Patent Publication Number: US-6212804-B1

Title: Hydraulically operated decorative bird sculpture

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a decorative bird sculpture and, more particularly, to a bird sculpture having a fluid operated pivotable head and beak. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Virtually everyone in society has at least some interest in or appreciation of art in various forms. One form of art that has been known since early antiquity is sculpture or statuary. In modem times sculptures and statuary can often be purchased at reasonable prices to decorate a person&#39;s surroundings such as a home or even a place of business. 
     Many people find it aesthetically pleasing to decorate their homes and places of business with gardens. In such cases statuary or sculptures are frequently used for artistic effect to complement other garden features. Often a small pond, for example, can be a highly desirable feature of a decorative garden, and the pond may be further enhanced in aesthetic appearance with the use of a fountain sculpture. A typical fountain sculpture may be placed in a pond or other reservoir and may be provided with an electrically operated pump to recirculate water through the sculpture from the pond or reservoir lending the appearance of an endless flow of water through the sculpture. 
     Decorative devices are known which have moving parts that are operated by flowing water. Often such devices can be fascinating to watch. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,805 issued to Bates. Illustrated therein is a hand pump with an internal cup attached to the pump handle. As the cup is filled with water the handle pivots until the cup is dumped and the water exits the pump spout into a reservoir where it is recirculated by a small electrically operated pump back up to the cup. The recirculation of the water lends the impression that the device has an endless supply of water that is being pumped by the moving handle. 
     It is thus desirable to provide a novel aesthetically pleasing sculpture that can be used, for example, to decorate a garden. It is further desirable to provide such a sculpture which has moving parts that are operated hydraulically. Still further it is desirable to provide such a sculpture that employs a pump and reservoir arrangement to recirculate water through the sculpture lending the impression that the moving parts of the sculpture are operated by an endless supply of water. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a novel decorative bird sculpture having a main body portion with a neck and head extending therefrom. An upper and a lower beak portion extends from the head, the lower beak portion being pivotably connected to the head. A conduit runs from an electrically operated pump and reservoir arrangement and discharges into a proximal portion of the beak thereby causing the beak to open by downward pivoting of the lower beak portion and discharging water back into the reservoir. In another aspect of the invention the head may be pivotably mounted on the neck in such a way as to also pivot downwardly as water fills the beak. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other novel features and advantages of the invention will be better understood upon a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a sculpture constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an upper portion of the bird figurine shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side schematic view of the assembled upper portion of the figurine shown in an initial operative state; 
     FIG. 4 is a side schematic view of the assembled upper portion of the figurine shown in an intermediate operative state; and 
     FIG. 5 is a side schematic view of the assembled upper portion of the figurine in a final operative state. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, a decorative bird sculpture suitable for practicing the principles of the invention is shown in side perspective view and designated generally by the reference numeral  10 . The sculpture  10  includes as its principal components a base assembly  12  and a bird figurine  14  supported on the base assembly  12 . While the bird figurine  14  is shown as resembling an egret, it will be appreciated that the figurine can be fashioned into other bird-like forms such as a heron or stork for example. The base assembly  12  is configured to form a reservoir  16  for containing a quantity of fluid, preferably water. The reservoir  16  extends underneath the figurine  14  wherein there is provided a submersible electric pump  18 . The figurine  14  is provided with a pair of legs  20  and  22  of which at least one leg  22  is formed of a tube connected by a hose  24  to the pump  18 . The figurine  14  includes a body portion  26  from which a neck portion  28  and head portion  30  extend. Although not seen, the tubular leg  22  extends up through the body portion  26  and neck portion  28  and thence into the head portion  30 , for purposes of which will be described in detail hereinafter. 
     Turning now to FIG. 2 which shows an exploded view of the component parts of the upper figurine  14 ′, a beak  32  can be seen as comprising an upper beak portion  40 , which is preferably immovably fixed to the head portion  30 , and a lower beak member  42 . The lower beak member  42  is attached by a pin  44  at a pivot point A provided on the head portion  30 . The lower beak member  42  may be generally V-shaped in cross-section. A portion  46  of the lower beak member  42  proximal to the pivot point A is provided with a dam element  48  which creates a small reservoir  50 , the purpose of which will hereinafter be explained. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the head portion  30  is pivotably connected to the neck portion  28  at a pivot point B by an axle  52 . The axle  52  is generally U-shaped such that it receives the proximal end  46  of the beak member  42  and allows clearance for the beak member  42  to pivot. 
     Operation of the sculpture  10  can best be appreciated with reference to FIGS. 3-5. FIG. 3 illustrates an upper portion of the figurine  14 ′ with the head portion  30  in an unpivoted, generally horizontal condition. The position shown is essentially dictated by the geometry of the head portion  30  and the location of the head pivot point B. A suitable plume portion  60  may be provided as a counterbalance. In FIG. 3, the tube  22  is shown as having a discharge end  62  which, when the pump  18  is operational, provides a small stream of water to fill the reservoir  50  at the proximal portion  46  of the lower beak member  42 . 
     FIG. 4 shows the upper portion of the figurine  14 ′ with the small reservoir  50  being filled with water causing the head portion  30  to pivot downwardly and the water to begin to overflow the dam element  48  into a main part of the lower beak member  42 . In succession and as shown in FIG. 5, the lower beak member  42  next fills with water causing the beak member  42  to pivot downwardly about pivot point A. With the beak  32  thus open, water flows out of the lower beak member  42  and into the reservoir  16  where it is recirculated by the pump  18 . The head and beak portions  30  and  40  then return to the position shown in FIG.  3  and the process begins once again. 
     It can now be appreciated that sculpture  10  constructed in accordance with the invention offers considerable advantages in serving as a desirable ornamental piece particularly in decorative gardens. The continuous movement of the figurine  14  lends a fascinating appearance to the sculpture  10  which can captivate the attention of any onlooker. It can also be appreciated that the sculpture  10  can be readily constructed using conventional materials and manufacturing techniques. For example, the tube  22  can be a standard copper tube that is formed to appear leg-like at its exposed portion. Moreover, the figurine  14  can be sculpted of copper or brass sheet material so as to be resistant to corrosion. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the invention.