Patent Application
20230404042
The present disclosure relates to bird feeders, and more particularly, to an improved bird feeder which prevents undesired animals from accessing feed retained within the feeder.
Bird feeders are often subject to attack by animals, such as squirrels, attempting to gain access to their stored feed or bird seed. In addition to scaring away would-be feeding birds, squirrels or other animals who gain access to the feeder may consume large amounts of seed. Likewise, attempts to gain access to the seed by these animals often results in excess seed spillage, creating both waste and mess, and risks temporary or permanent damage to the feeder due to their relatively large weight and aggressive nature.
Numerous examples of “squirrel-proof” feeders are found in the prior art. These designs, however, have proven inadequate and/or are overly complicated and thus not cost effective. For example, some feeders utilize moveable covers which selectively close or block feed ports of the feeder in response to excess weight placed on a feeding perch of the feeder. Likewise, other designs utilize complex closing mechanisms which have many parts and occupy excessive space within the feeder and/or lack access for repair or replacement.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved squirrel or animal proof bird having a simplified design, while remaining cost effective to manufacture and easy to maintain.
A bird feeder according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an inner housing including a seed reservoir having at least one feed port defined therethrough providing access to seed contained within the reservoir. The feeder further comprises an outer housing moveably mounted to the inner housing, including a reservoir cover arranged over the seed reservoir and defining at least one feed opening. The outer housing is moveable relative to the inner housing between a first position, wherein the at least one feed port and the at least one feed opening are aligned, and a second position, wherein the at least one feed port and the at least one feed opening are not aligned, and the outer housing covers the feed port. The outer housing further comprises a top cover arranged over and receiving a portion of the inner housing, and an outer base supporting the reservoir cover. A tension spring is operatively connected between the seed reservoir and the outer base for biasing the outer housing into the first position relative to the inner housing, wherein the application of a predetermined force on the outer housing is operative to bias the outer housing into the second position against an elastic return force of the tension spring.
A bird feeder according to another embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an inner housing having a seed reservoir. The seed reservoir defines at least one feed port in communication with an interior of the reservoir holding a quantity of seed. An outer housing is arranged over the inner housing and includes at least one feed opening. The outer housing is moveable relative to the inner housing between a first position, wherein the at least one feed port and the at least one feed opening are aligned, and a second position, wherein the at least one feed port and the at least one feed opening are not aligned. An elastic return assembly is arranged beneath the seed reservoir and biases the outer housing into the first position relative to the inner housing.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures, of which:
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a feeder, such as a bird feeder, adapted to resist attacks from all angles, including from the sides, top and/or bottom of the feeder. The feeder includes an inner housing and an outer housing moveably mounted to the inner housing. The inner housing defines a seed reservoir having at least one feed port therethrough for providing access to the seed, an inner base arranged on a bottom of the seed reservoir and a top cover arranged over the top of the inner housing. The outer housing includes a reservoir cover arranged generally around the inner housing, and an outer base attached to a bottom of the reservoir cover. The reservoir cover includes feed openings corresponding to the feed ports of the seed reservoir. The outer housing, including the reservoir cover and the outer base, is moveable relative to the inner housing between a first or open position, wherein the feed openings and feed ports are aligned, and a second or closed position, wherein the feed openings and feed ports are not aligned and the outer housing covers the feed ports. In this way, in response to the application of a predetermined force placed on any portion of the outer housing, the feeder is biased into the closed position or state.
Referring to
The moveable subassembly or outer housing 300 includes an intermediate portion or reservoir cover 310, a support guide or upper cap 330, and an outer base or bottom end 350 fixed to the reservoir cover and sized to be moveably received within an underside of the inner base 250. See
As will be set forth in greater detail herein, the outer housing 300 is held in the open position via the application of a force generated by an elastic biasing arrangement or assembly 400. In response to the application of a sufficient opposite force on any portion of the outer housing 300, including feeding pedestals 315 of the reservoir cover 310, the outer housing is biased downward, against the return force of an elastic element of the biasing assembly 400. In this way, in response to an animal attack on an exterior surface of the feeder, the outer housing 300 of the feeder will be biased into the closed position, blocking access to the seed held within the seed space 211. Likewise, when the biasing force is removed (e.g., when an animal releases or dismounts the feeder), the outer housing 300 will return to the open position under a return force applied by the elastic element, wherein the feed port(s) 214 are exposed and normal feeding can be resumed.
