Patent Publication Number: US-2007095298-A1

Title: Bird house

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/732,185, filed Oct. 31, 2005, and entitled “Bird House”. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field  
      The invention is in the field of bird houses.  
      2. State of the Art  
      Bird houses are generally made of rigid material such as wood with a floor, walls, and roof secured together into a rigid bird house. These bird houses take up space in shipping and on store shelves. Further, they are also relatively heavy. U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,051 shows a collapsible fabric bird house which is shaped when assembled for use by resilient rods inserted into sleeves forming edges of the bird house in a manner similar to tents. The bird house also has a floor in the form of a flap which can be opened along three sides to hang down for cleaning.  
      In attracting birds, often the size of the opening for the bird into the house will determine the kind of birds attracted to the house. However, the size of the opening is designed into the house and is not generally selectable or adjustable by the user. U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,037 discloses a bird house preferably made of a length of PVC tubing having an entrance opening therethrough of a first size. A constrictor plate with at least one opening of a second, smaller size is slidably secured inside the bird house positioned so that it can be slid into position and secured by a user with the second size opening in the first size opening to thereby selectively reduce the size of the entrance opening. This bird house has a removable bottom for cleaning.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      According to the invention, a bird house includes flexible material forming a collapsible shell that is collapsed for transportation and storage. Shaping means which are easily stored and shipped are used to provide shape to the shell for use. The shaping means may be a plurality of flat pieces which are inserted into holding means such as receiving pockets in the shell to form the walls and floor of the bird house.  
      In another embodiment the shaping means may be a light-weight frame assembly of lengths of material such as PVC pipe connected by pipe connectors which is inserted into the shell to shape it.  
      The opening for entrance of a bird may be made adjustable so that the user, when assembling the house, uses an opening of desired size. A portion of a wall of the shell can be made of transparent material and a flap provided so a user can raise the flap to look into the house.  
      The shell also has a closeable opening, preferably around a portion of the floor, to provide access to the inside of the shell for insertion of the shaping means and for cleaning the bird house. 
    
