Abstract:
A wild animal feeder is disclosed which is attachedly suspended form a tree or other stabilized element and may be horizontally and vertically suspended from same.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   (1) Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to an apparatus and method for operating a wild animal feeder. 
   (2) Description of the Prior Art 
   For years, wildlife enthusiasts have fed supplemental grains and minerals to wildlife. Many devices have been used for this purpose. The current trend is to employ containers that hold from as little as five gallons to as much as one thousand bushels of grain or supplement. 
   By far, the most popular container used for feeding supplemental grains and minerals is the fifty-five gallon drum, because such drums are inexpensive and are readily available. Most wildlife enthusiasts and hunters attach a mechanism to the drum that dispenses a measured amount of grain or supplement at predetermined times throughout the day or night. The drums are attached to many types of devices in order to elevate the drums above ground level, usually from three to ten feet, for supplemental feeding of wildlife. 
   The most common device for supporting a container above ground level for supplemental feeding of wildlife is a tripod system which has three legs, or a quadpod system, which has four legs. The legs of the tripod system and the quadpod system are generally attached to the container by bolts, sockets or by welding the legs directly to the container. While both the tripod system and the quadpod system have met with some success, problems have nevertheless been encountered when using such devices for supporting the container above ground level in that such devices are susceptible to being blown down by high winds and tipped or tilted by wild game or even domestic animals. 
   Rope and pulley-type systems are probably the second most common device for supporting a container above ground level for supplemental feeding of wildlife. The advantage of a rope and pulley system is that such a system is, of course, readily portable. However, when employing a rope and pulley system for supporting the container, the user is required to set up a support frame or locate a suitable tree with precisely proportioned limbs so that the pulley can be attached to the limb. To secure a pulley to a tree, the user must climb the tree, hand one or more pulleys, fill the container with grain or supplement and then raise the filled container to the desired level above the ground. Because of the many risks involved in securing one or more pulleys to the limb of the tree, potential injury to the user is evident. Moreover, many such systems have an additional disadvantage in that they position the feed contained above the ground, but also position it very close in proximity to the tree itself, thus severely limiting the radius of any spray of feed within the container. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,812, entitled “Animal Feeder Support Device” is directed to a feeder suspendable from a tree, but may not be laterally offset from the tree more than a very limited amount. Additionally, the vertical positioning of the feed barrel is not variable or selective once installation is effected. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,563, entitled “Stand-mounted Game Feeder Apparatus” is directed to a feeder on a stabilizing frame. While the vertical position of the feed barrel may be adjusted once fully assembled, the feeder cannot be offset from the framework any horizontal distance. 
   The present invention addresses many of the problems associated with prior art devices. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to a wild animal feeder including a feed container and to the method of its operation. As used herein “wild animals” includes deer and other animals frequently hunted by man for food and/or trophy. It also includes domestic animals, as well, as, oftentimes, there is little, if any difference, between the two, as far as the need or desire to provide safe and expedient attractants for feed for such animals. 
   The feed container may be provided in any number of sizes and shapes, well known to hunters and sportsmen as well as out door outfitters. For example the feed container may be a steel or plastic 55 gallon drum, open-ended at the top, for introduction of the feed, and containing a battery powered, motorized, timed, sprayer unit at the lower end and openings therein for the discharge in a spray of the feed as needed. The type of feed used in the feeder is conventional in nature. 
   The feeder is affixed around and suspended from a substantially vertical support element. As used herein a “substantially vertical support element” includes a tree; a branch of a tree; a large bush; a plastic, wooden or metallic pole; and any other similar structure capable of conveniently supporting the wild animal feeder and which is relatively easy to select or build in areas where wild animals typically feed. In most typical instances, the support structure will be the trunk of a tree. 
   The feeder of the present invention also includes a first, upper, support system which includes a metallic or other stout brace and means for mounting the brace to the support element, or tree trunk. A suspension bar having an outboard end is provided and is pivotally mounted to the brace for selective horizontal movements. The bar typically will be made of steel or other hard metal or plastic. Means, such as a heavy rope, wire rope, or chain, are provided for alignment of the suspension bar for positioning relative to the support element. Control means, which may also be provided in the form of a comparatively long rope, wire rope, cable or chain, is at least partially carried along the suspension bar for adjusting the vertical height of the feed container, and for raising and lowering of same. One end of the control means is secured to the feed container immediate its upper end. 
   The feeder also comprises a second, or lower, support system which has a brace, preferable of rectangular metallic or strong plastic construction and means, such as a plurality of angled struts secured to one face or side of the brace for grasping upon or around the support element. The struts may have beveled teeth as in a saw tooth configuration for aiding in grasping a tree trunk or the like. Finally, a winch is mounted on the second brace and receives one end of the control means or cable, for selectively raising, positioning and lowering the feed container. The winch is preferably mounted on the second plate at a ninety degree angle so that a crank operating the winch may be positioned for convenient and easy hand manipulation. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of the wild animal feeder of the present invention mounted to a tree trunk and branch, as the support structure. 
