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The Agency Workers Regulations 2010
The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 ('AWR') come into force on 1 October 2011 and will have a big impact on employers who regularly use temps, giving agency workers rights that are similar to those which apply to permanent employees.
Although agency workers are already entitled to a range of statutory protections (e.g. under the Working Time Regulations and the National Minimum Wage legislation etc), temporary agency workers (temps) have historically enjoyed less favourable statutory employment rights than employees. This has given employers considerable flexibility in managing their work force by enabling them to respond quickly to peaks and troughs in work flow or to provide extra resource for the duration of a particular project.
The AWR will give temps the right to equal treatment in terms of basic terms and conditions for the remainder of the assignment after 12 weeks' continuous service in the same role.
Compliance with the AWR does not affect the agency worker's employment status or indicate that an agency worker is an employee.
An employer that fails to comply with its obligations under the AWR may be liable for a compensation award made against it by an Employment Tribunal.
Who Will Be Affected by The AWR?
The AWR will affect:
Employment businesses involved in the supply of temporary agency workers;
Individuals (temps) who are supplied as agency workers by a temporary work agency and work temporarily for and under the direction and supervision of a hirer;
Hirers of agency workers i.e. employers which hire temporary agency workers through an agency.
Those who are likely to be outside the scope of the AWR include:
Individuals who find work through a temporary work agency but are in business on their own account;
Individuals, such as cleaners, working on Managed Service Contracts, where the worker does not work under the direction and supervision of the host organisation;
Individuals working for in-house temporary staffing banks;
Individuals who find direct or permanent employment with an employer through an employment agency;
Individuals on secondment or loan from one business to another;
Individuals who find employment with an employer through an employment agency: once a worker is placed with a permanent employer, they have no further contractual relationship with the agency.
What New Agency Workers' Rights Apply Under The AWR?
The AWR will give agency workers rights relating to collective facilities and amenities which will apply from the first day of an assignment and, after a 12-week qualifying period with the same hirer in the same role, the right to the same basic terms and conditions of employment as if they had been employed directly by the hirer. These entitlements are set out in more detail below.
Entitlements which apply from day 1 of an assignment are:
The right for all agency workers to be treated no less favourably than a comparable worker or employee in relation to access to collective facilities and amenities as provided by the hirer, unless this can be justified on objective grounds. This applies to those collective facilities provided by the hirer, such as a staff canteen or other similar facilities, transport services (e.g. local pick up and drop offs and transport between sites, but not company car allowances or season ticket loans), toilets and shower facilities, staff common room, waiting room, crèche, mother and baby room, prayer room and car parking.
The right for all agency workers to be provided with information about any relevant job vacancies within the hirer which would be available to a current comparable directly employed employee or worker. Please note that, if the hirer is carrying out an internal reorganisation, which may involve a headcount freeze, it is acceptable to specify that any vacancies arising out of the restructure are only available to direct employees.
Entitlements which apply after a 12-week qualifying period in the same job role with the same hirer are:
The right to equal treatment for all agency workers in relation to basic working and employment conditions. The 'relevant terms and conditions' are:
Pay – this means: any sums payable to the agency worker in connection with their employment, including basic pay; overtime payments; shift allowances; bonuses (but not discretionary bonuses which reward loyalty or long service); commission attributable to the amount or quality of work done by the individual; holiday pay; and vouchers which have monetary value e.g. luncheon vouchers. However, see also section 4 below for circumstances where equal treatment provisions on pay do not apply
The duration of working time e.g. if working is limited to a maximum of 48 hours a week
Night work
Rest periods
Rest breaks
Annual leave – if the hirer would have given a more generous contractual annual leave entitlement to the agency worker if they had been recruited directly to fill the same job, the agency worker should receive the same enhanced entitlement once the 12 week qualifying period has elapsed, including the right to time off for bank and public holidays.
This additional entitlement in excess of statutory minimum leave can be provided as a one-off payment in lieu at the end of the assignment, as part of the hourly/daily rate or it can be given as paid leave.
Paid time off for ante natal appointments.
In relation to pregnant agency workers, alternative sources of work must be found, paid at the same or higher rate than the original assignment, if she can no longer complete the duties of the original assignment for health and safety reasons. If alternative work cannot be found, then the pregnant agency worker will have the right to be paid by the temporary work agency for the remaining expected duration of the original assignment.
The requirement is to give the agency worker the same basic working and employment conditions as they would have ordinarily received if they had been directly recruited by the hirer to the same job.
Permanent Contracts Providing for Pay Between Assignments
There is an exemption from the equal treatment provisions on pay where a temporary work agency can offer an agency worker a permanent contract of employment and pay the agency worker between assignments i.e. during the periods after the end of the first assignment under that contract when they are available to work but are not working because there are no suitable available assignments. This means that, after 12 weeks in a given job, the agency worker will not be entitled to the same pay as if they had been recruited directly.
Even if this exemption applies, the agency worker can still benefit from the other provisions in the AWR, such as equal treatment in relation to the duration of working time, night work, rest periods and rest breaks and annual leave after 12 weeks (see section 3 above). Agency workers must still receive the day one entitlements as well.
How is the 12 Week Qualifying Period Calculated?
The 12-week qualifying period is triggered by the agency worker working in the same job role with the same hirer for 12 continuous calendar weeks. A calendar week comprises any period of seven days starting with the first day of the assignment. In the case of part time staff, calendar weeks will be accrued irrespective of how many hours the worker works on a weekly basis.
The AWR are not retrospective and therefore for those agency workers already on assignment when the AWR come into force, the 12-week qualifying period will only start to run from 1 October 2011.
An agency worker might also work for more than one hirer during a week, resulting in more than one qualifying period with different hirers running at any one time.
An agency worker does not have to accrue the 12-week qualifying service with the same temporary work agency: qualification for comparable terms and conditions is dependent on service as an agency worker with a particular hirer, not with a particular agency.
Because the working patterns of agency workers can be irregular, the AWR provide for circumstances in which breaks in the assignment of an agency worker do not prevent them from completing the qualifying period. These provisions can be explained by thinking of the qualifying period as a clock which runs from 0 to 12:
Sometimes, a gap between assignments will mean that the clock is reset to 0 and must start again. Most commonly, this would occur because an agency worker begins a new assignment with a new hirer.
In other circumstances e.g. if the break between assignments (or during an assignment) with the same hirer is less than six weeks and the role is not substantively different, a break may just 'pause' the clock, which will then continue to tick when the agency worker returns to work with the hirer.
In some limited circumstances (e.g. breaks due to maternity leave or paternity leave), the clock will continue to tick for the originally intended duration of the assignment even if the agency worker is not working on an assignment.
The list below shows the different ways in which gaps in assignments would be treated:
Type of Absence
Effect on 12 week qualifying period
Agency worker begins new assignment with new hirer
Clock Resets
Agency worker remains with same hirer but is no longer in the same role
Break between assignments of 6 weeks or more
Pauses the clock
Shut downs e.g. workplace closure, school holidays
Sickness absence (medically certified)
Pauses the clock for up to 28 weeks
Pregnancy and maternity-related absence, statutory maternity, paternity or adoption leave
Clock keeps ticking for intended or likely duration of assignment
Where a hirer has different workplaces, moving an agency worker from one workplace to another will not usually break continuity unless it is a substantively different role.
What Constitutes a Substantively Different Role?
As stated above, if there is a substantive change to a job role with the same hirer, the qualifying clock is reset to zero.
