Abstract:
An animal feeder is mountable to an exterior support and includes an inner housing having a cavity for containing feed and an outer housing for selectively blocking and providing access to the cavity. Access is dependent upon a force exerted on the outer housing. The animal feeder also includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the force required to block access.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/791,313 filed Jun. 1, 2010, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/588,760, filed Oct. 27, 2006, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/731,318, filed Oct. 28, 2005 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/800,794, filed May 16, 2006. The present application also claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/224,359 filed Jul. 9, 2009. The disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to an animal feeder with selective feed access. Feeders dispense feed to animals and may be operable to allow animals having a first size to access the feed and to prevent animals having a second size from accessing the feed, the second size being greater than the first size. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    In one construction, the invention provides an animal feeder mountable to an exterior support. The animal feeder includes an inner housing having a cavity for containing feed, an outer housing for selectively blocking and providing access to the cavity, wherein access is dependent upon a force exerted on the outer housing. The animal feeder also includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the force required to block access. 
         [0004]    In another construction, the invention provides an animal feeder mountable on an exterior support. The animal feeder includes an inner housing defining a cavity for containing feed and including at least one port for providing access to the cavity and an outer housing having at least one opening and being supported on the inner housing for movement relative to the housing between an opened position and a closed position. In the opened position, the at least one opening and the at least one port are substantially aligned, and in the closed position, the at least one opening and the at least one port are substantially misaligned. The outer housing is in the opened position in response to a first force on the outer housing, and the outer housing is in the closed position in response to a second force on the outer housing. The second force is greater than the first force. The animal feeder also includes a guard mechanism coupled between the inner housing and the outer housing for facilitating movement between the opened position and the closed position, the guard mechanism including an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the sensitivity of the guard mechanism such that the value of the second force required to place the outer housing in the closed position is adjustable. 
         [0005]    In another construction, the invention provides an animal feeder mountable on an exterior support. The animal feeder includes an inner housing defining a cavity for containing feed and including at least one port for providing access to the cavity, an outer housing having at least one opening and being supported on the inner housing for movement relative to the housing between an opened position, in which the at least one opening and the at least one port are substantially aligned, and a closed position, in which the at least one opening and the at least one port are substantially misaligned, a spring coupled between the inner housing and the outer housing for applying a spring force between the inner housing and the outer housing, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the spring force. 
         [0006]    Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an animal feeder according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates bottom view of a portion of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-section of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1  taken at A-A of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a cross-section of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1  taken at A-A of  FIG. 2  with the feeder in an open state. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a cross-section of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1  taken at A-A of  FIG. 2  with the feeder in a closed state. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  illustrates multiple views of an outer housing of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the outer housing of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  illustrates multiple views of an inner housing of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the inner housing of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  illustrates multiple views of a lower spring mount of the inner housing of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 12  illustrates more views of the lower spring mount of the inner housing of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 13  illustrates another view of the lower spring mount of the inner housing of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 14  illustrates still another view of the lower spring mount of the inner housing of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 15  illustrates multiple views of an upper spring mount of the outer housing of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 16  illustrates another view of the upper spring mount of the outer housing of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 17  illustrates multiple views of a portion of the outer housing of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 18  illustrates another view of the portion of the outer housing of  FIG. 17 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 19  illustrates a perch portion of the outer housing of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 20  illustrates a spring element of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 21  illustrates multiple views of a locking element of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 22  illustrates multiple views of a straw element of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 23  illustrates various elements of the outer housing of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0031]      FIG. 24  illustrates multiple views of a spring adjuster mounting member of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0032]      FIG. 25  illustrates multiple views of a spring adjuster key of the animal feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0033]      FIG. 26  illustrates multiple views of a feed bin of the inner housing of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0034]      FIG. 27  illustrates another view of the feed bin of  FIG. 26 . 
           [0035]      FIG. 28  illustrates multiple view of a feed port of the inner housing of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 29  illustrates additional views of the feed port of  FIG. 28 . 
           [0037]      FIG. 30  illustrates further additional views of the feed port of  FIG. 28 . 
           [0038]      FIG. 31  illustrates multiple views of a feed diverter of the inner housing of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0039]      FIG. 32  illustrates another view of the feed diverter of  FIG. 31 . 
