Abstract:
The therapeutic bird perch is a plastic or wood perch having two surface textures, a grooved surface and an abrasive surface. The grooved surface is formed by etching a series of parallel grooves into the surface of the perch. The abrasive surface coats the grooved surface on a portion of the perch only, and is made of resin and sand. The abrasive surface comprises at least two layers: an inner layer of resin and an outer layer of sand laminated to the perch by the resin. The perch can be used alone as a single perch, or in multiples to form rungs of a therapeutic bird ladder. The ladder rungs have different diameters to exercise the feet.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to bird perches, more particularly to a therapeutic bird perch that trims and conditions a bird&#39;s toenails and beak as it sits on the perch. The perch may be furnished in different sizes and incorporated as rungs into a therapeutic bird ladder.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Birds, whether kept as pets or held in captivity, survive best in their natural environment or settings that replicate their natural environment. The reason for this is that many of the health benefits obtained by birds are attributed to the environment they inhabit. For example, by perching on a branch of a tree the natural coarseness of the tree bark conditions the bird&#39;s feet and trims it&#39;s toenails. Tree bark also provides traction to keep the bird perched on the tree without worrying about slipping off the branch. Furthermore, birds that live in the wild remain healthy by exercising their muscles and joints as they climb tree limbs of varying widths.  
         [0005]     Since birds are popular pets, many perches have been developed to provide birds with a place to perch, as well as to exercise and help trim and condition their toenails and/or beaks.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 2,241,259, issued to Hanson on May 6, 1941, describes a perch for trimming a bird&#39;s toenails in which the top half of the perch is round and the lower half is V-shaped. The V-shaped portion of the perch is provided with strips of abrasive material, such as sandpaper or emery paper, and is in direct contact with the bird&#39;s toenails. The half-round portion is smooth and supports the rest of the foot. U.S. Pat. No. 2,570,663, issued to Guarino on Oct. 9, 1951, describes a perch having an abrasive underside to trim the nails and abrasive strips on the sides of the perch to trim the beak of a bird. The topside of the perch is supports the bird&#39;s foot and is non-abrasive. The abrasive underside is either molded to the perch or, in the alternative, is provided by a removable piece attachable to the perch.  
         [0007]     British Patent Number 2,338,882, published on Jan. 1, 2000, describes a wood perch having an abrasive underside for trimming the claws of the bird. The abrasive material is preferably a wet and dry paper, or abrasive particles that are adhered to the perch. U.S. Pat. No. 2,076,734, issued to Leindorf on Apr. 13, 1937, describes a perch attachment made of resilient paper that is covered with sand. The attachment slips onto and firmly grips a perch of any size and shape.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,431, issued to Brown on Dec. 25, 2001, describes a manually operated trimming perch that prunes the nails of a bird to a predetermined length. The perch has a removable sheet of sandpaper rolled around the core and a perforated sleeve that is movably disposed on the sheet of sandpaper to cut the nails to a preset length. U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,397, issued to Johnakin III on Dec. 31, 1996, describes a perch and disk combination. The perch and disk are made of a solid, abrasive material, such as concrete or resin with gritty material, i.e. sand, embedded within. The perch trims the nails of the bird and the disk trims the bird&#39;s beak.  
         [0009]     Perches have also been developed that simulate a tree branch or have a wood-like texture. U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,480, issued to Goldman et al. on May 28, 1991, describes a simulated tree branch that can be used as a bird perch. The simulated tree branch is made of plastic, and can be made to have tree-like characteristics, such as twists, knots, bark texture, lumps, holes, buds and leaf scars, tapered ends, broken ends etc. U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,758, issued to Simon on Jan. 17, 1995, describes a parrot tower having a plurality of plastic perches incorporating a wood-like texture, and that are arranged for climbing.  
         [0010]     Other perches have been designed as exercise apparatus for birds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,384, issued to Courteau on Dec. 9, 1986, describes an exercise apparatus having wooden perch members placed at varying angles and having varying diameters to exercise the feet of a bird. The wooden perches also provide a place to trim the beak and nails of the bird. British Patent Number 2,140,267, published on Nov. 28, 1984, describes a birdcage accessory that is disposed above the cage. The accessory comprises a platform that supports a vertical pole that is used to retain plastic perch members for climbing.  
