GB2402598A

GB2402598A - Bird Feeder Hanger Assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2402598A
Application number: GB0313652A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Kenneth Nock
Original assignee: CJ Wildbird Foods Ltd
Current assignee: CJ Wildbird Foods Ltd
Priority date: 2003-06-13
Filing date: 2003-06-13
Publication date: 2004-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 2023-06-13
Also published as: US7261055B2; GB0313652D0; ATE401786T1; EP1486115B1; GB2402598B; CA2470962A1; DE602004015196D1; EP1486115A1; US20050000456A1

Abstract

A bird feeder hanger assembly 10 comprising a hanger member 18 and a pivot member 10, the pivot member being attachable to the main body B of a bird feeder and the pivot and hanger member each having engaging means which engage one another. The pivot member may be a rod and its engaging means an L-shaped slot 30 located at the end of the rod. Preferably, the hanger member is a rod with a pair of parallel side arms, both of which may engage the pivot member. The hanger member may also engage a lid 20 which may fit an opening of the bird feeder. Also claimed is a bird feeder hanger having a hood, a hanger member and a pivot member and an animal feeder assembly comprising a hood and a hanger member.

Description

Bird feeding Apparatus The present invention relates to animal feeding

apparatus, and in particular to a detachable hanger for a bird feeder.

Bird feeders typically comprise a tubular shaped main body with a base, a lid and at least one feeding port. Such feeders frequently have a hanger assembly comprising a hanger rod that has a semicircular or apex shaped top and a pair of parallel side arms; the lid typically has a pair of diametrically opposed holes located near the rim sized to accept the side arms and allow them to slide freely up and down within the holes. The side-arms engage a hole at each end of a pivot rod and the pivot rod engages holes located at diametrically opposite sides of the main body. Such an arrangement allows the hanger rod to be stowed within the main body when not in use. This also allows the feeder to be supplied with less packaging. The lid of the feeder may be removed from the main body by sliding it upwardly; once free of the main body the lid can be tilted to one side by the pivotable mount. I his allows entry to the top of the feeder for replenishing with bird food. However, such arrangements do not allow side arms to be detached from the pivot rod and so suffer the disadvantage that the pivot rod cannot be removed from the main body to allow cleaning etc..

An object of the present invention is to provide a bird feeder hanger assembly similar to the prior art described above but differing in that the hanger rod and pivot rod may readily be detached from the main body of the feeder to facilitate cleaning.

In one aspect the invention provides a bird feeder hanger assembly comprising a hanger member and a pivot member wherein the pivot member is adapted to be attached to the main body of a bird feeder such that the pivot member pivots about an axis; the pivot member and hanger member each having engaging means for engaging one another wherein the engaging means co-operate such that when connecting the hanger assembly to the main body of a bird feeder the engaging means of the hanger member is adapted first be pushed into the engaging means of the pivot member and then pulled in a direction generally radial to the pivot axis so that the hanger member and the pivot member mutually engage.

P304151b In another aspect the invention provides a bird feeder hanger assembly comprising a hood, a hanger member and a pivot member wherein the pivot member is adapted to be pivotably attached to the main body of a bird feeder; the pivot member and hanger member each having mutually engaging means; wherein the hanger member comprising an elongate element that in use passes through an aperture in the hood such that the hanger member is secured to the pivot member through engagement of the hood and the main body.

In a further aspect the invention provides an animal feeder assembly with a hood and hanger member; the hanger member comprising an elongate rod, adapted for pivotal attachment to the main body of an animal feeder wherein the rod passes through an aperture in the hood and in use the hanger member is secured to the main body by engaging the hood with the main body.

Examples of the invention will now be described by reference to the following diagrammatic figures in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a hanger assembly, according to a first embodiment of the invention, the hanger being in a closed position and attached to the upper portion of a feeder main body; Figures 2 and 3 show the hanger shown in Figure I in a partly open and a fully open position respectively; Figure 4 shows side views and end views of the pivot rod of the assembly of Figure 1; and Figure 5 shows side views and end views of the pivot rod of the assembly for a second embodiment of the invention.

A first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figures I to 4. The hanger assembly 10 comprises a pivot rod 12, with a first engaging end 14 and a second engaging end 16; a generally "inverted U-shaped" hanger rod 18 and a lid 20. I,id 20 and pivot rod 12 are sized to engage the circular tubular main body B (top only shown) of a bird feeder. Figure I shows the hanger assembly 10 attached to the main body B of a bird feeder with the assembly in the closed position; as used when the bird feeder is hung outdoors with bird feed inside. The lid P304151b has a pair of diametrically opposed holes 22 located near the periphery positioned and sized to accept the parallel side members 24a and 24b of hanger rod 18. Hanger rod 18 can take many forms and need not be "U-shaped". However, when the hanger assembly includes a lid 20 then the hanger rod 18 will normally include a pair of parallel elongate members (24).

The first engaging end 14 of the rod 12 has a hook-shaped cross section (see Figure 4) that provides a "L-shaped" slot 30, sized to accept the end of side member 24a of hanger rod 18.

