The present invention relates generally to feed cakes for providing a food source to wildlife including, but not limited to, wild birds and the like.
Typically a person feeding wildlife, such as wild birds or the like, selects either loose seeds and feeds, suet based cakes, or seed based cakes. Each of these products has limits on the variety of species of wildlife that they will attract. While some manufacturers produce suet based cake made with seeds and/or fruits and flavorings throughout the suet, many birds will not feed on the suet to obtain the seeds and fruits they need.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a feed cake that is able to provide a food source for a variety of species of wildlife, such as birds or the like, in a single assembly.
The present invention concerns a feed cake assembly that includes at least a first portion formed from a first feed material combination; and at least a second portion formed from a second feed material combination, the first portion and second portion being fused together to form the feed cake assembly. The first portion is preferably a seed cake portion formed from a first feed material combination and the second portion is preferably a flavor blend portion formed from a second feed material combination.
A typical wildlife feed cake is made with seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, etc. and is held together with a binder. The feed cake assembly in accordance with the present invention includes a seed cake portion that is manufactured with a second cake or flavor blend portion that can be located almost anywhere on or inside the seed cake portion. The second cake or flavor blend portion can be of any size and/or shape, and is preferably made from ingredients other than the typical seed blend. This second cake or flavor blend portion is fused or bonded permanently inside and/or against the seed cake portion.
This new feed cake assembly combines the seed based cake plus a second form of feeding products into one convenient feed cake assembly. The advantages are that this feed cake assembly will attract a wider variety of birds, and provide a more diverse diet, resulting in a healthier flock. The combination feed cake assembly advantageously provides each individual bird with its preference within one product at a single feeding station.
The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:
The entire disclosure of the U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/747,944, filed May 23, 2006, is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Referring now
The feed materials of the seed cake portion 12 and the feed materials of the flavor blend portion 16 are preferably formed from different types of seeds, grains, or nuts that advantageously enable the feed cake assembly 10 to attract, for example, numerous species of birds with a single feed cake assembly 10. In addition, the suet material of the flavor blend portion 16 advantageously attracts those types of birds who will consume the suet rather than just those birds interested in seeds and grains or the like.
Referring now to
Similar to the feed cake assembly 10, the feed materials of the seed cake portion 22 and the feed materials of the flavor blend portion 26 are preferably formed from different types of seeds, grains, or nuts that advantageously enable the feed cake assembly 20 to attract, for example, numerous species of birds with a single feed cake assembly 20.
Referring now to
Similar to the feed cake assembly 10, the feed materials of the seed cake portion 32 and the feed materials of the flavor blend portion 36 are preferably formed from different types of seeds, grains, or nuts that advantageously enable the feed cake assembly 30 to attract, for example, numerous species of birds with a single feed cake assembly 30.
Referring now to
Similar to the feed cake assembly 10, the feed materials of the seed cake portion 42 and the feed materials of the flavor blend portion 46 are preferably formed from different types of seeds, grains, or nuts that advantageously enable the feed cake assembly 40 to attract, for example, numerous species of birds with a single feed cake assembly 40.
Preferably, the feed cake assembly 10 is formed by first mixing the suet and the feed materials of the second feed material combination of the flavor blend portion 16 and placing the mixed materials into a first portion of a mold (not shown) or the like. The flavor blend portion 16 may be formed into any desired shape, such as the shape shown in
The feed cake assembly 20 is preferably formed in a manner similar to the feed cake assembly 10 including the steps of mixing the feed materials and the binder material of the feed material combinations, forming the seed cake portion 22 and the flavor blend portion 26 into the desired shapes including the flange 24 and the recess and utilizing a mold or the like to fuse the seed cake portion 22 and the flavor blend portion 26 together.
The feed cake assembly 30 is preferably formed in a manner similar to the feed cake assembly 10 including the steps of mixing the feed materials and the binder material of the feed material combinations, forming the seed cake portion 32 and the flavor blend portion 36 into the desired shapes including the recess 34 and utilizing a mold or the like to fuse the seed cake portion 32 and the flavor blend portion 36 together.
The feed cake assembly 40 is preferably formed in a manner similar to the feed cake assembly 10 including the steps of mixing the feed materials and the binder material of the feed material combinations, forming the seed cake portion 42 and the flavor blend portion 46 into the desired shapes and utilizing a mold or the like to fuse the seed cake portion 42 and the flavor blend portion 46 together.