         [0011]     Various ornamental designs for bird perches and ladders are shown or described in U.S. Design Pat. No. 353,693, issued to Lawson on Dec. 20, 1994 (design for a perch); U.S. Design Patent Number  391 , 690 , issued to Edlebeck et al. on Mar. 3, 1998 (design for a perch swing); U.S. Design Patent Number 391,691, issued to Edlebeck et al. on Mar. 3, 1998 (design for a perch ladder); and U.S. Design Pat. No. 420,472, issued to Dellasandro et al. on Feb. 8, 2000 (design for a perch).  
         [0012]     Still other perches have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 266,555, issued to Thorpe on Oct. 24, 1882 (spring secured perch prevents insects and vermin from reaching the perch); U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,360, issued to Yau on Jan. 30, 1996 (locating joint of a perching rod that can be fastened securely and quickly to a birdcage); U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,512, issued to Pintavalli et al. on Apr. 30, 1996 (perch and pole assembly, the pole extending from the floor to the ceiling of a room and supporting a perch that is enclosed in a cage); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,665, issued to Brown et al. on Nov. 26, 2002 (serrated perch on a bird feeder).  
         [0013]     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a therapeutic bird perch solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     The therapeutic bird perch is a plastic or wooden perch having two surface textures, including a grooved surface and an abrasive surface. The grooved surface is formed by etching a series of parallel grooves into the surface of the perch. A portion of the grooved surface is then coated with an abrasive material, formed by laminating a non-toxic, silica-free sand to the perch with a polyester casting resin. The two different surfaces of the perch both condition and trim the bird&#39;s toenails, and stimulate nerve endings and blood circulation in the feet. The perch can be used alone as a single perch, or in multiples to form rungs of a therapeutic bird ladder. The ladder rungs have different diameters to exercise the feet, and also help to trim the toenails and beak.  
         [0015]     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a therapeutic bird perch having two different textured surfaces, including a grooved surface and an abrasive surface.  
         [0016]     It is another object of the invention to provide a bird perch which simulates a natural tree branch or limb by providing the perch with a grooved texture for therapeutically improving the health of a bird&#39;s feet.  
         [0017]     It is a further object of the invention to provide a therapeutic bird perch having both grooved and abrasive surfaces to stimulate the nerve endings and blood circulation in the feet, and to trim and condition a bird&#39;s toenails and beak.  
         [0018]     Still another object of the invention is to provide a perch that can be used to form rungs of a ladder, wherein each rung is of a different diameter.  
         [0019]     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.  
         [0020]     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]      FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a therapeutic bird perch and therapeutic bird ladder according to the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the therapeutic bird perch according to the present invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is front view of an alternative embodiment of the therapeutic bird perch of the present invention in which the abrasive surface forms a spiral design.  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is front view of another alternative embodiment of the therapeutic bird perch of the present invention in which the abrasive surface covers one end of the perch.  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  is front view of a third alternative embodiment of the therapeutic bird perch of the present invention in which the perch is twisted.  
         [0026]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a bird ladder incorporating therapeutic bird perches having different diameters as rungs of the ladder according to the present invention. 
     
    
       [0027]     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]     The present invention is a therapeutic bird perch  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The bird perch  10  can be modified to form rungs  428  of a therapeutic bird ladder  424 , also shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in the drawing, the perch  10  is positioned in a birdcage  11  at a comfortable elevation for use by a bird.  FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the perch  10 . In the preferred embodiment, the perch  10  is formed by a cylindrical shaft  12  having two surfaces, including a grooved surface  12 a and an abrasive surface  14   a,    14   b.  Although the shaft  12  is shown in  FIG. 2  as a straight, round, linear shaft, the shaft  12  can alternatively be formed with right angled edges, i.e., from square tubing, or can be contorted, bent, or twisted.  
