Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a line barrier system and method of installing such a system which includes, a plurality of modular supports having a base for mounting to the structure, with the supports having at least one projecting member extending in a fixed position from said base; a fastener for mounting said plurality of modular supports to the structure; and, at least one generally translucent line fixedly attached to said projecting member on more than one of said plurality of modular supports to provide a line barrier between the bird and the structure.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a system and method for repelling birds from landing, roosting and/or nesting on surfaces of outdoor structures or from entering into openings in outdoors structures. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known that birds often roost, build nest and/or congregate on window ledges, fences, bell towers, gutters, roof tops, air conditioner units, light poles and a variety of other outdoor structures. Such congregations of birds can be a nuisance to property owners as well as to the general public. For example, in urban settings, large numbers of pigeons tend to inhabit any structure which offers some shelter and an opening that provides a means of egress for the birds. Such open structures can become a repository for large quantities of bird droppings. Bird droppings often become unsightly, malodorous and unsanitary and, therefore, require frequent cleaning of the area of accumulation. 
     In the past, there have been several attempts to devise a system to solve the problem of bird nuisance landing, nesting and roosting. One example of such a system is U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,160, issued to Heron, which discloses a retractable bird deterring device. The deterring device included holding mechanisms having a base plate attached to the building and pivotally mounted arms for securing wire between the wire holding mechanisms. The arms are selectively pivotable to an operational protracted position in which the arms and wire lie above the surface of the building and to a non-operational retractable position in which the arms and wire lie below the surface of the building structure. 
     Another attempt to solve the problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,088 issue to Way which discloses a device for deterring birds from roosting or nesting on building ledges and the like. The device comprises opposing brackets mounted on the ledge with one or more wires linking the opposing faces of the brackets and positioned so that when the device is in its assembled position the wires obstruct the roosting or nesting activities of the bird. One of the brackets has one or more wire retracting means enclosed within it to which the wires are mounted so that the length and tension on the wires are adjusted, either separately or collectively. 
     The previous attempts to provide a barrier system for repelling birds have been found to suffer from a number of drawbacks. For example, those systems include a number of moving parts which render them more expensive to manufacture, install and maintain than is desirable. Further, due to their size and complexity, these system are readily visible when installed on a structure and therefore may detract from its visual aesthetics. Moreover, such prior systems are designed for use on relatively long, narrow window ledges and are thus not suitable to protect structure openings or structure surfaces of a variety of shapes and sizes. For instance, it is believed that those systems would not be suitable for protecting the following: gutters, light poles, openings in bell towers, or the surface of a structure having substantial width. Accordingly, there is a need for a bird repellant system that is inexpensive to manufacture, install, and maintain; that can be camouflaged to blend into its surroundings; and that is flexible enough to provide a barrier for structure surfaces and openings having a wide variety of shapes and sizes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention includes a novel line barrier system for repelling a bird from a desired portion of a structure which includes, a plurality of modular supports having a base for mounting to the structure, with the supports having at least one projecting member extending in a fixed position from said base; a fastener for mounting said plurality of modular supports to the structure; and, at least one line fixedly attached to said projecting member on more than one of said plurality of modular supports to provide a line barrier between the bird and the structure. The modular nature of the supports provides for simple and inexpensive manufacture, installation, and maintenance of the system of the present invention. It also provides the system of the invention with a great deal of flexibility in configuring the line barrier to protect a wide variety of shapes and sizes of structure surfaces and structure openings. Further, the simple design of the system having modular supports with fixed projections and fixedly attached lines to more than one of the modular supports helps reduce the expense of manufacture, installation and maintenance of the system. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, a novel modular support for securing line of a line barrier system is provided having a base which is adapted to be fixedly secured to a structure. The base has at least one projecting member extending at a fixed angle from the top surface of the base. At least one of the projecting members has at least one line receiving member for fixedly receiving at least one line of the line barrier. Preferably, the base of the modular support is adapted to be secured to the structure by the provision of an aperture through the base which is sized to receive a fastener. Optionally, the base of the modular support may be adapted to be secured to the structure by providing a planar lower surface having a surface material which will readily bond to an adhesive chosen for its ability to bond with both the surface material of the support and the surface material of the structure. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, a novel method of installing a line barrier system for repelling birds from a desired portion of a structure is provided. The method includes the following steps: (a) determining the orientation and number of lines required to create a line barrier sufficient to repel birds from a desired portion of a structure; (b) determining the number and location of modular supports required to support the determined orientation and number of lines; (c) securing the determined number of modular supports in the determined locations to the surface of the structure to support the determined orientation and number of lines; and (d) attaching the determined number of lines in the determined orientation to the determined number of modular supports to create a line barrier system sufficient to repel birds from a desired portion of the structure. In the system of the invention, the number of lines and their orientation is to a large extent determined by the installer based on the size and geometry of the desired portion of the structure to be protected and the size of the bird to be repelled. In this regard, the gaps between the lines of the barrier will be smaller for barriers designed to repel smaller birds, and can be larger, if the barrier is intended to repel only larger birds, such as pigeons or seagulls. Ideally, the gaps would be no smaller than the average size of the bird to be repelled, but may be larger if the undesirable bird species is effectively repelled with a line barrier having larger gaps. When relatively large sized areas or structure openings are to be protected from birds, it is likely that more complex line barriers having larger numbers of line and more complex interactions will need to be created. 
