Patent Publication Number: US-6655319-B2

Title: Apparatus for deterring animals from avian enclosures

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of, and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/480,936 filed Jan. 11, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,891 entitled METHOD FOR DETERRING ANIMALS FROM AVIAN ENCLOSURES, and further claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/164,451, Filed Nov. 10, 1999, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to avian enclosures and accessories to avian enclosures. More specifically, the invention is directed at an externally separate device that rotates avian enclosures or a device that is part of the whole rotating avian enclosure. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     One of main purposes of avian enclosures for their owners is the enjoyment of watching birds. Unfortunately, rodents consume large quantities of birdseed and/or, worst yet, destroy birdfeeders and birdhouses due to their aggressive nature. The most vulnerable feeders are the ones made out of plastic or wooden parts of which squirrels will eventually chew on and destroy. As a result, people cannot enjoy watching birds at the same time while worrying about squirrels, or other rodents, damaging and/or scaring away birds from their feeders or houses. 
     Many attempts have been made in the prior art to develop, either internal or external to the birdfeeder, mechanisms that try to actively protect feeders by repelling rodents. Most of these use a cruel and inhumane electrical shock on the squirrels. For example, the Boaz U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,857 patent uses a large umbrella-shaped electrical shocking squirrel guard above the feeder. However, squirrels can get around this device simply by leaping onto the feeder from a nearby tree or from the ground. Other attempts shown by the patents to Doubleday et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,856,898, Boyd U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,788, and Collins U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,951 all incorporate the electrical-shocking device within the feeder itself. However, defense mechanisms of these types are all eventually figured-out by the squirrels who are both cunning and very determined. Over time, the squirrels train themselves where to step and where not to step in order to avoid getting shocked. 
     Other attempts in the prior art have tried more passive devices such as plastic baffles for deterring squirrels that are inherently designed to be very large and bulky devices. For example, patents issued to Blasbalg U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,669, Nylen U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,687, and Chester U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,856 all use some sort of large umbrella-shaped squirrel guard located either above and/or below the feeder. However, the effectiveness of these passive devices is even worse than the previously mentioned active devices since the squirrel will not only defeat the device, they will also destroy the device in the process by chewing on it repeatedly. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a new apparatus and method directed at deterring certain kinds of animals from avian enclosures by rotating the enclosures at sufficient speeds. As used herein, avian enclosure is intended to mean birdhouses, birdfeeders, and like structures intended for use by birds. An electronic baffle is described that safely deters unwanted animals such as rodents from the enclosures which includes a support for suspending the baffle, at least one animal sensing mechanism such as an electronic circuit that detects the presence of animals, and a motor/gearbox whose shaft is a hook that suspends the avian enclosures. The electronic baffle is also capable of rotating the suspended enclosures at a very slow speed. For example, this mode of operation is used for the purpose of eliminating blind spots from a birdwatcher&#39;s viewing area of the birds eating from the feeders. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an electro-mechanical rotating system which can be incorporated into various parts of avian enclosures in order to deter rodents, or other animals, from the enclosures by rotating the enclosures at a sufficiently fast speed. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an electro-mechanical rotating system that can be incorporated into various parts of avian enclosures in order to not scare birds from the enclosures by rotating the enclosures at a sufficiently slow speed. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an electro-mechanical rotating system that can be mounted into the ground using a pole from which the enclosures are attached. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an electro-mechanical rotating system that can be remotely-controlled using standard, off-the-shelve remote control technology incorporated into various parts of the invention. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which set forth certain, but not all-encompassing, embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     DRAWING FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the present invention as hung from a tree. 
     FIG. 2 is a cutaway cross-sectional side view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic electronic diagram of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is an alternate schematic electronic diagram of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a simplified algorithmic block diagram of the invention. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative version of the present invention shown mounted onto a pole. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a remote-control version of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a simplified hardware block diagram of an alternative version of the present invention being remotely controlled. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS FOR DRAWING FIGURES 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                 1 
                 hanging pest deterrent apparatus 
               