However, in order for there to be a substantive change to the job role, the work or duties that make up the whole or the main part of the role must be substantively different.
A combination of the following factors (not one factor on its own) can be taken into account in establishing if the work is substantively different:
Is the pay rate different?
Does the role entail different skills and competences?
Is the work in a different location?
Is there a different line manager?
Does the role require extra training?
Does the role require a specific qualification that was not needed before?
In order for the job to be counted as a 'substantively different' role and the qualifying clock reset to zero, the hirer must notify the temporary work agency that the new job is substantively different and provide details of the job requirements. The temporary work agency must provide a description of the new role in writing to the agency worker. The agency should notify the agency worker that their role has substantively changed and that the 12-week qualifying period will therefore start again.
The Anti-Avoidance Provisions
A hirer is legally entitled under the AWR to decide not to engage agency workers beyond the 12 week qualifying period and there is nothing in the AWR to prevent assignments of 11 weeks being the hirer's usual practice.
However, the AWR include anti-avoidance provisions to deal with any situation where a pattern of assignments emerge that are designed to deliberately deprive an agency worker of their entitlements. In the event of a claim, it would be up to an Employment Tribunal to decide whether the pattern of assignments indicated an intention to deprive the agency worker of their rights. If a Tribunal decided that there was such an intention, an additional compensatory award of up to £5,000 could be made against the hirer or temporary work agency or split between the parties. This would be on top of any compensation awarded to the agency worker for breach of the equal treatment provisions. Similarly, agency workers cannot contract out of the AWR.
As at present, for each vacancy a temporary work agency receives from a hirer, the agency must record the details about the vacancy required by the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, before they introduce or supply an agency worker to that hirer.
Additionally, a hirer will need to provide the temporary work agency with the following details in order to comply with the AWR, if and when an agency worker completes 12 weeks in a given job:
The level of basic pay (based on the annual salary an agency worker should have received if recruited directly by the hirer);
If and when there are overtime payments and shift/unsocial hours allowances;
Types of bonus schemes in operation (and means by which individual performance is appraised);
Whether or not the hirer offers vouchers which have monetary value; and
Annual leave entitlement
Agency workers are entitled to information relating to their equal treatment entitlements. This process depends on what aspect of equal treatment they are requesting information on:
In respect of day one entitlements, the requirement to provide information lies with the hirer and information can be requested any time after the start of the assignment;
For entitlements after the 12 week qualifying period, the requirement to provide information lies primarily with the temporary work agency and the agency worker can only request information after the 12 weeks have elapsed.
In relation to day one entitlements, the agency worker can make a written request for information to the hirer. The hirer then has 28 days to respond in writing from receipt of the request and must provide a written statement with all relevant information relating to the rights of a comparable worker or employee and reasons for the treatment of the agency worker.
If the request concerns basic working and employment rights applicable after 12 weeks in a given job, the agency worker cannot request information until the 12 weeks have elapsed. In this case, the agency worker can make a written request for a written statement from the temporary work agency about any aspect of equal treatment they do not believe they are receiving. The agency then has 28 days to respond in writing from receipt of the request, setting out:
Relevant information relating to basic working and employment conditions e.g. rate of pay, number of weeks of annual leave, etc.
Any relevant information or factors that were considered when determining the basic working and employment conditions e.g. if there is a pay scale, where the agency worker is put on the pay scale.
Where the equal treatment is based on a comparable employee doing the same or similar work, the terms and conditions applicable to that employee and explaining any differences in treatment e.g. lower rate of pay based on qualifications, skills and qualifications.
If an agency worker has not received a written statement about basic working and employment conditions within 30 days of making the request, they can then write to the hirer requesting the same information. Again, the hirer then has 28 days to respond in writing.
If an agency worker is not satisfied with the response or does not receive a response, they can bring a claim to an Employment Tribunal in relation to their rights under the AWR.
Liability Issues
As far as day one entitlements (collective facilities and job vacancies) are concerned, liability rests solely with the hirer and the temporary work agency will not be held liable because they do not have a role in delivering these entitlements.
As regards basic working and employment conditions, liability can rest with the temporary work agency and/or the hirer. The agency will initially be responsible for breach of the equal treatment principle. However, it will have a defence if it can show that it took 'reasonable steps' to obtain relevant information from the hirer about its basic working and employment conditions, where it received such information it acted reasonably in determining what the agency worker's conditions should be at the end of the qualifying period and where it had responsibility for applying those basic working and employment conditions to the agency worker, it had ensured that the agency worker had been treated accordingly. If the agency has taken all these steps, then liability is likely to rest with the hirer.
In terms of financial compensation, a Tribunal will make an assessment of the agency worker's loss and calculate what it concludes is just and equitable compensation for that loss, such as loss of earnings related to their entitlements under the AWR. There is a minimum award of two weeks' pay for equal treatment claims regardless of the value of the loss, unless the tribunal finds that the agency worker behaved unreasonably and then it has the discretion to reduce the award if it is just and equitable.
After 1 October, the AWR will require hirers to provide written information about temps to employee representatives during collective redundancies, transfers of undertakings (TUPE) and other statutory consultation, like the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations. Specifically, hirers are required to provide details of the total number of agency workers working temporarily for the hirer, the areas of the business in which they are working and the type of work they are doing. Failure to provide this information could result in financial penalties for hirers for failing to comply with their information and consultation obligations.
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You are here: Home / Blog / Disabled Parenting / What Every Disabled Mother Should Know About Breastfeeding
What Every Disabled Mother Should Know About Breastfeeding
August 28, 2016 by Erin Andrews Leave a Comment
Nicky Boyte was wearing a flowered sundress when I meet her to talk about her experience breastfeeding her son. The two of us zoom into the restaurant in our power chairs, swapping crip war stories as we settle in. Nicky's been a disability advocate for years; she's active with both ADAPT and Not Dead Yet. We complain about our governor who ha s an SCI and yet basically wants to repeal the ADA in Texas. Nicky tells me about her experiences fighting for disability rights in stage legislative sessions, and I promise to email her the model legislation developed by my DPP co-founder Robyn Powell. Finally, we talk breastfeeding. I explain that August is National Breastfeeding Month and that I haven't met that many other disabled women who have successfully breastfed. Nicky nods, "breastfeeding is hard for the average woman, and you add disability on top of that…" But what Nicky thinks is the most important predictor of breastfeeding success is support.
Nicky says that when she was pregnant, she used WIC, the special supplemental program for pregnant women, new mothers and young children. WIC offered Nicky the opportunity to meet with lactation consultants during her pregnancy so she could prepare to breastfeed her baby. She jumped at the opportunity, and started working on different positioning techniques and trying various nursing pillows. I asked Nicky what gave her confidence that she'd be able to breastfeed. She tells me, "my body doesn't always work the way ABs [abled- bodied] do, but I just knew my boobs could do it." We both laugh.
Nicky explains that she didn't receive that same support in the hospital when her son Jacob was born. Nicky described how frustrated she was when nurses gave Jacob a bottle, and how she felt discouraged from breastfeeding because of her disability. Hospital staff never even offered her the chance to see a lactation consultant. What Nicky tells me she hated the most was the lack of agency she felt during the childbirth and hospitalization process; she was pressured into having her tubes tied after the birth. She was 25.
