Animal flooring element

Abstract

Disclosed is a rectangular-shaped floor element which, when combined with a plurality of such floor elements, forms a floor for use with animals, the floor element comprising: a rectangular-shaped concrete unit comprising a plurality of support beams; a first set of angular oriented openings located between a first support beam and a second support beam, wherein the angular oriented openings are oriented at an angle, in a range of between 25 to 60 degrees, formed between the second side of the rectangular-shaped concrete unit and each opening of the first set of angular oriented openings; and a second set of angular oriented openings located between the second support beam and a third support beam. The angular oriented openings forming a chevron pattern.

Description

[0001] ANIMAL FLOORING ELEMENT

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates to the technical field of an animal flooring element for forming the floor of an animal stable, such as a stable for cattle.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Concrete flooring elements or slats exist for forming the flooring of an animal stable, such as a stable for cattle. Typically, each element can be laid, side by side, adjacent other such elements, to form an overall flooring structure.

[0006] Problems have existed in existing such flooring elements. Specifically, drainage of animal excrement, both solid and liquid waste, has not been efficiently removed from the stable area through the flooring structure, due to the make-up of the existing flooring elements. Also, the welfare, comfort and safety of the animal, as the animal stands and walks on the flooring element, is also an important consideration which has not been effectively handled with existing flooring elements.

[0007] Accordingly, a need exists in the field for an animal flooring element which is structured in a better way to achieve better results in such a way as to solve the technical problems noted above.

[0008] SUMMARY

[0009] The invention provides a rectangular-shaped floor element which, when combined with a plurality of such floor elements, forms a floor for use with animals, the floor element comprising: a rectangular-shaped concrete unit comprising a plurality of support beams, a first set of support beams of the plurality of support beams being oriented in a direction parallel to a first side of the rectangular-shaped concrete unit and a second set of support beams of the plurality of support beams being oriented in a direction parallel to a second side of the rectangular-shaped concrete unit, the second side being perpendicular to the first side, wherein the first side is greater in length than the second side; a first set of angular oriented openings located between a first support beam of the first set of support beams and a second support beam of the first set of support beams, wherein the angular oriented openings are oriented at an angle, in a range of between 25 to 60 degrees, formed between the second side of the rectangular-shaped concrete unit and each opening of the first set of angular oriented openings; a second set of angular oriented openings located between the second support beam of the first set of support beams and a third support beam of the first set of support beams, wherein the angular oriented openings are oriented at an angle, in a range of between 25 to 60 degrees, formed between the second side of the rectangular-shaped concrete unit and each opening of the second set of angular oriented openings; and a plurality of rubber inserts inserted into each of first and second sets of angular oriented openings; wherein the second support beam of the first set of support beams is a central support beam; and wherein the first set of angular oriented openings and the second set of angular oriented openings are arranged in a chevron pattern.

[0010] The new hybrid chevron-shaped slat provides technical advantages over other known slats having different configurations, for the following reasons.

[0011] Known slats have a series of longitudinal and or central beams, and they are designed to be spanned over a wide passage. They are not very efficient at clearing / cleaning the floor quickly as the cleaning operation is purely going in either the same direction as the slot holes or at 90 degrees which will disperse the muck away but slowly and inefficiently.

[0012] The real innovation with the new slat of the present patent application is that the inventors have developed a double diagonal (chevron) configuration that has opposing slanted slot holes, so from a cleaning point of view this is the first time that a chevron slat has ever been developed and allows the floor to be cleared / dispersed in any direction and is a faster process than anything else that has been on the market.

[0013] This is known to help reduce ammonia build up and reduces the stress on the cows’ feet. The other major technical advance to the slat of this patent application is that it answers the needs of farmers to be able to have the benefit of angled drainage holes but in a product that can be supported and used in either direction and is certainly the first angled slat to be able to span over a wide passage and be load bearing.

[0014] The inventors have created the innovation of a dual-spanning, chevron (double diagonal) hybrid slat that offers significant technical advantages over others that are known in the prior art.

[0015] There are quite a few known configurations of slats in both rubber and plain concrete but all of them involve longitudinal beams and parallel slots and none disclose or suggest the inventive chevron arrangement with the technical features set out above and as claimed below.

[0016] Preferred or optional features are provided in the dependent claims.

[0017] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Fig. 1 shows three animal floor elements placed side-by-side according to a preferred embodiment of the invention in one configuration in perspective.

[0019] Fig. 2 shows one of the animal floor elements in Fig. 1 to a larger scale.

[0020] Fig. 3 represents a rubber insert element indicated by II in Fig. 1 to a larger scale.

[0021] Fig. 4 show one of the animal floor elements with an illustration of how the parts I and II work together.

[0022] Fig. 5 shows three animal floor elements arranged according to a preferred embodiment of the invention in an end-to-end alternative configuration in perspective.

[0023] Fig. 6 shows a patterned texture of the surface face of animal floor element I when in use.

[0024] Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the animal floor element I.