               
                 2 
                 post-mounted pest deterrent apparatus 
               
               
                 3 
                 mounting hook 
               
               
                 4 
                 top hook 
               
               
                 5 
                 housing 
               
               
                 6 
                 electrical wires 
               
               
                 7 
                 printed circuit board mounting screws 
               
               
                 8 
                 printed circuit board 
               
               
                 9 
                 grommet 
               
               
                 10 
                 printed circuit board-to-hook small mounting screw 
               
               
                 11 
                 motor/gearbox 
               
               
                 12 
                 battery holders 
               
               
                 13 
                 base plate mounting screws 
               
               
                 14 
                 base plate 
               
               
                 15 
                 battery cover screws 
               
               
                 16 
                 on/off electrical switch 
               
               
                 17 
                 bottom hook 
               
               
                 18 
                 battery access doors 
               
               
                 19 
                 extended overhang 
               
               
                 20 
                 electronic switch mounting screws 
               
               
                 21 
                 motor/gearbox housing mounting screws 
               
               
                 26 
                 positive circuit terminals 
               
               
                 27 
                 chemical batteries 
               
               
                 28 
                 signal ground potential 
               
               
                 29 
                 load cell 
               
               
                 30 
                 positive input resistor 
               
               
                 31 
                 op-amp feedback resistor 
               
               
                 32 
                 power level sense capacitor 
               
               
                 33 
                 power level sense resistor 
               
               
                 34 
                 piezoelectric buzzer 
               
               
                 35 
                 transistor collector resistor 
               
               
                 37 
                 back-emf protection diode 
               
               
                 38 
                 N-channel Mosfet 
               
               
                 39 
                 vibration sensor NPN transistor 
               
               
                 40 
                 transistor biasing resistor 
               
               
                 41 
                 stabilization resistor 
               
               
                 42 
                 op-amp feedback capacitor 
               
               
                 43 
                 current limiting resistor 
               
               
                 44 
                 operational amplifier 
               
               
                 45 
                 stabilizing capacitor 
               
               
                 46 
                 negative input resistor 
               
               
                 47 
                 precision metal-film resistors 
               
               
                 48 
                 power switching NPN transistor 
               
               
                 49 
                 capacitor filter 
               
               
                 50 
                 reverse-battery protection diode 
               
               
                 51 
                 microcontroller 
               
               
                 52 
                 analog bridge circuit 
               
               
                 55 
                 starting step 
               
               
                 56 
                 power on step 
               
               
                 57 
                 power on status check 
               
               
                 58 
                 feeder off status check 
               
               
                 59 
                 greater than minimum threshold comparison step 
               
               
                 60 
                 short beep step 
               
               
                 61 
                 initialization step 
               
               
                 62 
                 measurement step 
               
               
                 63 
                 maximum threshold comparison step 
               
               
                 65 
                 between thresholds comparison step 
               
               
                 67 
                 less than minimum threshold comparison step 
               
               
                 68 
                 set feeder-off flag step 
               
               
                 69 
                 watch-dog-timer greater than N comparison step 
               
               
                 70 
                 calibrate all thresholds step 
               
               
                 71 
                 increment watch-dog-timer step 
               
               
                 72 
                 reset watch-dog-timer step 
               
               
                 73 
                 go to sleep step 
               
               
                 74 
                 watch-dog-timer or interrupt-went-off detection step 
               
               
                 75 
                 blocking capacitor 
               
               
                 78 
                 pole 
               
               
                 79 
                 earth 
               
               
                 81 
                 tree limb 
               
               
                 83 
                 top squirrel 
               
               
                 85 
                 tree 
               
               
                 87 
                 bottom squirrel 
               
               
                 89 
                 typical birdfeeder 
               
               
                 91 
                 birds 
               
               
                 100 
                 beeps 
               
               
                 102 
                 birdwatcher 
               
               
                 103 
                 radio frequency signals 
               
               
                 104 
                 infrared signals 
               
               
                 110 
                 input/output pin0 
               
               
                 111 
                 input/output pin1 
               
               
                 112 
                 input/output pin2 
               
               
                 113 
                 input/output pin3 
               
               
                 114 
                 input/output pin4 
               
               
                 115 
                 input/output pin5 
               
               
                 120 
                 force-sensitive resistor 
               
               
                 122 
                 integrating capacitor 
               
               
                 150 
                 transmitter/receiver unit 
               
               
                 152 
                 load cell circuit 
               
               
                 154 
                 buzzer circuit 
               
               
                 158 
                 DIP switch 
               
               
                 159 
                 receiver/transmitter microcontroller 
               
               
                 160 
                 transmitter/receiver circuit 
               
               
                 162 
                 bi-directional transmission link 
               
               
                 164 
                 remote 
               
               
                 166 
                 remote buzzer 
               
               
                 168 
                 light emitting diodes 
               
               
                 170 
                 liquid crystal display circuit 
               
               
                 172 
                 keypad 
               
               
                 174 
                 serial port circuit 174 
               
               
                 180 
                 remote DIP switch 
               
               
                 182 
                 remote microcontroller chip 182 
               
               
                 184 
                 remote receiver/transmitter circuit 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                 R1 
                 fast revolutions-per-minute speed 
               