Nicky knew baby Jacob wasn't latching right, and she knew that the longer he used a bottle, the worse her chances of successful breastfeeding became. As soon as she was discharged from the hospital, she went straight back to WIC. Working with the lactation consultants and with support, little Jacob learned to latch and Nicky exclusively breastfed him for the first year of his life.
Jacob was described as a reluctant weaner, and Nicky tells me a funny story about how he would continue to try to nurse whenever he got even a glimpse of her nipple. One morning she was showering and 18 month old Jacob literally busted into the shower with her, attempting to nurse as she washed herself in her shower chair. "He would t even stop when I squirted him," she laughs. I tell her I can relate; I avoid changing in front of my toddler for this exact reason.
I ask Nicky if she ever had reservations about breastfeeding in public. She says, "being disabled you get stared at anyway, so what's a little more?" She says she never used a cover — "it was too hard to use a cover when I was already holding the baby and the nursing pillow." Nicky reflects, "I've always cared what other people think; I still do. But not when it comes to Jacob."
Nicky shares another funny story with me, this time about the blury period in the first couple weeks after baby is born. She knows I know what she means; the sleepless nights, the near delirium. I get it. A close friend of hers was over that afternoon and baked chocolate chip cookies. Later that evening she didn't even remember she'd had a cookie. Going into the nursery and preparing to feed Jacob, she notices something brown on her breast. She immediately panicked… "Was it from Jacob? Was something wrong with my milk?" She wondered. "It couldn't be…. Poop?" In a flash of clarity her fogged over brain remembers the cookie. She laughs, the cries, with mixed amusement and relief. I can't resist a chocolate milk joke.
Our time together nearing its end, I ask what she liked most about breastfeeding and what advice she'd give other crip mommas who want to nurse. Nicky says she just loved breastfeeding her son. She explains that it was "calming, a time just for me and Jacob." As for advice? "Be an advocate. Don't let anyone stand in the way. It's YOUR baby."
Filed Under: Disabled Parenting Tagged With: advocate, baby, breastfeeding, disabled mom
About Erin Andrews
Dr. Erin Andrews serves as a parent advisor and co-researcher for the DPP. She is a board certified rehabilitation psychologist and her areas of interest are disability as diversity, disability culture and identity development, social justice in sexuality, reproduction, and parenting, and disability in post-secondary education. Erin has published and presented nationally on a wide range of disability topics and holds positions with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Texas Dell Medical School. Erin is married with two grown stepchildren and two young children; they live in Austin, Texas.

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Also by Arnaldur Indridason:
The Shadow Killer, June 2018
The Shadow District, November 2017
Into Oblivion, February 2017
Reykjavik Nights, May 2015
Strange Shores, September 2014
Hypothermia, September 2010
Arctic Chill: A Thriller (Reykjavik Thriller), September 2009
Voices, October 2007
Silence of the Grave, October 2006
Jar City, September 2006
Reykjavik Nights
Inspector Erlendur
Minotaur Books
On Sale: April 21, 2015
Featuring: Erlendur
Kindle: B00O0FZ7RC
Hardcover / e-Book
Mystery | Mystery Police Procedural
Another gritty crime story set in Iceland
What happens to the missing when they disappear?
In this stunning prequel to his critically acclaimed Inspector Erlendur series, Arnaldur Indridason gives devoted fans a glimpse of Erlendur as a young, budding detective. The beat on the streets in Reykjavik is busy: traffic accidents, theft, domestic violence, contraband … And an unexplained death.
When a tramp he met regularly on the night shift is found drowned in a ditch, no one seems to care. But his fate haunts Erlendur and drags him inexorably into the strange and dark underworld of the city. The writer whose work The New York Times describes as "having the sweep and consequence of epic story telling" has outdone himself in this multi-layered and masterful suspense story. His latest book in the series, Strange Shores, was nominated for the 2014 Crime Writers of America Gold Dagger Award.


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What is HR Compliance?
Running a business comes with no shortage of perks: the freedom to be your own boss, invest in an idea, steer its trajectory, and, with a little luck, create wealth. It has its challenges, though. Competition may be fierce. Demand for what you offer may be low. Costs may not be sustainable. But even if everything else is going your way, there's one challenge that's ever-present. We're talking, of course, about HR compliance.
Defining HR Compliance
HR compliance is the work of ensuring that your employment practices conform to federal, state, and local laws. This work requires learning which laws apply to your organization and understanding what they require you to do. That's easier said than done.
HR compliance is truly an art. It requires knowledge, skill, and cooperation. You have to:
Be able to decipher "legalese"
Know where to go to ask the right questions
Create policies and procedures that minimize business risk
Ensure that everyone from the executive team to newly minted managers know what they can and cannot do
Conduct investigations and enforce your rules consistently
And all this is just the bare minimum! Necessary, but not enough to create a truly successful culture.
Why HR Compliance Can't Always Be Assured
Not only do new legal requirements appear on the regular, but compliance obligations are also often unclear. While some obligations are definitive, others are unresolved.
For example, some employment laws take the form of "Do this" or "Don't do that." The requirements may be simple, like minimum wage, or complex, like FMLA, but either way, there's usually no real question about what you need to do or not do.
Compliance with these laws is pretty straightforward. Don't pay less than the minimum wage. Provide leave to eligible employees for the reasons that qualify, continue their health benefits (if applicable), and return them to their position when their leave ends. As long as you're clear on the details, you're not likely to lose sleep wondering if your policies and procedures are compliant.
Navigating Through "Gray Areas"
Sometimes, however, those details are unsettled. Lawmakers don't always specify everything a law requires before it passes or takes effect. Even when laws seem clear, trying to put them into practice often raises a lot of questions. And the legislature isn't the only source of law: regulatory agencies demand their say, and courts get involved, too.
To complicate matters, these branches of government don't always agree with each other, and what they say today may not be what they say tomorrow. Keeping up with the latest official guidance takes time and persistence. It can feel like a marathon when all you want is a quick sprint to the answer. After all, you have other things to worry about!
Lack of Clarity & Guidance
Finally, a lot of employment laws have standards you have to follow, but they don't tell you how. Neither the IRS nor the DOL, for example, tells you whether your workers are employees or independent contractors—unless there's an audit or complaint. Instead, these agencies publish tests with general criteria that you use to make case-by-case determinations.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) works this way, too. Under the ADA, an employer must provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, with a few exceptions. One of the exceptions is that the accommodation doesn't create an undue hardship on the employer's business.
The basic definition of undue hardship is an action that creates a significant difficulty or expense. Although the law provides factors to consider in making this determination, the onus is on you to decide whether an expense or difficulty from the accommodation is significant. And, ultimately, your conclusion could be challenged in court.
Why HR Compliance Looks Like This
If HR compliance seems convoluted, that's because it is. Our current legal landscape is the result of three competing philosophies about how the workplace should be governed, who should govern it, and whose rights in the workplace should be prioritized in the law.
Owner Control
According to the first view, business owners should have control over their workplaces and the work that takes place for the simple reason that they own the business. It's their property, and as owners, they should have the legal right to govern it.
Employees have no right to control aspects of the workplace because the workplace isn't theirs. If their desires don't align with the owners, or if they don't like the terms and conditions of their employment, they can and should go elsewhere.
Of course, an owner might employ managers or an executive team to make decisions about who to hire and fire, what to pay, how to assign work, and other such matters. But in principle, the owner is still in charge. Ultimately, the will of the owners reigns supreme.