           [0040]      FIG. 33  illustrates additional views of the feed diverter of  FIG. 31 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0041]    Before the various embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. It is to be understood that phraseology and terminology used herein with reference to device or element orientation (such as, for example, terms like “top,” “side”, “upper,” “lower,” “front,” and the like) are only used to simplify description of the present invention, and do not alone indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation. The elements of the feeder and hanger referred to in the present invention can be installed and operated in any orientation desired. In addition, terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” are used herein for purposes of description and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or significance. 
         [0042]    Also, the use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. 
         [0043]      FIGS. 1-33  illustrate an animal feeder  100  according to an embodiment of the invention. The animal feeder  100  can be used to dispense food to an animal such as a bird. The feeder  100  or portions thereof can be made of any material including metal, plastic, wood, or the like, and can be coated or include parts fabricated with a substance which prevents animals from chewing on or otherwise destroying them including pepper or other chemical agents. 
         [0044]    The animal feeder  100  includes an outer housing  102 , an inner housing  104 , a cover  106  and a hanger  108 . The hanger  108  is a cable and includes a sleeve  105  positioned above the outer housing  102 . The sleeve  105  is approximately cylindrical and is positioned about the hanger  108  such that the hanger  108  and the sleeve  105  are co-axial. The sleeve  105  can be coupled to the cover  106  or the outer housing  102 , or can simply be supported by one of the two, and is slidable axially relative to the hanger  108 . In some embodiments, the hanger  108  can be a rigid member and the sleeve  105  can be a flexible and/or bendable member. In other embodiments, the hanger  108  can be a flexible member and the sleeve  105  can be a rigid member. In still other embodiments, both the hanger  108  and the sleeve  105  can be rigid members, or alternatively, both the hanger  108  and the sleeve  105  can be flexible members. 
         [0045]      FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate the inner housing  104 . The inner housing  104  includes a bin  109  defining a cavity  109   a  for storing a quantity of animal feed. The inner housing  104  includes an open top end which allows for refilling and cleaning of the inner housing  104 . The bin  109  is at least partially formed of a transparent or mesh-like material so that animal feed within the cavity  109   a  is visible. As illustrated in  FIGS. 28 and 30 , the inner housing  104  includes a plurality of ports  110  for accessing animal feed within the cavity  109   a . The inner housing  104  also includes an inwardly protruding lip  107  formed in the bin  109 , partially covering each of the ports  110 . The lips  107  ensure that when the inner housing  104  is filled with feed, the feed will not spill out of the ports  110  due to gravity. 
         [0046]    The inner housing  104  includes a diverter  111  located at a lower end of the inner housing  104  that extends upwardly into the cavity  109   a . As shown in  FIGS. 31-33 , the diverter  111  is peaked or approximately pyramid-shaped so as to form a downward sloping surface  111   a  adjacent each of the ports  110 . In other embodiments, the diverter  111  can have other shapes and configurations, such as, for example, rotund, convex, ramp-shaped, and the like. The diverter  111  servers to direct or divert animal feed within the cavity  109   a  towards each of the ports  110  for access by an animal. 
         [0047]      FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate the outer housing  102 . The outer housing  102  is formed from a pair of opposing outer housing members  102   a  coupled to one another. The outer housing  102  is slightly larger than the inner housing  104  so as to receive the inner housing  104  within a cavity  112 . The outer housing  102  of the illustrated embodiment is provided with a decorative pattern on lateral surfaces  103 . The decorative pattern forms openings in the walls of the outer housing  102  so that portions of the inner housing  104  are visible. In other embodiments, the decorative pattern is not included. The outer housing  102  also includes a plurality of openings  114 . The openings  114  are approximately aligned with respect to the inner housing ports  110  so as to permit selective access to animal feed within the cavity  109   a . Animal perches  144  (see  FIGS. 8 and 19 ) are positioned below the openings  114 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 23  illustrates the cover  106 . The cover  106  of the illustrated embodiment is approximately square shaped and peaked. The cover  106  is supported by open upper ends of the outer housing  102  and a mounting member  118 . The cover  106  is secured to the mounting member  118  by a locking member  120 . The locking member  120 , illustrated in  FIG. 21 , includes a knob  158  and a bore  160  extending through the center of the locking member  120 . The bore  160  has a diameter sized to accommodate the hanger  108  which extends through it when the feeder  100  is assembled and hung, yet allows the hanger to be withdrawn and the sleeve removed so one or both elements can be positioned within the cavity  109   a  for shipping or storage. A threaded portion  162  of the bore enables the locking member  120  to be positioned in locked and unlocked states. When the locking member  120  is in an unlocked state, the cover  106  is removable for adding animal feed to the inner housing cavity  109   a . When the locking member  120  is in a locked state, the cover  106  is secured to the mounting member  118 , and inhibits ingress of water and other debris into the cavity  109   a . The locking member  120  also includes an annular recess  164  for receiving an end of the sleeve  105  in the knob. The recess  164  surrounds the bore  160  extending through the locking member  120  and is positioned at the opposite end from the threaded portion  162 . The ridge  166  formed between the recess  164  and the bore  160  supports and retains the sleeve  105  in a position in which the sleeve  105  extends from the knob  158  of the locking member  120  and along the hanger  108  above the cover  106 . 