               
                 R2 
                 slow revolutions-per-minute speed 
               
               
                 R 
                 variable revolutions-per-minute speed 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms of which some are detailed at close of this section. Therefore, the details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limited, but merely as the basis for the claims and as a basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to make and/or use the invention. 
     A method of deterring rodents, such as squirrels, from avian enclosures which consists of spinning the enclosures about their vertical axis will now be described. To accomplish this task, the rotating device must spin the feeder at a high enough revolutions-per-minute suitable to make the squirrel dizzy and/or nauseated. Through experimentation, a revolutions-per-minute of between 70 and 100 was found to make those squirrels that jump onto a feeder want to jump back off. Results so far have shown that, at these speeds, the squirrel becomes light-headed and/or agitated due to the sufficient centrifugal force generated from the rotating avian enclosure. Consequently, the squirrels always jump off after a brief period of time of usually less than 15 seconds. However, to be safe, the enclosure should be allowed to run at least one minute especially for battery-operated devices which may start to slow down after the batteries start to drain. In addition, it was found that squirrels will not try to board an already rotating feeder. So, as a result, an optimum system is one that senses the rodents prior to them jumping onto the feeder. The feeders can then be activated before the rodent even has a chance to eat any food. 
     The devices chosen to accomplish this method should also be flexible enough to rotate the enclosures at very slow speeds. This is necessary for when birds land to allow the birdwatcher to see all sides of their enclosure. The rotational speed has to be slow enough to not scare away the birds. Through experimentation, it was found that a rotational speed of less than about six revolutions-per-minute will usually suffice in not scaring off any birds perched on the rotating feeder. However the revolutions-per-minute speed should not be too low as to become almost boring to watch. As a result, it was determined that about a three revolutions-per-minute is a safe and yet interesting rotational speed. 
     The electrical and/or mechanical rotating device ultimately chosen for this invention should take some or all of the above specifications into account. Also for the convenience of the user, the device should be made as automated as possible. For example, the device should have the capability to sense when the rodents or birds are on the feeder and discriminate between the two in order to decide whether to rotate the feeder fast or slow. Also for the convenience of the user, the device can have a remote-control capability that notifies the birdwatcher when something is in their feeder. The birdwatcher should then have the flexibility to decide what to do next to, for example, rotate the feeder to a variably fast speed or activate a very loud buzzer. Lastly, since some rodents are very smart, the device, if it is hanging from a tree, should also have the capability to sense when a rodent is trying to climb down from above. Some possible electrical/mechanical apparatuses that meet the above specifications of the invention will now be described in detail. 
     Referring to FIG. 1 where a preferred embodiment of the invention, a hanging pest deterrent apparatus  1 , is shown having a top hook  4  being suspended by a mounting hook  3  which is attached to suitable support such as a tree limb  81  which is part of a larger tree  85 . A typical birdfeeder  89  is then hung from a bottom hook  17  attached to the hanging apparatus  1 . Alternately the feeder  89  could have been replaced by a birdhouse (not shown). When a single or plurality of birds  91  lands on the feeder  89 , the mechanical vibrations and changes in weight of the feeder  89  will be sensed by electronics contained within the hanging apparatus  1 . The electronics will then activate a motor/gearbox (not shown) whose shaft is attached to the bottom hook  17  which will then, in turn, rotate the feeder  89  at a sufficiently slow revolutions-per-minute speed R 2  as to not startle the birds  91 . The electronics contained within the hanging apparatus  1  can also detect when a larger animal, such as a bottom squirrel  87 , jumps onto the feeder  89 . The hanging apparatus  1  will then rotate the feeder around in a circular fashion at a fast revolutions-per-minute speed R 1  sufficient to make the bottom squirrel uncomfortable and jump back off the feeder  89 . In another attempt, a top squirrel  83  climbs down onto the feeder  89  from above. However, he has to first apply his own body weight to the hanging apparatus  1 . Electronics contained within the hanging apparatus  1  will again detect the force being applied to hanging apparatus&#39;s  1  outer shell and start to turn the feeder  89  at the fast speed R 1 . The top squirrel  83  will then be startled and not want to jump onto a rotating feeder  89  and simply leave in frustration. 
     Refer now to FIG. 2 which illustrates is a cutaway cross-sectional side view of the hanging apparatus  1 . The top hook  4  is shown attached to a printed circuit board  8  that is populated with the electronics (not shown). The top hook  4  must be made of a suitably strong metal to be able to support not only the hanging apparatus&#39;s  1  own weight, but also the weight of a large feeder completely filled with birdseed (not shown). The top hook  4  must also be strong enough to sustain the weight of the largest rodents (not shown) found here in the United States and abroad. Further, since the hanging apparatus  1  is to be used outdoors, the top hook  4  must never be allowed to rust. Accordingly, a metal like stainless steel may be a suitable choice to use for the top hook  4 . The top hook is connected to the printed circuit board  8  by using a printed circuit board-to-hook small mounting screw  10 . This small screw  10  can be a machine screw made of suitably strong metal to again support a wide range of loads. The small screw  10  must also be large enough to support a wide range of loads and yet small enough to allow the printed circuit board  8  to flex along its vertical axis due to varying loads. Likewise, the printed circuit board  8  must be made of suitably strong material such as fiberglass. The printed circuit board  8  must also be thick enough to again support a wide range of loads and yet be thin enough to allow flexation along its vertical axis due to varying loads. 