Worker Control
According to the second view, workers should have a say in the decisions that get made simply because those decisions affect them and their livelihood. In this line of thinking, the governance of the workplace should adhere to the principles of democracy, although proponents of this view differ on how democracy in the workplace should be practiced.
For example, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was signed in the 1930s to guarantee the "freedom of action of the worker." More recently, talk of democratizing the workplace usually refers to bolstering unions. Meanwhile, others like Senator Elizabeth Warren, have pushed for employee representation on corporate boards. Some have even proposed cooperative models in which the division between employers and employees doesn't exist.
Full-fledged workplace democracy is still a fringe view, though. The very definition of an employee remains a worker who does not have the right to control what the work is, how it's done, or how it's compensated. However much authority employees are given to make decisions, however much influence they have over their superiors, they are not legally in charge.
Societal Control
Advocates of the third view argue that the government has an interest in exercising some measure of control over the work and the workplace. In the employer-employee relationship, employers typically have significantly more power than employees—especially an employee acting as an individual.
Frances Perkins, who served as Secretary of Labor and was a key architect of the New Deal, believed that government "should aim to give all the people under its jurisdiction the best possible life." She saw a role for legislatures in countering long hours, low wages, and other conditions unfavorable to employees.
How These Philosophies Have Played Out
In the United States, HR compliance seems convoluted and confusing because, well, it is. It's the result of these three competing and ultimately incompatible philosophies. Government action with respect to employment has tried to empower workers and afford them certain rights, protections, and freedoms in the workplace, all while preserving the employer's control over their business.
We can see this balancing act in the differences among state laws. Some states prioritize the right of owners to control their workforces and are loath to restrict that right through legislation. Others act out of what they see as a duty to secure the rights of workers. Imposing obligations on employers doesn't bother them.
We also see this balancing act in the way that employment laws tend to set parameters rather than dictate exactly what employers must do. You can pay employees whatever you want, so long as you pay at least the minimum, offer an overtime premium when applicable, and meet equal-pay requirements. You can theoretically terminate employment for any reason or no reason at all (though we don't recommend it!). However, you can't fire someone for an illegal reason. Even laws that require a new practice, such as paid leave, allow flexibility provided the minimum conditions are met.
With all this in mind, here are 5 takeaways to guide you on your own business journey to reaching and maintaining HR compliance.
1. When assessing your compliance obligations, understand that not all requirements are clearly delineated or settled by law.
Unsettling as that may be, it's how our system has been set up. In those cases, you'll have to weigh your options and the risks involved and then make a decision. Sometimes you may need legal advice in addition to HR guidance.
Remember, though, that despite all the many employment laws on the books and in the imaginations of legislators, the system is designed to keep employers in charge of their work and workplaces. You can't eliminate all risk, but by understanding the nuances and open questions, you can significantly minimize it.
2. Document your actions and decisions.
It only takes one employee complaint for enforcement agencies to get involved, but you are better protected if you can quickly and clearly explain to them (and show them!) the reason for your actions.
3. Evaluate whether your policies, procedures, and practices are satisfactory to employees.
Lawmakers create all workplace laws for a reason. The Fair Labor Standards Act came to be because workers and the general public felt that labor standards were unfair. Today we wouldn't have people pushing for predictive scheduling laws if the general perception was that schedules in hospitality, retail, and restaurants were already sufficiently predictable. Harassment prevention training wouldn't be mandatory (where it is) if sexual harassment weren't widespread.
4. Lead by example.
Make good employee relations a key part of your brand and competitive advantage. Employees have higher expectations today than they used to. Meet those expectations and motivate other employers to do the same, and you may find that the compliance landscape of the future is less winding and boggy than it could have been.
5. Make a habit of expanding your HR knowledge.
Finally, spend some time each day in our HR Support Center to learn about your compliance obligations. Our laws section breaks down federal and state employment laws in a way that laypeople can understand, and the News Desk keeps you up to speed on the latest compliance obligations and contingencies you should consider. HR compliance is an art, and the first step to mastering it is learning what it entails and how it works.
Need a little extra support meeting your HR & compliance obligations? No matter your situation, SDP has layers of HR support that can help. Learn more about our HR Support Services here. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for even more business tips & news!
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Death Come True PlayStation 4 Release Delayed Until Further Notice
Sep 25, 2020	 Gaming, GAMES
Izanagi Games and Too Kyo Games have announced the PlayStation 4 release of Death Come True has been delayed. The official Twitter account for the game posted a notice that an issue was found during SIE quality assurance, so the team has to resolve the issue and then have it retested before launch.
Death Come True was previously scheduled to launch on October 15. The message did not post a new release date for the game, but it is now not expected to launch until later this year.
The full-motion video (FMV) game Death Come True was created by Kazutaka Kodaka, who is known for creating the Danganronpa series. Danganronpa is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Death Come True was previously released on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, and mobile earlier this year. The game was simultaneously launched in multiple languages. The audio was in Japanese, but players could choose one of many language options for subtitles.
Update: Death Come True PS4 version (planned release 10/15)
Due to an issue flagged up requiring a fix after passing the SIE QA test, we are postponing the release. We offer our heartfelt apologies to everyone. We will provide an update when a new release date is confirmed. https://t.co/lypa4KRpkW
— Death Come True Official (デスカムトゥルー公式) (@DeathComeTrue) September 23, 2020
Death Come True is a story-driven game that uses a real-life cast to act out the scenes. Players control the decisions of protagonist Makoto Karaki, who has awoken in a strange hotel with amnesia.
Karaki meets an unusual cast of characters, but there is a mysterious killer on the loose. Every time Karaki is killed, he will re-awaken with his memories intact. Players can use this knowledge to make different decisions for Karaki. The game stars Kanata Hongo as Karaki, who previously starred in the Danganronpa stage play adaptations.
While players don't directly control the characters, there are some in-game controls. A screen will appear when Karaki can view his environment and interact with certain objects.
The game contains multiple endings but is only around three to four hours. Players can keep playing the game to view all the endings, but also earn "Death Coins." These coins will unlock additional video content to learn more about the world of Death Come True.
Izanagi Games is also releasing a Death Come True – Complete Making Movie Blu-ray. The content contains around 30 minutes of footage, along with a digital photobook. The disc is an early pre-order bonus on Amazon for the PlayStation 4 version.
Death Come True is available now on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, and soon on the PlayStation 4.
Read More: Death Come True PlayStation 4 Release Delayed Until Further Notice
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ASAP Member House of Fisher has announced it has increased its portfolio by more than 10% with new dedicated blocks of apartments in Maidenhead and Newbury. The investment demonstrates positive growth for the company, which operates 13 properties across eight locations within the Thames Valley.
House of Fisher has announced the reopening of its 1- and 2-bedroomed serviced apartments at Stanshawe Court in Reading following a complete refurbishment. Redecoration includes the use of orange and grey in line with the House of Fisher brand colours, all new wooden floors and light fittings, and renovated main bathrooms and ensuites.
ASAP Quality Accredited Operator Member House of Fisher has been shortlisted for SME Business of the Year at the Thames Valley Awards, to be announced on Thursday 31st January at The Macdonald Berystede Hotel & Spa at Ascot.
ASAP Quality Accredited Operator Member House of Fisher is pleased to announce refurbishment works in all of its 1- and 2-bedroom serviced apartments at Stanshawe Court in Reading, featuring new main bathrooms and ensuites, new wooden floors and all new light fittings. Some of the renovated apartments are already renovated and available to book immediately.
