Patent Application
20090283044
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bird feeder and more specifically to a tubular bird feeder.
2. Background Art
Tubular bird feeders are well known and generally comprise a cylindrical or otherwise tubular body which is closed at the bottom and which has a removable closure cap at the top through which the feed can be introduced into the tubular body. The tubular body may be made of an open mesh for large foods such as suet balls, peanuts and sunflower seeds or it may be comprised of transparent or translucent plastic with feed ports placed at intervals in the side thereof through which birds gain access for small foods such as millet seed, sunflower kernels and the like.
Tubular feeders are filled by removing the closure cap and pouring in bird feed through the open top. The problem with this design of feeder is that it must be removed from its hanger or support to remove the closure cap. The tubular body must be supported in the hand or on the ground as bird feed is poured in through the open top and this can make filling very difficult. At best there is a tendency to pour bird feed past the open top on to the ground. At worst the bird feeder may topple over during the filing operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bird feeder which can be filled with bird feed whilst the bird feeder remains suspended from its support or hanger.
According to the present invention there is provided a bird feeder comprising a bird food containment housing which is closed at the bottom and open at the top to permit bird feed to be introduced, a closure member for closing the open top of the housing means for releasably securing the closure member to the housing and a hanger connected to the closure member for suspending the bird feeder from a support, wherein the closure member is connected to the housing by a telescopic connection which permits the housing to be separated from the closure member for filling.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the telescopic connection comprises a first member connected to the inside of the closure cap and a second member connected to the bottom of the housing, and the first member is slidably received within the second member or visa versa. With the bird feeder suspended from a fixed support or hanger, the housing is pulled downwardly to cause the telescopic connection to open or extend. The housing is now suspended beneath the closure cap and bird feed can be poured in through the open top. Once the housing has been filled it is pushed back to cause the telescopic connection to close and to bring the housing back into closing engagement with the closure cap.
Various means may be envisaged for retaining the closure cap in the closed position. The inner and outer tubular members may be locked in the closed position by a screw threaded lock. By rotating the tubular body relative to the closure cap the screw threaded lock is unscrewed to allow the telescopic connection to extend.
In another embodiment of the present invention spring loaded latches are provided on one of the two sliding members of the telescopic connection which releasably engage in slots provided in the other of the two sliding members to secure the tubular member in the fully open position and in the fully closed position.
In yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the closure cap and the housing may be releasably secured together in the closed position by a bayonet type connection. In this arrangement the closure member is releasably secured to the tubular body by the engagement of a lock slot that communicates with a lock protrusion on the sidewall of the tubular body.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to
The tubular body 1 and the closure cap 2 are connected together by a telescopic connection 4 which allows the tubular body 1 to be dropped down and suspended beneath the closure cap 2 in the open position shown in
The telescopic connection 4 connecting the tubular body 1 to the closure cap 2 may take a variety of forms and configurations. In the embodiment of the present invention shown in
The upper end 9 of the inner sleeve 7 and the inner end 10 of the guide rod 6 are, respectively, internally and externally threaded. Rotation of the tubular body 1 relative to the closure cap 2 causes the externally threaded rod 10 to screw into or out of the internally threaded inner sleeve 9 to secure or release the closure cap 2 from the tubular body 1. However, as a perfectly acceptable alternative to this arrangement matching screw threads could be provided on the internal surface of the protective sleeve 5 and on the external surface of the inner sleeve 7. When these are screwed together the telescopic connection 4 is held together. In this arrangement the guide rod 6 could be dispensed with.
With the bird feeder in the closed position shown in
When the tubular body 1 has been filed the bird feeder is closed by pushing the tubular body back up into engagement with the closure cap 2.
The bird feeder of the present invention allows the tubular body which contains the bird feed to be separated from the closure cap whilst the closure cap remains attached to its hanger or support. With the tubular body suspended at some distance beneath the closure cap there is nothing to prevent or impede bird feed from being poured in, and because the bird feeder always remains suspended from its hanger or support there is no danger of it falling over.
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