     In another preferred embodiment, a novel system and method of installing a line barrier to repel birds from a portion of a structure having a substantial width relative to the length of the modular base is provided. In this preferred system and method, it is determined that at least one line of the barrier should be oriented along the periphery of at least a portion of the structure to be protected from birds and that at least three modular supports spaced apart in a non-linear arrangement at locations along the periphery are necessary to support the line barrier. For purposes of this application, a non-linear arrangement means that, when at least three supports are arranged within the desired portion of the structure to be protected, a line extending between two adjacent supports will not intersect the third support. The determined number of supports are then secured in the determined locations and the determined number and orientation of the lines are secured to the support so that a line barrier is created. Optionally, it may be determined that at least one line should be oriented to intersect the portion of the structure to be protected. In which case, at least one line is secured to at least two of the modular supports positioned opposite each other across the periphery of the portion of the structure to be protected. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the system and method of the invention, a novel system and method of installing a line barrier to repel birds from a portion of a structure having substantial width relative to the length of the modular base is provided. It may be determined that the line barrier system should include at least three modular supports spaced apart in a non-linear arrangement with one support positioned in the interior of the portion of the structure from which birds are to be repelled. It is further determined that at least one line should be fixedly attached on one end to at least one projecting member on the support located within the interior of the portion of the structure to be protected and fixedly attached on the other end to at least one other modular support. The determined number of supports are then secured in the determined locations and the determined number and orientation of the lines are secured so that they create a line barrier. In some cases, it will be determined that a plurality of lines oriented to intersect the desired portion of the structure to be protected are required and additional lines running between additional supports either within the interior of the portion of the structure to be protected or positioned opposite each other across the portion of the structure to be protected may be provided. Optionally, it may be determined that at least one line should be oriented along the periphery of the portion of the structure to be protected and be secured to at least two modular supports positioned along the periphery of the portion of the structure to be protected. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the system of the invention, the projecting member of the modular support is a pair of posts extending substantially perpendicularly from the base of the support and having at least one ring extending from said projecting member for fixedly attaching said at least one line. The ring is adapted to secure the line preferably by tying around the ring and may optionally be secured with a bit of adhesive. The base of the modular support preferably has at least one aperture adapted to receive at least one fastener. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, a kit is provided which preferably includes a plurality of modular supports for securing a line barrier, a plurality of fasteners, and at least one line which may be cut to the desired length(s). The kit may optionally include an adhesive for use in securing the modular supports to a structure as an alternative to use of a fastener. The kit may also optionally include an adhesive which assists in binding the line after it is tied to one of the support means. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a modular support in accordance with the present invention showing the modular support and screw for mounting the support to the ledge of a window; 
     FIG. 2 is an plan view of a line barrier system in accordance with the present invention mounted to a window ledge being substantially wider than the length of the modular supports; FIG. 3 is a side view taken along lines  3 — 3  of FIG. 2 showing a line barrier system secured to modular supports; 
     FIG. 4 is an plan view of a line barrier system in accordance with the present invention mounted to a narrow window ledge having a width substantially equal to the length of the modular supports; FIG. 5 is a side view of a line barrier system in accordance with the invention covering an opening in a structure; 
     FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of a line barrier system of the present invention mounted to a gutter; 
     FIG. 7 is a side sectional view taken along lines  7 - 7  of FIG. 6 showing the modular supports of the line barrier system mounted to the mounting straps of the gutter; and 
