Abstract:
A towable, single axle utility trailer having a retractable tower supporting a sonic bird repeller at an upper end thereof, a solar powered panel coupled to charge a storage battery on a trailer platform, and an electric cabling connecting the battery to actuate the sonic bird repeller for providing predatory bird distress calls in creating a danger zone to frighten infesting birds away.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     NONE. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program. 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     NOT APPLICABLE 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to bird pest controllers for frightening infesting birds, in general, and to a bird pest controller for large area deterrence, in particular. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Ultrasonic and sonic bird repellers are known to frighten infesting birds by the means of intermittent distress calls associated with their predators. Visual scare devices are also known, as are roost inhibitors. For such fixed locations as rooftops and open parking lots, species-specific repellers are oftentimes employed, with visual scare devices typically placed every 50-100 feet. One manufacturer of such bird control products is Bird-X Inc., of Chicago, Ill. 
     For large landfills, and for transfer depots where trash is transported to, having ultrasonic or sonic bird repellers fixed in place has been found to be an inadequate deterrent. This follows because of the numbers of units that must be utilized, and because each unit must be separately electrically powered to operate. Landfills of hundred of acres are especially attractive to marauding birds where trucks delivering trash and workers there are all in different places at the same time. Simply securing a bird repeller on a fixed platform has been found to be an insufficient way of dealing with the problem. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     As will become clear from the following description, a bird pest controller for large area deterrence in accordance with the present invention includes a towable utility trailer having a support platform, a telescoping retractable tower having a lower end mounted with the platform, and a sonic bird repeller at an upper end of the tower. A storage battery on the platform is charged, by a solar powered panel on the trailer, and electric cabling connects the battery to the bird repeller components to operate it with the predatory calls. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the solar panel is coupled along a length of the tower between its upper and lower ends—with the panel being pivotable to capture as much sunlight as possible. A first support column on the trailer is then provided to latch the lower end of the tower when it is rotated upwardly to an erect position for sending out the predatory sounds in use. A second support column is included to latch along the length of the tower when it is rotated downwardly to a horizontal position for being transported about, or for storage. To secure the tower when rotated to its erect position, pairs of stabilizing outriggers may be provided, deployable by hand crank winches at both a front towbar of the trailer and at a rear channeling bar provided at the platform. With a retractable tower having a length of some 25-30 feet, and with a 4-sided, 20 speaker sonic bird repeller, areas of over 30 acres have been found to be quite cleared of infesting birds in this manner. 
     Such height of 25-30 feet will be appreciated by those skilled in the art as being a compromise between the area desired to be cleared (i.e., towers of a greater height) and the height of the transfer depots in use (which tend to be the 25-30 foot range). With the addition of visual deterrents (for example, inflatable “balloons”, iridescent foils, and predatory bird replicas) attached at the top of the tower and from its sides, a significantly greater effectiveness is obtained in creating a frightening “danger zone” to these infesting birds—and in a humane manner that is harmless to them. Workers at these landfill and transfer station depots are thus protected, as will be other workers at such outdoor locations as agricultural fields, airport facilities, beach and park areas. All that is required is the towing of the utility trailer to the area in question, righting the retractable tower for use, connecting the cabling and turning on the sonic bird repeller. Afterwards, all that need be done is to return the tower to its horizontal position, latch it up secure, and tow the trailer to the next area. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which  FIGS. 1-5  are pictorial views of the mobile bird pest controller of the invention in different phases of use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the towable utility trailer of the invention is shown at  10  as having a support platform  12  and a carrying cage  14 . A front towbar  16  couples to the pulling vehicle and a pair of stabilizing outrigger supports  18  are secured at the opposite sides of the towbar  16 , being deployable by a first hand crank winch  20 . In non-use, a storage battery  22  is secured to the support platform  12  by a strap  24 . 
     The support platform  12  includes a first support column  26  at a front end of the platform  12 , and a second support column  28  at its rear end. Such columns latch the telescoping retractable tower  30  when the trailer  10  is being towed or stored (“for non-use”). A channeling bar extends in two parts  32   a  and  32   b  from the rear of the platform  12 , each having its own stabilizing outrigger support  34  deployable by a second hand crank winch  36 .  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3  illustrate the bird pest controller with the outrigger supports  18  and  34  in their nondeployed state and with the retractable tower  30  in a horizontal position for transportation or storage, latched in the support columns  26 ,  28 . A single axle utility trailer is preferable. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  additionally show a sonic bird repeller  40  at a first, upper end  42  of the tower  30  and a solar powered panel  44  along a length of the tower between its upper end  42  and its lower end  46 . Fixed, or preferably pivotable along the length of the tower  30  to capture as much sunlight as possible, the panel  44  is coupled by various cabling  48  carried in the cage  14  to the storage battery  22  so as to charge it once its strap  24  and cover  25  are removed. Loosening locking clamps (not shown) at the support columns  26 ,  28  allows the tower  30  to be rotated upwardly to an erect position, in allowing its end  46  to be clamped to the platform  12  under control of a locking string  50  and U-clamp sections  52 ,  54 . The end result is as shown in  FIG. 4  (which also shows the deployment of the outrigger supports  34  and the telescoping nature of the tower by the sections a, b and c). A control box for the sonic bird repeller  40  is shown at  56  in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  5 , and may be of the type to adjust the volume of its speakers, and their individual states of ON/OFF operation. 
     As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various other cabling may additionally be carried in the cage  14  for the storage battery  22  to actuate the bird repeller  40  by way of the control box  56 . The repeller may be of any appropriate design to produce the distress cries of predatory birds in this manner, and is preferably a 4-sided unit with 5 speakers per side (for example, as available from Bird-X, Inc. as its MEGA BLASTER design). Secured to the upper end  42  of the tower by a bar extension  58 , the repeller  40  is formed as part of a frame  60  which includes outwardly rotatable arms  62   a ,  62   b  ( FIG. 3 ). Individual visual scare bird deterrents may be hung from the arms—as a moving inflatable predatory bird replica balloon  64  and an iridescent foil  66  ( FIG. 4 ). A 12 volt capacity for the storage battery  22  has been found sufficient to operate such a sonic bird repeller as charged by the solar panel  44 . 
     In a preferred construction of the invention, a fully extended operational height of 27 feet was selected for the tower  30  in a towable single axle utility trailer of a total length of 14 feet 10 inches with a front towbar pullable length of 4 feet 5 inches. A front width for the trailer was selected of 3 feet 5 inches, with a fender-to-fender rear width of 5 feet 1 inches increasing to 10 feet 2.5 inches when the outrigger stabilizing supports  34  are in place. With a carrying cage  14  of 3 feet 9 inches by 3 feet 2.25 inches, an overall weight was presented of some 1,180 pounds. With a width of 14 feet 2.5 inches selected with the arms  62   a ,  62   b  fully extended outwardly, the single axle trailer of the invention was easily towable on standard tires to relocate from one area to another. The height provided was also found to be quite effective in humanely humanely clearing large areas of infesting birds. As will be appreciated, 25-30 foot tower lengths encompass the height of trash transfer buildings commonly found at landfill locations, where the infesting birds may otherwise roost. 
     While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily acknowledged by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.