GB2373704A

GB2373704A - Bird feeding accessory

Info

Publication number: GB2373704A
Application number: GB0107430A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Kenneth Nock
Original assignee: CJ Wildbird Foods Ltd
Current assignee: CJ Wildbird Foods Ltd
Priority date: 2001-03-24
Filing date: 2001-03-24
Publication date: 2002-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 2021-03-24
Also published as: GB2373704B; GB0107430D0

Abstract

The accessory comprises a canopy with collar 30 and a threaded cap 18 that may be tightened around a variety of resilient sleeves 50, each sleeve being adapted to grip a pole or rod 20 of varying size by use of co-operating tapered sections 56,34 in the collar and sleeve.

Description

Bird Feeding Accessory This invention relates to a bird feeding accessory and in particular to a canopy for use with bird feeding apparatus that may either protect the bird feeding apparatus from unwanted animal species or act as a tray to catch bird feed that would otherwise drop to the ground.

Bird feeders are well known, for example, cylindrical vessels, for storing seed or the like, with apertures and a perch that allow a bird to rest on the apparatus and eat food presented at a discharge aperture. Such bird feeding apparatus is often suspended from the branch of a tree or supported on a pole, in the latter case typically on top of the pole. A known problem with such apparatus is the theft of bird seed by unwanted animals such as squirrels. It is known to provide a hood slidably mounted on a rod with a hook at each end of the rod such as squirrel baffles. Typically, such a baffle is suspended from the branch of a tree and the squirrel feeder is attached to the lower hook of the rod. However, such a device is not suitable for use with bird feeding apparatus mounted on top of a pole. In addition most bird feeding apparatus have no means of saving seed that are dropped by the bird during feeding and normally fall to the ground.

An object of the present invention is to provide a bird feeder accessory that can act as both a baffle to deter unwanted animals taking bird feed and also act as a tray to catch bird feed that would otherwise fall to the ground. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved baffle that can be used with either suspended bird feeding apparatus or with such apparatus mounted on a pole or the like.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a bird feeding accessory comprising a canopy with a locking collar adapted to accept inserts of varying size thereby allowing the canopy to engage poles or rods of varying diameter. Thus, the canopy may be suspended above/below a bird feeding apparatus or on pole with bird feeder apparatus.

Preferably, the locking collar has a central bore and preferably the central bore tapers outwardly near its upper end. Preferably, a sleeve member located within the central bore is provided in order to grip a rod or pole. The sleeve member may have resilience which may entirely or in part be provided by at least one longitudinal slot. The sleeve member may have an upper frustro-conical section. The upper section of the sleeve may have an outwardly projecting rim.

In an alternative embodiment the sleeve member comprises a central annular sleeve with a plurality of radial extensions that locate within the central bore of the collar.

The radial extensions may be generally rectangular in shape. There may be four radial extensions depending radially outwards from the central annular sleeve.

Preferably, each quadrant has an upper section that tapers radially outwards.

According to another aspect the invention comprises a bird feeding accessory comprising a canopy with a locking collar housing a removable resilient member adapted to accept inserts of varying size within the collar wherein the resilient member grips the insert upon rotation of a threaded cap engaging the collar.

Preferably, the canopy comprises sheet material formed in a generally hemispherical shape.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the following schematic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention as seen from above, Figure 2 is a plan view of the bird feeder accessory of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an underside view of the bird feeder accessory of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a side view of the bird feeder accessory of Figure 1, Figure 5 is an end view of the bird feeder accessory of Figure 1, Figure 6 is a sectioned side view of the collar showing a sleeve adapted to accept a rod, Figure 7 is a perspective view in exploded form of the collar of Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a perspective view in exploded form of an alternative sleeve adapted to accept a pole.

Figure I shows a perspective view of a bird feeding accessory 10 according to the invention. The bird feeding accessory 10 comprises a hemi-spherical shell or canopy 12 with rim 14, and a collar 16 located equidistantly from rim 14. Collar 16 is adapted to receive rods or poles of varying diameter, according to the type of sleeve inserted within (see later). Figure 1 shows a rod 20 connected at one end to an upper hook 22 and connected at the other end to a lower hook 24. Hooks 22 and 24 are detachably connected to rod 20 by means of threaded portions (see Figure 7) at the extremities of the rod 20 and bores with corresponding female threads in the hooks 22 and 24 (not shown). This facilitates removal of the rod with its hooks from a canopy to allow replacement by a pole.

Collar 16 (see Figure 7) is annular in cross section and has an outer threaded portion 30 adapted to receive a cap 18. Cap 18 comprising main body with central hole 26 for pole/rod and an inner threaded portion 28 dimensioned to engage outer threaded portion 30 of collar 16. Collar 16 has a cylindrical inner portion 32 and an upper frustro-conical portion 34 adapted to accept a sleeve (see later). Strengthening ribs 25 radiate outwardly within the canopy 12 from the cylindrical inner portion 32 (see Figure 3).