Three additional members of staff at ASAP Accredited Operator Member House of Fisher will be undertaking NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) work-based apprenticeship qualifications. The three staff members are studying towards a Business Administration Level 3 NVQ, offering a mix of self-study with written questions, observations and witness testimonials from their Managers.


text:
Oando, LAMATA Sign MoU To Launch Electric Mass Transit Buses
June 11, 2022 by
Oando Clean Energy Limited has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), the Lagos State Government agency tasked with planning, implementing, regulating and franchising sustainable integrated public transport in Lagos.
The company said in a statement, explaining that the MoU establishes a partnership between OCEL and Lagos State in her journey to becoming a sustainable city via the rollout of electric mass transit buses, supporting charging infrastructure and service centres (EV Infrastructure Ecosystem).
With over 25 million residents, Lagos is the most populous city in Africa and among the top ten of the world's fastest-growing megacities. Over the last decade, the number of vehicles on Lagos roads has quadrupled, yet studies suggest that Lagos could become the world's most populated city by 2100 with as many as 100 million residents; and as the city grows, so will the number of vehicles.
This upward trajectory in vehicle numbers poses a significant challenge as transportation has been identified as the key contributing sector at circa 23% to 30% in annual CO2 emissions.
Against this backdrop, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between LAMATA and OCEL will enable the successful fulfillment of the objectives of the Lagos State Government through the deployment of an EV Infrastructure Ecosystem towards the attainment of a sustainable road transport system in the State.
Furthermore, this initiative will bridge the existing gap in available mass transit buses for the increasing number of Lagos commuters. This strategic initiative is in line with OCEL's corporate ambitions as well as the State Government's objective of harnessing renewable sources to create a cleaner and more sustainable environment for generations to come.
Today, Lagos is one of 732 cities across the world that has signed up for the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, all working towards the realization of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Oando Clean Energy Limited is the renewable energy subsidiary of Oando Energy Resources (OER). OCEL's agenda is to meet the continent's energy demands by harnessing green and renewable sources, as well as investing in climate-friendly and bankable energy projects across the African landscape, starting in our home country, Nigeria.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Commissioner for Transportation, Lagos State, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde said the MoU represented the State Government's commitment to cutting greenhouse gases by replacing them with cleaner sources of energy.
"With an understanding that transportation is a key emitter of greenhouse gases in Nigeria, we developed a strategy to cut greenhouse gases by 50%.
"A key component of this strategy was identifying and developing a more robust mass transit system for Lagos that would include rail and waterways amongst others. Using electricity to power mass transit is a step in the right direction, and from there we would gradually transit to private cars".
He added: "This is just the beginning, there is still a lot more to come on stream. I commend LAMATA and Oando on this MoU signing, and both parties can rest assured that they have my full backing to ensure success."
Commenting on the MoU signing, the Managing Director, LAMATA, Engr. Abimbola Akinajo said: "We began this journey late last year, and for us, this has been rapid development. It speaks to the energy and zeal of both organizations, and that is commendable.
"Oando Clean Energy came to us with a comprehensive solution that went beyond electric mass transit buses to include supporting infrastructure, and this was key for us, as the full remit of an EV support ecosystem is the only way to achieve success.
"This initiative will not only accelerate the Government's transportation agenda but also positively impact the health of Lagosians and the environment. The magnitude of its impact is far-reaching, and when you start to look at it as more than a transport initiative, you will see how laudable a project it is.
"The Oando brand comes with know-how and experience, and we are relying on this to successfully move from MoU signing to actual implementation that will in the medium to long term benefit over 22 million Lagos commuters. We look forward to a very robust and fruitful partnership."
In his response, the Chairman, Oando Clean Energy, Adewale Tinubu, who was represented at the MoU signing by Dr. Ainojie 'Alex' Irune said: "Oando Clean Energy was born out of a need to curate the best energy mix to propel Nigeria and indeed Africa, to its full potential.
As a company, Oando has always championed Public-Private Partnerships as fundamental to Nigeria's industrialization. Through the signing of this MoU, we are revolutionizing the landscape of mobility by pioneering e-mobility in Lagos.
Furthermore, we remain dedicated to achieving our national commitment to net-zero by 2060, ending energy deficiencies and further propelling the country to an industrialized phase through decentralized and sustainable energy systems.
"We are excited to be embarking on this journey with Lagos State and must commend their foresight and willingness to forge a template for others to follow.
"It's easy to be perturbed by the perceived challenges that come with the mega-city status tag, but by taking this bold step, Lagos is showing the continent what is indeed possible and giving other cities the impetus to redefine today how to build a public transport system for the future."
Nwanma Ogidi
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text:
System for Distributing Poultry Litter Below the Soil Surface
Biodegradable solid soil amendment material such as poultry litter may be disposed of in soil using an apparatus which includes a soil cutter for cutting a trench and a dispenser for transporting the material and simultaneously grinding or shearing the material and distributing it to the trenches in the soil. The receptacle includes a plurality of troughs across its bottom surface, each having an outlet at one end thereof, and corresponding screw augers therein for distributing and transporting the material to the outlets. As the material is transported toward each of the outlets by the augers it is crushed or ground to a small size. This apparatus allows the material to be dispensed through the multiple outlets at a substantially steady, uniform rate.
Pote, Daniel H. (Booneville, AR, US)
Haller, Stephen M. (Magazine, AR, US)
Other Classes:
47/58.1SC
E02D3/00; A01G1/00
20040086339 Pipe assembly May, 2004 Tyrer et al.
20090324340 Ballast weight having reduced removal resistance and increased gripping features for improving emergency weight-dropping December, 2009 Crow
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20100086356 BLUFF PENETRATING OUTFALL DRAINAGE SYSTEM April, 2010 Hopf
20090103984 Gas subsea transmission system and submersible suspension pressure-equaliser pipeline April, 2009 Zarisfi
20080193221 Reinforcing Materials For Repairing Underground Water Pipeline Without Excavation And Method For Repairing Thereof August, 2008 Lee et al.
20020001509 Block retaining wall structure and setback locator therefor January, 2002 Hong
20090185866 Method and Device for Trenchless Pipe Laying July, 2009 Koegler
20030138296 Method for assembling artificial reef modular units July, 2003 O'hare
20070253784 Harrison hurricane pulse and tsunami duty protective seawalls (HHTPS) which are constructed of permanent, heavily steel rebar reinforced concrete, with the seawall foundations driven down to ground rock refusal every 30 feet, or less or more, of seawall horizontal length November, 2007 Harrison Jr.
