Abstract:
A collapsible bird house includes a metal mesh wall having upper and lower ends. The bird house may be a single level bird house or a multi-level bird house. When collapsed, the bird house is ideally suitable for shipment and/or storage. Multiple embodiments are disclosed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to a bird house and more particularly to a collapsible bird house which, when collapsed, is easier to store or ship since it occupies less space than when in its extended position. Even more particularly, the bird house of this invention is comprised of a metal mesh material which is extremely durable and which enables a person to view the activities of birds within the bird house. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Most bird houses are constructed of either wood, plastic or lightweight metal. To the best of Applicant&#39;s knowledge, the bird houses of the prior art are not collapsible which makes them difficult to ship or store due to the size thereof. Further, to the best of Applicant&#39;s knowledge, no one has provided a bird house wherein the activity of the birds within the bird house may be viewed. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
         [0006]    Several versions of collapsible bird houses are disclosed. In one embodiment of the bird house of this invention, the bird house is comprised of a truncated, conical-shaped, collapsible mesh wall with upper and lower ends. The collapsible mesh wall has a bird access opening formed therein and above the lower end thereof to permit birds to pass therethrough to gain access to the interior of the mesh wall. A lower disc-shaped support plate is secured to the collapsible mesh wall which extends across the lower end thereof. A cover is secured to the mesh wall at the upper end thereof and a hanger member is provided at the upper end of the collapsible mesh wall for hanging the bird house from a support. The mesh wall has diamond-shaped openings which are large enough to permit a person to view the activity of the birds within the bird house. The collapsible mesh wall is comprised of a metal material so that it will be extremely durable in use. The bird house may be moved from its collapsed position to an extended position so that the bird house is functional. 
         [0007]    In another embodiment of the invention, the multi-level bird house has a lower bird house portion and an upper bird house portion. 
         [0008]    In another embodiment of the invention, the collapsible mesh wall is cylindrical in shape. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment of the invention, the collapsible mesh wall is lantern-shaped. 
         [0010]    It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an improved collapsible bird house. 
         [0011]    A further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible bird house which may be collapsed for shipment and/or storage. 
         [0012]    A further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible bird house which includes a collapsible metal mesh wall which defines diamond-shaped openings therein which are large enough to permit a person to view the activity of the birds within the bird house. 
         [0013]    A further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible bird house which may be cylindrical, lantern-shaped, hourglass-shaped or truncated conical-shaped. 
         [0014]    These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the bird house of this invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the bird house of this invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a portion of the metal mesh wall and the diamond-shaped openings defined thereby; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the bird feeder of  FIG. 1  in a collapsed position; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the bird house of this invention; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the bird house of this invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0022]    Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying figures, which form a part hereof and show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. However, embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense in that the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims. 
         [0023]    A first embodiment of the bird house of this invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1  and is referred to by the reference numeral  10 . For purposes of description, bird house  10  will be described as having an upper end  12  and a lower end  14 . Bird house  10  includes a collapsible metal mesh wall  16  which defines a truncated, conical-shaped body portion. The composition of the collapsible mesh wall  16  is steel or other material of sufficient hardness to resist damage by squirrels or the like. Mesh wall  16  of this invention is of the type disclosed in Applicant&#39;s prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,582 and which is incorporated herein by reference to complete this disclosure. 
         [0024]    The upper end of the metal mesh wall  16  has a support  18  secured to the upper end thereof and which has an opening formed therein which is selectively closed by the cover  20 . A pivotal hanger  22  extends upwardly from the support  18  for supporting the bird house  10  from a supporting object such as a branch, shepherd&#39;s hook, etc. The lower end of mesh wall  16  has a ring  24  secured thereto. A support plate  26  is supported on the ring  24  by any convenient means and has a plurality of perforations  28  formed therein for drainage purposes. A perch ring  30  is secured to the lower end of mesh wall  16  by supports  32  as seen in  FIG. 1 . The collapsible mesh wall  16  has a bird access opening  34  formed therein above the lower end thereof to permit the birds to enter the interior of the bird house and to exit therefrom. The metal mesh wall  16  is of the type which permits it to be collapsed, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , but which normally remains in its extended position when in a hanging position. The metal mesh wall  16  has a plurality of diamond-shaped openings  26  preferably having a height of one-quarter inch and a width of three-sixteenths inch. However, the size of the openings  36  should be of such a size so that a person may view the activity of the birds within the bird house. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  illustrates a second embodiment of the bird house of this invention which is referred to generally by the reference numeral  38  and which is of the multi-level type. Bird house  38  includes a collapsible upper metal mesh wall  40  and a collapsible lower metal mesh wall  42  which are joined together by a ring  44 . A perforated support plate  46  closes the lower end of lower mesh wall  42 . A bird access opening  48  is formed in mesh wall  42  as seen in  FIG. 2 . Perch ring  50  is secured to the lower end of mesh wall  42  as seen in  FIG. 2 . Perch ring  52  is secured to ring  44  so as to be positioned outwardly thereof as also illustrated in  FIG. 2 . A bird access opening  54  is formed in upper mesh wall  40  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The lower end of upper mesh wall  40  is closed by a support plate  56 . 
         [0026]    A support plate  58  is secured to the upper end of mesh wall  40  and has a cover  60  and hanger  62  associated therewith in the same manner as in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0027]    The bird house  38  is of the lantern-shaped style but could be of the hourglass style as well. The support plate  46  and the support plate  56  define a lower bird house portion  64 . The support plate  56  and the support  58  plate define an upper bird house portion  66 . Although two bird house portions are illustrated in  FIG. 2 , additional mesh walls could be extended downwardly from the lower end of bird house  38  if so desired. The bird house  38  may be collapsed from the extended position of  FIG. 2  to a collapsed position in the same manner as the birdhouse  10 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  illustrates a third embodiment of the bird house of this invention which is referred to generally by the reference numeral  68 . Bird house  68  is identical to bird house  10  except that the collapsible metal mesh wall  70  thereof is cylindrical in shape rather than the truncated, conical-shape of the bird house  10 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  illustrates a further embodiment of the bird house of this invention which is referred to generally by the reference numeral  72 . Bird house  72  is identical to bird house  38  except that the upper metal mesh wall  74  is cylindrical in shape rather than the truncated, conical-shape upper mesh wall  40  of bird house  38 . As seen in  FIG. 6 , the lower metal mesh wall  76  of bird house  72  is cylindrical in shape rather than the inverted, truncated conical shape of the lower mesh wall  42  of bird house  38 . 
         [0030]    Thus it can be seen that novel bird houses have been provided which are collapsible so as to occupy little space when in their collapsed shipping or storage position. The fact that the bird houses are constructed of the metal mesh material enables the same to be easily cleaned with a garden hose or inserted into a dishwasher or the like. The metal construction of the bird houses is durable in use and resistant to squirrel damage or the like. 
         [0031]    Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives. 
         [0032]    Although the invention has been described in language that is specific to certain structures and methodological steps, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures and/or steps described. Rather, the specific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing the claimed invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.