IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION & ORNAMENTAL APPEARANCE OF BIRDCAGES
Year: 1885

page_text: CHARLES MOHR 113 Bradford Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Japanner, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION & ORNAMENTAL APPEARANCE OF BIRDCAGES to be as follows:-
The object of this invention has for its purpose improvements in the construction
and ornamental appearance of Birdcages, chiefly of a square, bexagon, or octagon
shape; and such Birdcages as have a drawer in their base. This invention consists
of making the base or bottom part of a Birdcage deeper than has been the practice
hitherto, and by a new contrivance herein after described; bring the feeding vessels
sufficiently low into the base thereof, so as to prevent the bird from scattering the
seed, husks and sand & outside the same. By this arrangement I do away with
the necessity of using loose pieces of glass, hitherto placed in upright groves round
the lower portion of the body, or wire part of the cage, which also had for its
object the prevention of seed & being scattered. The chief improvement of
my invention consists however, in making the base of a Birdcage more ornamental
and attractive; the feeding arrangement being a necessary adjunct to obtain this
object. I will now describe and ascertain the mode by which I arrive at this.
For my illustration (I will take a square base of a birdcage which I construct in
the following manner. I join four frames-similar in construction to the frames of
pictures together at right angles, so as to form the rim or sides of a base, to
which I fix a bottom, I then insert into the four frames, forming the sides, panels
of either glass, china, or papier maché; made to fit exactly into the frames they
are intended for.
It will now be apparent that panels composed of materials previously named are
capable of having varied and highly ornamental designs put upon them; and that
when fixed in their respective frames in the base of a birdcage will have a very
attractive and pleasing effect; I will now explain the necessity for having a new
contrivance for getting the feeding arrangement low down into the base of a cage
in connection with the aforesaid.
The panels being of a material—especially the glass and china-unfavourable for
having openings out into them for the admission of feeding vessels, and as it is
altogether foreign to my purpose to make the base of my birdcage unsightly and

page_text: loose its compactness, and also for economical reasons in the cost of production of
birdcages intended to have such bases attached to them; I obtain my object, by
making a feeding box, to slide or otherwise, capable of being moved from the inside
of the lower or wire part of the body of a cage into its base. I construct a feeding
box in metal by preference of a size to hold an ordinary round open top feeding
vessel; such as are commonly used in metallic birdcages; the top of the said
feeding box has a round hole cut in, through which the bird takes its food; the
back of the feeding box will project above the top of the same, and will have a
flanch turned over at each side thereof; the said flanches when the feeding box is
in its proper place inside the body of the cage, will clip closely over a wire on each
side of an aperture made in the lower part of the body the cage; the said aperture
to correspond with an aperture made in the lower part of the back of the feeding
box, both apertures being of a size large enough for the admission of the feeding
vessel; the back of the feeding box will also have a knob or small handle pro-
jecting towards the outside of the cage, for convenience of moving the feeding box
down into the base of the cage, or up again so as to allow the apertures before
described to meet for the purpose of replenishing food. The whole feeding arrange-
ment is so contrived that at no change of its position will it permit the escape of
the bird..

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction and Ornamental Appearance
of Birdcages.
I CHARLES MOHR of 113 Bradford Street Birmingham, County of Warwick,
Japanner, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION AND ORNAMETAL APPEARANCE OF BIRDCAGES and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
The object of this invention has for its purpose improvements in the construction
and ornamental appearance of birdcages chiefly of a square, hexegon or octagon
shape, and such birdcages as have a drawer in their base; in making the base or
bottom part of a birdcage deeper than has been the practice hitherto, and in
making the rim or sides of such base of four or more frames, according to the shape
of the cage intented to be made, and inserting into them panels of ornamented
glass, china, or papier maché, and by a new contrivance allowing the feeding
vessels being moved from the lower wire or body part of a cage sufficiently low
into the base of the same so as to prevent the bird scattering the seed, husks and c.
By this arrangement I do away with the necessity of using loose pieces of glass
hitherto placed in upright groves round the lower portion of the body or wire
part of cage, which also had for its object the prevention of seed and husks being
scattered, and the unsightly and unfinished appearance of such loose pieces of
glass, the same not framed or bound in on the top edge.
In order that my said invention may be more fully understood I will explain the
same with the aid of the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specifi-
cation, reference being made thereto by the numerals and letters marked thereon,
each reference letter applies to the same part in the several figures of the said
drawing.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a square birdcage with glass panels in the base of
the same, and feeding-boxes inside the base in their proper places.
Fig. 2 is a front view in elevation of a base of birdcage showing the side and
bottom portions of a frame B for receiving glass panel A.
Fig. 3 is a top portion of a frame to complete framework of Fig. 2.
Figs. 4. 5. 6. are respectively front, back and side views of a feeding box,
Fig. 7 is a side or end view in elevation of a cage, the feeding box is therein
placed in position for replenishing feeding vessel F.
Fig. 8 is a sectional view in elevation of a cage showing feeding box in its proper
position inside the base.
This invention consists in making the rim or sides of a base or bottom of a bird-
cage of frames B Figs. 2 and 3 of wood, metal or any other plastic material, and in
inserting into them panels A of ornamental glass, china or papier maché; in
making a feeding box-in metal by preference-Figs. 4. 5 and 6. The top of the
feeding box has a round hole C cut out through which the bird takes its food.
The back D of the feeding box projects above the top thereof. The lower part of
the back of the feeding box has an aperture E Fig. 5. This aperture corresponds
with an aperture G made in the lower wire or body part of cage Fig. 7; both

page_text: apertures being of a size large enough for the reception of a glass feeding vessel F.
The feeding box has a small handle H fixed in the back thereof, for convenience of
moving the feeding box up or down, as hereinafter explained. The back of the
feeding box will also have a flange on each side thereof, to clip loosely over the
upright wire on each side of the aperture G; or its plain edges will be held loosely
in metal groves J on each side of the aperture G, as shown in Fig. 7.-The
feeding boxes being held in their places loosely, as described above, can by the aid
of the handle H be easily moved, or slided, up, for replenishing feeding vessel, as,
shown in Fig. 7, or moved down again into the base of cage, as shown in Fig. 8.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and
the method of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details, demensions or shapes of the several parts now given
by way of illustration, as they are capable of variation, such as to suit different
shapes and designs of birdcages, without departing from the main characteristics
of my said invention; but I claim as new, and desire to secure, by aforesaid in
Letters Patent.
1st The insertion or placing of panels, made of glass, china or papier maché, in
frames constituding the base or bottom part of a birdcage, such panels being a
fixture.
2 The construction of a feeding box, capable of being moved or slided from
the lower wire or body part of a birdcage into the base or bottom part thereof,
substantially as herein described.