NOVOSAD, CHRISTOPHER J
USDA-ARS-OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (BELTSVILLE, MD, US)
We claim:
1. An apparatus for distributing soil amendment materials comprising: a) a plurality of soil cutting blades effective to cut a plurality of substantially parallel trenches in the soil when pulled through the soil in a direction of travel; b) a dispenser for delivering soil amendment material to the trench cut in the soil rearward of said cutting blades, wherein said dispenser comprises: 1) a receptacle comprising opposed front and rear walls and opposed side walls, an inlet for said material, and a lower surface extending between said walls; 2) said lower surface comprising a plurality of substantially parallel elongated troughs disposed substantially longitudinally along the length thereof, each of said troughs having an outlet at the bottom thereof, wherein each said outlet is positioned adjacent to one of said front wall or rear wall and rearward of and over the path of travel of one of said cutting blades effective to dispense said material to said trench in the soil; 3) a plurality of screw augers, wherein one said auger is disposed in each of said troughs and said augers are adapted to both transport said material in a direction along the length of said troughs toward said outlets and grind or shear said material as it is transported; 4) an upstanding face plate disposed laterally between said side walls substantially perpendicular to said troughs and augers, and on the side of said outlets which is upstream from said direction of transport of said material in said troughs, said face plate defining first and second volumes within said receptacle, said first volume being upstream of said face plate relative to said direction of transport of said material, and said second volume being downstream of said face plate relative to said direction of transport of said material and encompassing said outlets; and 5) said face plate comprising a bottom edge adjacent said troughs and an upper edge disposed above the uppermost radial edge of said augers, and said face plate further comprising a plurality openings through which said screw augers pass.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a cover plate extending over said second volume and said outlets and between the side walls.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said cover plate is disposed at an angle sloping toward said first volume.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said openings through said face plate have a diameter which is less than 2 inches greater than the diameter of said augers.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said openings through said face plate have a diameter which is less than 1 inch greater than the diameter of said augers.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the number of said troughs is sufficient to extend laterally substantially between said side walls.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 comprising at least 6 of said troughs and said augers within said receptacle
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said troughs comprise downwardly inclined side walls.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said inclined side walls comprise an upper edge, and the upper edges of adjacent troughs merge at a crest, and within said first volume of said receptacle said crest is disposed below the uppermost radial edge of said augers.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the blades of said augers are not provided at the end adjacent to one of said front or said rear wall downstream of said direction of transport of said material a distance effective to prevent a buildup of material against said front or rear wall.
11. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said cover plate is hinged.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said front wall or rear wall which is adjacent to said outlets is openable.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said outlets further comprise a downwardly extending chute.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said outlets are disposed adjacent to said front wall and said second volume is between said front wall and said face plate.
15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said outlets are disposed adjacent to said rear wall and said second volume is between said rear wall and said face plate.
16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said soil cutting blades are selected from the group consisting of disks, coulters, rippers, knives, chisel pows, shanks, and cultivator shovels.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein each of said soil cutting blades comprise a pair of spaced apart, upright disks which are angled toward one another such that said disks comprise adjacent edges facing said direction of travel and downward toward said soil, and form a gap therebetween at the edges of said disk facing away from said direction of travel.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said outlet is disposed above said gap.
19. A method for dispensing of soil amendment material to soil comprising: (A) providing soil amendment material in an apparatus comprising: a) a plurality of soil cutting blades effective to cut a plurality of substantially parallel trenches in the soil when pulled through the soil in a direction of travel; b) a dispenser for delivering soil amendment material to the trench cut in the soil rearward of said cutting blades, wherein said dispenser comprises: 1) a receptacle comprising opposed front and rear walls and opposed side walls, an inlet for said material, and a lower surface extending between said walls; 2) said lower surface comprising a plurality of substantially parallel elongated troughs disposed substantially longitudinally along the length thereof, each of said troughs having an outlet at the bottom thereof, wherein each said outlet is positioned adjacent to one of said front wall or rear wall and rearward of and over the path of travel of one of said cutting blades effective to dispense said material to said trench in the soil; 3) a plurality of screw augers, wherein one said auger is disposed in each of said troughs and said augers are adapted to transport said material in a direction along the length of said troughs toward said outlets; 4) an upstanding face plate disposed laterally between said side walls substantially perpendicular to said troughs and augers, and on the side of said outlets which is upstream from said direction of transport of said material in said troughs, said face plate defining first and second volumes within said receptacle, said first volume being upstream of said face plate relative to said direction of transport of said material, and said second volume being downstream of said face plate relative to said direction of transport of said material and encompassing said outlets; 5) said face plate comprising a bottom edge adjacent said troughs and an upper edge disposed above the uppermost radial edge of said augers, and said face plate further comprising a plurality openings through which said screw augers pass; wherein said material is provided in said first volume of said receptacle; (B) cutting a plurality of trenches in the soil by drawing said soil cutting blades therethrough; and (C) dispensing said material into said trenches from said receptacle through said outlets.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said material comprises poultry litter.
21. The method of claim 19 wherein said soil is selected from the group consisting of a pasture, tilled agricultural fields for crop production, no-tilled agricultural fields for crop production, and nurseries.
22. The method of claim 19 wherein said dispenser further comprises a cover plate extending over said second volume and said outlets and between the side walls.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 1.19(e) of U.S. provisional No. 61/133,877, filed Jul. 2, 2008, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is drawn to an apparatus and method for dispensing biodegradable soil amendment materials and improving soil quality.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Excessive nutrient losses cost producers substantial income, and severely degrade air and water quality in many watersheds with intensive agricultural production. Research has shown that nutrient losses from fertilizers applied to farmland are minimized if the fertilizer is incorporated beneath the soil surface. As a result, dry fertilizers have commonly been incorporated in tilled agricultural systems, but this has not been applicable to perennial pastures and other no-till systems that permit only very limited disturbance of the soil surface. Subsurface application of fertilizer (poultry litter, etc.) in no-till systems can theoretically be achieved by cutting narrow trenches (generally approximately 2-6 cm wide and 4-12 cm deep) in the soil surface and placing fertilizer in the trenches before covering them with soil. However, this has never been a practical option because no one has previously devised a machine that is capable of taking bulky soil amendments that have highly variable particle size and directing a consistent steady flow of the material into such small trenches. Poultry litter (manure mixed with bedding material) is a good example of a common fertilizer amendment that has very inconsistent composition, with particle size ranging from microscopic to large chunks (>50 cm diameter), debris such as dead bird carcasses, and generally low (but variable) moisture content.
We have now invented an apparatus and method for dispensing biodegradable solid soil amendment materials such as poultry litter in soil. The apparatus includes a soil cutter for cutting a trench and a dispenser for transporting the material and simultaneously grinding or shearing the material and distributing it to the trenches in the soil. The receptacle includes a plurality of troughs across its bottom surface, each having an outlet at one end thereof, and corresponding screw augers therein for distributing and transporting the material to the outlets. As the material is transported toward each of the outlets by the augers the material is crushed or ground to a small size. This apparatus allows the material to be dispensed through the multiple outlets at a substantially steady, uniform rate.
In accordance with this discovery, it is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for the disposal of biodegradable solid soil amendment material as an alternative to landfill disposal.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for the disposal of biodegradable solid soil amendment material onto agricultural land to improve the quality of the soil for subsequent crop or plant production.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for dispensing solid soil amendment material onto soil which is effective for grinding or crushing soil amendment material of a large and/or highly variable size to substantially uniform small particles which may be readily dispensed into small trenches.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for dispensing solid soil amendment material which is of a large and/or variable size which effectively grinds or crushes the material to small particles and dispenses this material onto the soil through multiple outlets and onto multiple trenches at a substantially steady, uniform rate.
A further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for the disposal of soil amendment material such as untreated poultry litter.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description.
FIG. 1 is a side view of the apparatus of the invention in use for dispensing soil amendment material into the soil, with the cutting blades lowered, engaging the soil to cut trenches therein.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 while not in use, raised with the cutting blades above the soil.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the receptacle of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a side view A-A through the receptacle of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a front view B-B through the receptacle of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a top view of one embodiment of the soil cutting blades of the apparatus of the invention.
FIG. 7 is a partial close-up front view through the receptacle showing the face plate with the augers passing therethrough.
