This application relates generally to an animal feeder and, more specifically, to an animal feeder including a feed surface that is to be supported at an elevation above ground by a base with an anti-climb feature that interferes with an ability of an animal to climb from the ground to the feed surface.
Conventional animal feeders are commonly fastened to wooden posts that are driven into the ground. Even though such feeders are elevated above the ground, varmints such as raccoons, mice, opossums, skunks, squirrels, chipmunks and similar wild animals can dig their claws into the wood, allowing them to climb the wooden posts and access food supported by the feeder. Upon reaching the food supported by the feeder, such varmints will often eat or scatter all of the food, frustrating efforts to feed a targeted species with the food.
According to one aspect, the subject application involves an animal feeder comprising a base with an anti-climb feature, and a feed surface to be supported by the base for supporting a food block or other animal food at an elevation vertically above the ground. The anti-climb feature interferes with the ability of varmints to climb the base and reach the feed surface, thereby protecting the food from such varmints, and preserving the food for target animals that can reach the food without climbing (e.g., deer, elk, birds, etc.).
According to some aspects, the subject application involves an animal feeder that comprises a base that defines an internal passage sized to at least partially receive a stake driven into a ground surface. Cooperation between the stake and the base supports the animal feeder in an upright orientation. The base comprises an anti-climb feature that interferes with efforts by an animal to climb the base from the ground surface. A feed surface cooperates with the base, to be supported by the base at an elevation vertically above the ground surface with the animal feeder in the upright orientation. As an example of the anti-climb surface, at least a portion of an exterior surface of the base can be smooth, and comprise a dimension that is not able to be gripped by the animal with sufficient force to allow the animal to lift its own weight up the base, thereby preventing the animal from climbing the base from the ground surface to the feed surface.
According to some aspects, the subject application involves a method of limiting access to animal feed supported by an animal feeder. The method comprises driving a stake into a ground surface, leaving at least a portion of the stake protruding from the ground surface. A base comprising an anti-climb feature is coupled to the portion of the stake protruding from the ground surface by placing a generally-cylindrical tube of the base over the portion of the stake protruding from the ground surface. The base fully installed on, and coupled to the stake supports a feed surface at least thirty-six (36) inches above the ground surface. Animal feed is placed on the feed surface, protected from a varmint and maintained for an intended animal species that can each from the feed surface while standing on the ground surface surrounding the animal feeder.
The above summary presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of such systems and/or methods. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:
Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. Relative language used herein is best understood with reference to the drawings, in which like numerals are used to identify like or similar items. Further, in the drawings, certain features may be shown in somewhat schematic form.
It is also to be noted that the phrase “at least one of”, if used herein, followed by a plurality of members herein means one of the members, or a combination of more than one of the members. For example, the phrase “at least one of a first widget and a second widget” means in the present application: the first widget, the second widget, or the first widget and the second widget. Likewise, “at least one of a first widget, a second widget and a third widget” means in the present application: the first widget, the second widget, the third widget, the first widget and the second widget, the first widget and the third widget, the second widget and the third widget, or the first widget and the second widget and the third widget.
With reference to the drawings,
The base 12 can include a surface or a plurality of surfaces that define an interior passage that extends along a length of the base 12. For example, the base 12 can include a tube formed from a plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride (“PVC”), a metal or metal alloy, or any other material that is resistant to being pierced by the claws of varmints to an extent that would allow the varmints to climb up the base 12 to reach the feed surface 14. The exterior surface of the base 12 can also be smooth, to limit the ability of varmints to get a firm enough of a grip on the base 12 to climb the base 12 up to the feed surface 14.
In addition to, or in lieu of being pierce resistant, the base can have one or more dimensions, or be constructed to include surfaces that are not able to be gripped by varmints. For example, a raccoon may be able to grip (e.g., wrap digits on their paws substantially around) a pipe having an arcuate exterior surface with a small radius of curvature (e.g., a one (1 in.) inch outside diameter). In such a way, the raccoon can climb paw-over-paw up such a pipe to reach a feed surface supported by the pipe. In contrast, some embodiments of the base 12 can include an outside diameter that is too large to be gripped by a varmint. For example, the embodiments of the base 12 that include a tube defining an interior passage can have a radius of curvature large enough that varmints are unable to grip the tube sufficiently to climb the base 12 to reach the feed surface 14. According to some embodiments, the tube can have an outside diameter of at least two (2 in.) inches, at least three (3 in.) inches, at least four (4 in.) inches, at least five (5 in.) inches, at least six (6 in.) inches, and so on.