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODMENTS

[0026] Figure 1 shows an animal, e.g., cattle, flooring portion comprising of a plurality of flooring elements (also known as slats) I placed side-by-side according to a preferred embodiment. Three of such flooring elements are shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows only one of the floor elements I.

[0027] Each cattle floor element I comprises of a concrete unit, preferably precast, in which, there are support beams long-ways 2 and short-ways 3 as represented in Fig. 2. A number of openings 4 is provided between the beams, as shown. When a plurality of floor elements I are connected together, they form an overall flooring structure for an animal stable, such as a stable for keeping cattle. The floor element I also has support along the short beams 3, which creates a dual spanning design.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 2, each of the openings 4 between the support beams of each flooring element I is at an angle. The angle could preferably be 45 degrees but could be in a range of 25 to 60 degrees. The openings are shaped to suit a corresponding rubber insert, shown in Fig. 3. The openings 4 are preferably wider at the top of each opening 4, when looking down at the element I of Fig. 2, and tapers down to be narrower at the bottom when in the orientation of Fig. 2, which is the orientation when the element is in use. Fig. 7, which is a cross sectional view of the floor element, shows a possible configuration of the tapering of each opening 4.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 2, each of the openings 4 in each floor element I has a plurality, e.g. four, of square nodules 5a, with each square nodule 5a oriented at 90 degrees to the respective opening 4 to create a locking element for the respective rubber insert II which fits into the respective opening. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the rubber insert II has precision-cut rubber extension portions 5b, each of which fits into the respective square nodule 5a of Fig. 2 when each respective rubber insert II is inserted into the corresponding opening 4 to create the grip needed to tie the rubber into the concrete without mechanical fixings. This creates a snug fit of the rubber insert into the opening 4, helping to prevent the rubber insert from being removed when the animal walks over the flooring element, while creating a comfortable experience for the animal due to the relatively soft rubber material as compared to the harder concrete material. The extension portions 5b also prevent excess deformation and extend the lifespan on the long edges help reduce eventually deformation of the rubber through years of constant traffic and is also very easily manually removed for replacement or cleaning.

[0030] Fig. 4 shows a rubber element II being inserted into an opening of the flooring element I. As is also shown in Fig. 2, there is a central recess 6 in the concrete material to hold a long rubber insert which provides extra comfort for an animal while the animal is standing or walking over the element I. The central recess 6, which preferably has the dimensions of 4500 x 200 x 25mm, accommodates the long strip of rubber (the rubber insert) on the central supporting beam (one of the main supporting beams 2). This rubber strip down the middle, keeps the distance from rubber to concrete to a minimum or, in other words, reduces the amount of concrete the cow (for example) must walk on - the element therefore has a recess built in to keep everything flush.

[0031] The rubber elements II are sat flush with the top of element I when in use. This creates a flat comfortable surface for the animal to stand and walk on.

[0032] The unique design of element I is that it can be placed alongside other elements I in a longways (side-by-side) orientation as shown in Fig. 1 and also in a short-ways (end-to-end) configuration as shown in Fig. 5, due to the design and layout of the reinforcement within the element (specifically, the beams 2 and 3, as shown in Fig. 2).

[0033] Figure 3 shows the insert II which is manufactured from high grade rubber or the like at, for example, 40mm thickness with openings 8 to allow excrements, particularly solid excrement, to fall into a reception element below the flooring element and preferably has integral grooves in a top surface forming grooved urine slots 7 to allow the liquid excrement to drain away prior to the solid ecrement. Grooved urine slots 7 help drain liquids from the floor element quicker reducing surface level ammonia emissions.

[0034] The rubber element II also has the four (for example) locking rubber extension portions 5b to tie into the square nodules 5a of the concrete element I as explained above.

[0035] Preferably, the apertures or openings 4, as shown in Fig. 2, which are each at an angle, can be grouped into, for example, two groups. A first group of openings is located between one of the beams 2 at an outer edge of the element I and the central beam 2, and a second group of openings is located between the other of the beams 2 at the other outer edge of the element I and the central beam 2. The openings in the first group are angled in one orientation and the openings in the second group are angled in an opposite direction orientation, as shown in Fig. 2. This creates a chevron pattern. The chevron pattern allows for excellent, quick, and efficient cleaning of the slurry and urine to either a channel or tank below the flooring structure resulting in a large reduction in airborne ammonia. Specifically, the chevron arrangement creates high efficiency in the removal of slurry and urine as it creates a “cutting” effect in two directions within one slat.

[0036] Up to a 60% reduction of airborne ammonia can be achieved due to the grooved rubber insert which drains the urine away first, leaving a drier floor, and leaves the solids to be trodden or scraped through.

[0037] While only a full-length rubber insert is shown in Fig. 3, in practice, there could be rubber inserts of a plurality of different lengths, for example, there could be three lengths of insert in each of the slats, because once the corners on the diagonals are reached, it may be useful to cut the lengths of the inserts down. Also, the inserts, once cut down in length, may have less of the rubber extension portions 5b due to the reduced length of the insert.