         [0049]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate a guard mechanism  130  for inhibiting access to animal feed within the inner housing  104 . The guard mechanism  130  facilitates movement of the outer housing  102  relative to the inner housing  104  from a first or aligned orientation for permitting access to feed within the inner housing  104  to a second or non-aligned orientation for inhibiting access to feed within the inner housing  104 . In the aligned orientation, the openings  114  of the outer housing  102  are aligned with the corresponding ports  110  of the inner housing  104  to form a pathway so that feed is accessible. In the non-aligned orientation, the openings  114  of the outer housing  102  are vertically displaced from the ports  110  of the inner housing  104  so that no pathway to the feed is provided. 
         [0050]    As shown in  FIGS. 5-6B ,  8 , and  10 , the guard mechanism  130  includes a lower spring mount  124  (see  FIGS. 11-14 ), a mounting member  118  (see  FIG. 24 ), a spring  136  (see  FIG. 20 ), an upper spring mount  122  (see  FIGS. 15 and 16 ), and an adjuster key  126  (see  FIG. 25 ). The lower spring mount  124  is coupled to an upper end of the inner housing  104  and defines an aperture  146  around which spring retaining portions  148  extend. The upper spring mount  122  is coupled to an upper end of the outer housing  102  and extends upward into the space defined by the cover  106 . The upper spring mount  122  defines an aperture  150  sized to accommodate the mounting member  118  which defines an outer threaded surface  152 . The mounting member  118  includes an integral wing stop  154  between its ends which enables the mounting member  118  to be positioned with respect to the upper spring mount  122 , as is best shown in  FIG. 8 . The adjuster key  126  includes a threaded inner surface  156  enabling the adjuster key  126  to be positioned and retained along the length of the mounting member  118  below the wing stop by way of threaded engagement between the threaded inner surface  156  of the adjuster key  126  and the threaded outer surface  152  of the mounting member  118 . 
         [0051]    When the feeder  100  is assembled, the spring  136  is positioned and compressed between the lower spring mount  124  and the wing adjuster key  126 . Consequently, the spring  136  biases the outer housing  102  axially upward (along the hanger  108 ) with respect to the inner housing  104  such that the openings  114  in the outer housing are aligned with the ports  110  in the inner housing  104  allowing access from outside the feeder  100  to the feed within the inner cavity  109   a . If a net force applied to the outer housing  102  opposing the axial bias of the spring  136  is greater than the force of the spring  136 , the outer housing  102  will move axially downward with respect to the inner housing  104  and the openings  114  will no longer be in alignment with the ports  110 , preventing access to the cavity  109   a  from outside the feeder  100 . 
         [0052]    The guard mechanism  130  is adjustable so as to increase or decrease the length of the spring and, therefore, increase or decrease the force exerted by the spring  136  (i.e., spring force), and thus increase or decrease the weight on the animal perches  144  and/or the sleeve  105  necessary to displace the outer housing  102  so as to open the apertures  110 . Specifically, the adjuster key  126  is coupled to the mounting member  118  for adjusting the compression or pre-load in the spring  136  by infinite amounts. The greater the distance between the wing stop  154  and the adjuster key  126 , the more the spring will be compressed, and the greater the force that will be required to mis-align the openings  114  and the ports  110 . 