     The printed circuit board  8  is also shown in FIG. 2 attached to a housing  5  through the use of a couple of printed circuit board mounting screws  7 . The diameter of the housing  5  must be made sufficiently large to force top squirrels  83 , shown in FIG. 1, to apply their own body weight to the housing  5  when stretching around the outside of the housing  5 . The housing  5  can be injection molded using a plastic material such as a black acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene or equivalent that is very durable outdoors and whose color will not fade over time. Furthermore, to prevent hardening and cracking over time, an ultraviolet stabilized curing agent should also be used in the manufacturing process of the housing  5 . The printed circuit board mounting screws  7  must be made of suitable metal to support a wide range of loads. Also, their location must be set far enough away from the small screw  10  to allow the printed circuit board  8  to flex along its vertical axis due to varying loads. However, the vertical flexation of the printed circuit board  8  must never be allowed to exceed beyond its mechanical limits. For safety reasons, mechanical stops (not shown) may have to be employed to prevent the printed circuit board  8  from flexing beyond its maximum limits. 
     Shown also in FIG. 2 is a grommet  9  that is press-fitted into a hole at the top center of the housing  5  making a tight seal against the housing  5  and top hook  4  for preventing moisture from seeping into the hanging apparatus  1 . This grommet  9  must be made of a elastic rubber or plastic or silicon rubber which will allow the surrounding housing  5  to flex with varying loads. Furthermore, the grommet must also be durable enough to never degrade or harden over time from extreme outdoor environments. Consequently an ultraviolet stabilized curing agent should be used in the manufacturing process of the grommet  9 . In addition, the housing  5  is also shown having an extended overhang  19  to help protect all components, connected to a base plate  14 , from rain, dust, sand, and snow. The base plate  14  is connected to the housing  5  using a multitude of base plate mounting screws  13 . The overhang  19 , which is part of the housing  5 , should extend beyond the most protruding part not including the bottom hook  17  which is connected a motor/gearbox&#39;s  11  shaft. For safety reasons, the bottom hook  17  must be securely attached to the motor/gearbox  11  for handling the largest of anticipated loads. Furthermore, the bottom hook  17  must be made of a suitably strong metal to be able to support a large feeder completely filled with birdseed (not shown). The bottom hook  17  must also be strong enough to sustain the weight of the largest rodents (not shown) found here in the United States and abroad. Further, since the hanging apparatus  1  is to be used outdoors, the bottom hook  17  must never be allowed to rust. Accordingly, a metal such as stainless steel may be a suitable choice to use for the bottom hook  17 . Also shown in FIG. 2 are a plurality of electrical wires  6  which are electrically connected from the printed circuit board  8  to the motor/gearbox&#39;s  11  housing. The wires  6  are also connected to a plurality of battery holders  12  and an on/off electrical switch  16 . The wires  6  must be made of a suitable gauge wire to allow sufficient current to flow between the printed circuit board  8  and the aforementioned electrically connected components. Preferably, the battery holders  12  should be plastic-injection molded as part of either the housing  5  or the base plate  14 . In addition, the weight distribution of the batteries (not shown) is such that the center of gravity must be maintained along the vertical axis of the device. As a result, the battery holders  12  must be place at equal-distances for each other and from the vertical axis through the center of the device. A plurality of battery access doors  18  are attached to the battery holders  12 . Hinges (not shown) are used connect the doors  18  to the base plate  14 . When closed, the doors  18  are secured to the base plate  14  using a plurality of battery cover screws  15 . 
     FIG  3  illustrates a bottom view of the hanging apparatus  1 . As can be seen, a pair of electronic switch mounting screws  20  are used to secure the switch  16  to the base plate  14 . The switch  16  is mounted towards the outside edges of the base plate  14  allowing easy access to turning the hanging apparatus either on or off. Also shown in the figure are a pair of motor/gearbox housing mounting screws  21  which are used to secure the motor/gearbox&#39;s  11  housing to the base plate  14 . All cracks in the base plate  14  must be properly sealed with, for example, silicon rubber to prevent moisture from seeping into the hanging apparatus  1 . Lastly, all aforementioned screws in both FIG.  2  and FIG. 3 must be made of a sufficiently strong metal such as stainless steel that also does not rust. 
     Refer now to FIG. 4, which illustrates is a schematic electronic diagram of the electronics used in the present invention. A plurality of chemical batteries  27  are connected in series to boost the voltage potential. As shown, the voltage potential is boosted three fold. Power is applied to the circuit from the batteries  27  whenever the switch  16  is in the closed position. This action will complete the circuit from the positive terminal of the last battery  27  to a plurality of positive circuit terminals  26 . Current can then flow from the positive circuit terminals  26  to the rest of the circuit, which is then returned to a signal ground potential  28 . The force-to-electrical transducer circuit, which is comprised of an analog bridge circuit  52 , is now ready to take weight measurements. To activate the bridge circuit  52 , the base of a power switching NPN transistor  48  is pulled towards the positive circuit voltage potential  26 . This action is controlled by an input/output pin 5   115  of a microcontroller  51  through a current limiting resistor  43 . The ground potential  28  is now applied to the bridge circuit  52  through the transistor  48  which must be capable of handling the current load. One of the first places that receives the newly activated current is the standard wheatstone passive bridge circuit which is comprised of a load cell  29  and a plurality of precision metal-film resistors  47 . The location of the load cell  29  