         [0029]     The perch  10  is preferably made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes or tubes, or from solid wood stock, but other materials may also be used. Grooves  12   a  are etched into the shaft surface  12  using a table saw. The blade of the table saw is adjusted to shallow depths to create the grooved  12   a  texture. Two types of designs can be etched into the shaft  12 , a spiral design and a straight design. The spiral design is formed by rotating the PVC in a circular motion while moving the shaft  12  axially as the blade cuts the grooves. The straight design is made by moving the PVC shaft  12  axially in a back and forth motion while turning the PVC shaft slightly as the shaft  12  is drawn across the blade. The grooves  12   a  are preferably arranged in a series of parallel rows, however, other designs can be etched into the surface as well.  
         [0030]     The abrasive surface  14   a,    14   b  is disposed above the grooved surface  12   a  and encircles a portion of the perimeter of the shaft  12  to be in contact with both the toenails and base of the feet. The abrasive surface  14   a,    14   b  comprises one or more base coats of resin  14   b  coated with a resin-sand  14   a  layer. The resin  14   b  is a tacky material that is applied to the surface  12  of the perch  10  in a number of coats. Normally the number of coats applied to the surface of the shaft  12  depends on the size of the bird the perch  10  is made for. If the perch  10  is used for a small bird, then preferably two coats are applied. If the perch is made for a bigger bird, then three or more coats are applied. The resin  14   b  used to coat the shaft  12  is a gel coat resin, preferably a highly resilient isophthalic polyester casting resin, such as R0213 polyester casting resin made by HK Research Corporation of Hickory, N.C. The resin is typically used for making countertops and other flat stocks, and produces a tough, chemically resistant coating with excellent light transmission properties.  
         [0031]     The final coat includes a layer of sand  14   a  poured over a tacky layer of the resin, which is deposited over the base layer(s)  14   b  to form the abrasive surface  14   a,    14   b.  The sand is preferably non-toxic, silica-free, and can come in a variety of colors. A suitable sand for the abrasive layer is a colored sand made for the arts and crafts industry by Sandtastik, Inc. of Niagara Falls, N.Y. In  FIG. 2 , the abrasive surface  14   a,    14   b  is formed as a cylindrical band disposed around the center portion of the perch  10 . The abrasive surface  14   a,    14   b  helps to prevent the formation of calluses on the bird&#39;s feet, a common malady associated with conventional, smooth surfaced bird perches. The grooved surface  12   a  and the abrasive surface  14   a,    14   b  help the bird to trim its toenails, and provides reflexology benefits to the bird by stimulating the nerve endings and blood circulation in the base of the bird&#39;s feet. As an added benefit, the two surfaces provide traction under the bird&#39;s feet to help it remain on the perch  10  without sliding off.  
         [0032]     Still referring to  FIG. 2 , the perch  10  may be formed as a hollow shaft  12 , optionally having end caps  16  inserted at its ends. The end caps  16  fully enclose the ends of shaft  12  and anchor a retaining member such as a hanger bolt  18 . The hanger bolt  18  is threaded into the center of the end caps  16 , a portion of the hanger bolt  18  extending from the end cap  16 . The perch  10  is secured to an appropriate support by placing washers  20  and a fastening nut, preferably a wing nut  22 , onto the exposed end of the hanger bolt.  
         [0033]     To fix the perch  10  in a birdcage  11 , wing nut  22  and one washer  20  is removed from the hanger  18  leaving the second washer  20  on the hanger bolt  18  adjacent the end cap  16 . The perch  10  is then placed inside the cage  11 , horizontally, at a desired elevation, the hanger bolts  18  exiting through the bars of the cage. The second washer  20  and wing nut  22  are then placed on the end of the hanger bolt  18 . The walls of the cage  11  become sandwiched between two washers  20 .  
         [0034]     Instead of a hollow shaft, the perch  10  can be constructed from a solid cylindrical shaft, e.g., from wood stock. When the perch  10  is made from a solid shaft  12 , the end caps  16  may be dispended with, and the hanger bolts  18  may be screwed directly into the ends of the perch  10  of course, hangar bolts are not essential to the present invention, and other conventional hardware or fixtures may be used to support the ends of the perch  10 .  
