Patent ID: 7946248

Claim:
A feeder, comprising: a) an elongated receptacle defining at least one pair of diametrically-opposed side openings; b) a pair of identical ports located in the openings; and c) a restraining pin located within the interior of the receptacle and interfitting with the ports to hold the ports in place and prevent the ports from being removed from the feeder while the pin is in place within the interior of the receptacle; where each of the ports comprises: i) a shield that lies against and follows the contour of the external surface of the receptacle; ii) a generally horizontal perch projecting from the shield; and iii) a shoulder section that sits inside the receptacle, the shoulder section comprising a neck portion that fits in one of the openings, and a distal end face defining a pair of projecting members, one member a generally horizontal blade and a second member a generally vertical sector, each such member defining an essentially semi-circular slot to accept the restraining pin; and where, when two such ports are interfitted such that the two sectors are side-by-side and the two blades are side-by-side, and the restraining pin is placed through the ports and engaging each of the semi-circular slots, the ports are held in place in the elongated receptacle and cannot be removed or substantially rotated therein.