is crucial since it must be located as close as possible to the maximum flexation point of the printed circuit board  8  in FIG  2 . This point is located on the bottom side of the printed circuit board  8  close to the small screw  10  in FIG  2  at which the load cell  29  is bonded using a suitable cement such as Duco, Eastman 910, or EPY-150. The load cell  29  is oriented with its active length aligned with the sensing axis. It is important to obtain load cells  29  that have a temperature coefficient close to the metal, which is copper in this case, that the load cell  29  is bonded to. To conserve battery  27  power, it is also important that the load cell  29  and precision resistors  47  all have reasonably high resistance values. Alternately, a quad-load cell (not shown) could have been used that would replace the present load cell  29  and the precision metal-film resistors  47 . Ideally the quad-load cell could be manufactured right on the printed circuit board  8  in FIG  2  using standard laser-trimming techniques. 
     A positive input resistor  30  and a negative input resistor  46  connect the differential bridge circuit to the input terminals of an operational amplifier  44 . The amplifier  44  is configured as a differential circuit that subtracts the voltage differences between its positive and negative terminals. Furthermore, the amplifier  44  circuit is also configured as an integrating amplifier that combines the differential signals over time. An op-amp feedback resistor  31  and an op-amp feedback capacitor  42  conduct the integration and amplification of the signals. A stabilizing capacitor  45  also helps in the integrating process performed by the operational amplifier  44 . The output of the amplifier  44  is supplied to an input/output pin 4   114  of the microcontroller  51  whose internal program will count how long it takes until a logic high voltage level is reached. The resultant count is a measure of the current load being applied to the load cell  29 . All resistors contained within the bridge circuit  52  should have high tolerances to temperature fluctuations so at least 1% precision metal-film resistors should be used. The microcontroller  51  can be any suitable low-power microcontroller such as Microchip&#39;s PIC12C508A part. 
     A piezoelectric buzzer  34  is used as both a sounding device and a vibration sensor. When used as a sounding device, there are actually two purposes: (1) To notify the user of the current status of the system and (2) To help scare rodents away using either audio or ultrasonic signals. In both cases, an oscillatory signal is supplied to the buzzer  34  by the microcontroller  51  via an input/output pin  1111 . When the buzzer  34  is configured as a sensor, the input/output pin  1111  must be reconfigured, by the program running internally to the microcontroller  51 , as a high impedance output. In this case, the input/output pin 1   111  is basically disconnected, signal-wise, from the rest of the circuit which is required when the buzzer  34  is to be used as a vibration sensor. The mechanical vibrations applied to the buzzer  34  are then converted to a voltage signal which is amplified by a vibration sensor NPN transistor  39 . A transistor biasing resistor  40  is used to keep the vibration sensor NPN transistor&#39;s  39  sensitivity high while a transistor collector resistor  35  helps amplify the signals. The vibration sensitive voltage amplified signal is then supplied to an input/output pin 3   113  of the microcontroller  51  which uses the signals to detect the presence of rodents and/or birds. Lastly, a blocking capacitor  75  is used to prevent activity at the input/output pin 1   111  from causing an accidental interrupt at the input/output pin 3   113 . 
     An input/output pin 0   110  is used to activate an N-channel mosfet  38  which, in turn, activates the motor/gearbox  11 . A stabilization resistor  41  keeps any spurious noise from activating the mosfet  38  and a back-emf protection diode  37  protects the rest of the circuit from fast deactivations of the motor/gearbox  11 . A power level sense capacitor  32  and a power level sense resistor  33  are both used by the microcontroller, via an input/output pin 2   112 , for measuring the current battery voltage level. The results from this measurement are then used to calculate the coefficients for the pulse-width modulation of the motor/gearbox  11 . Also, these results are used to sound a certain number of beeps from the buzzer  34  when the batteries need to be changed. A capacitor filter  49  is used to help filer out any spurious noise and a reverse-battery protection diode  50  is used to help protect the rest of the circuit in FIG. 4 from accidental reverse polarity placement of the batteries  27 . 
     FIG. 5 is an alternate schematic electronic diagram of the present invention that is very similar to the circuit in FIG. 4 except the analog bridge circuit  52  in FIG. 4 is replaced with a force sensitive resistor  120  and an integrating capacitor  122 . The microcontroller  51  discharges the integrating capacitor  122  via the input/output pin 4   114  by pulsing the pin towards ground potential  28 . The microcontroller  51  then reconfigures the input/output pin 4   114  as an input and counts how long it takes until it sees a logic high voltage level. The resultant count is a function of the current value of the force sensitive resistor  120 . As with the load cell  29  used in FIG. 4, the location of the force sensitive resistor  120  is crucial since it must be located as close as possible to the maximum flexation point of the printed circuit board  8  in FIG.  2 . This point is located on the bottom side of the printed circuit board  8  close to the small screw  10  in FIG. 2 at which the force sensitive resistor  120  is bonded using a suitable cement. Alternately, the force sensitive resistor  120  could be manufactured right on the printed circuit board  8  in FIG. 1 using resistive ink during the a silk-screening process. 