According to some embodiments, the base 12 can be constructed with a cross-sectional shape that varmints of concern are unable to grasp onto surfaces with sufficient strength to climb the base 12 and reach the feed surface 14. For example, the cross-sectional shape could be star-shaped, or any other shape that varmints are unable to climb. According to the illustrative embodiment shown in
Accordingly, the base 12 equipped with an anti-climb feature can interfere with the ability of varmints (e.g., animals having a vertical reach of up to thirty (30 in.) inches when standing on their hind legs) to reach the feed surface 14. The varmints can be prevented from climbing the base 12 without the application or use of a lubricant, chemical deterrent (e.g., repellant spray) in combination with the base animal feeder. In other words, the base 12 can optionally be devoid of a grease, silicone spray, or other coating that reduces the coefficient of friction between the base 12 and the varmints' claws, and optionally be devoid of other repellants with a composition that would otherwise repel the varmints.
To facilitate installation, the interior passage defined by some embodiments of the base 12 has a suitable dimension to receive a stake 20. For example, a stake can be formed from a metal, metal alloy, wood, polymeric material, or any other material that can be driven into the ground 18 using a sledge hammer, fence post driver, or the like. The stake can optionally have a point at an end that is to be driven into the ground. However, the relatively-small cross-sectional area of the stake 20 compared to the relatively-large cross-sectional area of the tube or other base 12, requires less force to insert the stake 20 into the ground surface 18 than the force required to drive the base 12 into the ground surface 18.
According to the embodiment illustrated in
Some embodiments of the feed surface 14 include a rectangular or other-shaped platform that extends axially outward, beyond an exterior surface of the base 12. For example, all four lateral sides of the feed surface 14 can be laterally offset, beyond the perimeter of the base 12 to form an overhang 21. According to some embodiments, an underside 25 of the feed surface 14 can include a tapered, arcuate, or other region that forms an acute angle α (
Some embodiments of the animal feeder 10 can also optionally include a roof 28, an example of which is shown in
In use, the present technology can interfere with the ability of varmints to reach the animal food 16 supported on the feed surface 14 by climbing the base 12. As illustrated by the flow diagram of
At block 39, the base 12 comprising the anti-climb feature is coupled to the portion of the stake 20 protruding from the ground surface 18. For example, the generally-cylindrical tube of some embodiments of the base 12 can be placed over the portion of the stake 20 protruding from the ground surface 18. According to such embodiments, the protruding portion of the stake 20 is received within an interior passage defined by the tube of the base 12. For some embodiments, the base 12 so installed on the protruding portion of the stake 20 supports the feed surface 14 at least thirty-six (36) inches, or other desired height, above the ground surface 18. A distal portion of the base 12 can include a first coupler portion that engages a portion of a second coupler portion provided to the feed surface 14, thereby coupling the feed surface 14 to the base 12. According to alternate embodiments, the feed surface 14 and the base 12 can be integrally formed as a monolithic structure, or the feed surface 14 can be bonded or otherwise coupled by one or more fasteners to the base 12.
At block 41, the animal feed 16 is placed on the feed surface 14, to be supported at a height (e.g., greater than thirty-six (36) inches above the ground surface 18) above which the varmints can reach while standing on their hind legs. Due at least in part to the anti-climb feature of the base 12, varmints are prevented from climbing the base 12 to reach the animal food 16 supported by the feed surface 14. According to some embodiments, one or a plurality of uprights 30 can be coupled to the feed surface 14. The upright(s) 30 can be separable from, and independently installable on the feed surface 14 or other structure coupled to the feed surface 34. The roof 28 can be installed on the one or more uprights 30, protecting at least a portion of the animal food 16 on the feed surface 14 from the environmental elements such as rain, direct sunlight, etc.
Illustrative embodiments have been described, hereinabove. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above devices and methods may incorporate changes and modifications without departing from the general scope of this invention. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63111472 | Nov 2020 | US |