         [0035]     The perch  10  can be made in several different configurations possessing the same basic features of the perch  10  of  FIG. 2 . For example,  FIG. 3  shows perch  110  with the abrasive surface  114  forming a spiral design. The spiral design is created by first applying tape to the grooved surface  112   a  of the shaft  112  in a spiral fashion. Resin is then coated over the shaft  112 , and then sand is poured over the resin while it is still tacky, followed by allowing the sand to adhere to the resin. Once the sand sets, the tape is removed from the shaft  112  to expose the abrasive surface  114  having a spiral design.  
         [0036]     In another configuration, the abrasive surface  214  is disposed at one end of the shaft  212 , as seen in  FIG. 4 . As in the preferred embodiment  10 , the perch  210  is etched with a series of grooves  212   a.  Here, only one end has the securing members, hanger  18 , washers  20  and wing nut  22  combination to fix the perch to the walls of a cage  11 , so that the perch  210  is supported in cantilever fashion. The free end of the perch  210  is covered with the abrasive material  214 . The perch is susceptible of numerous configurations created by altering the design of the abrasive surface on the perch, which can take a number of other forms and is not limited to the configurations illustrated by the drawings.  
         [0037]      FIG. 5  shows configuration of the perch  310  in which the perch  310  is contorted with bends or twists formed in the PVC shaft  312 . The surface of the shaft  312  is grooved  312 a and the abrasive material  314  is located in a central area on the shaft  312 . However, the abrasive surface  314  can be located on the entire surface of the shaft  312 , at one end of the shaft  312 , at both ends of the shaft  312  or in a spiral design on the shaft  312 .  
         [0038]     In all of the above embodiments, the perches  110 ,  210 ,  310  can be fastened to the cage  11  in the same manner as shown above. The width and length of the perch  10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310  can vary, depending on the type and size of bird the perch is made for. For example, the diameter can be ½ inch, ¾ inch, 1 inch, 1¼ inch, 1½ inch, 1¾ inch, 2¼ inches, 2½ inches and 3 inches, while the length can range from as short as twelve inches up to and over twenty-four inches. These dimensions are illustrative and are not meant to be limiting.  
         [0039]     In a further variation, the perch  10  can be altered to serve as rungs of a therapeutic bird ladder  424 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . The ladder  424  provides a place for the bird to climb, and at the same time a place to condition and trim both it&#39;s toenails and beak. The ladder  424  is made of two parallel poles  426  and a number of rungs  428  that are parallel to each other and lie at a set distance from each other. The poles  426  and rungs  428  are preferably cylindrical, but they can be rectangular or square in cross section. Each rung  428  has a grooved surface  428   a  and an abrasive surface  430 . The abrasive surface  430  may be a cylindrical shell in the center or at the ends of the rungs, formed in a spiral extending across the rung, etc.  
         [0040]     The poles  426  of the ladder  424  can be either solid or hollow. If the poles  426  are hollow, the user may decide to keep the ends open or, if desired, cover the ends with end caps to seal the openings of the poles  426 . If the end caps are used to make the ladder  424 , the top-end caps can be domed for aesthetic reasons, while the bottom end caps are made flat in order to provide greater surface contact with the floor of the cage, or other supporting surface.  
         [0041]     The poles  426  of the ladder  424  preferably have a length of thirty-six inches and a diameter of 1¼ inch. The length of each rung  428  is at least six inches long, while the diameters range from ½ inch, ¾ inch to 1 inch. Again, these dimensions are only meant to be illustrative, other dimensions can also be used. The ladder rungs  428  each have different diameters, which forces the bird to exercise its feet by opening and closing it&#39;s toes around each rung  428  as it climbs the ladder  424 . The abrasive surface  430  found on the rungs  428  helps to maintain and trim the beak and toenails of the bird as it climbs the ladder  424 .  
         [0042]     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.