The apparatus of this invention was designed for dispensing a variety of biodegradable solid soil amendment materials by forming trenches in the soil and dispensing the material therein. Without being limited thereto, the apparatus is suitable for dispensing soil amendments including inorganic or organic fertilizers, waste material, and organic matter such as chicken litter, animal or plant waste, fly ash, and cellulosic material such paper, cardboard and insulation. However, the apparatus is particularly useful for the disposal of waste materials such as poultry litter which comprise a crude mixture of non-uniform size components. Waste poultry litter is a mixture of manure with bedding material, but generally has a very inconsistent composition, with particle sizes ranging from microscopic to large pieces or clumps (>50 cm diameter), which may even include debris such as dead bird carcasses, and generally has a low but variable moisture content. The apparatus includes a novel dispensing system which is effective for crushing or grinding this waste material to small particles and uniformly distributing this material into the multiple trenches cut into the soil.
While the soil amendment material may be dispensed in urban or rural locations, in accordance with a preferred embodiment the material is dispensed on agricultural land and fields, including pastures, fields used for production of row-crops, including organic, tilled and no-till systems, nurseries, and ornamentals. The addition of organic matter to the soil as described herein provides the added benefit of improving the soil physical and chemical qualities for supporting plant growth.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus includes a plurality of soil cutting blades 10, which each include a leading edge 11 effective to cut a trench or furrow when lowered into the ground and drawn therethrough in the direction of travel indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1. The cutting blades are laterally disposed across the width of the device, substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel. The particular soil cutting blade used is not critical, and a variety of soil cutting implements are suitable for use herein, including but are not limited to disks, coulters, rippers, knives, chisel pows, shanks, and cultivator shovels. For use in fields practicing no-till systems, the cutting blades preferably cut or open a narrow trench in the soil, but do not turn the soil. In accordance with one preferred embodiment for no-till operations, the soil cutting blades are constructed as "double disks," each including a pair of spaced apart, upright (approximately vertical) disks 12 and 13 shown in detail in FIG. 6. Disks 12 and 13 are angled toward one another, with their axis 14 disposed at an obtuse angle, such that the leading edge 11 of each disk in the pair are adjacent at a point both facing the direction of travel and downward toward the soil. In this configuration, the disks 12 and 13 form a gap 15 therebetween opening at their rear edges, away from the direction of travel. When the cutting blades are lowered in engagement with the soil as shown in FIG. 1, the leading edges 11 of the disks cut a narrow trench, and the waste material is then preferably deposited into this trench through the gap 15.
The soil amendment material to be deposited into the soil behind the cutting blades is transported and distributed by a dispenser 20, positioned behind and/or above the soil cutting blades 10. The dispenser 20 includes a receptacle 21, such as a hopper or bin, holding the material prior to deposit in the trench. The receptacle includes opposed front and rear walls (relative to the direction of travel) 22 and 23, respectively, and opposed side walls 24 and 25, and a lower surface 26 extending between these walls. For the purposes of description herein, the receptacle has a length defined as the distance between the front and rear walls parallel to the direction of travel, and a width defined as the distance between the side walls perpendicular to the path of travel. The receptacle includes an inlet 27 for the material, typically an open top. The size and shape of the receptacle is not critical, and may be polygonal or ovoid, and the walls may be substantially vertical or sloped. However, for ease and simplicity of construction, the receptacle is preferably rectangular. In an optional, preferred embodiment the front and/or rear walls may include openable/closable access panels, as may the lower surface 26 for ease of unloading.
To distribute the material within the dispenser to all of the trenches, the lower surface 26 includes a plurality of substantially parallel elongated troughs 28 disposed substantially longitudinally along the length thereof, substantially traversing the length of the lower surface between the front and rear walls (FIGS. 3-5). Each of the troughs 28 include an outlet 29 at the bottom thereof, positioned adjacent (near) to the front wall, and rearward of and over the path of travel of one of the cutting blades (i.e., the troughs and the outlets are positioned in a vertical plane approximately extending through the cutting blades and parallel to the direction of travel). In the preferred embodiment using the above-mentioned double disk cutting blades, the outlet is disposed above said gap 15 to dispense material directly into the trench while the disks 12 and 13 prevent soil from falling into and closing the freshly opened trench. Although the openings are shown as being disposed adjacent to the front wall 22, it is understood that they may alternatively be disposed adjacent the rear wall 23, provided that they remain disposed rearward of and over the path of travel of one of the cutting blades such that the material is deposited into the trench and the direction of rotation of the screw augers is reversed to transport the material toward the outlet at this location. The side walls 30 of the troughs are preferably downwardly inclined toward one another to assist in gravity flow toward the screw auger 40 as most clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. The side walls of adjacent troughs are preferably joined at their top edges at an angled crest or peak 32 to prevent dead spots. Large substantially horizontal spaces between adjacent troughs would favor the formation of dead spots where material could accumulate. An optional, yet preferred chute 33 is also provided extending downwardly from each outlet 29 to assist in directing the material into the trenches.
Transport of the material along the length of the troughs 28 is effected by screw augers or feed screws 40 disposed in each of the troughs 28, which augers turn in a direction to carry the material toward the outlets 29. Not only do the augers 40 transport the material in a direction toward the outlets, but they provide the added effect of grinding or shearing the material as it is transported. Grinding and/or shearing of the material by the augers is essential when using material which is of a large and/or variable size such as poultry litter, to reduce the material to small particles and thereby allow the material to be dispensed to all of the trenches at a substantially steady, uniform rate. The screw auger is constructed with substantially helical screw blades or flighting 41, similar to an Archimedes screw, with the screw blades terminating at their outer, radial edge 42. In an optional yet preferred embodiment, the blades 41 of the screws are removed or are not provided at the downstream end thereof (relative to the direction of transport of the material in the trough) which is adjacent to the front wall 22 (or the rear wall 23 in the event that the outlets 29 are adjacent to it). The distance along the screw without the blades is selected to be effective to prevent or reduce the buildup of material against the wall as it is transported down the troughs, and is preferably, but not limited to, about 2 to 4 inches.
The number of cutting blades 10 and corresponding troughs 28 and screw augers 40, and the size of the troughs and augers, is not critical and may be readily determined by the skilled practitioner. However, as a practical matter, their number and size should be sufficient to extend laterally substantially between the side walls 24 and 25 of the receptacle (across its width) to minimize the formation of dead zones. By way of example and without being limited thereto, when using approximately 3 to 4 inch diameter screw augers disposed in parallel relationship with their axis approximately 6 to 12 inches apart, the device includes at least 2, and preferably 6, 8 or more each of the cutting blades and their corresponding troughs and screw augers, and the outlets 29 are approximately 1 to 2 inches wide by 12 inches long.
To control flow of the material through the outlets 29, the receptacle includes an upstanding, substantially vertical face plate 50 disposed laterally between the side walls 24 and 25, substantially perpendicular to the length of the troughs 28, and on the upstream side of the outlets 29 (relative to the direction of transport of the waste in the troughs). The face plate extends downwardly such that its bottom edge is adjacent (near) the surface of the troughs 28, and terminates at an upper edge 51 disposed above the uppermost or outer radial edge 42 of the auger blades. The face plate is provided a plurality of restrictive openings 52 to accommodate passage of the screw augers 40 therethrough, shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. In extending across the width of the receptacle, the face plate defines or separates the receptacle into first and second volumes 53 and 54, respectively. The first volume 53 is upstream of the face plate (relative to the direction of transport of the material) and serves as the reservoir into which the material is initially deposited, and the second volume 54 is downstream of the face plate and encompasses the outlets 29. Thus, in a typical configuration wherein the outlets 29 are disposed adjacent to the front wall 22 and the screw augers transport material thereto, the second volume is between the front wall and the face plate. However, in the alternative embodiment wherein the outlets 29 are disposed adjacent to the rear wall 23 and the screw augers transport material in thereto, the second volume is between the rear wall and the face plate.