     Refer now to FIG. 6 that is a simplified algorithmic block diagram of the program that executes within the microcontroller  51  in FIG.  4  and FIG.  5 . The algorithm starts after a power on step  56  is executed which is after the power is turned-on by the switch  16  in FIG.  4  and FIG. 5. A starting step  55  is then executed which goes on to a power on status step  57 . The power on status step  57  determines whether the power was just turned on or not. If the answer is yes, then a short beep step  60  is executed next which notifies the user that the system is activated. An initialization step  61  is then executed that resets all internal variables and conducts other miscellaneous functions. A go to sleep step  73  is then executed which causes the microcontroller in FIG.  4  and FIG. 5 to go into a very low-power mode of operation. During this mode, only a watch-dog-timer or interrupt-went-off detection step  74  can make the algorithm return to the starting step  55 . A watch-dog-timer is utilized to wake-up the algorithm after a predetermined amount of time has gone by. This conserves energy since power consumption is proportional to the amount of time that the system is not in the sleep mode  73 . As a result, the longer the algorithm is asleep, the less power will be consumed averaged over time. When the watch-dog-timer does finally arrive, the starting step 55  will then be executed. The watch-dog-timer or interrupt-went-off detection step  74  also has an external interrupt capability configured to wake up on a pin voltage level change. Namely, if the voltage level of one or more of the sensor input pins in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 crosses over a logic threshold then the next step, the starting step 55 , will be executed. The power on status step  57  is then executed which determines whether the power was just turned on or not. In this case answer is no and the next step, a measurement step  62 , is executed which computes the Mi count which is a function of the force that is currently being applied to the load cell  29  in FIG. 4 or the force sensitive resistor  120  in FIG.  5 . The next step, a feeder off status check  58 , is then executed which determines whether or not an internal feeder off flag variable (not shown) is set high or low. The internal feeder off flag is used to determine which step to execute next. If the flag is set high, a logic 1, then the next step, a greater than minimum threshold comparison step  59 , is executed. This step compares the Mi value just measured to a factory-calibrated threshold called T 0  that is equivalent to a no-load condition of the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG.  1 . In other words, this threshold is proportional the hanging apparatus&#39;s  1  own weight with no feeder  89  attached in FIG.  1 . If Mi is still less than T 0  the algorithm goes back to sleep  73 . If Mi is greater than or equal to T 0  then the feeder  89  must have just been place back on the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG.  1 . In this case the next step, the short beep step  60  is executed next which notifies the user that the system is still activated. The initialization step  61  is then executed and finally the sleep step  73  is executed. 
     When the algorithm finally gets back to the feeder off status check  58  step, it will now find the internal feeder off flag variable has been reset by the previous initialization step  61 . As a result, a maximum threshold comparison step  63 , is then executed which compares Mi to an internally calibrated threshold called T 2 . This threshold, T 2 , helps determines, whether on not, either the bottom squirrel  87  and/or the top squirrel  83  has been detected in FIG.  1 . If Mi is greater than T 2  then the answer is yes and the next step, the fast revolutions-per-minute speed R 1  step, is executed which rotates the feeder  89  in FIG. 1 at a fast enough speed to make the rodents  83  and/or  87  dizzy or fly off. After a predetermined amount of time has gone by, the rotation of the feeder  89  in FIG. 1 is stopped and the sleep step  73  is then executed. However, if the answer to the maximum threshold comparison step  63  is no then the next step, a between thresholds comparison step  65 , is executed which determines whether birds  91  are on the feeder  89  in FIG.  1 . If Mi&#39;s value is between both T 1  and T 2  thresholds then the answer to the between thresholds comparison step  65  is yes and the next step, a slow revolutions-per-minute speed R 2  step, is executed which rotates the feeder  89  at a slow enough speed to not scare away the birds  91  in FIG.  1 . After a predetermined amount of time, the rotation of the feeder  89  in FIG. 1 is stopped and the next step, sleep  73 , is then executed. If the answer to the between thresholds comparison step  65  is no than the next step, a less than minimum threshold comparison step  67 , is executed which determines whether or not the measured value Mi is less than or equal to the factory-calibrated T 0  threshold value. If the answer to this question is yes, the next step, a set feeder-off flag step  68 , is executed which sets an internal feeder off flag to a logic high level. This step is executed whenever the feeder  89  has just been removed from the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG. 1 for cleaning and/or refilling. The next step, sleep  73 , is then executed. If the answer to the minimum threshold comparison step  67  is no, the next step, a watch-dog-timer greater than N comparison step  69 , is executed which compares the current watch-dog-timer count WDT_cnt to a predetermined set value N. If WDT_cnt is found to be greater than N then the next step, a calibrate all thresholds step  70 , is then executed which calibrates the T 1  and T 2  thresholds. A reset watch-dog-timer step  72  is then executed which sets WDT_cnt to zero. The system then powers down in the sleep step  73 . If the answer to the watch-dog-timer greater than N comparison step  69  is no then the next step, an increment watch-dog-timer step  71 , is executed which simply increments the WDT_cnt variable. Finally the system goes back to sleep  73  in FIG.  6 . Note that for this simplified algorithm in FIG. 6 to work properly, the T 1  and T 2  threshold variables must be initialized to their maximum possible values in the initialization step  61 . 
     Refer now to FIG. 7, which illustrates a perspective view of an alternative version of the present invention, shown mounted onto a pole  78 . A pole-mounted pest deterrent apparatus  2  is shown attached to the top of the pole  78  whose other end is securely positioned into a typical earth  79 . The birdfeeder  89  is then mounted to the pole-mounted apparatus  2 . When the bottom squirrel  87  is detected, the pole-mounted apparatus  2  will start to rotate the feeder  89  sufficiently fast R 1  to make the bottom squirrel  87  uncomfortable and want to jump off. Likewise, when the birds  91  are detected, the pole-mounted apparatus  2  will start to rotate the feeder  89  at sufficiently slow speeds R 2  to make the birds  91  comfortable and not want to fly away. The mechanics and electronics for the pole-mounted apparatus  2  would be very similar to the hanging apparatus  1  shown in FIG.  1 . Except now the hanging apparatus  1  from FIG. 1 is mounted upside down to the pole  78  in FIG.  7 . Its top hook  4  in FIG. 1 would either be attached to or be replaced with a more suitable attachment for the pole  78  in FIG.  7 . Likewise, the hanging apparatus  1  would have its bottom hook  17  in FIG. 1 either attached to or be replaced with a more suitable attachment for a turntable-like device (not shown). The feeder  89  would then be attached to this turntable. 
