stall divider configuration. Accordingly, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a first length of a first density polymer tubing corresponding to the linear length of the upper elongated member 15 is plastic welded to the end of a second length of a second density polymer tubing corresponding to the linear length of the curved end member 19. The remaining end of the second length of polymer tubing is then plastic welded to a third length of the first density polymer tubing corresponding to the length of the lower elongated member 17 to form the line blank 14. Once heated, the softened line blank 14 can be inserted into the die 26 into the shape of the desired stall divider 10 and covered by the mating die 27 until cooled and extracted.

[0047] Similarly, the line blank 14 for the configuration depicted in FIG. 6 can also be formed starting with a first length of a high density polymer tubing plastic welded to the end of a second length of a medium density polymer tubing, which is then plastic welded to a third length of low density polymer tubing. A fourth length of medium density polymer tubing is then welded to the free end of the third length, followed by a fifth length of high density polymer tubing plastic welded to the free end of the fourth length. The multi-density line blank 14 is then ready for heating and shaping into the desired stall divider configuration.

[0048] FIG. 7 depicts an optional plug member 30 that can be used to connect respective lengths of polymer tubing in the formation of the line blank 14. The plug member 30 is shaped and sized to fit into the hollow opening through the respective tubing members with a central portion 32 having an external diameter equal to the diameter of the polymer tubing. Thus, when the plug member 30 is inserted to connect two lengths of polymer tubing, the exterior surface looks substantially seamless. Preferably, the plug member 30 is secured to the opposing lengths of tubing with adhesives that are heat resistant and allow the formation of the line blank 14 into the die 26. The plug member 30 is preferably a low density type of the same polymeric material from which the opposing lengths of tubing 11, 12 are constructed; however, the plug member could be formed from a more flexible material like rubber. Instead of plastic welding, the respective sections of the line blank 14 formed of different densities of polymer tubing are joined together by adhesives securing the plug member 30 to the respective lengths of tubing 11, 12.

[0049] It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.