Between slot 30 and the rod a flange 36 is provided in order to help locate pivot rod 12 within holes in a bird feeder main body B. Side members 24a and 24b have a 90 bent section 26 near each end. The second engaging end 16 has a hole 32 that is approximately rectangular in cross section but that has hemi-spherically shaped end walls. Grooves 38a and 38b are located proximal each end of rod 12 the separation distance of these grooves being equal to the diametric dimension of main body B; thus, these grooves locate the walls of the main body B and so facilitate the pivoting action of rod 12 relative to main body B. In use, the lid 20 of the hanger assembly 10 may be slid upwardly, guided by side members 24a and 24b so that the lid 20 is detached from the main body B of a bird feeder (see Figure 2). The hanger rod 18 and lid 20 may then be pivoted about axis A-A' by means of the action of pivot rod 12 that locates in holes located diametrically in the main body B of the bird feeder. Figure 3 shows the hanger assembly in this fully open position. In this position bird feed may conveniently be charged to a feeder.

I he hanger assembly may easily be detached from the main body B of a bird feeder in order to allow thorough cleaning etc.. When the assembly is attached to a bird feeder B as shown in Figure 1, side member 24a is first flexed inwardly towards the axis of the main body B; this allows it to slide through channel 34 and so be released from the first engaging end 14. This action is facilitated if rod 18 has resilience; for example, if it is a steel rod. Lid 20 can be detached from the main body B just before or just after this step. The lid 20 and hanger rod 18 can then be rotated by about 180 around the axis B-B' of side member 24b. This allows side member 24b of hanger rod 18 to be detached from hole 32 in the second end 16 of rod 12, and thus for rod 12 to be slid outwardly through the rear hole on main body B and so the assembly is fully detached. Replacement of the assembly is achieved simply by reversing the above sequence of steps. It will be noted that when the assembly is in use as shown in Figure P304151b 1 that the lid 20 is quite close to the free ends of side members 24. This effectively prevents side member 24a being flexed inwardly as required for the first step of removal. Therefore, in this position the lid locks the hanger assembly to the main body B. A second embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 5. In this embodiment side member 124a has a frustro-conical end section 125 rather than the 90 bend used in the first embodiment. Thus, rod 122 differs from the rod of the first embodiment in respect of the configuration of the first engaging end 114. In this embodiment the "L-shaped" slot 30 of the first embodiment has been modified 130 to include a frustro-conical recess portion 136. Thus, side member 124a may be pushed into entry slot 140 and then moved along the "L-shaped" slot 130 until the longitudinal axis of side member 124a is coincident with the axis of the frustro-conical recess 136; at which point side member 124a may be drawn upwardly so that the *ustro-conical end section 125 of side member 124a locks within frustro-conical recess 136. The mode of opening and removing the hanger assembly of the second embodiment is the same as for the first embodiment described above.

In a variant of this embodiment the "L-shaped" slot may be replaced by a straight slot that extends only radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of rod 122. While this is less preferable than the "L-shaped" arrangement it does offer the virtue of allowing the "U-shaped" rod to be rigid and have no flexing property.

The conical end section 125 may be replaced by mechanically equivalent alternatives, such as a hemispherical end; in this event recess 136 would be suitably shaped to engage this alternative shape of end section.

P30415 lb

Claims

1. Bird feeder hanger assembly comprising a hanger member and a pivot member wherein the pivot member is adapted to be attached to the main body of a bird feeder such that the pivot member pivots about an axis; the pivot member and hanger member each having engaging means for engaging one another wherein the engaging means co-operate such that when connecting the hanger assembly to the main body of a bird feeder the engaging means of the hanger member is adapted first be pushed into the engaging means of the pivot member and then pulled in a direction generally radial to the pivot axis so that the hanger member and the pivot member mutually engage.

2. Bird feeder hanger assembly comprising a hood, a hanger member and a pivot member wherein the pivot member is adapted to be pivotably attached to the main body of a bird feeder; the pivot member and hanger member each having mutually engaging means; wherein the hanger member comprising an elongate element that in use passes through an aperture in the hood such that the hanger member is secured to the pivot member through engagement of the hood and the main body.

3. A hanger assembly according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the pivot member comprises a rod that engages the main body of a bird feeder at locations positioned on diametrically opposite walls of the main body.

4. A hanger assembly according to Claim 3 wherein the pivot member engaging means is slot located proximal on end of the rod.

5. A hanger assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the hanger member comprises a pair of parallel side arms both of which engage the pivot member.

6. A hanger assembly according to any of Claims I and 3 to 5 wherein the hanger member also engages a lid sized to fit a bird food charging opening in the main body of a bird feeder.

P304151b

7. A hanger assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the hanger member is formed from a rod

8. A hanger assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the pivot member engaging means comprises a generally L-shaped slot.

9. A hanger assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the hanger member engaging means comprises an angled bend in a rod.

10. A hanger assembly according to any preceding claim 6 wherein the pivot member engaging means comprises a tapered or generally bulbous recess.

11. A hanger assembly according to any preceding calim wherein the hanger member engaging means comprises a frustro-conical shaped end section.

12. A hanger assembly according to any preceding claim 10 wherein the hanger member engaging means is configured to mate with the pivot member engaging means.

13. A hanger assembly substantially as described above by reference to Figures 1 to 4.

14. An animal feeder assembly with a hood and hanger member; the hanger member comprising an elongate rod, adapted for pivotal attachment to the main body of an animal feeder wherein the rod passes through an aperture in the hood and in use the hanger member is secured to the main body by engaging the hood with the main body.

P304 1 5 lb