     Refer now to FIG  8  that illustrates a perspective view of a remote-control version of the present invention. A birdwatcher  102  now has the added control of manually deciding what animals are allowed in their birdfeeder  89  or birdhouse. To accomplish this, the circuits in FIG.  4  and FIG. 5 are modified to include certain transmitter/receiver circuits. As a result, when a rodent  87  and/or birds  91  now lands on the feeder  89  in FIG. 8, a purality of non-directional radio frequency signals  103  are transmitted over the airwaves to a remote  164  held by the birdwatcher  102 . The remote  164  would then process these radio frequency signals  103  and announce, using a plurality of audio beeps  100 , to the birdwatcher  102  that something is on their feeder  89 . The birdwatcher  102  then has the flexibility to decide if they want to rotate the feeder at a fast variable speed R making the rodent uncomfortable and want to jump off. Or the birdwatcher  102  could decide to rotate the birdfeeder  89  at a slow variable speed R turning the birdfeeder  89  until the birds  91  can be easily seen. In order to accomplish these tasks, the remote  164  would send, with the press of a button, a plurality of directional infrared signals  104  back to the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG  1  or the pole mounted apparatus  2  in FIG.  7 . 
     Refer now to FIG. 9 that illustrates a simplified hardware block diagram of an alternative version of the present invention being remotely controlled. The circuits in FIG.  4  and FIG. 5 are modified to include a transmitter/receiver circuit  160 . Consequently, a new transmitter/receiver unit  150  is installed, in place of the printed circuit board  8  in FIG.  4  and FIG.  5 . This new circuit board would then be installed inside the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG. 1 or the pole-mounted apparatus  2  in FIG. 7 for the additional purpose of transmitting and receiving signals over the airwaves. A person (not shown) holding a remote  164  would then receive a bi-directional transmission link  162  using infrared, ultrasonic, and/or radio frequency signals from the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG. 1 or the pole mounted apparatus  2  in FIG.  7 . The remote  164  would then process these signals and announce, using either visual and/or audio cues, to the person that something is on their feeder. The person then has the flexibility to decide if they want to rotate the feeder at a fast variable speed making the rodent uncomfortable and want to jump off. Or the person could decide to rotate the feeder at a slow speed turning the feeder until the birds can be easily seen. Also, the person now has the flexibility to reprogram the transmitter/receiver unit  150  on the fly to, for example, not rotate automatically but wait until a signal is sent. Or the transmitter/receiver unit  150  could be reprogrammed to automatically rotate the feeders but only for rodents and not for birds thus conserving crucial battery power. The remote  164  could send non-directional radio frequency signals or, since people would likely be pointing the remote at the feeder anyway, the remote  164  could use infrared signals to transmit the bi-directional transmission link  162  back to the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG. 1 or the pole mounted apparatus  2  in FIG.  7 . 
     The transmitter/receiver unit  150  is activated, as before, when birds  91  or top squirrel  83  or bottom squirrel  87  approaches and/or touches the attached birdfeeder  89  or birdhouse as shown in FIG.  1  and FIG. 7. A load cell circuit  152  and a buzzer circuit  154  are similar to components previously mentioned and used in the FIG  4  and FIG  5  circuits. The output signals from these sensor circuits go to a receiver/transmitter microcontroller  159  which is similar to the microcontroller  51  in FIG.  4  and FIG.  5 . However, additional algorithms now decide whether or not to activate the transmitter/receiver circuit  160 . If activated, the bi-directional transmission link  162  is sent over the airwaves to a receiver/transmitter circuit  184  contained within the remote  164  for the purpose of notifying the bird watcher that there is something in their bird feeder or bird house. A DIP switch  158  is used by encoding/decoding algorithms inside the receiver/transmitter microcontroller  159  to encode a certain number of address bits into the bi-directional transmission link  162  through the transmitter/receiver circuit  160  similar to a standard garage door opener. The transmitter components used in the transmitter/receiver circuit  160  can be single or multiple light emitting diodes for an infrared mode of data transmission or an ultrasonic transducer for an ultrasonic mode of data transmission. Or the components can be a SAW-based transmitter module for a radio frequency-type bi-directional transmission link  162 . Likewise, the components used at the receiving end of the bi-directional transmission link  162 , the remote receiver/transmitter circuit  184 , can be photo diodes to implement an infrared version of the bi-directional transmission link  162  or an ultrasonic transducer to implement an ultrasonic version of the bi-directional transmission link  162 . Or the components can be a SAW-based receiver module for a radio frequency-type bi-directional transmission link  162 . The TTL and/or CMOS compatible output of the remote receiver/transmitter circuit  184  is then sent to a remote microcontroller chip  182  which runs firmware algorithms that process the incoming signals. Chips from the Microchip PIC16C5X series can be utilized as suitable remote microcontroller  182  chips. A remote DIP switch  180  is identical to the one in the transmitter/receiver unit  150 . The remote microcontroller chip  182  compares the address information received from the bi-directional transmission link  162  with the settings of the remote DIP switch  180 . If there is a match in the decoded address bits, several outputs from the remote microcontroller chip  