In a first embodiment (see Figures 6 and 7) a sleeve member 50 comprises a central annular sleeve 52 with four outwardly depending radial extensions 54, arranged in the form of a quadrant and an upper rim 58. Each extension 54 is generally rectangular in shape apart from the upper ends 56 which taper radially outwards. Thus, these four tapered quadrant members 56 are dimensioned to co-operate with the frustro-conical portion 34 of collar 16. Thus, in use as cap 18 is tightened over the outer threaded portion 30 of collar 16, sleeve 50 is urged downwardly into inner collar portions 32 and 34 until the tapered portions 56 of each outwardly depending quadrant 54 abuts against the frustro-conical portion of 34 of collar 16 at which point the upper portion of sleeve 50 is forced radially inward so that the central annular sleeve 52 grips rod 20 inserted within. A diametric slot 60 in upper rim 58 and a pair of longitudinal slots 62, extending axially and down central annular sleeve 52 from rim 58, are provided in order that the upper portion of the sleeve has resilience. Thus, in use, as cap 18 is tightened over outer threaded portion 30 of collar 16, the upper portion of sleeve 50 is forced radially inwardly to grip rod 20 The required slight radially inward movement of annular sleeve 52 is allowed through the resilience of the sleeve 50. This resilience may be provided by means other than slots, for example by the use of a resilient material for the sleeve.

In an alternative embodiment a sleeve member 70 (see Figure 8) is adapted to engage a pole P. Annular sleeve member 70 comprises a cylindrical lower portion 72 and an upper frustro-conical portion 74 and is dimentioned such that it closely fits within inner collar portions 32 and 34 of collar 16. Sleeve 70 has an outwardly projecting annular rim 76 depending from the upper frustro-conical portion of the sleeve 74. A diametric slot 78 and a pair of longitudinal slots 80, extending axially and downwardly from rim 76, are provided in order that the upper portion of the sleeve has resilience. Thus, in use as cap 18 is tightened over the outer threaded portion 30 of collar 16 sleeve 70 is urged downwardly into inner collar portions 32 and 34 until the frustro-conical portion 74 of sleeve 70 abuts against the frustro-conical portion of 34 of collar 16 at which point the upper portion of sleeve 70 is forced radially inward so that it grips a pole P inserted within. Slots 78 and 80 help provide the resilience necessary in order to accommodate this slight radially inward movement of the sleeve. The required resilience in sleeve 70 may be provided by means other than slots, for example by the use of a resilient material for the sleeve.

When used as a baffle, the bird feeder accessory may be suspended from the branch of a tree, for example by connecting upper hook 22 by string to the branch, and then a bird feeder, typically a cylindrical type as described above, may be suspended below the accessory using lower hook 24 connected by rod 20 to upper hook 22 Alternatively the accessory may be used in the same form as a food catcher by inverting the canopy, typically suspending under a bird feeder using hook 24 to connect the accessory to the bird feeder.

Bird feeders are frequently mounted on poles in the ground. In use the bird feeding accessory of the present invention may be mounted above such a feeder on a pole to act as a baffle or below such a feeder on the pole to act as a food catcher.

Conversion of the apparatus from rod and hook form to pole form simply requires removal of cap 18, removal of a hook (22 or 24) from rod 20, removal of sleeve with rod and remaining hook from collar 16, replacement with sleeve 70, and refitting of cap 18. The apparatus is then ready to accept a pole through the collar assembly.

Claims

Claims 1. A bird feeding accessory comprising a canopy with a locking collar adapted to accept inserts of varying size thereby allowing the canopy to engage a poles or rods of varying diameter.
2. A bird feeding accessory according to Claim 1 wherein the locking collar has a central bore.
3. A bird feeding accessory according to Claim 2 wherein the central bore tapers outwardly near its upper end.
4. A bird feeder accessory according to Claim 2 or 3 wherein a sleeve member, dimensioned to closely fit within the central bore.
5. A bird feeder accessory according to Claim 4 wherein the sleeve member has resilience.
6. A bird feeder accessory according to Claim 4 or 5 wherein the sleeve member comprises at least one longitudinal slit to provide resilience.
7. A bird feeder accessory according to Claim 4,5 or 6 wherein the sleeve member is generally cylindrical in shape.
8. A bird feeder accessory according to any of Claims 4 to 7 wherein the sleeve member has an upper frustro-conical section.
9. A bird feeder according to any of Claims 4 to 8 wherein the upper end of the sleeve has an outwardly projecting rim.
10. A bird feeder accessory according to any of Claims 2 to 9 wherein the sleeve member comprises a central annular sleeve with a plurality of radial extensions that locate within the central bore of the collar.
11. A bird feeder accessory according to Claim 10 wherein the radial extensions comprise a tapered upper portion.
12. A bird feeder accessory according to Claim 10 or 11 comprising four radial extensions depending from the central annular sleeve.
13. A bird feeding accessory comprising a canopy with a locking collar housing a removable resilient member adapted to accept inserts of varying size within the collar wherein the resilient member grips the insert upon rotation of a threaded cap engaging the collar.
14. A bird feeding accessory comprising a canopy with collar and a threaded cap that may be tightened around a variety of resilient sleeves, each sleeve being adapted to grip fixing means of varying size.
15. A bird feeding accessory comprising a canopy with collar, sleeve and a threaded cap adapted to grip fixing means of varying size by use of co-operating tapered sections in the collar and sleeve.
16. A bird feeding accessory according to any preceding claim wherein the canopy is formed in a generally hemispherical shape.
17. A bird feeding accessory according to any preceding claim wherein the canopy is formed from plastics material.

I-eA 11
18. A bird feeding accessory substantially as described above with reference to Figures 1 to 8.