The face plate 50 effectively controls access to the outlets 29 from the first volume, and prevents material from passing through the outlets without first passing through the restrictive openings 52 and being contacted by and subjected to grinding or shearing action and size reduction of large particles. This promotes a steady, substantially uniform flow of material through each of the outlets, prevents or reduces blockage of the outlets, and reduces particle size to more readily fall into the trench cut into the soil. The size and shape of the openings 52 through the face plate 50 are preferably selected to be only slightly larger than the blades 41 of the screw augers, thereby effectively substantially preventing large pieces of the material from passing between it and the outer radial edge 42 of the blades. To this end, the openings are preferably substantially semicircular, with a diameter which is less than 2 inches greater than the diameter of the augers, more preferably with a diameter which is less than 1 inch greater than the diameter of the augers. With the receptacle divided into two volumes by the face plate as described, we have found that within the first volume 53, the side walls 30 of the troughs preferably have a sufficiently narrow pitch that the crest 32 adjoining these side walls is disposed at a height below the uppermost radial edge 42 of the augers 40. This low profile of the troughs prevents or minimizes the formation of bridges of material above the augers. Because the material is necessarily ground or sheared prior to entering the second volume 54 and is therefor less susceptible to the formation of bridges, within this second volume the crest 32 may disposed above the uppermost radial edge of the augers.
In an optional, yet preferred embodiment, the dispenser also includes a cover plate 60 extending over (above) the second volume 54 and the outlets 29, from the face plate to the front wall 22 (or the rear wall 23 in the event that the outlets are disposed adjacent to the rear wall) and across the width of the receptacle between the side walls 24 and 25. This cover plate prevents material from being initially dispensed or falling into the second volume 54 without passing through the above-mentioned restrictive openings 52. The cover plate 60 is preferably disposed at an angle sloping toward the first volume 53 such that any material thereon will fall into the first volume, and may also be hinged to provide ready access to the augers and outlets within the second volume for maintenance or cleaning. In an alternative embodiment, the cover plate 60 or at least a portion thereof adjacent to face plate 50 may be substantially vertical or even sloped away from first volume 53 (toward second volume 54). Positioning the cover plate 60 in this manner may minimize compaction of litter in the first volume 53 if the first volume is filled to near its top.
In another preferred embodiment, the device may include an optional trench closer 73 disposed rearward of each of the soil cutting blades 10 and outlets 29, in a vertical plane extending through the cutting blades and outlets and parallel to the direction of travel. The trench closer should be effective to remove soil displaced outwardly by the cutting blades back over the trench after the material has been deposited therein. A variety of devices are suitable for use herein, including a pair of horizontal graders, blades or disks forming an acute angle with the trench to deflect or funnel soil lying on the surface over the trench. In another optional, but preferred embodiment, a mower or coulters 61, such as are conventional in the art, may be included on the apparatus forward of the cutting blades 10 when treating ground covered with heavy vegetation or other trash.
To move the apparatus across a field, in a preferred embodiment the apparatus is constructed as a field-going machine having frame 70 for carrying the above-mentioned cutting blades 10, dispenser 20 and other optional components, and also including a means for providing power to drive the components, particularly the augers 40. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus may include a ground traversing carriage to which the frame 70 is attached, and which may be connected to any suitable vehicle, such as a tractor, with a hitch 71. In this embodiment, the carriage may include a self-contained lifting mechanism 72 for raising and lowering the apparatus. Without being limited thereto, suitable lifting mechanisms include pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders as are conventional in the art. As shown in FIG. 1, when the cylinder 72 is in a retracted position, the front of the apparatus is lowered, allowing the cutting blades 10 to contact the soil. In contrast, when the cylinder 72 is extended as shown in FIG. 2, the front end is raised out of contact with the soil. Alternatively, the frame 70 may include a bracket (not shown) for mounting the apparatus to a suitable vehicle from which the apparatus is suspended. Movement of the apparatus between a raised position for transportation and storage and a lowered position for engaging the ground may be accomplished by a conventional lifting device on the vehicle. In either of these embodiments, power to operate the components may include a suitable power take-off mechanism for connection to the tractor or vehicle as is conventional in the art, or a self-contained power source such as a diesel or gasoline engine, or electric engines drawing energy from the vehicle. The practitioner skilled in the art will recognize that the power supply should include suitable drive belts, gears, or other conventional drive mechanisms for connection between the power source and the moving components. In another preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame 70 includes support wheels 74 adjacent (near) the front end thereof such that they engage the ground when the front end is lowered. The height of the wheels is adjustable, thereby allowing ready control of soil cutting depth by the cutting blades. In addition, the height and position of the wheels 74 are also preferably selected effective to dispose the lower surface 26 and troughs 28 at an incline toward the front wall when the wheels are in contact with the ground. The troughs and lower surface are essentially horizontal when the apparatus is being moved to a site of application as in FIG. 2. However, inclination of the apparatus when the frame is lowered for field application of the material, as in FIG. 1, facilitates the transport of the material to the front of the device, increasing the downward pressure on the cutting blades for improved soil contact.
During operation, soil amendment material such as dry poultry litter is deposited into the first volume 53 of the receptacle 21 at a poultry production site or other loading facility. At the desired agricultural field, the frame 70 is lowered from its transportation position (FIG. 2) such that the cutting blades 10 contact and penetrate the ground to the desired depth as the apparatus is moved or pulled across the field (FIG. 1). At substantially the same time, rotation of the augers 40 is initiated, transporting material from the first volume along the troughs 28 and through the restrictive openings 52 in the face plate 50 into the second volume 54. Large particles or clumps of material are simultaneously ground or sheared into smaller particles by the action of the augers in concert with the restrictive openings. We have found that an added advantage of the auger system is the efficient transport of the material in the receptacle from the back to the front, not only ensuring substantially complete dispensing of the material, but also maintaining sufficient weight above the cutting blades to force them into the soil. Depending on the material, the speed of the augers may be slowed to prevent heat build-up, or increased to increase the rate of material application to the soil. Dust production is minimized by the mass of material situated above the bottom mounted augers. As the cutting blades pass through the soil, cutting a plurality of substantially parallel trenches therein, the material is dispensed from the outlets 29, through the chutes 33 and gap 15, into the trenches.
It is understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that modifications and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


what's goin' on guys? i've come here to say that we have T-minus 2 days left until the end of the school year. do you know how good that feels? that feels pretty great.
i've been taking some weird photos lately. like cool weird? alex says that they're cool weird. that means that they really are cool weird. that's good. i love flash now. to kinda celebrate these photographs, i made some weird collages.
got a new shirt from my dear friend that says "matriarchy now!" i love it. you can buy one (and look at all of her cool projects) here.
and because it's been awhile, here are some links that i've found from the last 12 days.
3/ buy all of the patches!!
5/ what are you talking about?