     FIG. 8 is a plan view of a line barrier system installed on the top of rectangular air conditioning unit. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A modular support  20  for creating a line barrier system  22  of one preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1 mounted to a window ledge  24 . As can be seen in FIGS. 2,  5 ,  6  and  8 , a line barrier system of the invention  22  may be created by securing at least one line  25  to a plurality of modular supports  20 . Line  25  is preferably a translucent, relatively thin monofilament line of the type used for light sport fishing, but heavier lines and lines made from other materials may be used. The use of modular supports in the system of the invention provides a great deal of flexibility in configuring the line barrier systems of the invention to the size and shape of the portion of a structure to be protected from bird landing, nesting and roosting or from entry into the interior of a structure. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the modular support  20  has a base  26  which may be mounted to the window ledge  24  preferably by a screw  28  through aperture  30  which is sized to accept the screw  28 . Optionally, a variety of fasteners other than a screw may be used such as, nails, staples, rivets, or an adhesive chosen to bind to both the surface of a structure and the modular support  20 . The base  26  of the modular support  20  is preferably substantially planar having a front surface  32  and back surface  34 . In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a pair of projecting members  36  extend from the front surface  32  of the base  26  of the modular support  20 . A ring  38  extends from each projecting members  36  to which one or more lines of the line barrier system may be attached. In this preferred embodiment, the differing length of the projecting members assures that the pair of rings  38  are maintained at different heights above the structure so that the lines attached thereto are maintained at more than one level. It is contemplated that a single projecting member and ring or additional projecting members and rings could extend from the base of the modular support, if desired. Further, while the ring structure  38  for attaching the lines is preferred, it is contemplated that other structures could be provided on the projecting member  36  for attaching lines, such as a T-bar, L-bar, knob structure or other ring structures extending from the projecting member (not shown). 
     As can be seen in FIG. 3, the projecting members  36  and rings  38  are relatively short, having a preferred total height of less than 3 inches. The modular supports, therefore, provide the line barrier system of the invention with a low profile when seen from the side. This low profile helps insure that the line barrier system of the invention is relatively unobtrusive when viewed from the side or from below. The low profile of the line barrier system is also a significant safety feature since it allows a human to step on top of the line barrier in the event of a fire or other emergency where one must exit through a window and onto a window ledge or other protected structure. With prior line barrier systems having significantly higher profiles, a human occupant may find it difficult or impossible to step on or over such barriers. 
     The modular support  20  is preferably a unitary structure fashioned from a suitable resin by injection molding. The plastic resin used to form the modular supports  20  may be tinted in a wide variety of colors to match the color of the ledge or other portion of a structure to which it is attached. If desired, the line barrier system of the invention may be constructed with translucent monofilament lines along with a color matched or translucent modular supports to provide a line barrier system with enhanced camouflage properties. In any event, the small size, simple design and low profile of the modular unit help to hide from view the line barrier system of the present invention. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, a line barrier of the present invention  22   a  is provided by attaching four lines  25   ac ,  25   bd ,  25   ad  and  25   bc  respectively, to four modular supports  20   a ,  20   b ,  20   c , and  20   d  to protect the surface of a window ledge  24   a . The window ledge has a width which is substantially wider than the length of the modular supports  20   a - 20   d  yet can be efficiently protected from birds using a small number of modular supports and lines. The four lines  25   ac ,  25   bd ,  25   ad  and  25   bc  are preferably fixedly attached to each of eight rings  38   a   1 - 38   d   2  of the four modular supports  20   a - 20   d . To efficiently cover the desired portion of the ledge  24   a  from which birds are to be repelled, two pairs of modular supports  20   a ,  20   b  and  20   c ,  20   d  are mounted at each end of the ledge at the peripheral ledge corners. Lines  25   a  and  25   b  run along the periphery of the ledge  24   a  and are attached to the rings  38   a   1 - 38   d   2  of the modular supports located the ledge  24  on the opposite end of the ledge  24 , that is, line  25   ac  is attached to rings  38   a   1  and  38   c   1  of modular supports  20   a ,  20   c  and line  25   bd  is attached to rings  38   b   2  and  38   d   2  of modular supports  20   b ,  20   d . Lines  25   ad  and  25   bc  intersect the interior of the area bounded by the periphery of the ledge  24   a  and terminate at modular supports  20   a - 20   d  located across the ledge  24   a . Line  25   ad  is attached to modular supports  20   a  and  20   d  at rings  38   a   2  and  38   d   1 , respectively, and crosses line  25   bc  near the center point of the ledge  24 ; line  25   bc  is attached to modular supports  20   b  and  20   c  at rings  38   b   1  and  38   c   2 . While lines  25   ad  and  25   bc  are shown in their preferred crossing arrangement for efficient coverage of ledge  24   a , it is contemplated that such interior lines to can be configured to run parallel to one another, that is, a line from  38   a   2  to  380   c   2  and a line from  38   b   1  to  38   d   1  (not shown), if desired. 