         [0053]    With reference to  FIG. 3 , the hanger  108  has a first end  140  and a second end  142 . The second end  142  of the hanger  108  can be coupled to a support structure such as a hook or tree-branch to suspend the animal feeder  100  mid-air. As illustrated in  FIGS. 5-6B , locking member  120 , cover  106 , upper spring mount  122 , mounting member  118 , lower spring mount  124 , and diverter  111  define aligned bores/holes through which the hanger  108  extends. The first end  140  of the hanger  108  is secured below the diverter  111  to prevent movement of the inner housing  104  with respect to the hanger  108 . Thus, the outer housing  102  floats relative to the inner housing  104 . The outer housing  102  is located at a neutral position relative to the inner housing  104  in which the weight of the outer housing and the guard mechanism  130  are balanced by the spring force of the spring  136 . 
         [0054]    The diverter  111  diverts a portion of the animal feed within the cavity  109   a  towards each of the aligned aperture pairs  110 ,  114 . Animals such as birds can grasp the animal perches  144  and can access animal feed at the aligned apertures  110 ,  114 . Each animal supported on the animal perches  144  contributes to a downwardly directed force on the outer housing  102 . When the weight on the animal perches  144  exceeds the spring force of the spring  136 , the spring  136  compresses vertically, such that the outer housing  102  moves downwardly along a vertical axis relative to the inner housing  104 . This causes the apertures  114  of the outer housing  102  to become mis-aligned with the apertures  110  of the inner housing  104 . The outer housing  102  blocks the aperture  110 , so that the pathway through the inner housing  104  and the outer housing  102  to the animal feed within the cavity  109   a , is blocked, thus inhibiting access to the animal feed at all of the apertures  110 . 
         [0055]    Access to feed is also inhibited when animals grasp and/or alight on the hanger  108  above the cover  106 . Specifically, when an animal such as a squirrel grasps the sleeve  105 , the weight of the animal causes the sleeve  105  to slide downwardly relative to the hanger  108 . This causes the cover  106  and the outer housing  102  to slide downwardly against the force of the spring  136 . The outer housing openings  114  are thus mis-aligned relative to the inner housing ports  110  such that access to feed is blocked. 
         [0056]    Rotation of the adjuster key  126  in a first direction, such as clockwise, causes it to travel in a first direction, such as downward, over the mounting member  118 . As the adjuster key  126  travels downwardly, the spring  136  is compressed or pre-loaded between the adjuster key  126  and the lower spring mount  124 . Conversely, rotation of the adjuster key  126  in a second direction opposite the first direction, such as counterclockwise, causes it to travel in a second direction opposite the first direction, such as upward, over the mounting member  118 . As the adjuster key  126  travels upwardly, the spring  136  is released such that compression on the spring  136  is reduced. 
         [0057]    The adjuster key  126  is operable to adjust the sensitivity of the guard mechanism  130  for blocking access to animal feed within the cavity  109   a . An increase in the spring force increases the force on the outer housing  102  necessary to move the outer housing  102  into the non-aligned orientation blocking the ports  110  to the animal feed in the cavity  109   a . Likewise, a reduction in the spring force reduces the force on the outer housing  102  necessary to move the outer housing  102  into the non-aligned orientation. Thus, the adjuster key  126  can be used to increase or decrease the spring force of the spring  136 , thereby increasing or decreasing the minimum additional weight on the outer housing  102  that will move the outer housing  102  into the non-aligned orientation. 
         [0058]    The adjuster key  126  can be used to increase the spring force so as to permit small and medium sized birds to perch on the animal perches  144  and access feed while inhibiting larger, heavier birds such as crows and rodents such as squirrels from accessing feed. The adjuster key  126  can be used to decrease the spring force so as to permit small birds such as hummingbirds to access feed while inhibiting medium-sized birds such as sparrows from feeding, as well as larger birds and rodents. 
         [0059]    It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-33 . For example, the feeder can have a wide variety of shapes and configurations adapted to feed different types of birds and other animals in different habitats and in different weather conditions. Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a feeder for dispensing feed to a bird with an adjustable guard mechanism for limiting access to the feed.