[0038] Prior floor elements have used a parallel slat arrangement which is a slat that has the slots in line with the span, they are the most common slats on the market. Even prior to these, going back further in time, slats were just single “fingers” (or beams) that were laid side by side with a gap in between to allow the slurry to go through. The term “gang slat” was the term coined for the style that is the most common now a days of the unit being generally 4ft wide with several rows of slots cast in. The current diagonal slat on the market cannot span its width (i.e 3m) as the design of the cage within the current diagonal doesn’t have the support beams of the preferred embodiment of this disclosure, it also cannot ever have those due to its size and layout. Accordingly, the preferred embodiment provides a new engineering aspect as the new chevron slat can span the width (i.e. 3m). The preferred embodiment provides a non-parallel gang slat which is structurally engineered to be used in both a wide spanning passage or over a narrow channel.

[0039] Preferably, a 50 / 50 ratio of concrete and flush fitting rubber is used in order to provide optimum comfort, grip and wear to the animals’ feet. Accordingly, it is desirable to achieve this ratio in the overall structure of the element I.

[0040] The flooring element l is a versatile long-lasting asset with an easily changeable multi-animal assembly. Specifically, the rubber insert can be removed and changed based on the animal to be housed in that stable, this means that if a farmer brings in sheep for lambing the farmer doesn’t have to build a separate building, or rip up the cattle slats and lay something else, the farmer can just change the insert to suit the new purpose. It is also longer lasting as the rubber inserts can just be replaced for cattle inserts again once they wear out, the concrete itself has a minimum design life of 50 years depending on the grade of concrete that is used.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 6, the top surface of the animal floor element I, preferably has as a small square pattern or the like to provide extra grip. A non-slip imprinted design pattern on top of the floor element I can preferably be used to offer greater reduction of slips and injury. The non-slip pattern imprint matt could also be re-worked or re-grooved after long term use, when the concrete wears down.

Claims

Claims1. A rectangular-shaped floor element which, when combined with a plurality of such floor elements, forms a floor for use with animals, the floor element comprising: a rectangular-shaped concrete unit comprising a plurality of support beams, a first set of support beams of the plurality of support beams being oriented in a direction parallel to a first side of the rectangular-shaped concrete unit and a second set of support beams of the plurality of support beams being oriented in a direction parallel to a second side of the rectangular-shaped concrete unit, the second side being perpendicular to the first side, wherein the first side is greater in length than the second side; a first set of angular oriented openings located between a first support beam of the first set of support beams and a second support beam of the first set of support beams, wherein the angular oriented openings are oriented at an angle, in a range of between 25 to 60 degrees, formed between the second side of the rectangular-shaped concrete unit and each opening of the first set of angular oriented openings; a second set of angular oriented openings located between the second support beam of the first set of support beams and a third support beam of the first set of support beams, wherein the angular oriented openings are oriented at an angle, in a range of between 25 to 60 degrees, formed between the second side of the rectangular-shaped concrete unit and each opening of the second set of angular oriented openings; and a plurality of rubber inserts inserted into each of first and second sets of angular oriented openings; wherein the second support beam of the first set of support beams is a central support beam; and wherein the first set of angular oriented openings and the second set of angular oriented openings are arranged in a chevron pattern.

2. The floor element of any claim 1, wherein each rubber insert of the plurality of rubber inserts has a plurality of rubber extension portions, each extending away from a main body of the rubber insert at a 90-degree angle.

3. The floor element of claim 2, wherein each of the first and second sets of angular oriented openings has a plurality of nodules extending away from a main body of each opening, such that each nodule is adapted to receive a corresponding rubber extension portion of a rubber insert, when the rubber insert is inserted into a respective angular oriented opening.

4. The floor element of claim 1, wherein the central support beam has a recess extending along a length of the central support beam.

5. The floor element of claim 4, wherein a rubber insert is inserted into the recess of the central support beam.

6. The floor element of claim 1, wherein the floor element is combined with a plurality of other such floor elements to form the floor, such that the floor elements lie side by side such that the first sides of respective floor elements are adjacent to each other.

7. The floor element of claim 1, wherein the floor element is combined with a plurality of other such floor elements to form the floor, such that the floor elements lie end to end such that the second sides of respective floor elements are adjacent to each other.

8. The floor element of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of rubber inserts has a central opening.

9. The floor element of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of rubber inserts has a grooved top surface forming a channel for receiving and channelling the flow of liquid.

10. The floor element of claim 1, wherein a non-slip design pattern is located on a top surface of the floor element.

11. The floor element of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rubber inserts can be removed and replaced with other rubber inserts suitable for a different animal.

12. The floor element of claim 1, wherein a ratio of concrete to rubber of a top surface of the floor element is approximately 50 / 50.

13. The floor element of claim 1, wherein the rectangular-shaped concrete unit is precast.

14. The floor element of claim 1, wherein each rubber insert of the plurality of rubber inserts has an approximately 40 centimetre thickness.

15. The floor element of claim 1, wherein the angle is approximately 45 degrees.

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