     The four lines  25   ac ,  25   bd ,  25   ad  and  25   bc  are preferably fixedly attached to each of the eight rings  38   a   1  through  38   d   2  by first tying and then applying a small amount of adhesive to the knot to prevent the knot from slipping on the monofilament line. It also contemplated that lines may be fixedly attached at one end and then looped through or around one or more rings prior to being fixedly attached at its other end. For example, rather than fixedly attaching each end of the four lines as shown in FIG. 2, a similar line barrier could be constructed by the use of a single line with one end fixedly attached at ring  38   a   1  and the second end looped through or around rings  38   c   1 ,  380   c   2 ,  38   b   1 ,  38   b   2 ,  38   d   2 , and  38   d   1 , respectively, with the second end fixedly attached at  38   a   2 . In the line barrier systems of the present invention, fixed attachment of a line to more than two supports is preferred if looping the line through rings or wrapping the line around rings is contemplated since such looping or wrapping of the line through a number of rings could lead to failure of a significant amount of line of the line barrier should one of the looped or wrapped segments break during use. 
     In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4, the ledge  24   b  has a width substantially equal to the length of the modular supports  20   e  and  20   f . Accordingly, to accommodate such a narrow ledge, as few as two supports and two fixedly attached lines may be used to provide a line barrier system  22   b  of the invention. Modular supports  20   e  and  20   f  are preferably located at opposite ends of the ledge and are oriented lengthwise across the width of the ledge  20   b . Line  25   ef   1  is run along one peripheral sided of the ledge  24   b  and fixedly attached to rings  38   e   1  to  38   f   1 , and line  25   ef   2  is run along the other peripheral side of the ledge  24   b  and fixedly attached to rings  38   e   2  to  38   f   2 . In the line barrier system of the present invention, it is contemplated that substantially longer structures than the ledges shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 may require additional modular supports spaced intermediate to end supports along the length of a line to prevent the line from sagging over long distances. It is believed that the preferred distance to space apart such intermediate supports is about every 3 feet, although greater distances for spacing may be used. 
     In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5, an opening  40  in a structure (not shown) is covered by a line barrier system  22   c  of the present invention. The line barrier  22   c  is intended to prevent birds from entering the opening  40  in the structure or from roosting, landing, or nesting on the bottom ledge  42  of the opening  40 . The modular nature of the supports  20  allows for a great deal of flexibility in design of line barrier system to protect such an opening. In FIG. 5, ten modular supports  20   g - 20   p  are shown in the preferred position mounted to the surface  39  defining the interior of the opening  40 . It is contemplated that the supports may also be mounted on the exterior surface  41  of the structure adjacent to the opening  40 , if desired. It is further contemplated that greater or fewer numbers of supports and lines may be required to provide an effective barrier to a structure opening depending upon the size and shape of the opening and the size of the bird species to be repelled. For line barrier systems designed for certain openings such as shown in FIG. 5, it may be desirable to use modular supports with a single projecting member and single ring. 
     As shown in FIG. 5, each of the nine lines  25   gp - 25   mp  of the line barrier are attached on one end to one of the nine modular supports  20   g - 20   m  and on the other end to the centrally located modular support  25   p  mounted to the bottom ledge  42 . Line  25   gp  is attached to modular support  25   g  and  25   p ; line  25   hp  is attached to modular support  25   h  and  25   p ; line  25   ip  is attached to modular support  25   i  and  25   p ; line  25   jp  is attached to modular support  25   j  and  25   p ; line  25   kp  is attached to modular support  25   k  and  25   p ; line  25   lp  is attached to modular support  25   l  and  25   p ; and line  25   mp  is attached to modular support  25   m  and  25   p . It is also contemplated that lines could be attached to modular supports located on opposite sides of the opening rather than attaching one end of each of the lines to a centrally mounted support  25   p . For example, a line barrier could also be created to protect the opening depicted in FIG. 5 by attaching lines to the following pairs of modular supports:  20   g  and  20   o ,  20   h  and  20   n ,  20   i  and  20   m ,  20   j  and  20   l , as well as  20   k  and  20   p  (not shown). 