       FIG. 2  is a view similar to that of  FIG. 1  but from a head-on or side view ninety degrees from the views of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of the second, lower support system of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Now, with first reference to  FIG. 1 , there is shown the wild animal feeder  100  of the present invention, mounted to a support element in the form of a tree with trunk T and offset large branch TB. The animal feeder includes a feed container  101  in the form of a 55 gallon drum having an upper end  102 , which may be enclosed, and which contains suspending arms  103 A and  103 B thereon. A first end  104  of a control means, such as a wire rope or cable  105  is attached to the arms  103 A and  103 B. 
   The first, or upper support system, includes a brace  106  which is securely mounted to the tree branch TB my means of upper and lower pairs of struts  107 ,  108 , which extend outwardly from one side of the brace  106 . The struts  107 ,  108  are angled and extend outwardly of the brace  105  in order to grasp around the tree branch TB. The struts  107 ,  108  are part of the means for mounting the upper brace  106  to the tree branch TB. The mounting means further includes mounting cables or chains  109 ,  110  extending from the brace  106  which may be wrapped around the tree branch TB and into or onto the brace, in any number of convenient manners. 
   The first, or upper support system, further includes a suspension bar  111  having first and second ends  111 A,  111 B. The first, or outboard end  111 A of the suspension bar  111  secures a pulley  111 C which receives the cable  105  there through and permits the cable  105  to transpose vertical movements into horizontal movements as the cable  105  passes there across. At the inboard, or second end  111 B of the suspension bar  11  is a similar pulley  111 D which functions in like manner as pulley  111 C. The suspension bar  111  is pivotally mounted to the brace  105  at pivot  111 E. The suspension bar  111  also has secured at the outboard or first end  111 A an alignment means including a cable or wire rope or chain-like adjustor  112  which, in turn, has its inboard end  112 A connectable to the brace  106 . The length of the adjustor cable  112  extending from the brace  106  may, of course, be varied, as by including a hook  106 A or the like, on the brace whereby some length of cable  105  may be wrapped around the hook  106 A, or otherwise secured onto the brace  106 , thus shortening (or lengthening) the alignment  112 , to provide for satisfactory alignment of the bar  111 , relative to the support or tree T and or the ground, as the case may be 
   The cable  105  extends downwardly from the pulley  111 D to the second, lower support system. Now, with more particular reference to  FIG. 3 , the lower support system comprises a second brace  113 . The brace  113  is mounted to the tree T by means of upper and lower pairs of outwardly extending angled struts  114 A and  114 B. Once the brace  113  is positioned along the tree T, it is secured thereto by additional mounting means consisting of upper and lower cables  114 C and  114 D each of the cables  114 C and  114 D have first ends  114 C′ and  114 D′ which are bolted or welded or otherwise securely fastened to the brace  113 . Similarly, a link  114 D in the chains  114 C and  114 D may be placed onto a cable or chain tightening bolt  114 , also secured to the brace  113 , and the respective chain or cable  114 C,  114 D tightened around the tree T by outwardly, rotating a key  116  threadedly mounted on the bolt  114  around threads  114 E. Inward rotation of the key  116 , will, of course, loosen the cables or chains  114 C and  114 D for removal of the feeder form the tree T. 
   It will be appreciated that the first, or upper, support system may also have a chain or cable mounting and securing means as described for the second, lower support system. 
   The second end (not shown) of the cable  105  is wrapped around the winch assembly  115  which, in turn, is secured to the brace  113  by means of a plate  116 A, offset ninety degrees from an outward face  113 A of the brace  113 . An arm  115 A is bolted to the winch assembly  115  for cranking the winch assembly  115  to permit the cable  105  to be expanded to lower the container  101 , or drawn in or contracted, when the container  101  is lifted. 
   OPERATION 
   When it is desired to place the container  101  at the elected location, which includes placing the container  101  proximate to selected support element, such as tree T and branch TB, the first, upper support system is affixed to the tree branch TB by aligning the struts  107 ,  108  onto the outer surface of the branch TB and the chains  109  and  110  are wrapped around the tree branch TB and an end of each chain or cable  109 ,  110 , is placed onto the bolts  114  ( FIG. 3 ) outboard of the key  116 . The key  116  is rotated to move it outboard on the bolt  114  and away from the brace  106  until the brace  106  is secured tightly around the tree branch TB. 
   Next, the suspension bar  111  is secured at end  111 B to the pivot connection  111 E. The suspension bar  111  is horizontally aligned relative to the ground and/or the tree T by positioning of the alignment cable  112  and securing one end  112 A of the cable or chain  112  to the upper end or hook  106 A of the upper brace  106 . After alignment of the suspension bar  111 , one end, the outboard end  104  of the cable  105  is drawn over the pulleys  11 C and  11 D and a length of cable  105  is dropped to the ground and affixed to the members  103 A and  103 B at the center  104  of the container  101 . 
   The second, or lower support system is affixed to the tree T as described, above, relative to the securement of the first, upper, support system. Now the feeder container  101  may be filled with feed and hoisted to the desired vertical position by rotating the crank arm  115 A to pull in and onto the winch  115  the cable  105 . When the container  101  is properly positioned at its desired height, the winch is locked in place in conventional fashion. 
   The procedure is reversed to lower the container and/or remove the feeder assembly, as desired. 
   Although the invention has been described in terms of specified embodiments which are set forth in detail, it should be understood that this is by illustration only that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, since alternative embodiments and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the disclosure. Accordingly, modifications are contemplated which can be made without departing from this spirit of the described invention.