Animal husbandry – Feeding device – Having a perch
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-26
2001-12-25
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Feeding device
Having a perch
C119S051010, CD30S124000, CD30S133000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332427
ABSTRACT:
REFERENCE TO PENDING APPLICATIONS
This application is not related to any pending United States or international patent application.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
This application is not related to any federally sponsored research or development projects.
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
This application is not referenced in any Microfiche Appendix.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to a feeder for feeding small birds and particularly a feeder having multiple perches for simultaneously feeding small seeds to a plurality of small birds.
2. Description of Related Art
The invention herein is of a type that, in other embodiments, has been used for feeding small birds. The feeder herein is particularly applied to feeding finches and birds similar to the finch species and the feeder is most particularly applied to feeding small diameter seeds such as thistle seed, a type of natural food to which finches and similar birds are attracted.
Others have provided vertical tubular feeders having a plurality of perches with a seed dispensing hole above each perch and in which the tubular feeder has a cap that can be removed for filling an upper open end of the tubular bird feeder. The typical tubular multiple perch bird feeder in present use requires that the top cap be secured to the tubular body by which the tubular body and the seeds contained therein is supported, a support rope or wire being attached to the removable top cap. A problem with existing bird feeders of this type is that seeds are refilled from the top. This means that the older seeds remain in the lower portion of the feeder. When the feeder is subjected to rain and/or snow, water can enter the feeder to cause deterioration of the seeds in the feeder. The deteriorated seeds tend to remain in the bottom portion of the feeder and wet seeds can develop bacteria that can be harmful to birds.
The present invention overcomes the problem with existing tubular multiple perch feeders for small birds by providing a feeder that can easily be filled from the bottom so that the remaining seeds in the feeder are always in the upper portion of the feeder and therefore seeds do not tend to remain for long periods of time within the feeder. The seeds are consumed from the top down meaning that the older seeds are first consumed, thus eliminating the problem of old, wet, molded or deteriorated and possibly bacteria-infested seeds remaining in the feeder.
For background information to bird feeders, the general type to which this invention pertains, reference can be had to the following previously issued United States Patents:
PATENT NO.
INVENTOR
TITLE
1,891,042
Benoit
Chicken Feeder
2,306,312
Hyde
Bird Feeding Device
2,944,516
Malloy, Sr.
Bird Feeder
3,083,687
Slaven
Bird Feeder
3,977,363
Fisher, Jr.
Bird Feeder
4,917,050
Clarke
Birdfeeder
5,195,463
Lorenzana et al.
Bird Baths and Combination
Hanging and Pedestal
Mountings Therefor
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention herein is a feeder for small birds. The feeder includes an elongated tube, preferably a plastic, and preferably having a relatively thin wall that can be transparent or opaque so as to visually disclose the level of seeds remaining in the feeder. The elongated tubular body of the feeder has an open top end, an open bottom end and a tubular sidewall. The sidewall has a plurality of spaced-apart perch support openings drilled therethrough perpendicular to an axis of the tube. The tube also has a small feed dispensing opening spaced above each of the perch support openings.
Perch rods are received within the perch support openings. Each perch rod extends perpendicularly through the tube and exteriorly of opposed sides of the tubular sidewall. In a preferred arrangement the perch support openings are drilled radially through the tube and are oriented so that adjacent perch supports are out of angular alignment with each other.
A top cap is removably received on the tube top end, the top cap having a central opening therethrough. A bottom cap is removably received on the tube bottom end. The bottom cap has at least one opening through it.
A flexible line is received through the tube to extend out both ends of the tube. A bottom portion of the flexible line is secured to the bottom cap by extending through the opening in the bottom cap. In a preferred embodiment the bottom cap has two openings so that the line can be looped through the two openings and secured to itself to thereby attach the bottom cap to a bottom end of the line. The line extends upwardly through the tube and an upper end portion of the line extends through the opening in the top cap. The top cap therefore is slidably received on the line and the upper portion of the line is attached to a support structure.
In use, the tubular body is filled with seeds and vertically supported to extend downwardly from a support structure. When additional seeds are required, the user can turn the tube upside down while maintaining the top cap in position to keep seeds within the tube from spilling out. The user can then pull sufficient line through the tube so as to permit the bottom cap to be removed. Additional seeds can then be poured into the bottom end of the tube. Thereafter, the bottom cap is replaced on the tube and the tube again returned to its normal vertical position, the excess line being pulled through the tube so that the weight of the tube and seeds therein is supported by the bottom cap.
A more complete understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 251021 (1979-02-01), Blasbalg
patent: D. 407173 (1999-03-01), Marshall
patent: D. 421159 (2000-02-01), Kreusser
patent: 1891042 (1932-12-01), Benoit
patent: 2306312 (1942-12-01), Hyde
patent: 2944516 (1960-07-01), Malloy, Sr.
patent: 3083687 (1963-04-01), Slaven
patent: 3977363 (1976-08-01), Fisher, Jr.
patent: 4917050 (1990-04-01), Clarke
patent: 5195463 (1993-03-01), Lorenzana
patent: 5435268 (1995-07-01), Liethan
patent: 5671696 (1997-09-01), Liethen
patent: 5722344 (1998-03-01), Rank
patent: 6213054 (2001-04-01), Marshall
Head, Johnson & Kachig
Jordan Charles T.
Nelson Judith A.
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