     In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 6, a gutter  44  protected by a line barrier system  22   d  is shown in a partial view. The gutter and barrier extending beyond the portion shown as indicated. The modular supports  20   q - 20   s  are mounted to the strap mounts  46   a - 46   c  which mount the gutter  44  to a building (not shown). Line  25   q  is spaced above the gutter  44  along its front wall and is fixedly attached to rings  38   q   1  and looped through lines  38   r   1  and  38   s   1  and fixedly attached to at least one other modular support along the length of the gutter (not shown). Line  25   r  is spaced above the gutter  44  along its back wall and is fixedly attached to ring  38   q   2  and looped through  38   r   2  and  38   s   2  and fixedly attached to at least one other modular support along the length of the gutter (not shown). For the relatively short spans between modular supports as shown in FIG. 6, it is preferred that the lines be looped through or around at least some of the intermediately spaced supports, as for example  38   r   1 ,  38   s   1 ,  38   r   2  and  38   s   2  and intermittently fixedly attached to at least some of the intermediate supports along the length of the gutter. The small size and light weight of the modular supports  20   q - 20   s  make it possible to mount a line barrier system of the invention to a relatively flimsy gutter made or aluminum or other relatively thin light weight metal. The gutter  44  shown in FIG. 6 is relatively narrow having a width which is substantially the same as the length of modular supports  20   q - 20   s . As a result, only a single modular supports per mount strap  46  is required to provide an effective line barrier to the gutter  44 . It is contemplated that the line barrier system of the invention could be used with wider gutters that may require more than one modular support per support strap of the gutter and more than two fixedly attached lines to form an effective line barrier. 
     In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 8, a line barrier system  22   d  of the present invention is shown mounted to the top of a rectangular air conditioning unit  48 . Six modular supports  20   t - 20   z  are mounted preferably by sheet metal screws (not shown) and optionally by using adhesive on the top of the air conditioning unit  48 . Four modular supports  20   t - 20   w  are mounted at an angle on the four outside corners of the air conditioning unit  48 , and two modular supports  20   x  and  20   y  are mounted at the center of the air conditioning unit  48 . The modular supports  20   x  and  20   y  are preferably mounted with the same sheet metal screw and angled relative to one another. Four lines  25   tu ,  25   tv ,  25   tw  and  25   vw  are attached to the outer pairs of rings of the corner-mounted modular supports  20   t - 20   w , that is, lines are mounted to ring pairs  38   t   1 ,  38   u   1 ;  38   t   1 ,  38   v   1 ;  38   v   1 ,  38   w   1 ; and  38   v   1 ,  38   w   1 . Four lines  25   tx ,  25   uy ,  25   wx  and  25   vy  are attached to the inner rings of the corner-mounted modular support  20   t - 20   w  and the rings of the center-mounted modular supports  20   x - 20   y , that is lines attached to ring pairs  25   t   2 ,  25   x   1 ;  25   v   2 ,  25   y   2 ;  25   w   2 ,  25   x   2 ; and  25   v   2 ,  25   y   1 . Preferably, as shown in FIG. 8, each of the lines is fixedly attached to rings  38   t   1 - 38   y   2 . Optionally, one or more of the lines may be looped through or around one or more rings, if desired, to ease installation of the line barrier. It is contemplated that additional lines and support might be added to the line barrier of FIG. 8 if it was desired to repel relatively small birds from the top of the air conditioning unit  48 . For example, four additional supports (not shown) could be mounted midway between each of the corner-mounted modular supports along the periphery of the air conditioning unit and a pair of lines could be run between each oppositely mounted pair of four additional modular supports. Such additional line could be looped around or through the rings of the center mounted supports for additional support to prevent line sagging. 
     It is contemplated that the line barrier system of the invention may be used on a wide variety of structures such as, light poles, gutters, window ledges, fences, bell towers, roof tops, or air conditioner units. It is further contemplated that the portion of the structure to be protected from birds may be all or part of a surface of the structure or may be an opening in a structure, as for example, the opening in a bell tower. 
     While there have been illustrated and described particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all those changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.