The exemplary seed reservoir 210 comprises a hollow cylindrical housing, such as a transparent polymer housing, and defines the feed space 211 for holding a volume of feed, such as bird seed. The reservoir 210 comprises one or more openings 212 formed therethrough. The openings 212 may be fitted with, or covered by, the feed ports 214. The feed ports 214 include, for example, flexible fingers for preventing seed from falling out of the reservoir 210, while permitting a feeding bird to access the seed therethrough.
The reservoir cover 310 may comprise a generally cylindrical wire mesh shield defined by a plurality of horizontally and vertically extending wire segments. The reservoir cover 310, and more specifically, the mesh pattern thereof, defines openings 312 adapted to align with the feed ports 214 and openings 212 of the seed reservoir 210 in the first position of the feeder 100. The reservoir cover 310 further defines blocking sections or port covers 313, embodied as camouflaging and/or decorative elements (e.g., leaves), positioned over the mesh for covering the feed ports 214 in the second position of the feeder 100. The feeding perches 315 may be fixed or otherwise attached to the reservoir cover 310, and provide resting surfaces for birds while feeding. In one embodiment, each perch 315 is hingedly attached to the reservoir cover 310.
The reservoir cover 310 is fixedly attached to the support guide 330. In one embodiment, the support guide 330 is sized to slidably engage with the exterior surface of the seed reservoir 210 for maintaining the coaxial relationship therebetween. In other embodiments, the support guide 330 may include a plurality of roller bearings 332 (see
The inner base 250 may be fitted to a lower end of the seed reservoir 210, or formed integrally therewith, and generally comprises an outer flange 252, and a first cylindrical body portion 254 sized for fixed insertion within the seed reservoir 210. The inner base 250, including the cylindrical body 254, is generally hollow in nature and configured to slidably receive the second or outer base 350 therein in an assembled state of the feeder 100.
Similar to the inner base 250, the outer base 350 includes a base plate or mounting flange 352, which may be formed integrally with or attached to the reservoir cover 310, and a hollow cylindrical body 354. The body 354 may be fixed to the mounting flange 352 via fasteners, and is sized to be slidably received within the hollow interior of the inner base 250, as shown in
Referring to
As shown in the figures, the application of a predetermined force on the outer housing 300 is operative to bias the outer housing into the second position against an elastic return force of the spring 410. In the exemplary embodiment, the tension spring 410 includes a first end attached to the outer base 350. The inner housing 200 defines a spring mount 420, or mounting structure fixedly attached to the seed reservoir. A second end of the tension spring 410 is attached to the mount 420. In one embodiment, the mount 420 is formed integrally with the inner base 250, and extends horizontally through the internal cavity defined thereby. In other embodiments, the mount 420 comprises a pin or rod-like structure extending between and supported by the inner base 250. The mount 420 may be removable from the inner base. Specifically, the mount may be inserted into the inner base 250 and through an opening or eye of an end of the spring 410 for securing the spring thereto. It should be understood that any suitable attachment means (e.g., fasteners, etc.) may be used to fix the spring to both the inner and outer bases 250,350.
The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for practicing the invention. Many other embodiments are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that the scope of the invention is given by the appended claims together with their full range.
Also, the indefinite articles “a” and “an” preceding an element or component of the invention are intended to be nonrestrictive regarding the number of instances, that is, occurrences of the element or component. Therefore “a” or “an” should be read to include one or at least one, and the singular word form of the element or component also includes the plural unless the number is obviously meant to be singular.
The term “invention” or “present invention” as used herein is a non-limiting term and is not intended to refer to any single embodiment of the particular invention but encompasses all possible embodiments as described in the application.
