Window-mounted bird feeder apparatus

A mounting bracket for a bird feeder adapted to be fitted to the outside of window panes divided by a mullion wherein suction cups attachable to the panes are connected by support means to an elongated member so that the elongated member is spaced from and spans the mullion, and the feeder can then be removably mounted to the elongated member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Bird feeders frequently are mounted on the outside of windows to permit 
viewing of the feeding birds. In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,060 entitled "Bird 
Feeder", I have described a form of bird feeder which can be secured to a 
window by suction cups on the reverse side of the feeder. In that form the 
suction cups are affixed directly to the rear side of the feeder body 
adapted to face the window. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,116 also shows a form of bird feeder supported on the 
outside of a window by suction cups. In that design the feeder body is 
removably attached by hanger means to a mounting bracket which itself is 
secured to the window by the suction cups. The design of the mounting 
bracket and suction cups in this reference patent is such, however, that 
the mounting bracket must be located on the outside of a single flat pane 
of glass undivided by mullions. 
In both of the foregoing designs no provision is made for adapting the 
apparatus to windows comprised of individual panes divided by mullions. 
Mullions are necessarily thicker than the panes they separate and 
therefore they extend outwardly on the exterior side of the window beyond 
the outer surface of the panes. It is a principal purpose of the present 
invention to provide an improved mounting bracket for window-mounted bird 
feeders which permits the bracket to be secured to the window panes 
without interfering with the mullions and which permits the body of the 
feeder to be supported by its hanger means on hanger receiving means of 
the mounting bracket. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention provides the combination of an improved mounting bracket with 
window-mounted bird feeder apparatus. Such apparatus comprises suction 
cups attachable to respective window panes divided by at least one 
mullion, a feeder body having a front side accessible to birds and a rear 
side adapted to face the window panes, and hanger means projecting from 
the rear side. The bracket of the invention includes a flat elongated 
member adapted to span the panes across the mullion. Hanger receiving 
means are included on the member adapted to receive the hanger means on 
the feeder body. A plurality of suction cup mounting holes are located in 
the member. Suction cup supporting means are secured in selected mounting 
holes for affixing the suction cups to the elongated member and spacing 
the member from the mullions when the suction cups are attached to the 
window panes. By this construction the mounting bracket can be secured to 
the window panes without interfering with the mullions and the feeder body 
can be supported by its hanger means on the hanger receiving means of the 
mounting bracket. 
In a preferred form of the bird feeder apparatus of the invention the 
hanger receiving menas are upwardly facing slots or removably receiving 
the hanger means. The suction cup supporting means preferably includes 
screw means extending through the selected mounting hole into securing 
engagement with the suction cup and a spacer cylinder around the screw 
means between the elongated member and the suction cup. The elongated 
member may also include separation means for dividing it into shorter 
submembers each adapted to a relatively small feeder body. It is also 
preferred that a pair of the mounting brackets be employed arranged 
parallel to one another and vertically oriented.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring first to FIG. 1 the bird feeder apparatus of the invention is 
intended to be mounted on a window comprising window panes 10A, 10B and 
10C divided by conventional mullions 11A and 11B. The bird feeder 
apparatus includes a feeder body 12 which may be of various designs though 
that described in my aforementioned patent is particularly appropriate. 
The feeder body 12 has a front side 13 accessible to birds and a rear side 
14 adapted to face the window panes 10A to 10C. Hanger means 15A, 15B and 
15C project from the rear side of the feeder body 12 and may comprise pins 
with heads of larger diameter. 
The improved mounting bracket of the invention comprises a flat elongated 
member 17 shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, preferably of rigid plastic 
material. Along one side edge are located hook-like elements 18A, 18B and 
18C which define upwardly facing slots 19A, 19B and 19C. The hook-like 
elements and their associated slots comprise hanger receiving means on the 
elongated member 17 adapted to receive the hanger means 15A, 15B and 15C 
on the feeder body 12. 
Along the length of the elongated member 17 are formed a plurality of 
uniformly spaced suction cup mounting holes 20. The holes 20 may be 
countersunk on what is to be the exterior side of the elongated member 17 
when in place on a window. 
As shown in FIG. 1, three suction cups 21A, 21B and 21C are attachable to 
the respective window panes 10A, 10B and 10C divided by the mullions 21A 
and 21B. The suction cup 21A is shown in detail in FIG. 4 with its support 
means and is representative of the other suction cups as well. The suction 
cup support means for affixing the suction cup 21A to the elongated member 
17 includes a spacer cylinder 23 mounted between the suction cup 21A and 
the member 17 and concentrially with the associated hole 20. A 
slotted-head screw 24 extends through the spacer cylinder 23 into securing 
engagement with the suction cup 20A and with the head of the screw 
recessed within the countersunk hole 20, all as shown in FIG. 4. 
By this construction the member 17 can be secured to the window panes 10A, 
10B and 10C as shown in FIG. 1 without interference by the mullions 11A 
and 11B, because the support cylinder 23 between the member 17 and the 
suction cup 21A permits the mounting bracket 17 to span across the 
mullions without touching them. The feeder body 12 can then be mounted by 
its hanger means 15C simply by moving them against the hook-like elements 
18A, 18B and 18C and down into the upwardly facing slots 19A, 19B and 19C. 
Two such mounting brackets are preferably employed arranged parallel to 
one another and vertically oriented. 
The purpose of the plurality of countersunk holes 20 in the elongated 
member 17 is to permit the suction cups and associated spacer cylinders to 
be attached at various selected positions along the elongated member 17 to 
accommodate window panes and mullions of different sizes and 
configurations. If only two suction cups are needed to attach a relatively 
small feeder body to a window, a notched crease 25 is provided across the 
elongated member 17 just below the middle hook-like element 18B. This 
comprises separation means for dividing the member 17 into shorter 
submembers. The elongated member 17 may be cracked off below the crease 25 
and discarded if its full length is not required. 
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications 
may be made in the foregoing preferred embodiment of the invention without 
departing from the inventive concept and therefore the scope of the 
invention is to be determined by the following claims.