The seed cake portions 12, 22, 32, and 42, and the flavor blend portions 16, 26, 36, and 46 in accordance with the present invention may advantageously be formed into any suitable size or shape and may be attached to one another by a variety of means, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, while remaining within the scope of the present invention. Suitable shapes include, but are not limited to, circular, square, rectangular, triangular, or the like. The seed cake assemblies 10, 20, 30, and 40 are preferably formed in a shape that is adapted to cooperate with and fit into a feeder, for example a bird feeder, such as those commercially available from Birdola Products of Grand Rapids, Mich. and such as, but not limited to, those bird feeders shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,024,047 and 6,591,779, and assigned to Seed Resources, LLC of Grand Rapids, Mich.
The feed cake assembly 10, 20, 30, and 40 in accordance with the present invention includes a seed cake portion that is manufactured with a second cake or flavor blend portion that can be located almost anywhere on, inside, or adjacent the seed cake portion. The second cake or flavor blend portion can be of any size and/or shape, and is made from ingredients other than the typical seed blend. This second cake or flavor blend portion is preferably fused or bonded permanently inside and/or against the seed cake portion. The feed cake assembly 10, 20, 30, and 40, advantageously provides each individual bird with its preference within one product at a single feeding station.
The feed cake assembly 10, 20, 30, and 40 in accordance with the present invention provides a food source for a plurality of wildlife species, such as wild birds or the like, within a single feed cake and at a single location, advantageously reducing the potential amount of food needed for an individual bird feeding station and allowing bird watchers a greater potential of time in which to view the birds at the feeding station.
While the assemblies 10, 20, 30, and 40 in accordance with the present invention have been described utilizing molds to form the assemblies, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the assemblies may be formed by utilizing molds, stamping, an extrusion process, or the like, while remaining within the scope of the present invention.
Furthermore, although not illustrated, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the feed cake assemblies 10, 20, 30, and 40, may be formed with two or more seed cake portions 12, 22, 32, and 42 and two or more flavor blend portions 16, 26, 36, and 46, such as by combining a seed cake portion having seeds and grains and another seed cake portion having fruits and nuts, a flavor blend portion having seeds, grains, fruits, and nuts and another flavor blend portion having bread and batter into a single feed cake assembly, while remaining within the scope of the present invention.
In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/747,944, filed May 23, 2006, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2235959 | Copeman | Mar 1941 | A |
3964438 | Rodemeyer | Jun 1976 | A |
5052342 | Schneider | Oct 1991 | A |
5293528 | DiSanto et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
5606933 | Wilkins | Mar 1997 | A |
5636591 | Loiselle | Jun 1997 | A |
5699752 | Wilkins | Dec 1997 | A |
5745094 | Gordon, II et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
5826541 | Wilkins | Oct 1998 | A |
5855943 | Lush et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
5872552 | Gordon, II et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
5961804 | Jacobson et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
6024047 | Hoogland | Feb 2000 | A |
6144361 | Gordon, II et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6172798 | Albert et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6271823 | Gordon, II et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6337761 | Rogers et al. | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6525865 | Katase | Feb 2003 | B2 |
6525866 | Lin et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6529313 | Lin et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6535326 | Uno | Mar 2003 | B2 |
6574034 | Lin et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6591779 | Hoogland | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6636341 | Kanbe | Oct 2003 | B2 |
6639580 | Kishi et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6650462 | Katase | Nov 2003 | B2 |
6650463 | Obikawa et al. | Nov 2003 | B2 |
6677926 | Biegelsen | Jan 2004 | B2 |
6680726 | Gordon, II et al. | Jan 2004 | B2 |
6806995 | Chung et al. | Oct 2004 | B2 |
6850355 | Liang et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6850357 | Kaneko et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6859302 | Liang et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6862129 | Matsuda et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6865012 | Liang et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6867898 | Liang et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6873451 | Ukigaya | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6885495 | Liang et al. | Apr 2005 | B2 |
6897996 | Ikeda et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
6900924 | Goden | May 2005 | B2 |
6906851 | Yuasa | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6909532 | Chung et al. | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6922275 | Ikeda | Jul 2005 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20070272162 A1 | Nov 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60747944 | May 2006 | US |