182  are then used to activate one or more devices. For example a remote buzzer  166  could be used to emit audio beeps or a purality of light emitting diodes  168  and/or a liquid crystal display circuit  170  could be used to produce visual cues to the user. Also, a serial port circuit  174  could be used to interface with a desktop personal computer (not shown). All or these examples are for the main purpose of notifying the bird watcher that a rodent or a bird is in their bird feeder or birdhouse. However, data from the serial port circuit  174  could also be used to activate other external devices such as cameras (not shown) for the purpose of taking pictures of birds and/or rodents in a bird feeder, or birdhouse. In addition, multiple transmitter/receiver units  150  attached to a multitude of bird feeders and/or bird houses can be used with a single remote  164  by virtue of unique address/data transmission information encoded into each bi-directional transmission link  162  sent to the remote  164 . Part of the address/data information can also be utilized to tell which bird feeder, or bird house, is activated by observing the information presented to the bird watcher by the liquid crystal display circuit  170 . 
     After being notified by the remote  164 , the bird watcher then has the option to scare the rodents and/or unwanted birds away from their bird feeder, or bird house, simply by activating a loud and annoying audio and/or ultrasonic buzzers contained in the buzzer circuit  154  in the transmitter/receiver unit  150 . The person could also decide to rotate the feeder at a fast speed making any rodents uncomfortable and want to jump off. Or the person could decide to rotate the feeder at a slow speed turning the feeder until the birds can be easily seen. The bird watcher can accomplish any of these tasks simply by pushing various buttons on a keypad  172  whose output goes to the remote microcontroller chip  182 . The remote microcontroller chip  182  then interprets what the user wants to accomplish and creates a special address/data word using the current settings of the remote DIP switch  180 . The results of which are then sent to the remote receiver/transmitter circuit  184  which, in turn, generates the bi-directional transmission link  162  back to the transmitter/receiver circuit  160  in the transmitter/receiver unit  150 . The transmitter components used in the remote receiver/transmitter circuit  184  can be light emitting diodes for infrared modes of data transmission or an ultrasonic transducer for an ultrasonic modes of data transmission. Or the components can be as complex as a SAW-based transmitter module for a radio frequency-type of bi-directional transmission link  162 . However, the situation is now somewhat simplified if the user is standing by the window. Consequently, the transmission link can now be infrared since the bird watcher now points the remote  164 , much like a TV remote, at the bird feeder, or bird house, in order to activate various mechanisms. The benefits of using infrared can be seen in the manufacturing costs. The transmitter/receiver circuit  160  then strips digital data information out of the received carrier signal and sends the resultant TTL or CMOS compatible signal to the receiver/transmitter microcontroller  159  chip. The receiver/transmitter microcontroller  159  will then activate either the buzzer circuit  154 , whose purpose is to scare away animals and/or a motor/gearbox  156  whose purpose is twofold; (1) to rotate the attached hanging bird feeder, or bird house, very slow for the purpose of reaching a better viewing position of the birds or (2) to rotate the attached hanging bird feeder, or bird house, at a variably fast speed for the purpose of repelling unwanted animals. 
     There are several versions of the previously discussed circuits and mechanical parts and configurations that were not disclosed. For example, a three-position switch could have been used in place of the switch  16  in FIG.  4  and FIG. 5 to connect directly to the microcontroller  51 . The feature could then allow the user not have the motor/gearbox  11  be activated when birds  91  land on the feeder  89  in FIG. 1 or FIG.  7 . The result of this will conserve valuable battery power for the main purpose of deterring rodents from the feeders  89 . Another example is to use  180  mercury tilt switches attached to the printed circuit board  8  in FIG. 2 to detect when the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG. 1 was being tilted in any direction. Another example is a frequency-varying ultrasonic speaker system that transmits ultrasonic noise mainly in the rodent&#39;s hearing range and not in the bird&#39;s hearing range. Another example is an extra motor that is physically bolted internally to the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG.  1  and the pole-mounted apparatus  2  in FIG. 7 that has an offset-cam attached to its shaft that is free to rotate. The cam would, when activated, emit mechanical vibrations though out the invention itself and the feeders  89  shown in FIG.  1  and FIG.  7 . The same example could also be configured having the offset cam replace with a ball chain that would beat against the inside wall of the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG.  1  and the pole-mounted apparatus  2  in FIG.  7 . Another example is to use solar cells in place of the batteries  27  in FIG.  4  and FIG. 5 which would be mounted to the outside of the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG.  1  and the pole-mounted apparatus  2  in FIG.  7 . This would eliminate the need for the chemical batteries  27  shown in FIG.  4  and FIG.  5 . Another example is to use an alternating current power source from any standard household outlet with the proper rectifying circuitry added to the electronics inside the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG.  1  and the pole-mounted apparatus  2  in FIG.  7 . Another example is to have the hanging apparatus  1  in FIG.  1  and the pole-mounted apparatus  2  in FIG. 7 both incorporated inside the feeder  89  or house. Specifically, the avian enclosures would be manufactured with all of the necessary electronic and mechanical components contained inside the enclosure. Note that most of the above examples could have incorporated some or all of the electronic and mechanical parts on the same printed circuit board  8  shown in FIG.  2 . In closing, for all of these examples, and the many others not mentioned, it shall be assumed that these versions become obvious to anyone skilled in the art and who understands the embodiments of this document.