    
     THE DRAWINGS  
      The best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention is illustrated in the accompany drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a pictorial view of one embodiment of a bird house of the invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a pictorial assembly view of the bird house of  FIG. 1 , with the bird house shown upsidedown from the orientation shown in  FIG. 1  and with the bottom open (at the top in  FIG. 2 ) so that the inside of the bird house is visible;  
       FIG. 3  is a vertical section taken on the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a pictorial assembly view of a second embodiment of bird house of the invention, shown similarly to  FIG. 2  in upsidedown orientation with the bottom open to show the inside of the bird house;  
       FIGS. 5-7  are perspective views of alternate front wall shaping pieces with different size openings; and  
       FIGS. 8-11  are perspective views of alternate entrance opening forming inserts with different size openings. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS  
      The bird house  10  of the invention, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , includes a flexible shell which forms a floor  11 , front wall  12 , side walls  13  and  14 , back wall  15 , and roof  16  of the bird house. This shell is made of a fabric or other flexible material, such as a water resistant and UV resistant nylon, so that it is completely collapsible. A closable opening, here shown as the floor, allows access to inside the shell. The floor is in the form of a flap extending from the back wall  15  and closably secured by closure means, here shown as zipper  17 , to the bottom of the side walls  13  and  14  and front wall  12 . With zipper  17  unzipped, the inside of the bird house is completely accessible to a user and the inside surface of floor  11  is accessible for cleaning. In fact, the whole bird house shell is easily washed. Mesh or netting material  20  at the top of the side walls  13  and  14  provides ventilation for the bird house. An entrance opening  21  in front wall  12  provides an entrance for birds into the bird house. Rather than the floor being openable along zipper  17  as shown to provide the closable opening to provide access into the bird house, the closable opening providing access into the bird house can be provided by a wall or portion of a wall that opens, or by the roof or a portion of the roof that opens.  
      The collapsible shell requires shaping means to provide structural shape to the shell and maintain its shape during use as a bird house. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , floor  11  includes holding straps  24  and back wall  15  includes holding straps  25 . A flat floor shaping piece  26  is inserted between the inside surface of floor  11  and holding straps  24 . A back wall shaping piece  27  is inserted between the inside surface of back wall  15  and holding straps  25 . Front wall  12  is made of two layers of material  12   a  and  12   b  with closure means, such as zipper  28 , to form a pocket. A flat front wall shaping piece  30 , having an entrance opening  31  therethrough, is inserted into the front wall pocket with its entrance opening  31  aligned with the front wall entrance opening  21 . Zipper  28  is closed to securely locate front wall shaping piece  30  with respect to front wall  12 .  
      In attracting birds, often the size of the opening for the bird into the house will determine the kind of birds attracted to the house. It is thus advantageous for a user to be able to select a desired opening into the house if the user desires to attract particular kinds of birds to the house. For this purpose, the bird house can be provided with several alternative front wall shaping pieces  30 , each with a different size entrance opening  31 . Front wall entrance opening  21  in the collapsible shell is sized for the largest entrance opening desired for use with the bird house. For example, three alternate front wall shaping pieces, indicated in  FIGS. 5-7  as  30   a ,  30   b , and  30   c , each with a different size opening  31   a ,  31   b , and  31   c , can be provided with the bird house. One piece  30   a  may have an opening  31   a  equal in size to the opening  21  through the front wall  12 . Other pieces  30   b  and  30   c  may have smaller openings  31   b  and  31   c  of selected sizes. The user selects the desired opening size for the type of bird desired to be attracted to the bird house to insert into the front wall pocket. The opening  31  through shaping piece  30 , when smaller than opening  21  through the front wall  12 , will determine the size of the entrance opening into the bird house. The user can easily change the size of the entrance opening by merely changing the front wall shaping piece  30 , i.e., by changing to piece  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c , or any additional front wall shaping piece  30  that may be available. It has been found satisfactory for use with a wide variety of birds to make the entrance opening through the front wall about two and one quarter inches in diameter and to supply front wall shaping pieces with a two and one quarter inch diameter entrance opening, a two inch diameter entrance opening, a one and three quarter inch diameter entrance opening, a one and one half inch diameter entrance opening, and a one and one quarter inch diameter entrance opening. Any number of front wall shaping pieces with different size openings may be provided.  
      While shaping pieces can be used for the floor, each wall, and the roof of the bird house, it has been found that a shaping piece in the floor, which establishes the shape of the floor, and shaping pieces in the front and back walls, which establish the shape of the walls of the bird house, are sufficient to shape the bird house and hold the shape during use of the bird house. The shaping pieces are made from substantially rigid or semi-rigid material so as to hold their shape but can be somewhat flexible. Sheet plastic material about one millimeter thick with rigidity similar to that used for credit cards has been found satisfactory, although various other materials can be used. Further, receiving pockets for the shaping pieces as shown for the front wall can also be used for the bottom and back walls, or any other walls, however, use of the holding straps has been found satisfactory. The pocket is currently preferred for use in the front wall to more securely hold the access opening through which the birds enter and leave the bird house in place in the front wall. In addition, while a pocket closure  28  has been shown for the front wall pocket, such a closure is not required as the pocket opening can be provided at the bottom edge of the front wall so the shell bottom, which extends at substantially a right angle to the bottom edge of the front wall will effectively close the pocket and hold the shaping piece in place in the pocket. Alternatively, the opening for the pocket could be along the top edge of the wall so that the shaping piece is held in place by the roof of the shell and by gravity, or the opening can be located along a side edge with the shaping piece held in place by the adjacent side walls which will extend at substantially right angles to close the pocket. Shaping pieces can be similarly held in pockets provided in the floor or other walls of the shell. The shaping pieces, while shown being inserted into pockets from inside the bird house or held by straps inside the bird house, could also be held in pockets opening to outside the bird house or by straps or other holding means on outside surfaces of the walls, floor, or roof of the shell. Further, rather than inserting shaping pieces into the floor and walls of the bird house, the floor and walls could contain a filling material that allows some collapsibility, but also provides enough shape to the floor or walls to make the birdhouse usable.  
      With the shaping pieces in place in the bird house shell, the bottom (if the bottom is the closable opening) is secured around all edges to the bottom of the side walls and front wall. This is done in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-3  by zipping the bottom  11  to side walls  14  and  15  and front wall  12 . This closes the bird house and makes it ready for use. If the closable opening is provided other than as the floor, the closable opening provided is otherwise closed to make the bird house ready for use. The bird house can then be hung in a desired location. A single loop or multiple loops can be provided at various locations for use in hanging the birdhouse. Loop  40  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  at the top rear center of the bird house can be used for hanging the bird house on a vertical surface such as a wall or a pole or post. Loop  40  along with loop  41 ,  FIG. 1 , located at the top front center of the bird house, can be used in combination to hang the bird house from an overhead support such as a tree branch or the overhang of a roof. Various loops can be provided at other selected locations.  
      To enable a user to observe the birds in the bird house, one of the walls, such as side wall  13 , can be provided with a window of transparent material  35 ,  FIG. 1 , with a flap  36  which is secured over the window  35  when not in use by hook and loop fastener material  37 . A user can open the flap to look inside the bird house.  
       FIG. 4  shows a further embodiment of collapsible bird house of the invention. In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the shaping means is a substantially rigid frame  50  which is inserted into a flexible shell  52 , similar to the flexible shell of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , through the closable opening  54  formed by closable bottom or floor  55 .  FIG. 4  shows the assembled frame  50  being inserted into the bird house shell through closable opening  54 . The assembled frame  50  is shown made of lengths  56  of PVC pipe inserted into commercially available PVC angle connectors  57 , but could be made of various materials. The frame is supplied as individual parts to be assembled by the user. Once the frame is positioned in the shell  52 , floor  55  is closed by zipper  58  along the lower part of shell  52  as described for the previous embodiment. The entrance opening through front wall  59  is provided by opening forming insert  60  having an entrance opening  61  secured in front wall opening  62  by hook or loop tabs  63  that mate with loop or hook patches  64  inside the shell adjacent front wall opening  62 . The entrance opening sizing is provided by alternate opening forming inserts shown as  60   a ,  60   b ,  60   c , and  60   d  in  FIGS. 8-11 , with different size openings  61   a ,  61   b ,  61   c , and  61   d  in each of the opening forming inserts.  
      While the bird house and collapsible shell has been shown as having a certain shape, it should be realized that the shell and bird house can be made in any desired shape to provide any desired shape bird house. The shell and bird house can also be provided in various sizes.  
      Whereas the invention is here illustrated and described with reference to embodiments thereof presently contemplated as the best mode of carrying out the invention in actual practice, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in adapting the invention to different embodiments without departing from the broader inventive concepts disclosed herein and comprehended by the claims that follow.